Socialize the military?

[PaDem]

What would be the downside to completely socializing the military and eliminating all military contracts? War will be common and popular until something is done to take away the military industrial complex's seat at the bargaining table in Washington. Is this possible? I've been pondering this a lot lately, and would be curious to hear people here respond.

[JimmyJazz]

1. I am curious at to what you mean exactly by "socializing the military"

I have not heard this term and it seems, if nothing else, open to interpretation.

[PaDem]

2. sorry........

I mean eliminating gov't military contracts and having the defense department handle it all. In other words, no more Lockheed Martin etc.... powerful companies who greatly benefit from war.

[JimmyJazz]

4. I thought that's what you meant, but I wanted to be sure. I don't think

that having large corporations benefit from war while taxpayers pick up a huge tab is the way to go. I am furious that Halliburton is making a ton of money from no-bid contracts and the like. I am not familiar enough with past conflicts to know whether or not this is common practise, though. But, I'm not comfortable saying wars should be socialized since I consider myself a pacifist. I am especially against this particular war since I consider it to be completely illegal and unwarranted. Sorry for the disconnected reasoning, but I don't see socializing a war the answer, either.

I am, however, curious as to what others think of your question.

[Blue Wally]

5. In WWII

Everything was pretty much military. Robert McNamara got Brown and Root started in the contracting business during Vietnam. The idea was to have the maximum number of soldiers on the line (given the troop ceilings in Vietnam) while contracting out any function that was "housekeeping". Essentially, all house keepiong, kitchen police, and base operations functions are run by contractors. You would have to virtually double the size of the army without increasing rifle strength to make all of these army functions "green suit".

[JimmyJazz]

7. Brown & Root? they are part of Dresser Industries which is part of

Halliburton! That much I do know! Mmmmhhhh - funny how that works. Truthfully, I don't know enough to render an opinion and I know some are wondering why I posted in the first place. The answer is: You have a fairly low number of posts and a good question on the table so I wanted to kick it up so that it was seen.

[PaDem]

8. Thanks........

one can't underestimate the importance of the military industrial complex with regards to the determination to go to war.

[HawkerHurricane]

9. Before WWII...

The U.S. Navy had a group of civilian contractors on Wake Island, building base improvements. When Wake was captured, the contractors were treated worse than the Marines on the island. The Navy's response was to create the Base Construction Force, better known as the Construction Battalions... SeaBees.
Can Do!



SeaBees did many/most construction work in/near war zones for the Navy... until Vietnam, when more and more such work was given to contractors. Nowadays, SeaBees don't even do the construction work ON THEIR OWN BASES. Such work is done by outside contractors... contractors that would raise holy hell if the CB's did the work.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. Once upon a time...

the DoD owned shipyards where warships were built. Also gun foundrys for cannon and small arms.

Military's already a socialist dictatorship (how it's run), why not go all the way?

[B Calm]

6. Military's already a socialist dictatorship, and it's funded entirely by

the masses.