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U.S. Spends $24 Million On ‘Propaganda Plane' Few Can See or Hear

Jango

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It's difficult to find a more wasteful government program.

For the last six years, the U.S. government has spent more than $24 million to fly a plane around Cuba and beam American-sponsored TV programming to the island's inhabitants. But every day the plane flies, the government in Havana jams its broadcast signal. Few, if any, Cubans can see what it broadcasts.

The program is run by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, and for the last two years, it has asked Congress to scrap the program, citing its exorbitant expense and dubious cost-effectiveness. "The signal is heavily jammed by the Cuban government, significantly limiting this platform's reach and impact on the island," reads the administration's fiscal year 2014 budget request.

But each year, hard-line anti-Castro members of Congress have rejected the recommendation and renewed funding for the program, called AeroMarti. Now, under the restrictions of government-wide belt-tightening, AeroMarti may finally die, but its fate has yet to be sealed.

"It's hard to believe we are still wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on beaming a jammed TV signal - that fewer than 1 percent of Cubans can see - from an airplane to the island," Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) tells The Cable.

U.S. Spends $24 Million On

While I support propaganda efforts directed at the Cuban populace, one would think that there was a way for the U.S. to circumvent the jamming efforts and spend less money. But, instead, it appears as though taxpayer money is being wasted. Where is the oversight? The common sense?
 
$4 million a year over 6 years doesn't seem like much to be worried about but it might fund the resumption of White House tours.
 
U.S. Spends $24 Million On

While I support propaganda efforts directed at the Cuban populace, one would think that there was a way for the U.S. to circumvent the jamming efforts and spend less money. But, instead, it appears as though taxpayer money is being wasted. Where is the oversight? The common sense?

I guess some people in congress really really really really really hate Castro.

But honestly why are we keeping a propaganda plane that no one pays attention to?
 
I guess some people in congress really really really really really hate Castro.

But honestly why are we keeping a propaganda plane that no one pays attention to?

Probably because of your first sentence... as well the fact that our country likes to waste money.
 
$4 million a year over 6 years doesn't seem like much to be worried about but it might fund the resumption of White House tours.

These things add up though. There is probably a sizeable list of things my country spends money on, which by themselves is likely no big deal, but once you tally up all the charges, the enormity of it is maddening.
 
I guess some people in congress really really really really really hate Castro.

But honestly why are we keeping a propaganda plane that no one pays attention to?
Flight time; training; who knows what else those planes might be doing while broadcasting--a good way to hide electronic snooping in plain site
 
U.S. Spends $24 Million On

While I support propaganda efforts directed at the Cuban populace, one would think that there was a way for the U.S. to circumvent the jamming efforts and spend less money. But, instead, it appears as though taxpayer money is being wasted. Where is the oversight? The common sense?

It's not that easy to circumvent the jamming. All the Cubans have to do is to jam the television frequency the plane would use, and that's not something we can just 'work around'.

If I had my druthers, we'd simply recognize Cuba yesterday and give them favored-nation status, and then let capitalism take its course.
 
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