The US economy is caught in a trap. That trap is the Department of
Defense: an increasingly sticky wicket that relies on an annual,
trillion-dollar redistribution of
government-collected wealth. In fact, it’s the biggest “big government”
program on the planet, easily beating out China’s People’s Liberation
Army in both size and cost. It is not only the “nation’s largest
employer,” with 2.867 million people currently on the payroll, but it
also provides government benefits to 2 million retirees and their family
members. And it actively picks private sector winners by targeting
billions of dollars to an elite group of profit-seeking contractors.
(Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)
