{"id":4136,"date":"2015-09-25T09:52:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T15:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/?p=4136"},"modified":"2015-09-25T09:52:07","modified_gmt":"2015-09-25T15:52:07","slug":"10-things-america-could-buy-instead-of-the-f-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/10-things-america-could-buy-instead-of-the-f-35\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wrapper\">\n<div id=\"content\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<article class=\"post-4766 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-press-hits category-factsheets-analysis-pentagon-budget category-infographics-pentagon-budget category-new-national-security category-non-proliferation category-nuclear-weapons category-pentagon-budget category-press-and-in-the-news-non-proliferation category-press-room category-security-spending tag-f-35 tag-national-security tag-security-spending\">\n<header><time class=\"published\" datetime=\"2015-07-13T15:03:13+00:00\">July 13, 2015<\/time><\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/saraht4c7984338\/10-things-america-could-buy-instead-of-the-f-35-1pcp9\">Click here to\u00a0read this listicle\u00a0as originally posted on BuzzFeed.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>By Sarah Tully<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>This plane costs more than twice the number of people on the planet. And it doesn\u2019t really work.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"sub_buzz_desc\">The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is on pace to be the world\u2019s most expensive weapons system ever. It was designed to be the plane to do it all, and, hypothetically, will eventually replace the F-16s, A-10s, and F\/A-18s currently in service.<\/p>\n<p>But while the F-35 sounds awesome in theory, it is exceptionally expensive and is riddled with problems.<\/p>\n<p>For one, it <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/here-are-all-the-problems-with-the-f-35-that-the-pentagon-found-in-a-2014-report-2015-3\" rel=\"nofollow\">doesn\u2019t really work<\/a>. There are reliability issues\u2014it <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/tests-find-cracking-in-the-new-f-35-2014-1\" rel=\"nofollow\">cracks<\/a>, it <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/war-is-boring\/test-pilot-admits-the-f-35-can-t-dogfight-cdb9d11a875\" rel=\"nofollow\">can\u2019t dogfight and<\/a> the IT backbone of the F-35 system is deficient.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2012\/03\/29\/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSBRE82S03L20120329\" rel=\"nofollow\">estimates<\/a> that the lifetime cost of this currently dysfunctional plane will be $1.45 trillion dollars. That\u2019s this much money: $1,450,000,000,000.<\/p>\n<p>Here are 10 things America could do with $1.45 trillion instead of pay for these insanely expensive planes that don\u2019t really work:<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">1.<\/span> Buy lunch for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nccp.org\/topics\/childpoverty.html\" rel=\"nofollow\"><i>every<\/i> child who lives below the poverty line<\/a>for ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN YEARS.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/11JbbNHfXBqqhq\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/11JbbNHfXBqqhq\/giphy.gif?resize=308%2C289&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"308\" height=\"289\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to the School Nutrition Association, the <a href=\"https:\/\/ccsd.net\/departments\/food-service\/school-lunch-prices\" rel=\"nofollow\">average school lunch<\/a> costs $2.08 dollars, and 16 million children live in poverty. That\u2019s lunch for students in kindergarten through the 12th grade for 9 generations.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">2.<\/span> Bail out Greece 26 times.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/8uzVsRzOScAa4\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/8uzVsRzOScAa4\/giphy.gif?resize=420%2C234&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"420\" height=\"234\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The International Monitory Fund estimates that <a href=\"http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2015\/07\/08\/news\/economy\/greece-third-bailout\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Greece will need at least<\/a> $55 billion USD for its third bailout.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">3.<\/span> Buy <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/world\/2014\/07\/09\/3458101\/f35-boondoggle-fail\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">a 2.5 million dollar mansion<\/a> for every single homeless person in America.<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/FlHsBSjHXgBMY\/giphy.gif?resize=231%2C210&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"231\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 2014 there were <a href=\"http:\/\/www.endhomelessness.org\/pages\/snapshot_of_homelessness\" rel=\"nofollow\">578,424<\/a> homeless Americans on any given day. FYI, that\u2019s more than six times the median price per home in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">4.<\/span> Produce 24,166 seasons of Game of Thrones.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/92Rpqh9uInaQU\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/92Rpqh9uInaQU\/giphy.gif?resize=500%2C250&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"500\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A GoT episode <a href=\"http:\/\/mic.com\/articles\/87169\/here-s-how-much-it-costs-to-make-a-game-of-thrones-episode\" rel=\"nofollow\">costs<\/a>, on average, $6 million to make. With 10 episodes a season, we\u2019re look at over 24 millennia worth of dragon mothering. With that much air-time, they would definitely bring back Jon Snow, right?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">5.<\/span> Buy <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/nfl-teams-value-2014-8\" rel=\"nofollow\">every single team<\/a> in the NFL, MLB and NBA combined, SIXTEEN TIMES.