Don't let the Raptors go extinct!

Yesterday on Fox News, I heard that the U.S. Senate scrapped the F-22 Raptor jet fighter program. The program costs only a few billion dollars, but was abolished thanks to Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and our own Carl Levin (D-MI), who is the powerful Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The F-22 will give America the logistical and technological advantage in warfare for the next 40 years. Opponents say we could scrap the F-22s for the less expensive F-35, even though the F-22 is much more advanced. Some people say that the F-22 costs $350 million each, although that number is in dispute because that includes the reaseach and development that went into it. Supporters like me say the F-22 is essential to defend America in this post-9/11 world.

What's most upsetting about this is that Washington is blowing up our taxes and spending on social programs like bailouts, universal health care, and the stimulus packages. We will have trillion-dollar deficits for at least another decade, but we can't spend about $2 billion a year to maintain the F-22 program? President Barack Obama promised to give us shovel-ready programs through his stimulus programs, yet the F-22 is just such a program. The Bush administration spent billions of dollars in R & D on the Raptor. Now Obama wants to abolish the program. This is just one small example of how socialists view our military. He'll get soft and chummy with the worst dictators and cut defense spending like the F-22 and missile defense, but he'll give trillions in social programs. The F-22 would replace many obsolete aircraft and make our military leaner and more effective. This will help us win wars and save money in the long run. The F-22 is the best fighter jet to date. Let's use it to our advantage. It would be a shame to see our politicians make the Raptors go extinct with the rest of the dinosaurs.

G.J. LaRouche, 22 July 2009