President Eisenhower warned about the Military-Industrial complex during his farewell address to the nation. But had Eisenhower been prescient, he might have broadened the term to include not just the military, but the federal government itself. His address stated:
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
We are now faced with a government that promotes the acquisition of power over our banks and automakers in return for the federal largesse these companies accepted.
As other sectors of the economy ask for federal dollars, they too will surrender to federal control in return. This unprecedented influence of the government over our free enterprise economic system has an unparalleled capacity to subvert our democratic values.
The liberal left has long cited Eisenhower’s concerns about the Military-Industrial complex as a justification for less military spending. But the left is mute about the far more pernicious prospect of the Federal-Industrial complex. Only the conservatives have spoken.
The bankers and the automakers now have no choice but to support the federal government’s policies. As others accept the handouts, they too will mute their criticisms. State and local government have already muted their criticisms since they have been largely been compromised by the stimulus and the omnibus spending bills.
Eisenhower stated that we need “an alert and knowledgeable citizenry". But our main stream media have largely been silent about the perils we face. Except for Fox News, a few newspapers, and talk radio, only the conservative blogs on the web have informed our citizenry.
The Federal-Industrial Complex is really another term for socialism. We are not there yet, but we are clearly on the way.
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