Pricey Jet Fighters Add Up To Local Jobs

CBS Evening News: Funding For F-22 Jets Is On The Chopping Block, But Building Them Keeps 95,000 People Employed

(CBS)  The old New England mill town of Amesbury, Mass., does not look like it has a stake in the battle over the Pentagon's high tech, big ticket weapons. But, as CBS News correspondent David Martin reports, it does.

The F-22 - the most expensive fighter ever built - is on the chopping block. So are the 120 employees of Amesbury's Arc Technologies which manufactures the special coating that makes the F-22 a stealth aircraft.

This is not just about whether America needs the F-22 for its security. It's about what happens to the jobs the F-22 has brought to towns like Amesbury.

Arc President Chip Madden says nearly half his workforce will have to go if funding for the F-22 is cut off.

"The thought of it turns my stomach," Madden says. "It makes me ill to think about it."

Lockheed Martin, the plane's manufacturer, says 95,000 jobs nationwide depend on keeping the F-22 production line open.

The company has deals with contractors in 44 states to produce parts - it's called political engineering, according to Pierre Sprey, who helped build an earlier generation of jets. He says that has contributed to the planes staggering price tag - $62 billion for the 183 built so far - $339 million for each one.

"A good part of that has to do with doling out tiny contracts all over the country," Sprey says.

Local jobs are a powerful political tool, Martin points out, but is spreading those contracts out effective?

"It sure keeps 'em kill proof, you'll see," Sprey says.

The F-22 is designed to be kill proof in the air. A cockpit simulator gives some idea of what it's like to fly a super-sonic stealth aircraft.

It's as high as high-tech gets, but none of the nearly 200 planes have seen combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. That's why Congressman Joe Sestak, D-Pa., a retired three-star Admiral, doesn't want to buy any more.

"I think we have the right number now," Sestak says, adding that he would cut off funding for more jets if it were up to him.

That would leave Bob Frost, who programs Arc's precision drills, looking for a new job in a town whose unemployment rate has already doubled.

"The president's promising jobs but the way it's been going lately a lot of people's losing jobs," Frost says.

What started out as a fighter for the 21st Century, has turned into an economic stimulus package.

[CyricScott]

rafterman1, if you had bothered to read my entire comment I might take yours a bit more seriously.

I agree that the F-22 is too expensive, and I pointed out the reason why.

Also, the reason only 50 jobs will be lost at Arc is due to the fact we have SOME work in the commercial sector. My job wont be one of those.

In all honesty though, my perspective is painfully clear. I'll just assume you've already secured your little piece of the American dream. I assume that because not only do you lack empathy to see the situation of one man for what it is. You also lack the ability to read all of his words as a thought and an opinion.

Instead you try to make me feel guilty for having an opinion. Taking my words out of context in some sad effort to dehumanize 95,000 people. Telling yourself it's okay for us to be punished for mistakes we had no part in making.

We needed jobs and we found them within these companies. How can you blame us for trying to support our families?

[Renegade.Rivers]

You assume you can reason with monsters - history says you can't. I believe history.
Posted by jimmyc1955

Boy you got up on the ate-up side of the bed yesterday didn't you. As a history major, I wonder how many history books you have read over the years. In my case it has been hundreds. History does not accord what you are saying as being true.

What is really true is that from the time nearing the Revolutionary War here in America, rich elite bankers have supported both sides of the armed conflicts that have been fought over the past four centuries with out impede.

Most of the monsters were created, not born, by those same "money changers" that some say Jesus Christ threw out of the temple. Yet, since so many countries knew that they could not fight a war if it broke out without the backing of the those rich elite bankers, were unwilling to admit the truth about these diabolically evil men, who were and still are more than willing to make a profit at the expense of a hundred lives, and thousand lives, or a million lives.

These evil men and in some cases women, too, care little about morals or honor, anyone who has studied history knows that there is no morals or honor among thieves. They only have one law they live by and that is profit and gain, what it cost others they have no concern about.

Families like those of the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, and the Morgans to name but a few, have become rich off of the blood of the millions who have died in the wars they have created, and manipulated. These rich elitist families have attempted to circumvent history for over two hundred years. They and their minions have had a hand in every war that has ever been fought in and by the United States since the Revolutionary War.

These bankers are the ones who funded Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Without them, these so-called "monsters," would never have had the funds needed to fund their wars, anymore than the United States would have had the money to fund it's wars. Without the funding of those diabolically evil men, those so-called "monsters," would have been nothing.

