Gettin' in hot water

These 3-D printers, they are something else.  They can make guns (bad) and a new handle for your toaster oven (good) and just about everything in between, like magic.

And one of them just made a whole passel o' trouble for some Air Force dudes.

First came this press release, trumpeting the fact that someone saved the Air Force (and all taxpayers, don't forget) a bundle by making a plastic handle for their in-flight coffee pot, because they could not just run out and order new handles.

I guess not. They are flying around in airplanes, which makes it hard to run out and do anything.

The backstory is, the Air Force bought 10 hot cups for $6,930.  "Hot cup" is a military term meaning "cup that holds hot water." $693 for what a Yeti could do for $40 seems kind of pricey, but then again, it is awfully important that our flying men and women remain caffeinated at all times, so hang the expense.

And as you'll see from the press release, they were mighty proud of the savings when they put their 3-D printer to work, so proud that they publicized this great brainstorm.

And then they wish they hadn't, because the press release attracted the attention of people in Congress, and by the time all the decimal points settled in, it turned out more like each of these hot pots cost more like $1,280, and people wanted to know why the Air Force couldn't just hit Dunkin' Donuts before takeoff and save us all some beans.




Have you ever seen two more uncomfortable-looking people?  That's the Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson, and the Chief of Staff,  Gen. David Goldfein, testifying about this hot water holder. His mini plastic bottle of water cost us $348,000.  Just kidding. Maybe.

The whole thing reminds me of a kid piling up his parents' car on a Saturday night but bragging in the morning that he filled the tank with gas, so it's all good, right?

Stop wasting my money. You want to defend the country, thanks, fine. But do it while drinking cheap coffee, like the rest of us.