Whatever You Do, Don’t Ask the Military to Help
Thursday April 16, 2020
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and mass hysteria, there’s been a peculiar pattern, you will notice if you haven’t already, of certain, new non-interventionist talking points picking up steam.
The general premise of these arguments goes something like this: we are unprepared for this crisis because we’ve been spending all this money on war and imperialism. It should be spent on a proper government response to this wildfire-like spreading disease. The military should be here helping us combat this pandemic.
While there is much to be said for this thesis, it misses some central points about the sordid characters it appeals to for assistance in these difficult times.
The first part, regarding the extensive opportunity costs involved, is no doubt true. Americans spend well over $1 trillion every year on empire and mass murder. Our productive capacity is diminished to whatever extent wealth, labor, capital, etc. is transferred from productive and civil society to the military industrial complex.
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