That was a good waste of $8B and 21 years... - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

sperry · 2004-02-23, 01:10 PM

Quote:

In a dramatic about-face, the Army on Monday canceled its Comanche helicopter program after sinking $8 billion and 21 years of effort into producing a new-generation chopper.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...r_cancellation

At least we got a couple of good video games out of the deal.

dknv · 2004-02-23, 01:22 PM

And just what is a billion (let alone 8 billion)?

- - - - -
How much is a billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the words "billion" casually, think about whether you want that politician spending your tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective in one of its releases:

A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.

A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.

A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.

A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate Washington spends it.

Kevin M · 2004-02-23, 02:04 PM

No big deal. It was only $390ish million a year.

ArthurS · 2004-02-23, 02:37 PM

You could look a it this way:

If they continued the program....how much more money could have been wasted.

STIwish · 2004-02-23, 04:28 PM

They were going in the wrong direction with the Comanche program anyways, as it doesnt need a next generation Apache.. the operating costs in a warzone would make the 8 billion look like chump change. The money would have been better spent on a weatherproofing solution for the Apache and Blackhawks, as most end up grounded in the smallest of sand storms, no matter how much technology they are carrying.

2004-02-23, 02:04 PM	#3
Kevin M EJ22T Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Reno Posts: 9,445 Car: '93/'01 GF6, mostly red Class: 19 FP	No big deal. It was only $390ish million a year. __________________ FWD is the new AWD

2004-02-23, 02:37 PM	#4
ArthurS EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 3,707 Car: 2011 Chevy Battle Wagon	You could look a it this way: If they continued the program....how much more money could have been wasted. __________________ Captain Murphy: I dub thee Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, beater of ass. Be a hitter, babe.

2004-02-23, 04:28 PM	#5
STIwish EJ251 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ocala, FL Posts: 894	They were going in the wrong direction with the Comanche program anyways, as it doesnt need a next generation Apache.. the operating costs in a warzone would make the 8 billion look like chump change. The money would have been better spent on a weatherproofing solution for the Apache and Blackhawks, as most end up grounded in the smallest of sand storms, no matter how much technology they are carrying. __________________ STIwish

2004-02-23, 01:22 PM	#2
dknv EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: 39n53, 119w90 Posts: 2,698 Car: RX-8 Class: CS maybe	And just what is a billion (let alone 8 billion)? - - - - - How much is a billion? The next time you hear a politician use the words "billion" casually, think about whether you want that politician spending your tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective in one of its releases: A billion seconds ago, it was 1959. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes at the rate Washington spends it.