The F-35 debacle is taking up time in the House of Commons since an auditor's report last week revealed that the Conservative government deliberately misled the country about the true costs of the strike fighter program. Here's how the Edmonon Journal puts it:
The Conservative government's explanation for lowballing the F-35 price tag by $10 billion weeks before the last election may be questionable, say experts, but its actions were consistent with normal practices.
I especially like the "normal practices" bit there. What they're really saying is hey, we lie to you all the time, what's the big deal?
The big deal is that Canadian taxpayers have more important things to spend their money on than a jet fighter that doesn't work and in terms of the modern technology of war is already obsolete.
The military establishment doesn't want to admit that, though. For almost a hundred years we've glamorized the fighter pilot as the embodiement of the fearless warrior, the perfect combination of courage and technical skill.
The fact that everything they do can now be done as well or better by "pilots" sitting in front of drone management screens doesn't sit well with these folks.
They'd much rather be in the sky piloting their brand new $65 million (or 140, or 160, depending on who you believe) F-35 hotrods, and who can blame them?
But that's hardly a reason for spending our money on this vanity project.
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