Missive #20: Eisenhower's Revenge - Endless War

I really wanted to write a nifty pithy piece on the prescient president Eisenhower. There was a small article in the New Yorker a few months ago about newly discovered evidence that "military industrial complex" and "permanent arms industry" were actually his fears (and not those of his speech writers or other influencers).

I quote the article in the Dec 10 issue that discussed Ike's farewell address:

"Speaking three nights before the end of his Presidency, in 1961, Eisenhower warned of a “scientific-technological élite” that would dominate public policy, and of a “military-industrial complex” that would claim “our toil, resources, and livelihood.”

If you aren't worried about what people with think of your reading choices (according to my kids I'm an elitist for reading the New Yorker but that's okay because they're hipsters for listening to NPR & indie freak folk rock), there's more at http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/12/20/101220ta_talk_newton#ixzz1ITjY5h4r

That little piece got me thinking about the ridiculous number of wars in which we are ensnared and how over extended we are militarily.

And then the March Harper's Index had an interesting tidbit about the increase in defense spending in the last decade:

Estimated percent change since 2000 in the U.S. defense budget, not including the wars in Afghanistan & Iraq: +80%.

Outrageous. In 10 years, the defense budget grew 80%. If that's not evidence of Eisenhower's prescience, I don't know what else we need as proof although someone, I'm sure, will take issue with my conclusion. (Hint, how much did entitlement spending grow over the same period? I assume it's not 80% but I'm also not going to look for the stat.)


Back on Feb 25 I posted a facebook status about this and asked why the current budget debate was so silent about defense spending. It all seemed to be about defunding NPR and shutting down the government.

Well liberals got their backs up over entitlement program cuts and have come out guns ablazing with the cut defense spending argument. I'll do a separate little post full of facts and figures about the budget and setting up the cut defense spending argument in a couple of days. Wouldn't want all my research to go to waste.

But, today we have this wsj piece on the GOP plan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576240751124518520.html#articleTabs%3Darticle. Read the comment from Gabriela Sbarcea for a nicely encapsulated liberal view of the proposal. Lines sharply drawn. Guns drawn. Shot's fired.

I spent all weekend working on this post. I researched the budget and defense spending. I looked for debates and dialogues about the current proposals. You know what I've ended up with so far?

Nothing but frustration. I can't work up any outrage on this topic any more.

I'm really tired of America being the world's cop. And I'm sick of being bamboozled by politicians set on transferring wealth to fewer and fewer hands while bankrupting our country.

Outrage is difficult where serious anger exists. Outrage requires detachment. Anger implies attachment. I'm too attached. I'm going to go watch some un-reality television.