Science Forums 2

[charles brough]

Well, one way is illustrated in a news article this-week in the Los Angeles Times. An Army convoy of trucks bringing military supplies to our troops in Afghanistan was attacked by a heavily armed Taliban force in which one guard was shot and killed and over one hundred and fifty U.S. Army trucks were destroyed!

So, how does that work?! Our government buys over a hundred and fifty military-industrial complex produced trucks. Then the government pays a corporation to hire drivers and guards to drive and protect the trucks and the corporation-purchased military supplies they are to haul. But it is cost effective to hire too few guards. After all, the corporations do not own the trucks and the supplies within them; the U.S. taxpayers does. So, to hell with the trucks; instruct the guards to run if attacked.

Since the trucks were burned up, it is possible that the Taliban took all the supplies to use themselves. If they did not, then it can be assumed they already have enough to last them until they attack the next convoy.

The only way to come out ahead would be for us to have the corporations buy trucks themselves---and the supplies they carry. That way, they would hire enough mercenaries to properly guard them!

But why stop there? Why not hire a corporation to replace the whole Army? It could set up appealing Kentucky Fried Chicken-like franchise recruitment stations across the country and attract patriotic men and women to fight for their country. They would pay whatever it takes to hire enough people that our government could attack any nation it wishes anywhere in the world. With enough pay, we could add a million more troops to carry our more military adventures. Companies like Halburton could easily arrange to buy trucks and fill them with military supplies for their company-trained troops to protect. Even the officers could all be company trained and organized. The U.S. government could then be in the business of attacking other countries without even bothering to have an army to do it with! Let our mercenaries do it for us!

But why stop with the Army? Why not the Air Force, Marines and Navy as well?

In fact, why not hire the big corporations to run our whole government---including our educational system, health care, providing for our retirement and taking care of the indigent? They would be very cost-effective. . . .

They could even collect our taxes for us . . . (!)