Was it really a surprise that the joint strike fighter contract went to Lockheed-Martin? Hardly! That decision had nothing to do with engineering, production capacity, efficiency, support services or the quality of the proposed fighter. Instead, I feel it has to do to a very great extent with politics, purely and simply.
September 11 and the uniting of the country notwithstanding, it’s hard to ignore the fact that 8,000 to 10,000 jobs will be created by this contract. Where? Fort Worth, Texas! Washington state didn’t deliver its electoral college votes to “W,” but Texas certainly delivered theirs! Texas politicians play hardball all the time, especially the likes of Dick Armey and Tom DeLay, to say nothing of the Texas duo in the White House plus those myriad other Lone Star staters in the Inner Sanctum.
Hopefully, some of the Boeing folks facing the prospect of being laid off will be able to hook on somewhere, and avoid having a rather bleak holiday season.
Everett
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