I was distressed to read about the contract for destroyers awarded to Bath Iron Works for $2.8B. I know it is Maine jobs, but at what cost? The military people will tell us it is to protect our country. From whom? The Afghan military, Hezbollah or al Quaida? We know they are loaded with Navy ships.

No, they would no doubt say Russia and China. Not Russia; they are slowly falling apart. Their birth rate is declining and alcoholism is rampant. China, on the other hand, has the big weapon — in our language, cash. They just agreed to purchase one of our largest meat packing facilities. Chinese interests just bought the General Motors Building in New York City and are taking control of, to a degree, oil production in the Middle East. While all of this is going on we fight about Benghazi, the IRS and whatever Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. — the rebirth of Joe McCarthy — decides or his Senate counterpart, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, comes up with.

There are so many good uses for that money that the list is too long to list, but new destroyers are not on mine. I wish Sen. Susan Collins, and Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree could come up with some. I go back to President Dwight Eisenhower’s warning to beware of the military industrial complex. To put that in today’s terms is to know there are more four-star officers in the Pentagon than at the height of World War II.

Thomas J. Brazier

Waterville