The Boys and Their Toys

The President's budget was presented to Congress yesterday, and one of the most expensive parts was the share allotted the Pentagon. Given the current administration's propensity for war-making, this certainly is no surprise. What is a surprise, however, is how much of the money allocated the military-industrial complex for unnecessary weapons. From an editorial in today's NY Times:

Apart from war costs and personnel increases, this budget slips in more than $40 billion in other spending increases, compared with last year. Since Mr. Bush took office, the Pentagon budget has more than doubled. It is now higher, in real terms, than it has been in the past half-century. [Emphasis added]

And where is this $40 billion headed?

Congress should direct particular attention to the roughly $140 billion in weapons procurement, research and development costs that are not part of the Iraq and Afghanistan section of the budget. Far too many of these programs are products of cold war strategic thinking and have outlived their rationale in a world with no superpower arms race. ...

Several of these programs can be canceled outright. The F-22 is one of three new-generation stealth fighters, and the most expendable because it was originally designed for air-to-air combat against Soviet-style MIG fighters. Likewise, the Virginia-class submarine was designed to track enemy nuclear submarines. The DDG-1000 is a blue-water fighting fortress, when what the Navy really needs these days is smaller, faster ships that can operate in shallow coastal waters.

If the boys at the Pentagon want these new, but unnecessary toys, they should have to pay for them the way generations of PTAs have had to pay for the 'frills' at schools: hold a bake sale.