Why are defense contractors allowed profit?

[hootinholler]

Shouldn't it be a patriotic privlege to help defend this great nation?

Sure, cover the salaries, cover the COGS, but profit? I don't think we should allow it.

-Hoot

[SteppingRazor]

1. Eh, I certainly think defense contractors, like any corporation, should be allowed to profit...

at the same time, defense contractors who provide our troops with, say, showers that electrocute them should be tarred, feathered and dropped in the middle of Sadr City.

[arcadian]

8. We hold these truths to be self evident...

that all companies are created equal, that they are endowed by their corporate charter with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are the taking of Life, suspension of Liberty and the pursuit of Profit.

[SteppingRazor]

9. More to the point, what happens if we allow every industry except defense to profit? n/t

[arcadian]

10. Heavens forbids

What if the chocolate industry were to flourish instead of defense? Husbands might actually bring home boxes of chocolates to their wives every night of the week! There would be a choclate glut!

Actually, it is flourishing and I think they are evil too.

http://www.icco.org/about/chocolate.aspx

[SteppingRazor]

11. And as a result, supplies to American soldiers dwindle to zero.

Also, our nations wives all become morbidly obese!! :P


Of course, the easiest solution to the problem of supplying soldiers in the field is to, you know, remove them from the field. But until that happens, I think the best thing we can do is open contracts to competitive bidding and tightly regulate the market. There should be no excuse for screwing with soldiers.

And heck, look beyond the war. Right now, we see the words "defense contractor" and immediately think of KBR and other logistical providers for the Iraq War. But even in peace time, it's a big industry, and not just in the creation of weapons and other equipment, but also R&D. Hell, we've got an Internet because of the defense industry. I'm all for some pretty sweeping reductions in the defense budget, which would lower the size and scope of the defense industry in any case, but I think that's a better way to go about it than simply turning the whole thing nonprofit.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. They count us chumps to cough up the dough to show our "patriotism".

Which we inevitably do.

[Algorem]

3. cuz that's what $war$ huh! Yeah! is good for

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. Capitalism seeks to serve mankind.

(It's a cookbook.)

[Bob Dobbs]

5. Nationalize War!

Defense should be totally contracted by the Armed Forces.

Prohibit privatized warfare.

You hear me, Blackwater?

[midnight]

6. Patriotic privlege is how it should be.

I agree, we should not profit from war.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. This is a beautiful idea.

Kicked, recommended, bookmarked, etc.

Thank you.

[ben_meyers]

12. I think I answered this question yesterday on a different thread

The investors need to make a profit, it's only fair.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3472788&mesg_id=3472820

:sarcasm:

[Winterblues]

13. War Profiteering used to be illegal until Republicans took over.

Republicans find nothing wrong with that at all and in fact believe to their very core that "War" is good for business.

[aikoaiko]

14. The business of America is business.

[leftofthedial]

15. why do you hate Amurka?

[hootinholler]

17. Because I'm being raped by an Elephant?

I think anyone smart enough to recognize the situation would get a tad peeved at that.

-Hoot

[leftofthedial]

19. You'd think so anyway . . .

:shrug:

[MiniMe]

16. Making a profit is one thing. Making an obscene profit is something else

There is a huge difference between the 2.

[rucky]

18. Then what's the point of going to war?

Nice post, Ghandi.