Do we really want the F-35 in Sioux Falls?

I knew it would be only a matter of time before our city elite climbed aboard the gravy train;

City officials are rallying around the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls to land a new fighter jet program that could bring dozens of jobs and protect the base’s $70 million yearly impact on the local economy.

That shiny $70 million may look good, but let’s look at the real factors.

• Doesn’t anyone find it a bit ironic that some of the same city councilors that opposed FEMA money after the ice storm have no problem with taking Pentagon money?

• The F-35 is really f’ing loud;

• The F-35 doesn’t have a very good battle record;

“The F-35 was at a distinct energy disadvantage,” the unnamed pilot wrote in a scathing five-page brief that War Is Boring has obtained. The brief is unclassified but is labeled “for official use only.”

The test pilot’s report is the latest evidence of fundamental problems with the design of the F-35 — which, at a total program cost of more than a trillion dollars, is history’s most expensive weapon.

(And you thought the Railroad Relocation project was a huge waste of Federal tax dollars.)

• Also, the dirty ass peace lovin’ hippy in me has a real problem with my tax dollars going towards war spending to kill innocent foreigners with an inferior product that costs too much and doesn’t really work.

All that aside, we don’t need a new and improved air force base, we need peace and quiet in Sioux Falls.

Maybe we can bring a drone program to our base. They are quiet, they are effective, and nobody gets hurt, except of course the enemy.