Why didn't America heed his warning?

Why didn't America heed his warning?

Apathy.

"military industrial complex" is a conspiracy on the level of "inside job"

he warned against nothing

There is literally nothing wrong with a strong military

Same reason people get loads of unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Yeah its probably a bad idea to have unprotected sex with a woman you just met just because she says shes clean and on the pill but man does it feel so good you just end up doing it anyway.

Yeah its probably not a good idea to waste inordinate amounts of money on maintaining a military that is larger than necessary for the purposes of power projection, but damn it feels fucking good being able to look down an Iraqi desert highway and see a traffic jam entirely composed of tanks, trucks, humvees, and self propelled artillery so long it stretches from horizon to horizon.

How is the phenomenon of an arms industry and a military entering into a mutually beneficial relationship a conspiracy? Does it really sound that remarkable to you that an industry that has access to the largest military budget on earth also has the funds to lobby congress?

Well that isn't strictly true. I mean it exists it just isn't some shadowy organization running the world. It is like everything else is Washington an organization of people with likey interests lobbying for power
In itself I would say no but the question is what are the costs and what are the benifits. There is no point in having a strong military in itself. It must serve a function at least somewhat proportional to its cost.

Realistically how much influence do defense contractors have on foreign policy compared to say the Pharmaceutical lobby over the FDA or the banks over financial regulation

it was there before he got there

>Realistically how much influence do defense contractors have on foreign policy
they have more influence on defense spending ie f35

Literally the deep state.

>it was there before he got there
Hardly. The "military-industrial complex' sprang up in WW2 and was only sustained because of the threat of the soviets in the nascent cold-war. During Eisenhower's administration it was still a fledgling industry

>was against the military industrial complex
>was one of the biggest presidents when it came to giving defense contracts to corporations like Lockheed
Really makes me think.

The president is rarely personally responsible for awarding contracts. The preference of big business for defense spending really took off in WW2 when military officials responsible for procurement favored them for their efficiency over smaller outfits

the inside man always knows

at the very least it provides jobs and stability to people who otherwise would probably be poor and could cause political upheaval.

Eisenhower wasn't opposed to the Military-Industrial Complex, he was opposed to it gaining too much power.

How many people here have watched Ross Scott's Deus Ex video?

Well I mean if the only goal is create jobs you cam do things that's help the general economy with that amount of money. Not to say that the military hasn't been hugely helpful economy, but thereally are more efficient forms of subsidies. The good about the military is that people don't think of it as subsidies.

Because he enabled it and was a hypocritical poop stick trying to salvage his legacy.

He actually greatly decreased military spending during his tenure.

It's part of the reason the economy didn't grow like under Truman/LBJ.

Dem gubment dollas boostin muh GDP

>greatly decreased military spending
yeah compared to WW2 levels

Yet we keep getting into stupid conflicts on the other side of the planet wherein we buy up a shit ton of drones, bombs, etc.. Outside of that there's the usual upkeep of our massive military. That's big money, and big money breeds corruption.

Federal funds aren't unlimited. So yes, there can be something wrong with a military that is too big.

Shut up and buy our weapons

You, you think it's cool to be crazy
I say you're born rich - stay rich
There's no point in taking chances.
And me, I wouldn't call it a sophomore slump, no, I'd say
I'm one step closer to bein' just where I want to be

Away from this scene,
Away from this machine

Alright!

Meet me in the middle,
Well c'mon let's make up a dance
And we'll agree to call it the compromise

Step one: find a partner, grab a pen
And don't you dare ask questions,
Just sign on the dotted line
Step two: throw your partner behind a desk
Will then do absolutely nothing
So it's your job to dance and smile the whole time

Don't call it a trend,
'cause it's the only way we think to get ahead

Are you taking the piss?