By
Kusukela Amanye amagama, Disemba 24, 2018
Kule sizini (yethemba) lokuthula nokuthakazelelwa, kufanelekile ukubheka izinto izwe lethu elihlukene phakathi elingavumelana ngazo. Futhi njengoba sonke sifuna ukukwazi ukwethemba uhulumeni ukuthi asebenzise ngokuhlakanipha, singathola imbangela ejwayelekile endaweni emangazayo: isabelomali sePentagon.
Uma ucabanga kosopolitiki behlasela iPentagon (uma ungacabanga nganoma yini) kungahle kube ngakwesobunxele, njengo USenator Bernie Sanders. Kungakho nganeliseka ukubona u-Iowa Senator uChuck Grassley ethatha isabelozimali sePentagon muva nje ungene ngaphakathi I-New York Times.
Yisigameko esingajwayelekile ukuthi usopoliti wanoma yikuphi ukukholisa agxeke iPentagon - kepha ikakhulukazi ngeRepublican elondolozekile njengoGrassley. (Lokho kusho, sekwephuzile USenator John McCain, lapho esesimweni esifanele, angakwenza ngokuhle kakhulu kubo. Futhi akuyona ekaGrassley okuqala, noma.)
IPentagon ikufanele ukugxekwa. Cishe iminyaka eyi-30 eyedlule, iCongress yacela iPentagon ukuthi iqede ukucwaninga okungabonisa ukuthi abaholi bezempi bayazi ukuthi imali yethu iya kuphi. Kulo nyaka, iPentagon yagcina ihambise umphumela: Ngemuva kokulinda cishe iminyaka eyi-30, iPentagon yehlulekile ukucwaningwa kokuqala kwayo.
Okukhathaza kakhulu ukuthi abaholi bePentagon abayona into ephazamiseka kangako ngalokhu. IPhini likaNobhala Wezokuvikela uPatrick Shanahan, isikhulu sesibili ePentagon, utshele abezindaba, "Sehlulekile ukucwaningwa kwamabhuku, kodwa besingakaze sikulindele ukuphumelela."
Kunazo zonke izizathu zabaholi bePentagon kusuka kuNobhala Wezokuvikela uJim Mattis kuya phansi babe namahloni ngalo mphumela.
Zonke ezinye izinhlaka zikahulumeni ezinkulu zinazo baphothula futhi baphasa ukuhlolwa kwamabhuku phakathi naleso sikhathi, kaningi izikhathi eziningi. Uma iPentagon ingazi ukuthi imali yayo iyaphi, bangasiqinisekisa kanjani ukuthi isetshenziswa kahle? Ngesabelomali sePentagon se $ 647 billionkulo nyaka - ngisho nokubalwa kwezindleko zempi - amandla emfucuza nenkohliso aphezulu kakhulu.
Siyazi ngezibonelo eziningi zokungcola - UGrassley ukhonjiwe a $ 14,000 isihlalo sendlu yangasese njengesibonelo esihle kakhulu - kepha akungabazeki ukuthi kunezinto eziningi esingazi ngazo. Lo awumbono womuntu wokuphatha okuhle.
UGrassley uphakamisa ukuthi abaholi bePentagon badinga ukukhuphuka futhi bazuze ukwethemba esibanikeza kona. Kepha uma bengakwenzi eminyakeni ye-30, yini ezoshintsha manje?
Abaholi bePentagon abayiboni imiphumela evela ekunganinimiselweni kwesabelomali sesizwe sethu. Uma kunento eyodwa engadonsela ukunaka kobuholi bePentagon, kuzobadinga ukuthi baphumelele ukucwaninga ngaphambi kokuthola idola elilodwa ngaphezulu kumabhokisi omphakathi.
Esikhundleni salokho, okuphambene kubonakala sengathi kuyenzeka. ICongress iqhubeka nokuvuza iPentagon ngesabelomali esikhulukazi. Isabelomali samasosha aseMelika singaphezulu kwe- $ 200 billion billion kune-30 eyedlule.
Futhi kuyaqhubeka. Ngaphansi kwesonto ngemuva kokubiza isabelomali samanje sePentagon ngokuthi "uyahlanya," uMongameli uTrump bavumelana nabaholi bezempi ukuthi sidinga isabelozimali sezempi esikhudlwana. Futhi nje ngosuku olulodwa ngaphambi kokumenyezelwa kwamabhuku ezimali, ikomidi eligunyazwe yiCongress limemezele ukuthi izwe lidinga i- cishe isabelomali sempi esingu- $ 1 trillion wezempi by 2024.
Uma siqhubeka nokuhamba ngale ndlela, sizosahla izinsiza ezibalulekile ezingasetshenziswa noma yiziphi ezinye izindlela: ukudala amathuba emisebenzi, ukulwa nobhubhane lwe-opioid, ukwakha uhlelo lokunakekelwa kwezempilo olusebenzela sonke, silungisa imigwaqo yethu eshayayo amabhuloho, njll.
Kuze kube yilapho bekhombisa ukuthi bayazi ukuthi benzani, iPentagon kufanele isuswe ekungeneni okwengeziwe ukuze sikwazi ukugxila izinsiza kwenye indawo.
Ngakho-ke, uma iningi lezindaba libonakala limnandi kakhulu ukukhuluma ngamakhukhi kaKhisimusi asendulo, zama ukuhlolwa kwePentagon kwehlulekile. Ungamangala ukuthi uzovumelana nobani.
