Reconsider Need for Massive Military Purchases

Target: Ken Calvert, Chair of U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

Goal: Reevaluate heavy investments in billion-dollar military equipment like aircraft carriers.

Aircraft carriers have become a common site on the seas as powerful nations attempt to intimidate each other. But despite the might and heft of these huge ships, they have demonstrated little applicable value in recent times other than as shows of power. Smaller devices like drones seem to have taken much of the spotlight. With this reality in mind, why should countries in deep debt and economic turmoil continue to pour billions of dollars into these money traps?

The United States boasts nearly a dozen aircraft carriers, making it the owner of the world’s largest fleet. Typical aircraft carriers are hundreds of meters long and can carry dozens of planes. Their huge size and scope make the typical price tag for a single carrier upwards of five billion dollars. This money could be much better spent not only on national defense but for domestic improvements as well.

Sign the petition below to urge Congress to roll back the funding for high-priced, budget-busting war toys.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Representative Calvert,

The defense budget is often a matter of controversy and debate. Perhaps nowhere is the divide between needed security and overpriced endeavors more apparent than with aircraft carriers. These massive ships may be impressive muscle flexes against nations like Venezuela, but aside from their flashy displays they have provided little practical value…at least not enough to justify the billions of dollars spent on their creation and upkeep.

With the Department of Homeland Security’s unprecedented budget under deeper scrutiny, now is the time to take a second, hard look at these expensive Department of Defense endeavors. Projects funded by the American people should be for their ultimate benefit, not for games of one-upmanship on the high seas.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: U.S. Navy