Watching “cop
shows” on television it is easy to get the impression that a police officer’s work
is a constant round of burglaries, bar fights, “domestic incidents,”
investigating crooked cops, murders, and (if it’s a comedy) lots of doughnuts. Television cops (the funny ones, anyway) have
a hunger for doughnuts that would shame Homer Simpson.
When people find
out that in the ordinary course of events 99% of an officer’s work is what they
would classify as “doing nothing” and paperwork, they start to realize that a real “reality show” involving police
work would make for very boring watching.
Protecting and serving is more keeping things running smoothly than speeding
car chases, not to mention more important.
It’s the same
with war movies, especially those with John Wayne. The action never stops . . . on screen,
anyway. Most people don’t realize that the
primary legitimate purpose of the military is not to fight wars, but to prevent
war. Even when you get into a war, the
ideal military situation is to get the enemy to surrender or do what you want
without firing a single shot.
. . . which makes
for very boring movies. The point is
clear, however. Peace, whether at home,
in the neighborhood, the nation, or around the world, depends on being strong
and secure enough so that the Bad Guys aren’t tempted to get away with
something, whether burglarizing a house or attacking another country.
 |
| Defensive technologies have advanced somewhat in recent years. |
That is why a
piece in the Wall Street Journal of
Monday, December 24, 2018, “Silicon, Not Steel, Will Win the Next War” (A-15)
raised a number of concerns. Although
the United States still leads the world in innovation in new computer-based technologies,
other countries (especially those that have names beginning with “C” and ending
with “hina”) are catching up fast as the U.S. exports technology and jobs and
runs up increasing amounts of debt, and certain countries (such as Ch-n-) steal
whatever they can and pursue an aggressive policy to ensure adequate resources
and a good tactical position in the event of a war.
At the same time,
America is now dependent on other countries for such things as computer chips,
with many companies having moved to Asia where they are cheaper to manufacture.
In other words,
what Japan and Nazi Germany tried to do by means of war, “Certain Countries”
are doing by financial means which will enable them to do successfully what the
Axis only attempted with near success.
Obviously, we are
not experts in the field of electronic warfare, but we do know that when a
country gets into a war it had better have adequate food, fuel, and fiber just
to keep going when supplies from other countries are cut off. It also needs superior armaments and the
financial resources to carry on the war effort, especially in a defensive
war. (In an offensive war, the aggressor
always counts on making a profit, although trying to carry on a “profitable war”
is a fantasy bordering on delusion.)
Thus, we can
agree with the authors of the article on what needs to be done:
·
Domestic sources of supply for key defense
technologies.
·
Trained people to fill key jobs.
·
Adequate financing for key industries (the
authors say tax credits, but see below).
·
Direct government funding of research and
development.
Not to sound
simplistic, but the fiscal and monetary reforms of the Just Third Way as
applied in the
Capital Homestead Act would address every one of these needs, at least once
people can get away from dependency on tax credits and trying to use the tax
system to do anything other than raise revenue to defray the legitimate cost of
government.
Interest-free
(but not cost-free) commercial bank credit backed by the new technologies
instead of government debt, with the new technologies broadly owned by all
citizens, would secure essential military technology. Immediate research into alternative energy
would secure fuel without any dependence on foreign oil. Economic growth funded with private sector
commercial bank credit supported by expanded ownership of that growth would stop
the growth of the deficit and being paying down the debt.
The result would
not only be a stronger America less likely to be the target of a foreign
aggressor, but sharing the new energy technologies and helping other countries
implement expanded capital ownership would remove a major source of potential
conflict.
It’s at least
something to consider.
#30#