1984 - The Military-Industrial Complex

The primary aim of modern warfare (in accordance with the principles of doublethink, this aim is simultaneously recognized and not recognized by the directing brains of the Inner Party) is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living.
~ from 1984 by George Orwell ~

A lot of focus has been given, in all sorts of quarters, to the Bush/Obama tax cuts for the egregiously rich. It has been pointed out that the revenues not received play a large role in this nation's current economic woes and the calls for extreme austerity. Like so many others, this has been a prime focus of mine as well.

However, Orwell reminds me that tax cuts for the rich should not be our primary focus; the true villain to the sacking of our national treasury is the military-industrial complex (though I realize this is intertwined with the filthy rich). We literally have wasted trillions upon trillions of dollars trying and succeeding in killing people all over the Arab and/or Muslim world.

Imagine how robust our national economy would be -- even with the nefarious tax giveaways to the rich in place -- if we had not attacked Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya! Imagine how strong the industrial sector would be if we had turned our attention to green infrastructure improvements and innovations and away from technologies to subjugate and murder people!

The United States finds itself in a economic predicament because too much of our economic activity centers around military designs and this leaves little left over for the rest of us -- the proles of America. How else can we explain that the wealthiest nation on the face of the planet has around 50 million people without health insurance and on Food Stamps?

This series of posts based on George Orwell's novel, 1984, will be rather avant-garde. My focus will not be to explain Orwell's premises or what HE meant -- it is more about what his prose stirs in me, often in relation to the way I view the world today. Some of my observations may fall in line with Orwell's intent, but others will go off in a wholly different direction. To read my intro to this series, go here.