We are a nation perpetually on a war footing and as

[cali]

long as that remains true, we cannot be a nation that highly places human priorities.

Republicans are responsible. Democrats are responsible. Institutional behavior is responsible. The MSM is responsible.

Being on a perpetual war footing means the institutionalization of the military industrial complex. War and preparation for war is a money making enterprise and it's an entrenched one.

An enemy will always be found and aggrandized into a frightening threat. We segued pretty damned quickly from communism to terrorism.

I don't know that there's any taking down of military industrial infrastructure; it's not just powerful people, it's institutions and it's seemingly so interwoven with this nation's DNA that it's hard to imagine how it happens unless we bring ourselves to ruin supporting it.

How can we achieve policies that serve the people when we're swallowed up by supposed military priorities?

[leveymg]

1. As bad as it seems out there to the rest of America, it's far, far worse inside the Beltway Bubble.

Every other person, just about, around here is somehow involved with the military or a related private contractor. To cut the Pentagon and Intel and Homeland Security budgets by any substantial amount would be like dropping an atom bomb on the National Mall.

They won't do it willingly. They'll sacrifice everything else, first -- except Wall Street -- and are doing just that.

[cali]

2. Man, I'm sure that's the gospel truth.

[Blanks]

3. It can be done.

The problem is that people are resistant to change.

At the beginning of president Obama's first term, he spent quite a lot of time pushing an alternative energy agenda. It is switching to alternative energies that will cause the 'Military Industrial Complex' to collapse. If huge cuts were to be made now, we'd have even more economic problems.

A lot of people are employed either directly or indirectly by the defense industry or the oil and gas industry. If more jobs are created in the alternative energy/sustainable farming sector then there will be somewhere for these folks that are employed in the defense industry when their job is eliminated; they have somewhere to go.

You want to reduce the influence of the MIC, we need to have a 'war on climate change'.

[cali]

4. where in history, can you find any indication that it can be done?

I doubt very much it can be done.

[Blanks]

6. You're kidding right.

The country geared up for World War I, fought the war and downsized the defense industry at the end of the war.

If you want an example of an industry that at one time looked invincible and then was virtually eliminated by the competition - there are the railroads, there is IBM, there are newspapers.

It is a matter of priority. When we had a democratic president with a democratic controlled congress - we had 'cash for clunkers' which helped save the auto industry (and reduced demand for fossil fuels and CO2 emissions). We had Obamacare which promoted construction of health clinics, we had the promotion of solar and wind energy and started a sustainable garden on the White House lawn.

It isn't going to happen over night, but we have to shift what we, as Americans, consider valuable as natural resources. We were trending in the right direction, now we have a republican controlled House of Representatives that works to repeal Obamacare - exclusively.

The solution is quite simple - we work hard to get a democratic controlled congress in 2014 and then push them to take the necessary steps to reduce the influence of the MIC.

[cali]

9. No, I'm not kidding. and no it can't happen.

it's just far too entrenched. this isn't about one corporation or one industry.

[Blanks]

12. Hmmm..

The railroad wasn't just a single corporation either. Bringing all war efforts to a halt at the end of World War I - wasn't just one industry either.

I'm not sure why you would ask for examples from history - if you're just going to say repeatedly "the sky is falling".

Do you simply prefer to wallow in a feeling of despair?

[ronnie624]

13. But nowadays,

big media are owned by the MIC, our legislative process is controlled by it through campaign finance and 'lobbying', and it controls our policy making establishment, via the 'revolving door'. It is entrenched in our political system, like nothing else in history. The issue is far more serious than you realize.

[Blanks]

14. The issue is far less serious than you realize.

The MIC controls 'the media of yesterday'. The fact that we haven't mobilized through twitter, Facebook and DU to exert more control over our own political fate has less to do with political contributions from the MIC and more to do with what WE talk about.

Real change has occurred in other parts of the world by using modern media - despite who controls what is on TV or what is printed in the paper.

They used cell phone GPS to triangulate and locate snipers in some of the Middle East uprisings.

No, the only thing preventing us from making it a better world is that so many spend so much time complaining.

[cali]

15. No, dear. I prefer reality

In the broader time frame, the U.S. hasn't over the past century, powered down from being on a war footing.

