Ken Hinkle
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
I just finished reading an article in my August edition of The American Legion Magazine, titled “Unintended Consequences.” This should be mandatory reading for all members of Congress and their staffs.
Many are not aware of the direct and indirect impact budget cuts will have on local communities.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) recently released a comprehensive report on the shipbuilding, aerospace and defense industries. According to the article, the industry generated $324 billion in sales in 2010, and accounted for 2.23 percent of U.S. GDP as well as 7 percent of all exports.
The ripple effect will be astronomical on the work force in the U.S. For each dollar the Department of Defense does not spend on military equipment, $2.64 is lost in the general economy.
The Center for Security Policy has created a database that details the national, state, city and county impact on defense budget cuts.
I am not naive enough to suggest that the defense budget could not be trimmed in selected areas, but what is going to happen to those 100,000 active duty vets that are thrown out of the military?
We need some common sense here!
This article can be read here: http://www.news-journalonline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2012/08/15/the-impact-of-budget-cuts.html
