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From our forums

A EUROPEAN BONUS

I hope our president and Congress will see the value in maintaining our forward posture at current levels in Europe. I believe that our strategic presence is essential to stability on the continent, as well as destinations to the east and south.

As an added bonus, our forward presence gives soldiers and their families the opportunity to learn other cultures. I experienced this firsthand when I was stationed in Italy for four years. The operations tempo required me to deploy frequently, but also gave my family and me the opportunity to enjoy the culture. If we draw down further in Europe, we lose some of that strategic presence and the opportunities for our soldiers and families to expand their horizons.

— Maj. Robert Klarenbach

SOLAR POWER PRICE TAG

The solar power system at Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, cost $100 million dollars. The Air Force will be saving $1 million dollars annually. At that rate it will take 100 years to see a return on the investment. Did I miss something? This sounds like a terrible investment for the economic times that we are facing.

— Scott Spencer

It takes up a whole lot of space to do what little it does. It’s just another “Greenie” rip-off.

— LV Cabbie

As energy prices increase (as they inevitably do), the value of renewable sources goes up considerably. But $100 million is still a steep price tag for an initial investment. Nellis could have done better by going with a more scalable system with a smaller initial price that allows for later expandability. Still, all of this was part of the economic stimulus bill. At least this $100 million went into something useful.

— MrMiracle