F-35 has been a waste of tax dollars — Shirley Smith

The F-35 fight jet program is an example of grotesquely huge U.S. military spending that is not in our nation’s best interest.

A search of news articles shows an estimated cost of over $1.5 trillion over the lifetime of the program. Operation and maintenance of the F-35s is riddled with logistical and mechanical troubles.

The Department of Defense should be held accountable to much stricter cost controls. Think of what even half of that amount of money could provide for our country’s defense in terms of better educating all citizens, building people’s health with access to good food and health care, and protecting our digital technology infrastructure from foreign hacking.

Supporting the health and capacity of all U.S. citizens and securing our digital networks are every bit as important as machines and weapons to keep our country safe.

Shirley Smith, Madison