Daylife/AP Photo by Robert F. Bukaty
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The U.S. navy has signed a contract worth some 14 billion U.S. dollars with General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman to build eight new Virginia-class submarines.
In a statement, General Dynamics said its Electric Boat unit and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a unit of Northrop Grumman, will start building the submarines next year.
These submarines are capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots (46 km per hour) and can dive to a minimum depth of 244 meters, while carrying Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes, Tomahawk land attack missiles and unmanned underwater vehicles.
Cities all over America have to cut back on everything from education budgets to support for their police departments – but, part of Bush’s farewell to the American taxpayer is guaranteeing that we can fight World War 3 from a position of hardware absurdity supremacy.
We have nothing better to spend the money on? Obama, please cancel this pork.
They’ll be needed, for securing the Indian Ocean (which leads Pacific sea traffic to the Persian Gulf).
When you have a lot of enemies and lose your friends, you better carry a big stick. Engaging in dialogue with belligerent nations is best done from a position of strength. Those subs are probably one of the best long term military (big-stick) investments we can make. Save $ ?- put off trying to shoot for outer space until our economy is in order.
Last time I checked paying for schools and local police forces wasn’t a federal mandate.
But I’m sure Obama will find some Crack Head Baby Mama who is the 5th generation on welfare that would have way better ways to spend the money.
2&3 are absolutely right. In fact, we should build another Maginot Line right around Wall Street and keep everything safe – for babycakes #4.
Can’t the losers in the nutball party come up with something newer than Nixon and Reagan?
well, as long as all the parts are made here and they are built by americans, then there are could be worse things to spend cash on.. like say banks who won’t tell us what they are doing with the cash with them.. or say halliburton and kbr that say we can do security for cheaper then cost 3 to 4 times as much as having our own soldiers do the job.
I want a pony.
We need them. Older submarines are designed for the Cold War. It is time the US Navy submarine had an update. These new submarines are modern and will bring the Navy into the 21st century.
Besides, the Constitution specifically allows Congress to raise an Army and a Navy. I can not find a Constitutional basis for Congress to bail out mortgage companies who made bad loans or allow the President to bypass Congress and bail out the auto industry when Congress voted against it.
Education budgets and local police budgets are the function of the States. Read the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Congress, through the House of Representatives, makes the budget and appropriations. Congress passes laws. Congress decides to go to war. Congress decides pay raises. The President just executes the law and acts as a check to abuses of power by Congress by vetoing bills. Before you blame Bush for a Navy expenditure, find out what Congressman voted for the bill. My bet is it comes from a Connecticut or Virginian Congressman.
thank the gods for good news. i guess i get to keep my job for awhile.
You build ships you think you might need in the coming decades….and with Russia rising we may need them.
The terrorists will go away anyway once the ObaMessiah takes over and the whole Muslim world loves us again (which I was explicitly promised by virtually every Obama-bot I met).
I’d rather the money be spent on subs than bailous any day.
#8, http://www.maplight.org/
This site will tell you exactly who voted for what and how much that vote cost.
When you absolutely, positively, have to kill every motherfucker on the continent.
http://tinyurl.com/8h56yr
BFD. We injected 20b into Citigroup and got zip.
Oh, yes. Clinton and the Repub congress approved this program in the 90’s & the current Dem Congress approved $ to finish it…
Well, they are spending on improving the infrastructure and thus creating more jobs so stop bitching about it.
Cheap at half the price.
$ 14 billion
But then again this is very small potatoes to the 700 billion of the bailout
Even the bonuses added up to the execs of Wall Street were more than this
At least we are getting something for “our money” and some performance and hardware
In the case of Wall Street or the US Auto Industry the execs are being rewarded for running the companies into the ground and telling themselves how they are the Lord’s gift to the world. All while vacationing in Florida
Nothing says ‘world peace’ like a brace of submarines, eh. Merry Christmas, world.
These boats are needed. They’re designed for covert operations as well as being hunters. They don’t build themselves, so that means jobs. By the way have anyone else noticed the rise of Russian nationalism and Czar Putin?
# 20 zefyr said, “Also, we need to be considering what type of equipment best serves us in the current climate. Its not the cold war anymore.”
Exactly. Thus this new class of subs.
Money well spent. Those who control the sea, control the world.
#20, zephr,
If you have an opinion then please share it with us. If you have some evidence then sure, a link is great. Linking to someone elses opinion is a waste of time.
#21, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath and retired Mall Rent-A-Cop,
Is this new class of submarines going to stop people flying airplanes into tall buildings or find Osama bin Laden hiding spot?
#22, gq,
Wrong. That was before the advent of air and missile power. Large Navies are of limited use and can be very vulnerable in a conflict. And very expensive too.
The problem with not wasting money on getting ready for the next war is what happens when it shows up and you aren’t ready.
In a perfect world it’d be a bleeping waste of money. Unfortunately the last time I checked people aren’t perfect.
I agree with Teddy R. Speak softly but carry a big stick.
Be nice. Be polite. Be considerate. Treat others with the same courtsy, consideration and respect you would like them to show you and last but not least. Be ready to deal with it when the next would be ruler of the world shows up and tries to take over or just a bunch or pirates raiding commmerce.
A strong navy is a good friend.
We have to counteract that alQaeda navy.
So many comments – so much bs.
What a bunch of sheep!
“Be ready to deal with it when the next would be ruler of the world shows up and tries to take over..”
Did you miss his act? He’s leaving office in a few weeks and taking Bush with him.
GigG said, on December 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Last time I checked paying for schools and local police forces wasn’t a federal mandate.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), often abbreviated in print as NCLB and sometimes shortened in pronunciation to “nickelbee”[1], is a United States federal law (Act of Congress) that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001, immediately after taking office.
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Over the time of this law, Congress increased federal funding of education, from $42.2 billion in 2001 to $54.4 billion in 2007. This equates to an increase which outpaced inflation by 5%. No Child Left Behind received a 40.4% increase from $17.4 billion in 2001 to $24.4 billion. The funding for reading quadrupled from $286 million in 2001 to $1.2 billion.
But I’m sure Obama will find some Crack Head Baby Mama who is the 5th generation on welfare that would have way better ways to spend the money.
Bigoted POS.
Sweet.
# 4 GigG said,
last time I checked paying for schools …. wasn’t a federal mandate.
Right you are.
And neither is it a gov mandate to spend our money bailing out wall street.
What’s wiser to spend tax money on, the Military-Industrial Complex (boys and their toys), upfront on educating the electorate, incarcerating it, or giving our money to the wealthy?
The gov and it’s arm chair generals does what it wants, regardless of tax-payer/voter needs. (IMHO WWII was when we had our last good crop of generals)
#23
> Is this new class of
> submarines going to stop
> people flying airplanes into
> tall buildings or find
> Osama bin Laden hiding spot?
You make it sound like bin Laden is the only enemy we will every have. While subs may not do anything about bin Ladin, they might stop troop carriers from reaching Taiwan. It also might take out some podunk country that buys a Russian sub and tries to get cute.
> Large Navies are of
> limited use and can be
> very vulnerable in a conflict.
You should consider refraining from responding on tactics when you clearly haven’t the foggiest clue of what you are speaking.
The fastest way to move thousands of tons of material like tanks, armored vehicles, troop carriers, artillery and such from North America to somewhere else is via the ocean. The fastest way to park an airfield off someone’s coast in another part of the world is via the ocean.
Until aircraft can carry thousands of tons, fly around the world without refueling and do it cheaply, the oceans will remain a critical military resource.
Correction, those who control the money supply, control the world.
Crap, that sounds like something Adam Curry might say 🙂