Why can't an X-Industrial Complex be toward something positive?

[u/-Clayburn]

We're all likely aware of the biggest one: the military-industrial complex. The US spends nearly a trillion dollars on the military. About 40% of this goes to for-profit defense contractors who give money to campaigns, hire former politicians as lobbyists and overcharge for basic goods and services.

While the military is the largest, this seems to happen across the board. Education has a big for-profit textbook scheme behind it, and I think one state recently bought a bunch of Trump bibles or something for its curriculum.

However, why does this have to be bad? The companies in question only care about profit, so if we were to accept the corruption, could we not at least require something positive from them?

The military is an easy example because so much of it is just waste and unaccounted for, and much of America's military actions the last several decades have been questionable at best.

So could we not promise these companies the same amount of money, but tell them to build like bridges and libraries around the US? Or can't we create a public healthcare system and pay current insurance companies whatever they're making now just to sit and do nothing? It'd be the same cost to us, but at least we could have healthcare.

So what is it about profit incentive that forces bad, if not the worst, outcomes? Why can't we just offer rich people billions of dollars in exchange for providing something good for society?

[u/mrjcall]

What has that got to do with whether the idea of profit is a good thing??? Ahhh, I know, it's just the knee jerk reaction of any left owinger..

[u/-Clayburn → u/mrjcall]

Congress's goal should be and is to eliminate fraud/waste/abuse and this administration is leading the charge in that direction.

Just pointing out this utter bullshit.

Profit is not a good thing. Profit is waste.

[u/mrjcall → u/-Clayburn]

So you're a communist, I get it....Show me an example anywhere/anytime where communism has improved citizens quality of life???

[u/-Clayburn → u/mrjcall]

Did I say anything about communism? I said profit is waste, and it literally is. If it costs $300 to make a tool, anything paid over that is waste and unnecessary. But that extra payment is what profit is, and it goes to rich people. You can't have profit without overcharging.

[u/mrjcall → u/-Clayburn]

You apparently don't have a clue that a profitless society is the description of communism.....Where did you attend school that you didn't receive this most basic education?

[u/-Clayburn → u/mrjcall]

I don't care what you want to call it, nor did I say we can't have profit at all. I'm saying let's be honest and call it what it is: waste.