8/10/2019 Bob Reuschlein

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Dr. Bob Reuschlein, Dr. Peace, for more info: www.realeconomy.com,

Direct contact for availabilities: bobreuschlein@gmail.com, to leave message 608-230-6640

10 Military Spending (Empire) Domestic Effects

#1. PRODUCTIVITY. High military spending deprives the manufacturing sector of scientists,

engineers, and capital, reducing economic growth and job growth proportionately. In wartime this

negative effect is often offset by not taxing for it and running a federal deficit instead.

#2. CRIME. High military spending drives up the crime and murder rates proportionately.Indirectly, the depressed economy leads to higher crime, directly, crime is higher around military

bases, and wounded vets with PTSD have higher suicide, divorce, mental illness, and crime rates.

#3. INEQUALITY. High military spending leads to empire and lord serf type income inequality.

Military industry jobs pay one third more than similar jobs in other private industry. Military pay

and benefits increased 72% in the decade 2000-2010 (WSJ) while private industry pay dropped

14%. Military Spending and Income Inequality correlate .78 among the developed countries.

#4. DECLINE. High military spending causes the decline of empires. Arnold Toynbees analysis

shows that 23 of 25 empires studied declined because of high levels of military spending.

#5. POLITICS. Those representing areas of high military spending dominate the political

leadership of America. As measured by per capita military spending, while equal populations live

in states above or below the line, the high military spending states have about 80% of the SupremeCourt, leadership in congress, presidential cabinet, and presidents since World War II, a four to one

advantage coming from a high military spending state.

#6. REGIONAL. Of the four major regions of the United States, the manufacturing heartland of

the Great Lakes region Midwest is by far the lowest in military spending, about 60 percent below

the average. Congress favors the financial military coastal regions of America over the

manufacturing heartland. Bailing out the banks was much easier than bailing out the autocompanies.

#7. SOCIAL MOBILITY. Once considered a classless society, America has become much less

socially mobile than Europe, Japan and other developed nations, especially since 1980 when the

empire mentality became firmly entrenched in the American economy and culture.

#8. HEALTH. While America has the worst mental health, obesity, and teen birth rates in thedeveloped world, the correlation on these is much worse with long term military spending (.79) than

income inequality (.67) among the 22 nations studied in the book Spirit Level. We also pay twice

as much for our health care as other developed countries that have about one third our military

budget percentage of the economy.

#9 PRISONERS. With 5% of the worlds population we have 25% of the worlds prisoners. Wedoubled the people in prisons in the nineties while crime rates were cut in half by the post Cold War

lowered military spending rates. The fear based culture of militarism has entrenched extreme

attitudes in America, as imprisonment becomes the new racism with ten times the lock up rates of

whites.

#10 PRESS FREEDOM. As the national security state influences the press, we have much lower

press freedom than Canada, Japan, and Northern Europe according to Reporters Without Borders.

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