Pork Platoon ; Damn the Deficits -- Full Speed Ahead!

Summary

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In yet another illustration of how pork, parochialism and congressional privilege routinely trump practicality, frugality and responsible priority-setting in Washington, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to override a Pentagon plan to decommission an aircraft carrier and cancel a troubled cargo plane program.

Both proposals were made in an effort to defray the mounting costs of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and direct limited resources to higher priorities. They were rejected because retiring the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy and canceling the C-130J cargo plane could mean a loss of jobs and federal funds to certain states and congressional districts, as the Senate declared, like some demented second coming of Admiral Farragut: Damn the deficit, full speed ahead! The actions "marked triumphs of local politics over the Pentagon's budget plans," according to one media report.

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Pork Platoon ; Damn the Deficits -- Full Speed Ahead!

Compounding the irresponsibility, the language forcing the Pentagon retreat was inserted into a $81 billion "emergency supplemental" spending bill making its way through Congress. In keeping with custom, congressional oppor...

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