RE “MASS. defense firms paying price of US cuts,” (Business, Feb. 13): While I agree that job losses in Massachusetts defense industries are not exactly preferable, the reductions reflect something positive: the end to more than a decade of costly wars. We simply have less need for bomb-clearing and detection equipment. The alternative — more war — would cost us even more, not to mention the sacrifices of soldiers and their families it would entail.
I would encourage companies potentially affected by pending budget cuts to look at this as a way to light the fires of innovation. Massachusetts has reputation as a hub for original ideas and invention. Why not take this opportunity to expand these businesses to meet the needs of other areas essential for our national security, like life sciences, transportation, and energy?
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IRobot’s introduction of a line of robots for hospitals, along with their many other diverse products and services, is exactly the kind of forward thinking that keeps America, and Massachusetts, strong. New ideas. New jobs. Greater security.