Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Taxpayer or shareholder?
Today’s topic is not often discussed, but should be. It is the military-industrial complex. The story begins during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address. He was concerned enough in 1961 to warn the nation of the unwarranted influence by the “military-industrial complex.”
Forty-seven years later, we are on schedule to budget $700 billion for defense. Worse yet there is nearly $1,400 billion appropriated for war-related expenses that are off budget. Defense contractors divide this pie year after year. Big Oil pads its bank accounts as oil prices rise from war. Service providers like Halliburton gorge themselves, and their subsidiary KBR gobbles up profits by providing other contractor services.
Years ago, there was some justification for this military might, as it was deemed that keeping the oil routes open was a national security matter. How ironic that now the prevailing thought is that it is more of a national security matter to break our oil addiction. Breaking this addiction addresses global warming, lowers the price of oil, reduces the wealth of our enemies, returns dollars to this country in alternate energy initiatives and reduces our deficit. Jobs would be created, and savings in defense spending, would be enormous.
And one question, if my tax dollars are invested, and all these corporations are bathing in exorbitant profits, why am I not a shareholder by virtue of my tax investment?
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