How the "industrial" part of the "Military-Industrial Complex" is ripping off the military (and taxpayer) part.

[homersapien 12,307]

 

[wdefromtx 3,724]

In other news..........water is wet and the sun is hot. 

[homersapien 12,307]

20 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

In other news..........water is wet and the sun is hot. 

Your apparent disinterest is duly noted. 

(Or you challenging David for the "forum iconoclast"?) 

[wdefromtx 3,724]

22 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Your apparent disinterest is duly noted. 

(Or you challenging David for the "forum iconoclast"?) 

Not disinterested, but it is no surprise the I in MIC are fleecing us all. 

I will watch it later if I feel  I need to be pissed off about something.....🤪

Edited May 22, 2023 by wdefromtx

[arein0 1,110]

2 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

Not disinterested, but it is no surprise the I in MIC are fleecing us all. 

I will watch it later if I feel  I need to be pissed off about something.....🤪

You could watch the Bud Light commercial instead. It's apparently all the rage right now. 🤣

[CoffeeTiger 5,953]

Got to break these defense contractors back up again. 

 

Either forcibly break up these defense monopolies or the government will have to get into the business of designing and building some of its own weapons' and systems. 

Doesn't look like we're close to any kind of solution though. The US yearly defense budget can only go so high.....and if these companies decide they "have" to have 40%+ profit margins on everything they sell the DoD then we'll eventually just have to reduce our military capabilities while continuing to pay more and more and more for the same stuff. 

 

 

[wdefromtx 3,724]

5 minutes ago, arein0 said:

You could watch the Bud Light commercial instead. It's apparently all the rage right now. 🤣

I have seen snippets of it, I am good.....as my kids would say.....it's cringey. 🤣

[homersapien 12,307]

30 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

Not disinterested, but it is no surprise the I in MIC are fleecing us all. 

I will watch it later if I feel  I need to be pissed off about something.....🤪

Well, this will infuriate you.

[homersapien 12,307]

29 minutes ago, arein0 said:

You could watch the Bud Light commercial instead. It's apparently all the rage right now. 🤣

Ya know, as funny as this is, there's some sober reality to it.

This is what concerns Republicans - never mind actually important things like defense contractors extorting the government while simultaneously putting soldiers at risk.

[AUFAN78 4,162]

2 hours ago, arein0 said:

You could watch the Bud Light commercial instead. It's apparently all the rage right now. 🤣

Some of us aren't remotely enthralled by men dressed as women. But you do you. 

[arein0 1,110]

2 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

Some of us aren't remotely enthralled by men dressed as women. But you do you. 

 

[Leftfield 3,417]

5 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Got to break these defense contractors back up again. 

 

Either forcibly break up these defense monopolies or the government will have to get into the business of designing and building some of its own weapons' and systems. 

Doesn't look like we're close to any kind of solution though. The US yearly defense budget can only go so high.....and if these companies decide they "have" to have 40%+ profit margins on everything they sell the DoD then we'll eventually just have to reduce our military capabilities while continuing to pay more and more and more for the same stuff. 

 

 

What a lot of people don't seem to get is how much the money we spend on our military buys. Plenty point to the fact that our spending on defense far outpaces the rest of the world, including China, but they don't look at our actual costs. China gets a lot more bang for their buck. We are not outpacing them like many think we are.

 

[Son of A Tiger 649]

5 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Got to break these defense contractors back up again. 

Either forcibly break up these defense monopolies or the government will have to get into the business of designing and building some of its own weapons' and systems. 

 

 

 

The so-called MIC has been a "topic" for as long as I can remember. I think Pres. Eisenhower first coined MIC:

President Eisenhower warns of military-industrial complex (history.com)

It is a problem but one thing is for sure....the gov't can't design and build ANYTHING cheap. One solution is to have better and more effective independent oversight of defense contracts.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Son of A Tiger

[CoffeeTiger 5,953]

11 hours ago, Son of A Tiger said:

The so-called MIC has been a "topic" for as long as I can remember. I think Pres. Eisenhower first coined MIC:

President Eisenhower warns of military-industrial complex (history.com)

It is a problem but one thing is for sure....the gov't can't design and build ANYTHING cheap. One solution is to have better and more effective independent oversight of defense contracts.

Like the video pointed out, so many defense contractors have been absorbed and bought out by a small handful of mega-corporations that much of our military equipment is only able to be produced and supplied by one corporation. And our government either pays the prices that 1 corporation charges or our military doesn't get that equipment. Much of it is essential weapons and equipment that our military cant go without, and those corporations know it. 

And if the private free market is no longer designing or building anything cheaply then why not bring it in house?  There is no longer any competition in the private  military industrial space and without that competition most of the benefits of depending on free market capitalism for weapon production disappear. 

 

Are you suggesting price controls where an independent agency would force fair pricing standards on defense contractors and make it illegal to have over a certain % of profit margin on equipment?

Edited May 23, 2023 by CoffeeTiger

[aubiefifty 18,443]

17 hours ago, homersapien said:

Ya know, as funny as this is, there's some sober reality to it.

This is what concerns Republicans - never mind actually important things like defense contractors extorting the government while simultaneously putting soldiers at risk.

they sent faulty m16's to nam and they jammed all the time and cost lives. and i believe matell and colt and those guys got away with it.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

18 hours ago, homersapien said:

Ya know, as funny as this is, there's some sober reality to it.

This is what concerns Republicans - never mind actually important things like defense contractors extorting the government while simultaneously putting soldiers at risk.

Our country is in peril because of the poor, the immigrants, the transsexuals am mostly, liberals.  Defense contractors have nothing to do with anything.

[icanthearyou 4,468]

2 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Are you suggesting price controls where an independent agency would force fair pricing standards on defense contractors and make it illegal to have over a certain % of profit margin on equipment?

There are "cost plus" contracts.  However, the defense contractors will inflate(lie about) their costs.  See Boeing.