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/McqbnlTwdVj1K\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/McqbnlTwdVj1K\/giphy.gif?resize=445%2C239&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"445\" height=\"239\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 2014, the combined value of all 32 NFL franchises was $45.7 billion. The MLB and NBA combined values were $24.3 billion and $19.0 billion, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">6.<\/span> Cover the cost of treatment for every American who will be diagnosed with cancer this year for 53 years.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/sG11j9kzjJ3t6\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/sG11j9kzjJ3t6\/giphy.gif?resize=451%2C269&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"451\" height=\"269\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Roughly <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cancer.org\/research\/cancerfactsstatistics\/cancerfactsfigures2015\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">1.6 million<\/a> Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and the average annual health care expenses for newly diagnosed patients are <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aflac.com\/individuals\/realcost\/source\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">just under $17,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">7.<\/span> Buy an electric car for every single <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipl.org\/div\/stateknow\/popchart.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">resident<\/a> of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia and Maryland.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/2kvlwAGmajxfi\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/2kvlwAGmajxfi\/giphy.gif?resize=459%2C258&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"459\" height=\"258\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Specifically, a 2015 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greencarreports.com\/news\/1080871_electric-car-price-guide-every-2012-2013-plug-in-car-with-specs\" rel=\"nofollow\">Chevrolet Spark EV<\/a>. That\u2019s 52,450,7134 environmentally friendly cars.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">8.<\/span> Pay for five years of tuition at a University of Texas at Austin for the entire population of Texas.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/OWdKOgRLhdGyk\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/OWdKOgRLhdGyk\/giphy.gif?resize=291%2C263&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"291\" height=\"263\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In-state undergraduate tuition at UT is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utexas.edu\/tuition\/costs.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">$4,908 per semester<\/a>. $1.45 trillion is more than enough for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&amp;ion=1&amp;espv=2&amp;es_th=1&amp;ie=UTF-8#q=population%20of%20texas&amp;es_th=1\" rel=\"nofollow\">27 million residents<\/a> of Texas to attend for a full four years plus a victory lap.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">9.<\/span> Build 17,058 miles worth of high-speed rail lines.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/cuhFeODDrIYIU\/giphy.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/cuhFeODDrIYIU\/giphy.gif?resize=400%2C226&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"400\" height=\"226\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s $68 billion dollar <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/govbeat\/wp\/2015\/01\/05\/california-to-break-ground-on-68-billion-high-speed-rail-line\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">high-speed rail line project broke<\/a> ground in January 2015. For the cost of the F-35 program American could build 21 800 mile-long high-speed rail lines.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subbuzz_name\"><span class=\"buzz_superlist_number_inline\">10.<\/span> Give every single person on earth 2 malaria nets, 2 water filtration kits and at least 2 pair of durable shoes.<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\"  title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/media.giphy.com\/media\/YHmYK1x341Nf2\/giphy.gif?resize=480%2C270&#038;ssl=1\"  alt=\"giphy 10 Things America Could Buy Instead of the F 35\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unicef.org\/health\/files\/health_africamalaria.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow\">Every 30 seconds<\/a> a child dies of malaria, 90 percent of people with malaria live in Sub-Saharan Africa. A long-lasting insecticidal mosquito net costs between $5 and $6 USD, and there are 884 million people in the world can\u2019t access clear water. A water filter that supports up to 25 people and lasts a lifetime <a href=\"https:\/\/justoneafrica.org\/clean-water.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">costs $60<\/a>. Over 2 billion people worldwide don\u2019t have adequate sanitation and suffer from soil-transmitted illnesses. <a href=\"https:\/\/theshoethatgrows.org\/the-solution.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Shoe That Grows<\/a> expands five sizes to accommodate growing feet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer id=\"footer\">\n<div class=\"container\"><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 13, 2015 Click here to\u00a0read this listicle\u00a0as originally posted on BuzzFeed. By Sarah Tully This plane costs more than twice the number of people on the planet. And it doesn\u2019t really work. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is on pace to be the world\u2019s most expensive weapons system ever. It was designed to be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/F35-AF1-AF2-LM1.jpg?fit=920%2C1000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4137,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions\/4137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}