Gates signals dark days for military-industrial complex

[Barack_America]

Gates signals dark days for military-industrial complex

In his farewell address as president, Dwight Eisenhower, who knew a thing or two about war, coined the phrase “military-industrial complex” to describe the “conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry . . .new in the American experience.”

As Mr. Eisenhower, the pride of Abilene, Kan., warned, “The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government . . . .Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.”

This week, another Kansas Republican, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, took dead aim Ike’s nemesis by proposing to shift Pentagon spending priorities away from big-ticket weapons systems. He and Mr. Obama want to spend far less on strategic weapons and more on military manpower and tactical weapons used in counter-insurgency warfare.

Overall military spending — $664 billion next year, including the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — would increase by 4 percent, but priorities would change. This revolution has been talked about for a long time, but the military-industrial complex and its allies in Congress always have beaten it back...

More:
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/2009/04/gates-signals-dark-days-for-military-industrial-complex/


Like music to my ears...

[rurallib]

1. the military doen't get 3/4th of the budget and they cry

good grief.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Not a real accurate blog post by someone clearly out of touch with the details.

The real issue is the top line and whether or not it will have to cover the current wars. Will the supplemental budget bills continue is the other.

[spag68]

3. Military budget

What is wrong with you? don't you know Obama is going to gut the military?

[snake in the grass]

4. ...and take away your guns, while...

...ushering in a "Muslin" theocracy, in which mandatory gay marriage will be funded by forced abortion carried out by illegal immigrants. Saw it on Glenn Beck, so it must be true.