New reports on the ongoing disaster that is the US Defense Department’s accounting system have a number of officials saying the effort to figure out where all the money is going by 2014 is going to cost at least another $1 billion above initial estimates.
At present, even as officials continue to press for new record levels of military spending, they also concede that they really have no clue where the money is all going, and Congress’ sudden interest in finding out is proving extremely embarrassing for the Pentagon.
The most recent effort at a revamped accounting system, a $6 billion effort, is beset by delays and cost overruns. The extra billion dollars is just an estimate of what it will cost to bring the system to a usable form by 2014, which is when Congress is hoping to get those figures.
Of course if the Pentagon was reliably able to estimate costs, they wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Though there seems to be broad support for spending whatever is necessary to get their financial house in order, the Pentagon’s financial system is in such disarray that there is little guarantee any of the money spent will wind up in this project.
It is simple, tell them there is NO money except for soldiers pays UNTIL they show where the money is going!
Violating the Constitution by maintaining a standing army in time of peace, since 1945, this is pure corruption from start to finish.
Military spending is hard earned income stolen from tax payers, so Congress asking the military and all its contractors to account for where all this plunder went to, this is like bankers running an ad asking that a bank robber please explain where all the dollars went to so he can be identified and arrested.
This is just insane.
Of course, Panetta knows full well that HE isn't going to be around in 2014 when the final tests get run. He won't be held accountable and he won't be dragged in front of Congress to explain why he shouldn't be thrown in a cell for incompetence.
You know, this has gotten so bad that if I was someone running for President who has a "business background" and one who "understands how companies operate" – well – I'd be thinking that maybe I really don't want to be in charge of something soooo big and fuggedup as this government as it collapses around our ears. History is never kind to the chump holding the keys when it all goes south. You listening Mitt? You know it can't be fixed – only scrapped – and Congress isn't going to play along.
What's a billion here and there? We're so passed that. We're intro trillions now.