Imperialists in Democratic Clothing - Just read that from the main page

[Roland99]

Great article that leaves me wondering if there really is a way to stop or even just slow down the monster - the military-industrial complex. There are forces (groups) beyond the currently elected administration (or future administrations) that keep feeding the beast.

:scared:

[Neil Lisst]

1. Ike warned us in his farewell address ...

Ike warned of the military - industrial complex, and it is more oppressive now than ever. Defense contractors own major media.

-----
my progressive political cartoon
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst

[1932]

2. If you want to read a good book about this issue:

If you want to read a book about the moment in American history when we could have turned this back, read what Richard Parker says about the Truman administration in his biography on J.K. Galbraith.

If you want to go back to the first unfortunate step in the path towards the military industrial complex, it was probably during the FDR years when he began using cost-plus contracts. This was an example of how big business won by being obstinate and unpatriotic. FDR's polices had created so much consumer demand by '41 that big business kept resisting the administration's efforts to get them to convert to war-time production. FDR had to give them cost-plus contracts which guarnateed a profit. That was something new, and we've haven't stopped doing it.

But, had FDR lived through WW2, there's a pretty good chance it wouldn't have continued. It was the Truman administration which gave in to the West Point-Wall St power axis, according to Parker's book. Truman spent more money on the military during his years than FDR spent growing the US military from the size of Belgium's military to the largest military in the world, capable of winning wars in two hemispheres. And Eisenhower, notwithstanding his admonistions on his last day of work, did nothign to abate the growth of the military.

Parker says that 13 months into the Kennedy adminstration he became a (non-military, non-business) Keynesian who was more interested in development economics than in expanding the military, but eventually he got shot, so that was the last chance we had in the 20th century to turn back the tide.

[Roland99]

3. Thanks. I'll add it to my reading list.