I just wanted to make a quick comment on Eugene Kim's column regarding military spending ("America Still At War, Even During Break," March 5). I agree with his statements that Americans have become callous to the sacrifice that many have made in order for us to have forums like this, but my agreement with his column ends there. His criticism of increasing military spending is unwarranted. I agree that our government spends much of our hard-earned money on useless crap, but the F-22, JSF and other military projects are necessary to save (yes, I said save) human life and protect this nation. The F-15E design will be 25 years old when the last F-22 is delivered in 2013. The average F-15 fleet, including the previous F-15 generations, will be more than 30 years old by that time. I know that if my brother, father or even Eugene Kim were going into a combat situation, I would want them to have the best equipment possible to ensure that they have the best chance of returning to their families. These billion-dollar war toys may seem like fun and games, but this is serious business. The JSF might cost an excess of $200 billion.
However, I can't put a price on human life -- can you?
Mike Blacker
Freshman
Computer Science
