In a time when our federal government is desperately trying to balance its own budget, it wouldn’t seem very logical to give billions of excess dollars to programs that have neither asked for nor need funding.

But President Clinton last week felt it necessary to give the military billions more — $7 billion to be exact — than it had requested.

Though Clinton defended the allocation saying that the money would be used to fund upcoming operations in Bosnia, Iowa’s Sen. Tom Harkin called the move outrageous.

“At this important time when our goal is to balance the budget, it is unconscionable that we ask students, seniors and veterans to sacrifice for deficit reduction, but then give the military $7 billion more than they asked for,” Harkin said.

Harkin claimed that although the money may be needed for troops in Bosnia, several other funding areas could, and should, be cut. His thinking is right on the mark. The B-2 bomber program and the Star Wars missile defense system are two examples of outdated or no longer needed programs that sap many tax dollars.

If our government’s true goal is to balance its budget, such frivolous allocations like Clinton’s $7 billion military surplus, should not happen. Such excess shows that the government has a long, long way to go.