Pentagon

Your editorial “Embarrassment of Riches” (Feb. 6) is very timely. It could also have been called “Embarrassment of Taxes.” This portrait of military glut, these riches, come from us, the taxpayers. And although Sen. Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.) warns that he would try to get $12 billion out of the Pentagon budget this year, that is still only 4%!

For nearly 50 years, the Pentagonians have been yelling about keeping up with the Soviets; they are strangely quiet about this now. Is it because our military budget is three times the Soviet one, and they are cutting theirs 15%? Since 1980, our military budget has almost tripled.

Now Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and his warlords are telling us that we must still have a bloated “defense” budget because of “Soviet instability.” Well, I suppose any reason will do. Let’s go back to “keeping up with the Soviets,” and cut our military budget not 2%, not 4%, but at least 15%. We could then use the money we save for more peaceful purposes, perhaps even slowing the Japanese acquisition of America.

GEOFFREY R. KING

Laguna Beach