President Signs Defense Bill

Monday President Obama signed a $636.3 billion dollar defense bill for 2010 that also contains $128 billion for the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan and gives the military a 3.4 percent pay increase. Whatever happened to reform that we had been promised? Has anyone even looked at what is in this massive expenditure of funding?

We know for a fact many earmarks were inserted that only enrich or benefit political leaders from both sides. The Air Force didn’t ask for funding for the C-17 cargo plane, but the Air Force now has additional planes it didn’t want at the tune of over $2 billion dollars.

All too often the ones screaming the loudest about cutting Pentagon spending are the ones groveling at the trough of wasteful defense spending. Just follow the money trail and you will see both political parties use the defense budget for their own political gains.

This budget contained no real reform that will modernize the defense acquisition and procurement system. Too often weapons systems come online after billions of cost overruns. Each new system is billions over budget and the taxpayer are the ones that pay.

The time has come to modernize acquisition and procurement system of the Defense Department. The savings can be used for other areas, or help reduce the national debt which is truly a threat to national security.

Let’s get real reform and let’s get it now!