The hold of the military industrial complex over the US must be broken

[fujiyama]

I really think that Eisenhower's warning regarding the power of the MIA was eerily prophetic. Eisenhower may have overall been a mediocre president, but what was said in that farewell speech has been responsible for much of chaos and destruction that the world has seen in the last fifty years.

Defense contractors are one of the most, if not THE most influencial lobbying sector in the government. I mean this seriously. Oil and gas has NOTHING next to this sector (then again their interests coincide more often than not). It's huge. That's because it's not quite as simple as it being Lockheed Martin and Boieing. It's about GE, CAT and all the other major industrial corporations that have a stronghold on the government today.

Partly because of their influence, we give billions of dollars in military aid to some of the worst violators of human rights on the planet. We create wars we don't fight in, and destabilize nations, so we have a chance to give money to them, so that they "buy" our military equipment.

It's a twisted way of laundering money into these companies and really is an example of corporate welfare and pork barrel politics at its ABSOLUTE WORST. That's all it is. We give 3 billion dollars to Israel yearly, most of it in military "aid" (Israel is not a third world nation and could defend itself). I have no idea how people can defend this sort of aid -- not only to Israel -- but to many other nations as well. Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and a whole host of other nations are beneficiaries of this disgusting system.

It is true, the US is not the only nation responsible for this proliferation of weapons around the world. Far from it -- Russia, China, France, Britain, Israel, and other nations all do this. The major difference is that the US gives the money as military AID with the main reason of buying weapons from these contractors. The other nations simply peddle them for profit (also moral repugnant of course). Either way any US claims of moral credibility or superiority is a great joke.

I would propose an end to ALL military aid -- to all nations. Military aid is needed in only the rarest of circumstances. The only time I can really recall it being justified was Lend Lease during WWII.

I think it would go a long way in reducing conflict. Of course it wouldn't completely, but the fans that fuel the flames of conflict would be less strong. This would also be a great test of the UN if the US (under Kerry) were to propose a resulution that would ban aid given to other nations with the sole reason of buying military equipment.

Either way, such a thing would never pass.

Anyways, what are your opinions on the amount of power defense contractors have on government and foreign policy especially? How can their power be weakened?

[mmonk]

1. Agree

and don't know how to break the hold except to vote out certain elected leaders that push the military industrial complex's ever demanding agenda. I see that as the only solution.

[Texican]

2. Ike Actually Said

that it was the Military, Industrial, Congessional complex. He had to change it for political reasons. It is so clear now that Congress is derelict in their duty. No, that is too easy on them. Congress is totally owned by and a rubber stamp for them. There is no need to pay the lushes expenses. Just tell congress to stay home and we can mail them their checks. Any vote to throw away money on the military will pass no matter how stupid and corrupt it is.

[Nlighten1]

9. So what do we do?

If the military has its foot on the throat of Democracy, Congress is derelict in their duty, and Industry is supporting them both.

How do "We The People" get our groove back?

[NJCher]

3. Our Operations Manual: "War is a Racket"

I learned about this on the Randi Rhodes Show:

http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

Excerpt:

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

In the World War a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.


Cher

[keithyboy]

4. But then we would have absolutely NO economy.

We are not bright enough to think of things to do FOR our country to make the jobs to make up for the military contractors. We wouldn't dare think about a revised, 5-star rail system for the nation, building a national safe water system so that all our states would have adequate, clean water, a free top-class education system in which excellent teachers are paid 6-figure salaries and anyone who is successful in school would be guaranteed an excellent free college education in exchange for two years of public service instead of time in the military fighting wars. We wouldn't dare suggest using public funds for public purposes except for war, graft, organized crime, and gouging of the American consumer. We wouldn't dare invest huge sums of support for solid waste management and disposal instead of paying huge overrun contracts for the war machine. We wouldn't dare give people a guaranteed living wage in exchange for work tho help the common good. My god, that just sounds so socialistic, and touchy-feely!

[Nay]

10. Great rant, Keithy.

and so true. I am old enough to remember a society that actually thought that government/business were to be beholden to the citizen, and that all things should be bent toward improving the lot of those citizens.

Now there are no citizens, only "consumers." And we are bent-over consumers, and they don't even give us a jar of Vaseline.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. GWB administration is the EMBODIMENT of the perils of the MIC

described by Eisenhower. I'm constantly surprised that there aren't more Op-Ed type pieces discussing this.

It is a litany of revolving door/conflict of interest crony capitalism with emphasis both on energy companies and military contracting.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. First you've got to break up the media that tells us "War is good."

Second comes campaign finance reform, mitigating the leverage held by the MIC.

Then, and only then, can you start dismantling the number one cause of wealth disparity in this country.


Btw, have they found the missing $3,000,000,000,000 yet?

[welshTerrier2]

7. a government controlled by corporations

a government controlled by corporations and their wealthiest stockholders ...

capitalism and democracy cannot co-exist ... and we have chosen to allow capitalism to run our government ...

while the military-industrial complex is clearly the greatest evil, i would not underemphasize other industries that are eroding our democracy and destroying our planet ...

there is great danger in the overcentralized agi-business ... small, decentralized family farms have been driven out of business ... we are at great risk of untold catastrophies by putting all our eggs in one basket ...

the pharmaceutical industry holds life and death in its greedy hands ... millions of Americans now choose between the drugs they need to live and other necessities ... the recent Medicare bill was written (and underwritten) by the drug companies ...

The WTO and other insidious trade agreements has codified "corporate personhood" and made corporations immune to democratic processes ...

Your closing question "How can their power be weakened" should be extended to all multi-national corporations ... this question, in my view, is the only issue really worth discussing ... unfortunately, so many of us are so distracted fighting so many other battles that we cannot see that we will never be free until the corporate state is destroyed ... each day that goes by, the wealthy grow more wealthy and more powerful ... elite stockholders have a stranglehold on our government ...

until we can wake people up to this reality, all gains we make are temporary; all progress is illusory ...

[AG78]

8. I think of that question everyday

"what are your opinions on the amount of power defense contractors have on government and foreign policy especially?"

Seems they are the government. And since they need war to exist as an industry, seems they direct foreign policy.

"How can their power be weakened?"

What are you, a terrorist?

I don't know how their power could be weakened. They're so entrenched in the system, that I can't see anything that would do it. Voting? I guess that's possible. But with Clinton in office, who got the contract to build bases and such after Kosovo? KBR.