Socialism is a word a lot of citizens fear, but Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, military and other social programs administered by the U.S. government are all socialistic aid the U.S. uses.
How many times have we heard the dire warnings about socialism and what would happen if those socialists ever
took control of this country and its government? Well, I have news for
all of those who may be living in fear and paranoia of that possibility;
socialism is alive and well in America and has been for some time.
How can that be? Well, for now, let’s set aside Social
Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps and other social programs
administered by the U.S. government. Instead, in this article we’ll
concentrate on two of the most powerful entities within this government,
the consortium made up of the U.S. military and the defense industry
corporations who work together splendidly.
First we have the capitalist sector of America, the
massive defense industry corporations who make the weapons of war that
enrich their bottom lines. Then we have the U.S. military which takes
this weaponry and uses it in the pursuit of its agenda of endless war.
Together they form that large and successful consortium that is
continuously funded by American taxpayers and administered by the U.S.
government.
Yes, we constantly hear many Americans condemning
socialism and how terrible a system it is and yet the gigantic U.S.
military organization that stretches across this entire planet is a
living example of socialism in America. And there is no question but
that the vast majority of the American people are solidly behind it.
A typical definition of socialism is, “an economic concept
that advocates public/government ownership and management of all
resources. Well, that’s it; that’s exactly what the U.S. military is and
here is why:
Those who serve in the military have government-guaranteed
jobs as long as they don’t violate certain rules and regulations. There
are no unemployment rolls, those who follow reasonable rules and stay
out of trouble will not lose their jobs; and their jobs cannot be
outsourced.
The U.S. military is fully funded by American taxpayers and administered by the government.
Its members and families are provided with free base
housing and those living off base are given allowances to help cover
their housing costs. They receive free health care, including eye care
and dental benefits.
Most members are provided with an education by attending
various military schools where they receive sophisticated electronic
training and acquire other high-level skills that they can use when and
if they decide to go back to civilian life.
All members can receive a pension if they remain in the military for the time required.
Members can take part in the Food Stamp program and they
can use the money in base commissaries where prices are considerably
lower than those in civilian stores.
Those who qualify can receive up to
$500 per month under the FSSA, the Family Subsistence Supplemental
Allowance Program. In recent years, military members have received over
$100 million annually from that program and that cost continues to
increase.
Now let’s shift our attention to the capitalism element of
this close, tight-knit relationship. Actually this specific sector of
American capitalism, the defense industry, has a socialist element built
into it because these corporations depend greatly upon a steady stream
of military contracts from the government. We might accurately describe
it as a quasi-capitalist/socialist industry; these corporations are, in
effect, receiving a form of government welfare. In fact, if it were not
for the government most of them would not exist or would be in a
different business.
While capitalism and socialism, in theory, are like the
difference between night and day this military/corporate alliance
dispels that concept in that these two entities totally complement each
other; they pursue intertwined objectives and work in unison to maintain
the vast U.S. military empire.
Here are some concrete examples of how this
capitalistic/socialist consortium operates and how it has advanced its
agenda of endless war at the expense of the America taxpayer; also how
it has wasted hundreds of billions and trillions of taxpayer dollars, a
great portion of which is badly needed for America’s domestic needs.
We hear politicians constantly talking about waste in
government, but they can’t seem to grasp the fact that the biggest area
of ongoing waste is to be found in military spending. So let’s talk
about our national debt and how military spending contributes so greatly
to its constant growth. The U.S. national debt was $5.7 trillion in
2000; then after the Bush War on Iraq and the Afghan War, which together
cost over $3 trillion, plus the many instances of other wasteful
military spending, this debt now has reached $18.5 trillion, an
increase of $12.8 trillion or, if you can believe it, 325% in less than
two decades.
And here are more examples of wasteful military spending:
The massive Baghdad embassy that cost $750 million; why in
creation did those in Washington think they needed to construct the
world’s largest embassy in such a small country?
The vast military empire of 700 bases with some form of
military personnel in 150 countries. Why do we need 179 U.S. military
bases in Germany, 109 in Japan, 85 in S. Korea, 58 in Italy, 37 in
Puerto Rico and bases in 74 other countries? 1900 in Djibouti, 950 in
Chad, 900 in Gabon, 2000 in Mali, 80 in Burkina Faso and troops in
Senegal, Niger, Kosovo, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Guinea,
Honduras, Peru and in numerous other countries? And that’s only a part
of the entire network of bases and installations.
The F35 fighter jet program which was initiated in 2001
and which has cost $396 billion to date will, if continued to
conclusion, end up costing over $1 trillion. And the worst part of it is
that the development of this fighter jet has been plagued by a myriad
of problems involving software/ navigation, weapons delivery accuracy,
flight control problems, reliability issues with their avionics
processors, landing gear, thermal management systems, ejection seat
assemblies, cockpit display electronics unit, seat survival kits,
igniter-spark in the turbine engines, and on-board oxygen generating
systems.
While this country’s national infrastructure worsens every
day and would need at least $1 trillion to bring it up to acceptable
levels Congress has put this important need on a back burner because,
for years, those funds have been earmarked for use in other countries
where our military has been in action. $109 billion was spent in
Afghanistan on its infrastructure and, additionally, $60 billion was
squandered in reconstruction in Iraq.
Several hundred billion have been spent on the
construction of over 500 military bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan,
almost all of which are now either in the hands of those governments or
under the control of terrorist factions. Military equipment that cost
billions was left in Iraq when U.S. troops pulled out and ISIS gladly
accepted this gift from the U.S. government which they proceeded to use
to good advantage in Iraq and Syria.
In what has been called biggest transfer of cash in the
history of the Federal Reserve took place in 2004 when nearly $12
billion in $100 bills was flown into Iraq in huge cargo planes and,
then, it just seemed to disappear. It supposedly was intended to be
distributed among Iraqi ministers and U.S. contractors but after
numerous investigations it was never determined who the actual end
recipients were.
While all these boondoggle type projects represent a
monumental waste of taxpayer dollars they have consistently been a great
boon to the defense industry and to various civilian and military
contractors. Their return on investment has been fabulous while the ROI
of the American people is ZERO! Kind of like a Ponzi scheme, the
definition of which is “a scam investment designed to separate investors (in this case, the American people) from their money.”
We badly need to unravel our twisted priorities. It is
imperative that America be strong and stable domestically if we wish to
continue to maintain a powerful, effective military. To do so we must
have a strong domestic foundation; a strong society, economy,
infrastructure, system of education, adequately funded research and
development, and health care to list just a few. That’s not been
happening as we pour massive amounts into the military and have little
left for our important domestic needs.
Now why exactly should there exist this fear of socialism?
One of this country’s most effective forms of socialism, the U.S.
military, provides safety and security for its people by guarding them
from attacks by foreign enemies. Then when Americans retire they receive
Social Security and, if they so choose, they can join Medicare. So we
can conclude that America’s form of socialism is alive and well and
dwells among us.
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