War profiteers have been a curse since the beginning of the country. This will really stir up the wing nuts -- they will respond, and I will make more points.

In my opinion, profiteers are the lowest of the low. While they try to make us believe that people on social security and disability, the real drain on our economy is the so-called "defense" industry.

That and the corporations with their tax bonuses for shipping jobs out of the country, and the financial institutions running their illegal ponzi schemes which can destroy the whole financial system. Of course, it is really all a part of the illegal system which has been allowed to grow for the last 30 years.

All part of the globalists' plans, sadly.

I am afraid you are correct.

War profiteers were one of many reasons why there were so many pacifists before WWII.

Many U.S. servicemen and women have died or been injured to increase profits. Yet those same war profiteers wear U.S. flag lapel pins and claim to be patriots.

I really like George Washington's statement about them.

But George, it's their job to generate a profit for their stock holders. It's their job to make their businesses successful. It's their job to harm other people. They get paid to do evil things. Doesn't the fact that they get money for doing terrible things make it all right? :-(

NO LOL

It's become institutionalized in America. Having spent several years working for one of those profiteers before deciding that it was just too unethical to continue, Eisenhower said it all back in 1961.

It has been said by many, but it is like someone said about the weather, "Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it."

The pattern of profiteering is the same everywhere (see Nippy's comment below, too), but America is certainly "distinguished" by the massive size of the military-industrial complex.

And that massive size makes it incredibly difficult to discover, investigate and prosecute illegal activities carried on by both the military and industrial wings of that complex. The nature of military command structure makes it rarely worth the career of one officer who might risk his future it to blow a whistle, when "everybody is doing it". And of course, the "lowest bidder" contract, which is often ignored in military procurement, sometimes for the better -- higher quality often, but not always, means a higher price -- but more often for the worse -- old boy cronyism -- is a major feature of the system. Consider Nippy's comment below and then consider who, according to the Constitution, the government is: it's us humans.

"...that massive size makes it incredibly difficult to discover, investigate and prosecute illegal activities..."

Much of what goes on isn't by definition even "illegal," just unethical. All I can say is that promises rarely equate to anything ever intended to be delivered, and that a "foot-in-the-door" is seen as something like permission to steal everything in the house before leaving.

Actually, some of it is really just a Ponzzi scheme, and it is illegal.

As long as people have been supplying the military some have done some pretty shady things. Of course the same is true for materials for public works projects and darned near anything that can be sold.

The problem isn't war or government. It's humans.

I spend a lot of time in Japan, which has an average individual tax rate slightly lower than the US, and a corporate tax rate only slightly higher.

However, in Japan I see extensive, efficient, and comprehensive infrastructural development far in excess of what we have in the US: an advanced and reliable high speed rail system, integrated and efficient mass transportation systems, mass access to inexpensive optical fiber speed internet connections, over-the-air services not even available on American land-lines, easily accessible high-quality health care at one third the cost of America's, and on and on... To be fair, Japan also has its issues. But in general, Japanese social and infrastructural programs are efficient and effective.

I see three reasons why we can't (or just won't) do these kinds of things in America: 1) our corporate capitalist model encourages the paying out of short-term dividends over investment in long-term infrastructure, 2) the American ethic allows for considerably more institutionalized corruption and inefficiency, 3) our military-industrial complex takes advantage of the first two factors to consume a dumfounding amount of American resources.

Consider that the US military budget constitutes 41% of the entire world's military spending, amounting to 4.7% of the entire US GDP in 2011, or almost three-quarters of a trillion dollars in a single year at at an average of $2,141 per capita. Compare that to the Japanese expenditure of a mere $55-billion at 1% of its GDP, or $401 per capita in 2011. (SIPRI data)

You're right Nippy, this isn't about war or government. It's about people taking advantage of a system that allows them to fleece a nation by perpetuating a mentality of fear.

Ruta: Unfortunately these figures are incomplete as they can't include within "taxes" the cost of the compulsory levies as social security and health care. This concerns mainly Western Europe

The Right believes that if they keep shouting, "what's good for business is good for America" long enough, it will be true, or at least by then, enough Americans will believe it that they will vote to keep the money machine ripping off America! You can see this ignorance here on Gather! People really believe it's a business right to take Americans for all they can take! The Oil companies are a good example!

You can also see the results in the 2010 election.

" This will really stir up the wing nuts -- they will respond, and I will make more points."

E tu, Brute?

That is one consolation for having to deal with the Republican talking points.

I am trying to catch up but wanted you to know that I was here.

Thank you for sharing with Watching The Wind Blow By

Sandy, remember the old saying, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."
Thanks for stopping by.

I think I am on the latter part for sure.