This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It is interesting that the very congressional hawks, mostly conservative Republicans, who keep pressing for more intervention in Mideastern conflicts are the same ones who initiated the budget sequestration that handicapped our ability to respond to international crises.
Retiring Air Combat Command chief Gen. Michael Hostage III stated that last year's budget sequester so crippled the Air Force that a third of its fleet was grounded and only a handful of jet aircraft were ready in case of a new international crisis. "By the end of the grounding period – three months and a week – we had eight combat ready airplanes" in the continental U.S. that weren't either already forward deployed to a combat area or getting ready to go. He said he spent this summer on Capitol Hill trying to explain "the reality of what sequestration does to us. We have to stop this."
When you cast your votes in this mid-term election in November, remember that your vote has a huge impact on how your tax dollars are being spent. Please don't listen to those who tell you that austerity will cure all of the ails of our nation. If you care about the security of our troops, the education of our children and the prosperity of our nation, use your vote wisely. Our unemployment rate is the lowest since 2008, the stock market has gone from recession to the present level and, whether you choose to believe it or not, this nation is much healthier than it has been in many years.
Karlan M. Douglas
Washington, Utah