Tanker contract exports our military readiness

Our letter to Secretary Casey regarding the contract awarded to U.S. Air Force tanker contract and Northrop Grumman and Air Bus.

Dear Secretary Casey

I very strongly object to the award of the U.S. Air Force tanker contract to Northrop Grumman and Air Bus. I have no idea how the military (you) could award this contract in light of the following:

n You are exporting our military readiness. (guns, bullets armor etc are no longer being made in the U.S.)

n You are helping Air Bus compete against Boeing Commercial Aircraft by buying air frames from Air Bus the development of which has been heavily subsidized by the E.U. You in fact are reimbursing those development costs with U.S. taxpayer monies.

n You are exporting thousands of jobs to Europe.

n You are spending taxpayer money on Air Bus aircraft developed by France, Germany and Spain that do not support our military efforts in the war on terror, have spent nothing on the war and have done nothing to help!

n You are buying planes from countries that will not even let those very planes fly over the countries.

n The U.S. military appears to be allying itself with Air Bus a company that is at war with Boeing and was the primary reason for the demise of McDonald Douglas Corporation.

n Instead of building these planes in the U.S. you are going to assemble them in a future plant to be constructed in Alabama? Why not Albania!

I'm at a loss to understand how you could overlooked all the above in your decision making process and buy Air Bus planes. Why, because they were cheaper or had more cup holders? What is the price of patriotism?

DAN and CAROL ALBANESE

Priest River