by

Chris Hedges: That’s how imperial powers always die

with Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
April 16, 2011

Laser Guided Democracy

Image by 917press via Flickr

on Apr 16, 2011

The U.S. budget may include $38 billion of spending cuts, but there will be a financial boost for the military. This year’s planned military spending is $700 billion, while other areas including healthcare, education, and infrastructure are on the chopping block. The decision came after a long struggle between lawmakers and the Pentagon saying military cuts will threaten national security. Journalist Chris Hedges says the decision was made under severe pressure from some lobbying circles.

‘War lobby won $700 billion budget boost, wants MORE as collapse looms’

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Corporations make big money out of wars

RT
16 April, 2011

It was lobbying by big corporations that resulted in the US$700 billion military budget in the United States, Pulitzer-winning journalist Chris Hedges told RT.

“There are corporations, even though we are losing the war, that continue to make a lot of money out of this war,” he said. “The stock price of these defense contractors has quadrupled since the war began and they do not give a damn how many Afghans are killed or even how many Americans are killed.”

US politicians are basically serving the interests of the corporations in question.

“We are ruled by a class of courtiers, who serve the interests of the power elite and they will continue to serve those interests because the price of not serving them is that they are driven out of office,” said Hedges.

[…]

via RT

Chris Hedges spent two decades as a foreign reporter covering wars in Latin America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He has written nine books, including Death of the Liberal Class, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2009) and War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning (2003).

see

Chris Hedges: It’s what the god of the market demands

Don’t Cut Entitlements – Cut the Military By Timothy V. Gatto

Chris Hedges: The Cannibalization of the State

The Collapse of Globalization by Chris Hedges

This Is What Resistance Looks Like by Chris Hedges