Expensive Jets or Heating our Homes / Offices

The announcement by the Harper government to buy a fleet of really expensive jet fighter airplanes has bothered me ever since . The price of at least 65 billion dollars can be used in so many other more beneficial places . Why does Canada need these ? Are we going to wage a war against another country soon ? Not likely . Will we need them to defend our country ? Not likely any time soon . The " old " F18s can be kept running for another 20 years if we have some military that want to fly fast . The only aircraft that we can use is a replacement for the aging Buffalo aircraft ( and that can be built by a Canadian company in Victoria , B.C. )

As a country , Canada will be better regarded by helping emerging nations , rather than gearing up to blast them with fast airplanes . If the USA wants to wage a war against another country - let them go to it by themselves . Expand trade with / to these emerging countries - thus craeating jobs for Canadians and buying some less expensive goods from these countries instead of from a repressive regime like China . Perhaps we can sell some of our softwood lumber to the emerging countries instead of to the USA ( a country that seems to not want less expensive Canadian softwood for it's citizens ) .

Seems to me that using a portion of the jet fighter funds , we can begin a Canada wide program to install ground source heating / cooling into most every home and business in

Canada . Just imagine how much oil and natural gas that would free up for sale outside Canada . And just imagine how much fewer air emissions we , as a country , would emit . the amount of money incoming from outside our borders is mind boggling . So too is the amount of money we will save as home owners and business owners . This would reduce the cost of manufacturing and management of goods made in Canada . And just imagine how many worker days and months this major refitting will create for Canadians ALL across our country .

In contrast , the jet fighter program will create a small number of jobs within one industry at relatively few locations in Canada . Leaving the rest of Canadians to fend off increasing home heating and business heating costs .