Monday, September 7, 2009

Can You Imagine?

As I've pointed out in earlier posts here and here, the US is heavily into funding armed conflict with our tax dollars that should be more wisely spent on our programs here at home that support the middle-class safety net as well as provide infrastructure repair and upgrade so that the US can meet the necessary global CO2 goals that are approaching very quickly. I've also mentioned the policy shift that's being carried out by our Secretary of State to shift funding from the military to climate change, now considered a security threat to the USA.

The USA is currently the top arms supplier to conflicts around the globe. This has everything to do with propping up corporations for now, like Boeing/Lockheed Martin, until they can shift to more peacetime production. Our tax dollars are not just going to banks and auto production, they're also being used to support global armed conflict, which drives national public policy. This is a major portion of US industry. The list of aerospace and defense companies is here. This whole thing doesn't strike me as an example of a capitalist free market, it's like a Monopoly game with the winner holding the money bag; no transparency or balance is possible with this kind of an old-boy network.

Many industry publications track this activity and stump via their government connections and lobbyists for further Federal funding for their companies; examples here and here. The DOD has an extensive website on their structure and armed forces organization, very helpful.

What if we spent these dollars not to fund war and conflict, but to heal the eco damage we've done and produce sustainable businesses and global community so that there are equitable returns for countries around the globe? What if we were in balance with natural processes? Could there be better return on investment here? Can you imagine?

But the room will have to be half-full of women...