DoD Budget Wars: $636 billion defense bill approved in House
source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h6h0viHbg1MRl_JEyD8Jb8XWbbRAD99P49A80
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- HardPower
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The House passed an appropriations bill 400-30, which took out $44 billion from the original bill including $2 billion for more F-22s. However, lots of weapons systems the military and the President never asked for are still being bought on the national credit card to buy off campaign contributors and to "create jobs" in certain Congressional districts.
$128 billion is to be spent on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Military personnel will only be receiving a 3.4% raise, so now a new soldier will rake in a staggering $1447 per month, or $17,364 per year. When working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week in Iraq, that comes to about $3.24 per hour after the raise. US military are exempt from US minimum wage laws.
Congress is also buying themselves 9 new F-18 Superhornets to be built in St. Louis, despite the fact that these are supposed to be phased out and replaced by F-35s. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) is spending $369 million of your money in his district for F-22 engines. And then there's $674 million for C-17s made in Long Beach, CA that the military doesn't want. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) is spending your money in his district for VH-71 presidential helicopters the President says are a waste of money.
Yet Congress somehow mustered the balls to stiff Obama out of the $100 million to close Guantanamo Bay's prison and move the prisoners.
$128 billion is to be spent on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Military personnel will only be receiving a 3.4% raise, so now a new soldier will rake in a staggering $1447 per month, or $17,364 per year. When working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week in Iraq, that comes to about $3.24 per hour after the raise. US military are exempt from US minimum wage laws.
Congress is also buying themselves 9 new F-18 Superhornets to be built in St. Louis, despite the fact that these are supposed to be phased out and replaced by F-35s. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) is spending $369 million of your money in his district for F-22 engines. And then there's $674 million for C-17s made in Long Beach, CA that the military doesn't want. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) is spending your money in his district for VH-71 presidential helicopters the President says are a waste of money.
Yet Congress somehow mustered the balls to stiff Obama out of the $100 million to close Guantanamo Bay's prison and move the prisoners.
