To the Editor:
Now that the “slow-motion train wreck” of budget sequestration has finally crashed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (“Worker nightmare at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” 7/3), maybe Congress will finally repeal this foolish, dangerous law.
For veterans like Mr. Fralish, the cost of sequestration will be even higher, your article notes. In addition to job furloughs that fall disproportionately on veterans (44 percent of the U.S. Department of Defense’s civilian work force is made of veterans), sequestration means lost housing aid, work force training and medical services for veterans. It’s a grotesque breach of faith with those who have given our nation so much.
Cutting the deficit is important, but it is easy to find real waste to cut instead of the services that veterans have earned. The $1.5 trillion F-35 stealth fighter is the very essence of Pentagon waste. It is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. It has repeatedly failed to meet performance requirements, but, instead of fixing the aircraft, the Department of Defense has simply lowered the bar. Defense analysts have said that even if the plane delivers on expectations, it will still be inferior to Russian fighter jets.
We should cut the flawed F-35 and protect our veterans from the menace of sequestration.
SPC Amanda Hess Hawkins
St George, Kansas
via Sequestration hits veterans hardest; cut F-35 | SeacoastOnline.com.