While the United States, and many other countries in the world spend trillions of dollars on, "national defense," these same bankers are making quadrillions on loans and interest paid to them by those countries who are spending more money on the Armies of the world, than they are on the inhabitants of the world.

The idea that without the "war machine," many of the advancements in technology that have been made, would never came about, is ludicrous. Many of the ideas that have been credited to the development of the "war machine," were already created, but quickly bought up, and then held in secret by the government and the military industrial complex. A good example of this is all of the developments that Tesla made, most of those developments were bought or stolen from Tesla and never allowed to be used for the public good.

If we ever want or expect for there to be world peace, it will not come by arming ever nation to a point where the world population could be destroyed hundreds of times over. The only real way to bring about world peace is to take away the power of the banker elite, who make huge profits of of war.

The modern theory of the perpetuation of debt has drenched the earth with blood, and crushes its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks. . . will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. . . the issuing power should be taken from the banks, and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs. - Thomas Jefferson

History records that the money-changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent plans possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money, and its issuance. - James Madison

Give me control over a nation's currency, and I care not who makes its laws. -- Mayer Amschel Rothschild, (1743 - 1812)

[jimmyc1955]

bajajohn1 - Obama is a weak President who gets run over by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi every day. He said it was no more business as usual in Washington - but Harry and Nancy say it is more business than usual so we have massive spending bills that will not improve the economy because they can't begin spending until almost 2010. Pork out the wazoo (200 Million for Harry Reids private train from LA to Vegas - thats not pork).

He isn't strong - just another politician full for meaningless words signifying nothing.

[au_fait]

100 of these you have to be kidding. What happens when one breaks down or when you have to take them apart due to # of flight hours. I know they are expensive, but you should see the capabilites of these planes. We have a squadron of them at home with the 15's and from the tours we have been on and listening to the pilots. I vote lets keep them!

[jimmyc1955]

rnbwprsm32 - Wow was that 10,000 monkies with keyboards that wrote that pointless rambling? Is that supposed to be good?

[TheOkie]

95,000 jobs? Give me a break. They're countingevery employee at every company that makes anything for this plane, a simple but misleading way to inflate the numbers.

Look in the story itself. At first it mentions the 120 people at this plant as in danger, then a paragraph later it mentions that "half" would have to go if the F-22 was cancelled. So right there is a perfect example.

I'd wager the real number of jobs lost would be no more than 8,000, 10,000 at the most. A lot of jobs to be sure, but let's be honest and not try to pull the wool over anyone's eyes.

[rafterman1]

Mr. Obama, I implore you to come walk in my shoes for awhile. Then re-evaluate your reckless pork-filled and ear-marked budget. Stand with a man who has worked his entire life for so very little, a man you threaten to take more from with each passing day. I give everything in me, every day. Like so many Americans, we work endlessly for what very little we have, and yet you demand more of me. Please sir, come to Amesbury and share in my life for a single day.
----------------
Posted by CyricScott


Many would say YOUR job is maintained by porky earmarks.

Its all a matter of perspective, isn't it?

[CyricScott]

If your job were at risk, you'd have a very different opinion. I am one of those 120 people in Amesbury with a job at risk. I'm 21 and FORCED to continue to share a home with my family. I would have to work 2 full time jobs to afford a life of my own. To rent a studio apartment and pay my taxes and bills. I can't afford to go to college, no one will even extend a loan to me so I can try and better myself. Go ahead and try to secure financial assistance when no one is willing to cosign for you.

The unemployment rate has more than doubled here. There are twice as many people competing for a dwindling number of jobs. Many of which I'm not qualified for, simply because I'm unable to afford an education. How am I supposed to pay my bills, and try and save my pennies with which to grasp at the stray threads left of my dreams for a better life?

That said, I do agree, the F-22 is too expensive, though seeing things first hand, Lockheed is very much responsible for the excessive costs. Why should 95,000 people have to pay for the mistakes of one company? Better yet, why should the American people be forced to pay for the greed and carelessness of our government?

We elect these people to put our best interest first, and yet they get paid exorbitant amounts of money and only see that their own needs and interests are met.

I would like to see any elected official survive on my income. I make 25k a year. Ask for the price tag on the suit worn by anyone on the senate floor. I guarantee it's worth twice the value of my car.

They should all be forced to live on our median national income. Maybe then they would be inspired to serve the citizens of this nation. Perhaps they would understand just how badly things need to change.

Mr. Obama, I implore you to come walk in my shoes for awhile. Then re-evaluate your reckless pork-filled and ear-marked budget. Stand with a man who has worked his entire life for so very little, a man you threaten to take more from with each passing day. I give everything in me, every day. Like so many Americans, we work endlessly for what very little we have, and yet you demand more of me. Please sir, come to Amesbury and share in my life for a single day.

