Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Monday, April 16, 2012

PM defends F-35 figures

The government has been crystal clear on the cost of the F-35 fighter jets, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Cartagena, Colombia, where he was attending the Summit of the Americas, Harper said the figures his government used publicly was for the acquisition of the stealth fighter.

"Other numbers cited, obviously have to do not just with the acquisition of the F-35 but operations of the F-35," he said.

"There's more than one number, there's more than one cost depending on what you're counting. These things have all been well known for some time. But in terms of our numbers, I've been very clear."

In a report released earlier this month, auditor general Michael Ferguson found National Defence officials didn't adequately inform ministers about problems with the F-35 fighter program, underestimated expected costs and bent the procurement rules.

Ferguson also pointed out defence officials had an internal estimate of $25 billion to buy and operate 65 F-35 jets over 20 years, but only presented a $16-billion figure publicly.

Following the critical report, Defence Minister Peter MacKay blamed accounting issues for the $10 billion gap.

He said the department kept the operational costs like fuel and upkeep for internal use.

Original Article
Source: edmonton sun
Author: Jessica Murphy

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