May 5, 2005 Issue

The time has passed for the members of the left-leaning segment of the Democratic Party to be characterized as “tax and spend” liberals. The traditionally fiscally responsible Republican Party can no longer be taken seriously. And I have a proposal for our local area—one of the most conservative (whatever that means) in the country—to step forward and help bring our leaders back to their senses.

The elected politicians who represent the Panhandle need to break from the pork barrel politics that dominate the actions of congressmen and senators from all over the United States. Our representatives, like most others, rail on about fiscal responsibility until the hard steps that bring about sensible financial reform touch on their own districts. Then they fight like a cornered badger to protect the fiscal well being of everyone from farmers, to manufacturers, to pharmaceutical companies, to military operations.

No realm of business has ever existed that is more wasteful, or on the flip side more profitable, than the military industrial complex. We have allowed our various branches of the armed services, and their incredible variety of suppliers, to wallow in a sick excess of wasteful spending on extremely questionable procurements.

In northwest Florida the Air Force is the branch of armed services we are most familiar with. I doubt that the Air Force is more wasteful than the Army or Navy or the other branches of military we have. But even without delving into the numerous episodes of $700 toilet seats or $400 hammers it is obvious that the amount of wasted tax dollars is phenomenal.

I have nothing but admiration and appreciation for the young people who suspend their lives to join the armed forces out of a sense of duty and patriotism. I have nothing but disgust and dismay however, over about the administration and accounting of the financing and procurement procedures of the various branches of our military. Often the line between a company like Halliburton and our military is blurred beyond distinction.

Tour the more expensive, waterfront neighborhoods in Destin. The number of estates owned by former defense contractors is startling. Government contracts, and not just military ones, have become a certified form of robbery. They are among the most vocal, enthusiastic, and visible patriotic blowhards in our country. These contractors that sell our government everything our military needs should be bunking up with Ken Lay, Richard Scrushy, and Bernie Ebbers. They have fleeced our people for the fortunes they have salted away. It wouldn’t be so revolting if the Humvees they provided for our soldiers had sufficient armor… or if our airplanes and tanks worked properly… or if the same arms dealers that sell our government the weapons our soldiers must use hadn’t sold the same weapons, bombs and landmines to our current adversaries.

Talk about a surefire path to financial success. The arms dealers and defense contractors our country does business with didn’t have to graduate from Harvard Business School to recognize the bonanza they have discovered and mined for years. It’s like the successful middling of a bet; or playing both sides against the middle; or an absolute lock on Saturday afternoon

“I long for the day when schools get all the money they need…and the Air Force has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber.” Now that is a bumper sticker that makes a point!

What if our bases are on the list to be closed? And what if our congressman and our senators and our local politicians aren’t successful in their fight to keep our bases operational? What could we do with the incredible amount of property the bases now use?

The tourism opportunities created by the establishment of parks and wildlife preserves would be tremendous. The military operations which are indispensable will be untouched. The task with which our military should be concerned is national security. The base operations that are crucial to our safety would not be compromised.

The massive amount of property that comprises the bases in the Panhandle is crucial to everyone. The majority of it serves no purpose for military operations. Some is now used for hunting and other activities. It is time to return the property to its original wilderness state. The overdevelopment of the beaches on the Gulf coast is almost complete. The military, and their refusal to release any of their land to be developed, has been the most important landowner in our area. The Air Force has served us well. The operations originating at Hurlburt Field have been heroic. But we need to move into a new era of military operations.

A smaller, more efficient and responsible military is on the way. The expansive land holdings the military has in our area will no longer be needed. What is needed is a visionary land planner, not for development, but for public use of these woodlands and beaches.

God love our young folks that serve in our armed forces. The new world is not going to present conflicts requiring large numbers of troops. Let’s take these enlistees and give them jobs resulting in the opening of giant expanses of wilderness areas…biking trails and paths for horses and trail rides, camping, hiking, canoeing and hunting. Just the possibility of looking at large undeveloped green spaces is going to be important.

Everything changes. The role of our Air Force in the defense of our country is going to change. Eglin Air Force Base will always play a large role in the overall operation of our country’s military plans. The existence of the tremendous amount of land under the ownership of Eglin will also play a large role—f not in our country’s military plans—at least in the lives of the folks who live in the panhandle of Florida

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