Avoid that rabbit hole! You will never return. Just saying.
The funny thing about the "War is more profitable than peacetime" argument is that it isn't true. The general welfare of society actually decreases with war. A French economist proved this years and years ago, but everyone keeps (like mindless masses) pushing the same slogan - war is good for the economy. Here is the debunking of this myth - short version I promise.
You own a shop that sells clocks.
I own a shop that sells windows.
You pay me to put new windows in your store.
I pay @practicalthought to throw rocks at your windows to break them.
The economy is good. @practicalthought is making money and I'm making money and your spending money.
Do you see the problem here? You didn't want to spend YOUR money buying my windows is the first problem. The 2nd problem is that your money could have been spent on something better in society like a new house that would need construction workers where @practicalthought could have worked instead of breaking windows. AND I could have sold you the windows for the new house. In this scenario ALL of us are happy and wealthier too.
The only people who make money off war are those that make armaments. Those armaments use our tax dollars that could have been spent on other things or better yet, not taken from us at all.
True, that makes perfect sense, but assuming @practicalthought doesn't get caught and lose his voting rights (or that he lives in California even if he did get caught), you and @practicalthought are 2 votes against 1 and can elect politicians who will support your version of a good economy, and will target certain people (like millionaires and billionaires) to keep it going (until it inevitably crashes, and then you'd all find a scapegoat to blame).
appears)Also, while he's busy off breaking windows, his wife can go to work, taking the job he could have had putting windows in houses. Hooray! More people are being hired! @practicalthought and his wife have more money to spend! The economy is growing! (so it
There's all the people who support a military on the move as well, (not to mention all the people employed in the military itself, which of course has to be increased in wartime. More jobs!) Wasn't there some big scandal around whatever contractor had the food contract for troops in Iraq? Food, mail, uniforms, and yes armaments... they all require people behind the scenes to make and move it all. Hooray! Jobs all around!!
All the hoorays were a lot of sarcasm by the way.
You're dead right that it IS an illusion, and temporary, and a waste of our tax dollars. A sneaky government redistribution system, really. But I think in a way it is more profitable--temporarily for the people enjoying bigger or dual paychecks, and longer term only for the politicians who get to appear as if they've delivered on promises of "more jobs" and a "better economy." (I've got some tinfoil theories around the constant wars, too, but won't get into that) ;)))
So much goodness in one comment. :)
I had fun writing it. I thought it was funny you dragged @practicalthought into being your window breaker, too😉
I was hoping to get him into the conversation. :)