Validation!

You may recall last year when the government purchased four Boeing C-17 troop carriers for 3.4 billion dollars. I had voiced my disapproval at the time in the post Think Twice, and after reading the news this morning, I am feeling validated!

This may amaze you, but barely a year after the purchase, the government is having to revert back to renting Russian lifters to fly aid to Burma. None of our 3.4 billion dollar C-17s, you see, are available. Out of the four planes, one is in Afghanistan, the second is in Texas having new parts installed, and the last two are... grounded in wait of repairs.

Now, the government wouldn't have run in to all this trouble if Maxime Bernier hadn't "accidentally" pledged the C-17s without inquiring about their availability, but one has to admit that having only one plane in four operational a year after the 3.4 billion dollar purchase is pretty shameful.

I guess the moral of the story is that, unless we want to become a great military power, we're better off renting. It's cheaper, easier, and yes, far more reliable!