Space force, earthly riches

Re “Lobby effort ignited ‘space force,’ ” Aug. 19

So, waging unending war, building military bases, selling weapons and spreading misery around the globe isn’t enough — now we must take the battle into space? Because some interests with the means to manipulate our government — in this case, the aerospace industry — want to fatten their wallets?

Meanwhile, we have inadequate healthcare, crumbling infrastructure, homelessness and widespread cancer, just to mention a few of our more pressing problems.

Yes, this is how our country operates, as a shining beacon of democracy to the rest of the world.

Art Peck

Los Angeles

Before we let loose on a grand, budget-crushing scheme for which the president is trying to grab credit, can we instead have a “Domestic Rescue Force” or something a little closer to the hearts, minds and needs of citizens between the poverty line and the middle class?

Then, Trump wouldn’t have to resort to another fiction to gain the pats on the back for which he so hungers.

Jules Brenner

Hollywood

When I first read about this “great idea” Trump claims to have had, I thought, “Oh, good, a new place for a war.” Then I remembered President Eisenhower’s warning about a “military industrial complex.”

Now we learn that the idea for a “space force” came from a group of government officials with deep financial ties to the aerospace industry.

This is another “great” way for the swamp dwellers in Washington to make a buck.

Carol Giandalia

Torrance