military-industrial complex (idea)

A term first used by President Eisenhower in his 1961 farewell speech (aka "President Eisenhower's 'Military-Industrial Complex' Speech"):

But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

When the economy is based upon a state of war, we are forever looking to sustain that economy by staying in a war. Military involvement throughout the world may sustain the economy, but it means that our very livelihood is based upon the murder of millions world-wide. For instance, much of General Electric's profits come from nuclear power plants (as well as media outlets NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC). This can easily be converted to creating nuclear weapons--particularly if the new Star Wars project goes through.

The economy is no longer based upon the capitalism of supply and demand, but upon a buildup of military might. Your paycheck, under this system, is based upon the death of others. Feels good, huh? Though military spending by the Federal government went down in the Clinton era, it went up in the "private" sector. However, there is no private sector in this age of corporate welfare--most huge corporations are subsidized by the federal government. The military and corporate industry are united in a death machine.

Between 1990 and 1997, our country exported $7 billion worth surplus arms. We "discourage" other countries to build their arms so that we can supply them ourselves.

As the Cape Cod Times stated on November 14, 2000: "As of Sept. 30, 1997, according to the Federation of American Scientists Arms Sales Monitoring Project, 1,700 F-16s had been sold to 19 countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela.

For more fun stuff, see New Feudalism.
By the way, this is also a Husker Du song.