Does America have a war base economy?

Paco Dennis

Paco Dennis

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Mid-Missouri
I could research this question by search tools but from your years of experience hasn't there always been a war since you have been alive?
I think one of our biggest manufacturing is for the military.
If we have always been at war, doesn't it follow that our entire economy is based on weapon use and sales?
 

I looked over the web page, and wasn't really surprised at how much money is being spent on weapons and defense. We have to worry about domestic terrorism also.
I would like to see a trend where we want to end the wars and start working together globally to build a sustainable world. :)
 

Globalist ambition has been behind most of the worst wars. Be careful what you wish for.

The greatest times of peace were when people tended to their own first and then tried to be good neighbors to others.
 
Paco Dennis said:
I could research this question by search tools but from your years of experience hasn't there always been a war since you have been alive?
I think one of our biggest manufacturing is for the military.
If we have always been at war, doesn't it follow that our entire economy is based on weapon use and sales?
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I don't get the impression that the US has a "war" base economy, but it seems somewhat clear that a significant part of its economy is based on war and arms sales. A country such as the USA, that has some significant political power to persuade other nations to stop some military programs so that those countries buy from the US instead, seems to suggest that the US has war on its mind in some way or another.

The US has on occasion persuaded the UK to drop the development of its own weapons systems and put pressure on the UK to buy American instead. I think it at least goes as far back as the British TSR-2 program of the 60's.
 
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Much of the spending has been to police the seas to make shipping safer. Of course that turned into the race to the bottom as globalism intensified. Corporations got very rich, people got tons of cheap junk, and low-wage workers and their environment took the hit along with workers who saw their jobs vanish and towns get hollowed out.

The good news is that globalism is over, in no small part due to reducing the rate of increase in military spending.
 
Paco Dennis said:
I could research this question by search tools but from your years of experience hasn't there always been a war since you have been alive?
I think one of our biggest manufacturing is for the military.
If we have always been at war, doesn't it follow that our entire economy is based on weapon use and sales?
Click to expand...
ww2 got us out of the great depression
 
Spending in any category doesn’t bother me as much as not sticking to a pay as you go plan.

We are amazingly fortunate that we haven’t had a war in our homeland since our own Civil War.

I’m sure that there are a few countries that would look forward to us trimming our defense budget.

I’m afraid that if they are patient they will be able to buy enough of our debt to take over without firing a shot.
 
Currently our defense spending is in the ±3.7%, which places us 28th on the world list. However, it does not make our economy a war based economy, imo. Instead of badgering our allies to achieve 2.5% or 3.0% of defense spending, we could reduce our spending to 2.5%. I would expect that would achieve the end result of allies spending more.

There was supposed to be a peace dividend after the fall of the Soviet Union, yet somehow it never reached our shores. I consider NATO a big reason why.
 
Military conflict/geopolitical unrest is profitable. So is technological innovation. America is really good at both, either through creation or opportunism, and combining the two - military conflict/geopolitical unrest + tech innovation - is super profitable.

But if a free market doesn't exist, the profitability is not long-lasting. It could sustain for up to several decades, but an eventual economic collapse would be inevitable (imo).
 
Sure the USA due to security and stability always has had a sizeable economy dependent on military forces, war materials and maintenance, however during most of our senior lives, given balance, that is much smaller than all else in the economy.
 
Some people think mankind will maybe always be getting in wars. That might true. Others think mankind will change, and quit warring, and move towards diplomacy. Not in my life time will there be a time of no war. Some people spend their lives fighting to stay alive. Seems like a harsh incarnation. I don't believe in reincarnation so it was one shot. What a shame to get caught up in the fury of war. How odd that a civilized world still relies on uncivilized means to make it work. :(
 
Lewkat said:
We do, but, most people are unaware of this. As it should be. We have capabilities beyond the imagination, and not telling the world keeps us safe.
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Yes I agree with you, and don't you think the Chinese, and the Russians, and other places has developed weapons with capabilities beyond our imagination? What if we start testing them on the people who are enemies, and then they test there's back on us. It's the same thing. Death and destruction. Now things have changed, but we are not the winners.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Yes I agree with you, and don't you think the Chinese, and the Russians, and other places has developed weapons with capabilities beyond our imagination? What if we start testing them on the people who are enemies, and then they test there's back on us. It's the same thing. Death and destruction. Now things have changed, but we are not the winners.
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What’s the alternative? 🤔

The lion and the lamb have to both be on the same page or only one is likely to get up and walk away.
 
Aunt Bea said:
What’s the alternative? 🤔

The lion and the lamb have to both be on the same page or only one is likely to get up and walk away.
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It does seem that way. That the powerful will coexist with the poor. That is not working to well. The terrible inequality ruins the poor persons choices.
What if we deleted the lion and the lamb idea, and in its place we have a picture of nations cooperating to bring jobs instead of war to the streets. Construction projects. You know images like there were for "Habitate for Humanity". Find ways to help make our neighbors lives better. Then do it. :)
 

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