It employs millions of people, and it brings in hundreds of billions of dollars each year.  The Military Industrial Complex has always been one of the central pillars of our economy, and these days business is booming thanks to the war in Ukraine and the possibility of a war with China.

Needless to say, those that run the Military Industrial Complex want the gravy train to continue, and so politicians that are pro-war are showered with campaign contributions.  In both major parties, politicians that are pro-war greatly outnumber those that are anti-war, and that is not likely to change any time soon.

Smedley D. Butler fought in four major conflicts, and in 1935 he astutely observed that "war is a racket"…

"WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives."

Of course the statements that he made back then are even more true today.

If the Military Industrial Complex suddenly disappeared, it would leave a giant, gaping hole in our economy that would be extremely difficult to fill.  In an excellent piece that he posted earlier this week, Richard C. Cook shared some numbers about the Military Industrial Complex that are absolutely astounding…