Nationalize defense contractors when the country goes to war

[bluestateguy]

We need some reforms to defense contracting. Big reforms. There is something about that 10 million dollar bat mitzvah for the daughter of David H. Brooks (CEO of the company that made defective vests for the Marines) that sent me to bed very angry last night.

First, companies that get these contracts should not be allowed to outsource their labor.

Second, executives cannot take a salary or equivalent perks totaling more than $400,000. Otherwise, no contract.

Third, when the nation goes to war, defense contractors will be nationalized. They belong to the people for the duration of the conflict. Government will make all decisions about production and distribution. The company will do as it is told.

You have to eliminate the institutional interest in the profitability of warfare. You must take the profit motive out of war, otherwise powerful interests will lobby politicians for foreign and defense policies that persistently result in the US going to war.

Sometimes war is necessary, but even when that happens there should be no profit motive to produce the goods and services that sustain the US in war.

[calimary]

1. Now THAT is an interesting idea. VERY interesting.

I'm liking it more, the more I think about it.

There absolutely, positively should be NO profit in war. There should be NO money-related motivation for going to war. AT ALL. War is transcendent over money-grubbing, or it should be. Sending kids to die or to be permanently maimed and disfigured so you can make your stockholders happy or get richer for yourself is simply a SIN. It's a SIN. A MORTAL SIN. The kind of SIN that earns you a one-way ticket on the express elevator going down.

[calimary]

2. I recommended this, too.

Kick!

[dkofos]

3. I would settle for

1. No No bid contracts
2. No cost plus contracts
3. No corp. allowed govt. contracts if they have prior history of
defrauding the govt on past contracts.
4. GAO must oversee all govt. contracts and have the power to pull
the contract if they find a problem.

[hwmnbn]

4. If the profit is taken out of war......

Who would be willing to invest? bluestateguy, you're on to something.

[FloridaPat]

5. These companies aren't even US companies. They don't even

pay taxes on all that money. They moved "offshore" years ago to not pay taxes. Halliburton & Carlyle Group I know for sure.

[northzax]

6. bad idea

in all honesty. What needs to happen is greater civilian oversight, and greater accountability for the politicians who oversee the issue. nationlized industry is not the way to go. WE would still get into wars, but have worse stuff to fight them with. A nationalized industry would fight war on the cheap, saccrificing lives while protecting material. See: USSR.

[tx_dem41]

7. Very good point, NZ.

And other than service companies, I know of very few defense contractors that do much outsourcing due to security clearance issues.

[northzax]

8. the major difference between the US and other nations, historically

in warfare, is technical advancement. US doctrine places the lives of soldiers above the value of material. Not neccesarily the lives of others, of course, but we don't fight wars, well, on the cheap. In every war since the Civil War, the US has killed more people than it has lost, by a factor of several times. that technological superiority is how we can project power globally, unlike anyone else in history, while risking far fewer of our own lives to do so. The Soviets, for instance, had equal technology development, and certainly equal scientists, look at their success in the Space Program and aviation, for instance. The Soviets has superior armor, and far superior helicopters. The difference lay in the willingness to sacrifice lives, while the US moved closer to more surgical strikes and mass destruction, from afar, the Soviets relied on massed troops, armor and infantry, they did not pursue their technical advantages as much as they might have. The same issues lie with the Chinese military, too dependant, at this time, on masses of soldiers, and not enough emphasis on projection.

[CatholicEdHead]

9. Well, actually we are not at "war"

in the Constiutitional sense. Congress has never "declared war" since WWII.

[iamahaingttta]

10. Personally, I think we should nationalize...

...the oil companies.

But that's just me. I'm a commie-loving socialist, and PROUD of it!

Anything to do with anything that could be considered a utility should be considered part of the commons, and should be nationalized.

But, in "capitalism" greed trumps all, so I'll just forget about it now and try to stop hating America...

[MissWaverly]

11. Hooray for you what a great idea & while we're at it include Oil

I remember that electric and gas used to be "public utilities" for
the common good, now these monoliths have taken over our country
for profit. I include big oil and defense contractors in the same
category because I think this was a joint effort to ride the ship
of state for personal gain from the very beginning.

[loudsue]

12. I had the very same problem sleeping, bluestateguy.

That whole $10,000,000 "coming of age party" had me seeing red. I wish everyone in America had access to what we learn here on DU. There would be a major revolution. Even a good percentage of the kool-aid drinkers would have to stop and take note.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Denile_River]

13. interesting

So how does one go about doing that? Sounds like the way to go...

:argh: