War is good for the economy!
First things first, many thanks to Sara for making this connection in the shower this morning. Bathing seems to bring the best out of intellects. I hope no one ever outlaws it!
War is good for the economy! I used to hear that all the time in both history and economics classes. While it is a pretty crass statement, it is also true. Back in the day, wars meant that average people had plenty of good jobs making uniforms, ammunition, equipment, weapons, and more. Nowhere was this more clear than in the first and second world wars. Pretty much an entire middle class made their livings on the war effort.
But times they are a changing. Modern warefare uses fewer troops, thus less equipment. Modern manufacturing technologies means that fewer workers are needed to make the same amount of product. So the middle class sees little econimic gain. The money is still there of course or we wouldn't still find ourselves in these foreign wars. It is just being made by the few elite people who own the companies who make the wartime goods and services.
Its just coincidence that it takes money to run for public office, so only people with money get elected and they make their money on oil, weapons, and services used in the war effort. Right?
