Welcome to the new Young Americans for Liberty! Learn about the new features or give us your feedback!

Would Our Government Really Start a War to Try to Stimulate the Economy?

Bonnie Kristian
Nov 20, 2009 at 10:51 AM
By Bonnie Kristian

Yes, yes it absolutely would.

Military Keynesianism is not a bugbear made up by libertarians -- in fact, it is widely hailed as a good idea by the likes of Bill Kristol and Reagan advisor/Harvard professor Martin Feldstein.  Chalmers Johnson, the author of the Ron Paul-recommended book Blowback, writes on the subject:

This is military Keynesianism — the determination to maintain a permanent war economy and to treat military output as an ordinary economic product, even though it makes no contribution to either production or consumption. This ideology goes back to the first years of the cold war.

It's a very clever plan, for "Militarism is the one great glamorous public-works project upon which a variety of elements in the community can be brought into agreement."  Conservatives who would never support welfare spending on the poor will happily countenance pouring billions -- even trillions -- into militarism.  The left may object a little at first, but the right spokesman will bring them into line.  And hey, it will stimulate the economy to boot!  (Wrong)

Posted in:
  • Blog Policy
  • Login or register to post comments

"Conservatives who would never support welfare spending on the poor will happily countenance pouring billions inoto militarism."

This blanket statement should include liberals as well, if you're going to be making blanket statements. I'm a conservative, I support the troops, but I don't agree that all conservatives "happily...pour billions into militarism".  I am not "happy" about it.

This idea that it stimulates the economy is old news. Plus, it doesn't. The general population is apathetic and no longer produces for a war effort. Wars put interest profit into the pockets of the 12 private bankers that control the Federal Reserve, one central bank of many across the globe, funding any increase in the size of government, military or otherwise. They are the common denominator, not Halliburton. Central banking was going on before Jesus Christ, and it knows no sovereignty.

Why are we over there? Shouldn't we just ask Zbigniew Brzezinski? Why is everyone so ignorant of our country's history that they can't see what the Tri-Lateral Commission is still  doing?

 

's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 20, 2009.

In her defense, she doesn't make any "blanket statements" about conservatives in general, only those "who would never support welfare spending on the poor [but]will happily countenance pouring billions into militarism." And you are quite correct that there are liberals who fit that profile aswell.

's picture
Submitted by John M (not verified) on November 20, 2009.