What is the deal with this F-35 buy? From The Globe And Mail:
The Department of National Defence said this week it’s been warned to expect the per-unit price of the F-35 jets might be higher than the $75-million it’s been advertising to Canadians.
This follows two developments that could spell trouble for the Conservatives: a recent Pentagon report detailing rising production costs for the jets as well as leaked U.S. defence paper that suggests 30 years of maintenance costs could be three times higher than Ottawa has acknowledged.
These are ludicrously expensive jets that don’t make sense for Canada. We can’t afford daycare, we can’t afford to cut carbon emissions, we can’t afford the Kelowna accord, we can’t afford blah blah blah, but we’ll spend well upwards of $30 billion on stealth fighters? Insanity. Are we expecting an attack by China?
I’ve always been in favour of the military being properly equipped for peacekeeping missions but the F-35 is what you buy if you’re planning on military adventures like, oh, invading Iraq.
Which, come to think of it, the Conservatives wanted Canada to do. Hmmm.
Look. I have well-documented socialist leanings. I want a well-funded government that invests in Canada–to me, that’s far more important than constant whiny calls for tax cuts (which can also be a legitimate policy tool but are generally overused). I generally like government programs and spending.
But the Conservatives’ military socialism is bullshit.
Harrumph.