And in the past 60 years, it has done NOTHING to power down from it. To the contrary, we've been on a war footing since WWII, making the brief period after WWI, largely irrelevant.

Do you prefer flitting about in fantasy land, to reality?

[Blanks]

16. I guess you weren't around in the '90's.

There was all manner of wailing and gnashing of teeth about how Bill Clinton balanced the federal budget by slashing defense spending.

For that matter, I guess you've never actually googled 'defense spending cut history'. You'd find that all kinds of criticism is leveled toward the current defense cuts. I wonder why people are complaining about defense spending cuts, when 'the US hasn't powered down'? Serious question: why are all these people complaining? And WWI was less than 100 years ago BTW.

I forgot. You read on here every day about how the defense industry is going crazy and over-stepping their bounds, threatening our rights etc.

But you see, dear, you are reading those things - because you and your little buddies are posting those vague little attacks here.

This isn't a newspaper. Sure, there's some news - people post news stories. That doesn't mean that everything that's posted here is true. We still have freedom of speech.

So lets summarize: in the last 100 years the US has done nothing to power down from a war footing - except:

-Reduce the size of the military after WWI
-Reduce defense spending during the Clinton Administration.
-Pull troops out of Iraq.
-Pull troops out of Afghanistan.
-Reduce defense spending because of the sequester.

Your 'reality' isn't a history based reality, more of a 'sky is falling' based reality.

[Kolesar]

17. I'm pretty sure that clown you are arguing with didn't "wreck the curve" in Econ-102...eom

[Vinnie From Indy]

5. The MIC created the perfect enemy by declaring war on a thing rather than a state

Terrorism will never be defeated because it is an amorphous, stateless thing. If you think it is bad now, just wait until the next mass casualty attack on US soil. What is left of the Bill of Rights will meet its end on that day.

[Kolesar]

7. You should be writing to Congress, then ...

and the media and the President.

[seabeckind]

8. A little simplistic

We are on a fear footing. The constant "war" is a reaction to that.

We fear terrists; illegals; anyone who looks, sounds or dresses differently; etc.

Lots of money in fear. And not a lot of thought on the part of those in fear to question it.

[cali]

10. not really. we've been on a fear footing then for 50 years. Ever

hear of HUAC. This has been going on for over 60 years and the longer something goes on the more entrenched it becomes.

[RevStPatrick]

11. I know we are never going to do this, because we are a rather stupid species...

...but we could very easily morph the military-industrial complex into something that is actually good for us all and fix all of our problems and be a happy and productive species. Wouldn't take all that much effort.

Again, we are not going to do this because we are stupid, and our collective stupidity allows us to let the few socio and psychopaths among us ruin it for everybody. If we could figure out how to somehow "get rid of" oh, for sake of argument, let's say the 1 percent among us who are socio and psychopaths and have power... we could...

Put our nation (and world) on a perpetual space exploration and colonization footing.

I say this now, because today is the 44th anniversary of the first moon walk. I was 7 years old at the time, and I assumed at the time that we would have flying cars and moon vacations by the time I was 50. The only reason we don't is because of the greed of the socio and psychopaths among us who have power. And that's really the only thing they crave, power. They are sick and we need to do something about them.

The main purpose of our military-industrial complex is to create huge profits making things that will hopefully never be used. If we actually use them, then they get destroyed and will have to be replaced by a new generation of whatever that is going to be even more expensive.

Space exploration and colonization is hugely expensive, and the very same companies that generate huge profits on arms can pretty easily retool to make things that go into space. Pretty much the same industries, except for the boom boom and killing parts.

So that's my radically oversimplified plan to save the species and the planet. Retool the arms-making companies into space exploration and colonization companies. Many are already doing both. The USA could easily take half of its military budget and put it into space, and still have the largest military budget on the planet, by far.

Of course, we are not going to do that, because we are collectively stupid and greedy and short sighted, and we allow a few socio and psychopaths to control the conversation and the purse strings. We are going to continue to wallow in the muck because that's where a few greedy assholes want us to be for their own profit, rather than flying among the stars, where we belong.

Maybe I'm just bummed today, because I should have a flying car and moon vacation by now...

[WillyT]

18. K & R !!! - Face It... Both Parties Got EXACTLY What They've Always Wanted...

A Permanent State Of War.

And the perpetual un-ending flow of campaign money because of it.