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The X-35 Joint Strike Fighter demontrator performs flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tell Congress: The F-35 is a bad deal for America

Dear Jim,
I just started a campaign on CREDO's new petition site. The petition is to the United States Congress, and it says the following:

The F-35 is the poster child for what's wrong in Washington. At an outrageous cost of $1.5 trillion, it is the most expensive weapon program the world has ever seen. Even worse, it doesn't work as intended and funnels money away from other priorities needed to fight 21st century threats and strengthen America. Yet Lockheed Martin and an army of lobbyists are determined to protect their cash cow and record profits by pressuring Congress to keep the F-35 alive. The F-35 is a bad deal for America and it's time to stop it.

While politicians across the country call for massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, American taxpayers are being asked to continue spending billions of dollars a year on one of the most wasteful programs in the history of the military.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most expensive weapon system in history. To purchase, operate, and maintain the jets is estimated to cost $1.5 trillion over the life of the program. This would be bad enough if the F-35 actually worked, but its development has been plagued by design flaws, technical failures, and a host of other problems that mean even under the best circumstances, the F-35 is years away from meeting minimal operational standards.
With an army of lobbyists at its disposal, Lockheed Martin - maker of the F-35 - is fighting hard to make sure nothing changes. That's why we need to speak out and tell Congress that with millions of Americans still out of work, the middle class being crushed, and an economy in dire need of recovery, this is insanity.
Our members of Congress know that the state of the social safety net will be a critical issue in upcoming elections. If enough of us speak up to our elected officials and let them know that we want them to end the F-35 program instead of gutting Social Security and Medicare, they'll know that letting this insane weapons program continue will prove politically costly.
Rather than throwing good money after bad, Congress should not spend another penny on the troubled F-35.
Will you join me and add your name to my petition to the United States Congress, to demand that it stop wasting taxpayer money on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter?
Thank you for your support.
Stephen Miles