Rich Get Tax Cuts, Army Gets Shaft

Many of us want to believe there are politicians in Washington concerned about doing things the way they're supposed to be done. Apparently there are not enough of them these days. Bush and Republican members of Congress seem to be so busy cutting taxes for their wealthy friends that they've forgotten the US Army. USA Today has an AP story on the folks making sacrifices for Bush's war on Iraq:

The Army, bearing most of the cost for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Thursday its money crunch has gotten so bad it is clamping down on spending for travel, civilian hiring and other expenses not essential to the war mission.

A statement outlining the cutbacks did not say how much money the Army expects to save, but senior officials have said the cost of replacing worn equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan is rising at a quickening pace.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, said last week that in 2004 it cost $4 billion to repair or replace war equipment, but now it has reached $12 billion to $13 billion. "And in my view, we will continue to see this escalate," he said, adding that the Army is using up equipment at four times the rate for which it was designed.

Of course, it would be good to find out why patriotic defense contractors are charging the Army more than they were two years ago, wouldn't it? Republicans have been exercising almost no oversight when it comes to government contracts. Maybe that's the problem. Not only are the Republicans cutting taxes for the wealthy at a time when some sacrifices are in order, but they seem to have an awful lot of 'close' friends in the defense industry (see Cunningham scandal and its offshoots). When he was a senator, Harry S. Truman was famous in World War II for making sure the military got what they needed at a fair price and as free of defects as possible. The current crop of Republicans seem to have a different brand of values and ethics these days.