General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIt's never about spending on the war machine
When RW'ers go on and on about what we can't afford it is always about our tax dollars being used to lift people up.
That is their beef. And they cloak it in terms of those getting help as "takers".
It's NEVER about the outrageous private contractors selling our government multi-billion dollars systems we don't need or endless spying or war.
I absolutely despise this attitude and have a hard time not hating the people who promote it.
think
(11,641 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)MissMillie
(38,452 posts)If they earned a living wage.
And people who earn enough to live put their money right back into the economy--which is good for businesses as well.
earthside
(6,960 posts)You can go to the web site below and have sent to your email a daily or weekly listing of all the military contracts valued at $6.5 million and over that are let each day.
The amounts are staggering ... really incomprehensible to average Americans.
The listing, however, begins to make a person realize just how huge is military spending.
The U.S. military establishment really is the greatest program for the transfer of wealth from working folks to the richest of the rich in the history of humankind.
And ... it is sacrosanct from Democrats and Republicans alike.
And ... way too many Americans go along with this because of images of wounded soldiers -- like we must spend trillions of dollars because we all must 'support the troops' and thank them for their service. The truth is that the short-time enlisted GI is a very small portion of where theses hundreds of billions of dollars go -- it is almost like they are the 'loss-leader' or the advertising cost for the MIC.
Since the majority of voters fall for this pro-military, patriotic propaganda, when the big crash comes in this country, we will deserve it and we will suffer ... and the military-indutrial elite will be just fine in their gated communities.
http://www.defense.gov/Contracts/
Full disclosure, I'm a former DoD R&D engineer and current engineering services contractor. Our primary customer is the DoD.
I consider the work I do important, but I can tell you, I would be happier to be working for NASA (in fact, just yesterday, I submitted a contract proposal to NASA). I love technology. I love AEROSPACE technology. But to be honest, I would rather be using my talents to help us get to Mars. If we cut $100 Billion from the DoD budget and sent it to NASA and to grants for the NSF, I think it would be a great day.
Unfortunately, I don't think we're politically positioned to do it yet.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)The DoD is the only entity in the US doing significant amounts of basic research. Every other government institution has been cut to the bone, and private companies no longer fund basic research.
Cutting DoD doesn't just mean "we save money".
SHRED
(28,136 posts)I believe we need to transfer R&D spending away from the war machine.
Its difficult to wrap my head around defending war machine spending here on the DU.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)I'm not being snarky... I'd love to see it happen. How do we effect that transfer without looking "weak" on national defense? I love to see NASA's budget tripled. IMO, it would be a better technological investment. But politically, I think it's a VERY heavy lift. Repugs have been very successful at convincing Americans we need a massive military.
randome
(34,845 posts)We can complain until our keyboards are in ruins but that doesn't translate to people being out on the street and actively protesting. Until that happens, nothing much of significance will occur.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]
SHRED
(28,136 posts)jeff47
(26,549 posts)It just means they'll find someone more desperate to employ.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)... I think the first step is to continue encouraging disengagement from foreign military adventures. We need a credible defensive capability, and even the capability to respond as strongly as necessary to foreign aggression. But we do NOT need to garrison the world. And I think most Americans agree.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)In the meantime, we'll keep beating ever-more-advanced swords into plowshares.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)... just what is it the defense budget is defending?
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)Hmm, do you see any low hanging fruit?
http://nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2013/president-obamas-fiscal-year-2014-budget/