Rep. Broun Wants To Use Flu Vaccine Money To Buy Outdated Fighter Jets
During the House Special Orders on May 5, 2009, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) stated that the budget allowance meant to pay for flu vaccines would be better spent on a new fleet of F-22 fighter jets. He implied that the jets would keep the United States safer than a vaccine against a worldwide flu pandemic.
Rep. Broun: F-22 Raptors > Flu Vaccine
Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA): "We need the F-22 Raptor. We need the antimissile defense system. I don't think we need to spend $1.5 billion on a flu vaccine when already the research shows that it is not going to be very virulent." [Broun Floor Statement, House Special Orders, 5/5/09]
The Effect Of The H1N1 Virus Is Expected To Worsen
CDC: "More Hospitalizations And More Deaths" Will Occur From This Flu Strain. According to the CDC: "The ongoing outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1) continues to expand in the United States. CDC expects that more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths from this outbreak will occur over the coming days and weeks." [CDC.gov, 5/6/09]
WHO Preparing "For The Possibility Of The New Disease Worsening." According to Bloomberg News: "In less than two weeks, swine flu has jumped from isolated reports in the U.S. and Mexico to a widening circle of infections spanning North America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific. Cases have been mild, with symptoms similar to the normal seasonal flu. World health officials have said they're bracing for the possibility of the new disease worsening and flashing across a world population with little natural immunity to the new germ." [Bloomberg News, 5/6/09]
Georgia Has Had Three Confirmed Cases Of The H1N1 Flu. As of May 6, 2009, the CDC reported 3 "laboratory confirmed cases" of the H1N1 virus in Georgia. [CDC.gov, 5/6/09]
The WHO Has Indicated That More Vaccines Than Usual Needed This Year - One For the H1N1 Virus And Another For The Seasonal Flu
Two Vaccines Will Be Needed This Year - One For The Seasonal Flu And Another For The H1N1 Virus. Bloomberg News reported: "The World Health Organization has determined that at least two influenza shots will be needed to protect against both the seasonal form of the disease and the new swine flu. [...] Critical to whether H1N1 resurfaces as a full-blown outbreak later this year is how it fares in the Southern Hemisphere's coming winter. Since it can take four to six months to produce a full supply of new vaccine, the WHO is being advised by flu specialists to act quickly." [Bloomberg News, 5/6/09]
The F-22 Is Outdated and Unnecessary
The F-22 "Too Expensive" And "Intended For The Cold War." According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Critics contend the [F-22] is too expensive and was intended for the Cold War. The fighter has not been used in Iraq or Afghanistan, relatively low-tech combat theaters that some military strategists say will be typical of 21st-century conflicts." [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/3/09]
F-22 Budget Cancelled To Release Money For Weapons Better Suited To New Conflicts. The Wall Street Journal reported: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday unveiled a sweeping overhaul of weapons priorities to reorient the U.S. military toward winning such unconventional conflicts as the war in Afghanistan rather than fighting China, Russia or other major powers. [...] The new budget halts new orders of F-22 fighter jets and allocates billions of dollars in new funding for such low-tech weapons as the unmanned drones being used to hunt insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan." [Wall Street Journal, 4/7/09]
