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Written by Frank Li
It looks more and more likely that the Donald Trump train and the GOP establishment bus will collide at the GOP convention. With more independents and more Democrats jumping on the Trump train, there is no better time than now to address a core GOP problem: the Military-Industrial Complex (MIC). It is totally out of control, it is inherently anti-America, and it's time to fix it with Donald Trump!
1. What is the MIC?
Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia - Military-Industrial Complex:
The military - industrial complex (MIC) is an informal alliance between a nation's military and the defense industry which supplies it, seen together as a vested interest which influences public policy.[1][2][3][4] The term is most often used in reference to the system behind the military of the United States, where it gained popularity after its use in the farewell address of PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower on January 17, 1961,[5] though the term is applicable to any country with a similarly developed infrastructure.[6][7] In 2011, the United States spent more on its military than the next 13 nations combined.[8]
2. Why is our military so big?
Because the MIC and some career politicians have been bedfellows for decades! Specifically,
The MIC has been one of the biggest special interest groups dominating American politics over the past five decades, at least!
Some politicians, especially the war-hawks like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have been using the MIC to enrich their careers!
3. Is the MIC out-of-control?
Yes, it is, totally! Specifically,
It spends too much.
It wastes too much.
Let me elaborate on each ...
3.1 The MIC spends too much!
The pie-chart below shows our government's discretionary spending in 2015. The military spending was 55% (vs. less than 1% on food stamps)!
Note: if you are concerned about our government's mandatory spending, which is far bigger than discretionary spending, read: Democratic Socialism vs. Democratic Imperialism.
Needless to say, the mess at the Pentagon is much worse today than it was on 9/10/2001, thanks largely to the Iraq War. Two examples:
Two more specific, and easily understandable, examples:
4. Is the MIC anti-America?
Yes, it is, inherently! One main reason: our military is no longer for defense, but for offense! At this pace of out-of-control military spending and its hugely self-destructive nature, soon we will have no country left to defend!
How is it hugely self-destructive? The MIC has created two big messes:
A big mess at home, both fiscally (as war and debt go hand in hand) and culturally (America: A Culture of War)!
A big mess abroad, especially in the Mideast. For more, read: The Middle East without America?
More broadly, two points:
The MIC invites more war and killing. For more, read: 9/11 Attack vs. Pearl Harbor Attack.
The MIC is mostly a waste in the era of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). For more, read: Don't Mess with Nuclear-Armed China!
5. President Washington warned us against big military!
6. President Eisenhower warned us against the MIC!
7. The MIC is bad for our military service men and women!
The MIC is bad not only for America, but also for our service men and women! Two recent examples of our top politicians abusing our military:
President George W. Bush launched the Iraq War on March 20, 2003, at least partially, for the sake of his re-election in 2004!
President Obama withdrew all American troops from Iraq by December 2011, just in time for his re-election in 2012!
More broadly, how do our top politicians actually view our military? Two examples:
8. Is Trump the solution?
We must fix our political system, as I have suggested (Solution for America (Version 3)), starting with a great peaceful transformational President!
None of the GOP candidates can possibly fix the MIC, except Donald Trump!
Trump has shown some promising signs. Two examples:
Foreign policy: Donald Trump reveals his isolationist foreign-policy instincts.
Yes, on foreign policy, it may well take some isolationist policies to end America's endless obsession with war!
Let’s give Trump a chance!
9. Closing
Second only to socialism/communism which will inevitably bankrupt America, the MIC is the most powerful and dangerous force capable of destroying America from the inside out.
Donald Trump is the best GOP candidate to possibly end our fixation with the MIC.
Going beyond the GOP, the only candidate who sounds better than Donald Trump on the MIC is Bernie Sanders, who, unfortunately, happens to be a de factocommunist!
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