[apprxam]

Everyone loves their own socialism, just not for others.

[bajajohn1]

Obama is a strong President, some of you are weak-minded.

[sjc_1]

200 of these seems to be a bit excessive, maybe we could do with more like 100. The jobs can continue building solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal, cellulosic ethanol plant equipment and other green jobs in clean industries.

I look at it as building tanks or building tractors. Tractors are productive products that can grow food and economies. Tanks are weapons of death and destruction that ad nothing to the economy, but a few temporary jobs for the contractors.

[ubrew12]

Just because you CAN build it, doesn't mean you should.
We should continue to fund robust R&D programs in hi-tech defense, but unless the need shows up, not necessarily go into large scale production. I say 'large scale' optimistically: these F-22 jets are essentially handmade.

And I have a real problem with a defense budget that tops half a trillion dollars a year, when the country is broke. A hundred billion protects America from invasion. Two hundred billion does that AND projects force anywhere in the world. Three hundred billion projects force anywhere in the world in two places simultaneously. And five hundred billion adds little but more 'welfare for cold-warriors'.

[fozzieak]

Katie, why don't you report on the kill ratio of the F22?

Some of our best Fighters have a kill projection less than 20% of the F22. Meaning you would have to build 5 or more of the other other Fighters, less effective Fighters..

There is not a Fighter in the world that can see the F22 before it makes its hit. This Baby is a blue light special "if you do the math Katie". Come on katie, just this one time, do something nice for America. Report the real cost of America's Front Line fighter.

[mgkonyx]

Lemme see, we should keep building these useless boy toys because of pork barrel politics. That's the reason we have the kind of national debt that we do - Congress continues to fund pretty playthings for the military to keep in good with the folks back home.

F-22 hardware and software require intense upkeep to keep the planes in the air. That kind of maintenance is difficult to attain if the air craft to be kept in continual use. Since there are only 180 of them, there are few people who are trained to take care of these prima donna planes - another reason they have not been used in a "real" war. All they've been good for so far is PR at air shows.

There are better things to spend military dollars - like the F-35 Joint Forces fighter that is cheaper, is more flexible and might actually be used in combat, for instance.

[tiredofthebs]

Funding for the F-22 jets is on the chopping block ....... Score one for the new Administration. This is the first sensible thing I've heard since President Obama took office. Building weapons of war is the CONSERVATIVE WAY to try to end a recession & create jobs.

[summarex]

Jobs for who?

How about creating jobs for people who actually deserve them.

For that kind of money you can create a lot more than 95000 jobs.

[j40405]

So let me get this right. We're spending a trillion dollars to jump start the economy so we can get people back to work and spending. At the same time the governemt is going to cut back or possibly cancle a military program that keeps 95000 people working. Where does that leave our economical jumpstart? Not to mention keeping our defense program up to date.

[jimmyc1955]

quapawsix - So the government should stop spending on military hardware at a time that China is increasing their spending (See CNN now -its a lead story on their page) while we find work for people who aren't qualififed for high paying US jobs?

Do you call that reasoning? I call it dangerous irrationality.

What exactly would you spend that on? Those jobs exist now - are paying Now. Stimulus money won't be seen in any part of this economy till the fourth quarter at least - maybe not till 2010. I have worked in federal producrment - believe me no government money gets spent quickly.

We could build windmills that nobody wants in their yard. Or would could build a smart grid that a kid with a laptop and a virus can bring to it's knees.

When you convince me that nobody in the world wants to harm us maybe I will disarm. But not until then. And Russia, China and North Korea are a good start to making sure we never disarm.

[quapawsix]

The awakening: thank you for the truth .................................................................................................................................................

Have we not destroyed enough of the world yet? We call ourselves a nation of peace.......yet we are the worlds biggest warmongers.It is time to stop all the lie wars....their only purpose is to make the rich....richer.

[quapawsix]

You can thank GW and Chenney for this. If it had not been it's my way or the highway we would not be in this mess.==========================================================
There are some things that are vitally important to democracy and one of these is defense techology. I am totally against this imperialistic domination course the US is following, but I am solidly behind military defense, innovation, and technology. We must support it, but for defense. Did you read the other blogger? It is fact: the Bear is rearing up stronger and more powerful than ever. Russia is taking our allies and lining them up against us because of our failed economy and world image failure status. We need to build now to defend ourselves from attack and that attack will happen.