Defense Industry
How The Defense Industry Robs Us.
The United States spends more money on its military than any other country in the world. This is because there is a system of bribery between the military and defense corporations. This system benefits both sides, as the military gets weapons and the politicians, military leaders, and corporations get paid. The participants in this system become wealthy by moving in and out of each other's jobs in what is called a "revolving door" system. This happens because defense contractors, the Pentagon, and politicians have close links.
There are large amounts of money that are unaccounted for because of "national security." The Defense Department is not audited to see how much fraud and abuse is happening. However, it is often found that the government pays much more money than necessary for things. The United States spends more money on its military than the next nine countries combined. This huge $839 billion budget means there is less money for families who need help.
The defense department is too big because of the bribery system. Money is going to defense contractors and executives who are taking advantage of the system. Much of the spending has nothing to do with national security. Defense contractors are charging American taxpayers millions of dollars more than they should for supplies. They charge a thousand times more than what it would cost if there was competition for their business. Instead, there are only a few companies that can charge whatever they want. The public can't see how much things really cost. The entire process of buying supplies needs to change. But, it won't happen until politicians stop taking money from defense contractors.
The media also benefits from the US military. Hollywood movies are made to make the military look good. But, they don't tell you that they are part of a propaganda operation.
Almost all members of the House of Representatives are very rich, with some senators even being worth tens of millions of dollars or more. Many of them got rich while they were in office because they made a special rule that lets them trade stocks before the public knows what's going on. They know when a company is going to get a contract or a defense contractor will get a government contract. So they buy a lot of stock in that company before anyone else knows about it. If anyone else did this, it would be illegal and they would go to jail. This is really bad for our democracy.
Defense contracting is where a lot of money is used to bribe the system, supposedly for the security of our country. The Pentagon spends money in secret ways that nobody knows about, and the money is not checked by anyone. This is really bad for our country.
In 1959, President Eisenhower warned us about the military-industrial complex. In 2015, the United States spent $585 billion on its military, which is more than the next 11 countries combined. Eight years later, Congress approved $858 billion in military spending, which is $273 billion more. Half of the 2023 military spending will go to private contractors. If military spending had kept up with inflation since 2015, it would be below $700 billion. Instead, the military budget is headed toward $1 trillion each year. The Pentagon now has more money than the next ten largest cabinet agencies combined. The amount of money spent on defense, after taking inflation into account, is higher than it was at any point during the Cold War. The 2023 U.S. military budget is going to be the biggest ever, and it will only benefit the people who are part of the bribery system.
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Talking Points Information
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