We have all heard of paying it forward – you are at Dunkin Donuts and a nice guy behind you pays for your coffee. Sadly, we are now borrowing it forward. We need to thank all the children in Maine who are funding our military budget. It would not be so bad if they were purchasing viable weapons, but some of what they are paying for are real boondoggles, like the F-35s. When our little ones graduate and get their first job, they can take a look at the taxes taken out of their paychecks and wonder why we didn’t put a stop to this profligate spending. There are bombs, bullets, drones and nukes with the names of our kids on them.
The Department of Defense budget is running $886 billion, and an additional $60 billion is being sought for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. On top of that, there is an “Unfunded Priority List” that runs well over $16 billion. It’s hard to believe that after all those other billions there are unfunded “priorities,” but the Pentagon budget is a veritable black hole. Since the 1990s these UPLS have been driving up our spending. What can we do so that someday we can look our kids in the eye and say we did something? Maine can take a lead – we are thrifty Yankees. Legislation is in the House to stop mandating the submission of unfunded priorities – H.R. 4740, the Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act will stop this nonsense. Please urge Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree to sign on today.
Deborah de Rivera
Brunswick
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