'A Billion Dollars spent on War is a Billion Dollars down a rat hole' by formercia

[checks-n-balances]

This post was on another thread, but it deserves its own thread.

Original thread (post is near the end of it):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1721522#top

This is such an important issue but I've rarely heard it mentioned anywhere. So I post it now with the author's permission (thanks, formercia):

"Wars expend vital materials such as oil, steel, copper, and other 'strategic materials' that are gone forever. In a civilian economy, many materials are recycled but much military equipment is lost forever.

It's great for the mine owners who have seen the price of base metals increase by many fold since the War began, metals used to make bombs, bullets and shells..gone. These materials are not in infinite supply and when the mines run out, just like the oil will some day, there's no telling what will happen.

Short term profits at the expense of long term benefit for society.

Selfish people on a mission from God."

[PDJane]

1. yep.

I've said so before. Wasting a finite resource like oil in order to control said finite resource is plain stupid.

Diplomacy and the ability to share is a much better idea.

[nuxvomica]

2. One of the great realizations I had in the past few years

I was listening to someone giving a speech on Alternative Radio, I think, and he said something rather simple and profound: the money a society spends on education is returned to society a hundredfold while the money spent on bombs is simply blown up. Gone. Imagine if our taxes were adjusted so that the rate were in inverse proportion to the ultimate productivity of the expenditure. The internet would be tax-free, as would books, preventative health-care, etc. while munitions manufacturers would be so burdened they might go out of business. We might run the risk of being unable to conduct a respectable war.

[formercia]

4. The way junior is pissing away the national treasure

there won't be anything left if we need to fight a real enemy.


It all boils down to energy. Every explosion,bullet fired, tank maneuver or whatever movement of atoms from point A to point B requires energy to produce and deliver the required materiel and manpower to do the job. Wars of aggression are even more energy intensive because the action occurs in a remote location. This energy has to come from somewhere. If the War economy can't supply the required amount, it has to be purchased and delivered.

Once our energy supplies get to the point where we cannot fight a major conflict or have the financial resources to purchase and deliver the energy, War will cease to be an option or we will face defeat as Japan did in WWII.

If I were the enemy and I wanted to bring a country to its knees and destroy its ability to defend itself, I would install a leader that is doing just what Junior is doing.

[spag68]

3. Don't forget

The criminal said 22 billion for schip childrens health care was too much.