There has been much consternation and job related discussion within the F-35 debate in Vermont and more specifically Chittenden County. There are those on the left (of which I am one!) and the right that voice their concern(s) with a great degree of passion and genuine interest, but this discussion strikes me as one that avoids the most important point about the F-35 and the Military Industrial Consortium constructing and marketing it (primarily Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, and Rolls-Royce). The debate is primarily an example of wealth and “security” asymmetry, which is another way of saying this plane and its R & D costs are a zero-sum game for a variety of constituents. Read the rest of this entry »