What do Wars and Cash for Clunkers have in common?

[Icymudpuppy]

They both destroy perfectly functional equipment so that politically connected corporations can make profits on new replacements.

[VBRonPaulFan]

the case of war is doubly bad, because it generally also destroys infrastructure/capital investment.

blowing up 10 tractors sucks. blowing up the only factory around that is able to produce the parts to make tractors, which could possibly take a year or two to rebuild is even worse.

[Icymudpuppy]

the case of war is doubly bad, because it generally also destroys infrastructure/capital investment.

blowing up 10 tractors sucks. blowing up the only factory around that is able to produce the parts to make tractors, which could possibly take a year or two to rebuild is even worse.

I was specifically drawing the parallel between General Motors and General Dynamics.

[Seraphim]

Human lives.

Enough said.


the case of war is doubly bad, because it generally also destroys infrastructure/capital investment.

blowing up 10 tractors sucks. blowing up the only factory around that is able to produce the parts to make tractors, which could possibly take a year or two to rebuild is even worse.

[Seraphim]

The war economy is the economy the designers want. It allows them control and power, of course, but most of all...when the system begins to crumble (and the revolts that ensue) a war can simply be started to 1) unite nationalists to hack each other to pieces (nation to nation war) 2) cull the herd that is becoming ever more uncontrollable.

This way of thinking and implementation goes right through the whole of society. Right down to civilian manufacturing.


I was specifically drawing the parallel between General Motors and General Dynamics.

[Icymudpuppy]

Yes, valid points. I was trying to just make a simple statement about crony capitalism, corporatism, fascism etc about the two government programs and how they directly benefit a politically connected manufacturing firm. It is a parallel I'm trying to use on some Tea Partiers.

[Danke]

Good point.