DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Anti Gun Anti War Liberal Rant

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”

Must be one of those leftist, radical anti war liberals screaming at the top of their lungs, right? Maybe Bernie Sanders?









No, it was Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower........

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/3408-every-gun-that-is-made-every-warship-launched-every-rocket

Back when cooler heads prevailed and Republicans weren't anything like they are now. This is what America sounded like back when it was great.

*this was in reference to the cold war after Stalin died.


Ironically, the cold war didn't end for 30+ years and Eisenhower had a 50 billion military budget which, was around 8% of our GDP.

Today, the US military budget is at 3.5%

It was also 14.6% of GDP when he took over because of the Korean War.

I knew it wasn't a liberal rant.

It was the rant from a former General fresh out of WWII who saw and experienced the ravages of a terrible war.

Rather than try to pin things on republicans all the time, possible examine your own party as well. I am convinced that JFK couldn't be elected to anything by the current democratic party. He wouldn't even be able to be elected to congress as a democrat. He would have a better chance to be elected as a republican.

Sign of the times, I guess.

Ronald W. Reagan would be booted from contention immediately following his party's first presidential debate.

I agree.

Peen, I think what drives me crazy most about your posts is you introduce a counterpoint to every single argument you make, without even realizing it.

correct, we were at war in 1953 until July of 1953.

In 1950 (war started in June of '50) we spent 5% GDP or 11.8 billion (5 years after WW2)
In '53 when he took office we were at 53 billion or 13.6% GDP
when he left office in '61 we were at 9.1% or 49.11 billion.

He didn't cut the budget. He almost doubled it prior to when we were at war. *8 years after the Korean war ended.

You had me up until this part. If JFK doesn't stand a chance with the current DNC, it's even less so with MAGA.


Otherwise, I agree with what you said.

I don't know about that. I think Kennedy might be further right than you think. As Clem points out, times change, so maybe one can't even make the comparison.

JFK nor Reagan would be elected by either party today. But no matter how you try to spin it, this is what a man who knew more about war than all of us together knew. This is a man who cared more about people than feeding the military industrial complex which he also warned us about. That too adds into this quote by him. It was actually a time when taxes on the wealthy were much higher than they are today.

If war was what made America thrive it continued to thrive all the way through the 1970's and into the early 1980's. So why didn't we have decades similar to that after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars? After those wars the middle class continued to decline. The wealth gap continued to increase.

Maybe because American businesses moved jobs overseas. The taxes on the wealthy declined and investments on infrastructure became virtually non existent. No matter how you try to twist it, it wasn't the ending of the war alone that made our nation thrive. Foreign countries didn't "cheat America". American businesses abandoned America. Somehow people still can't get that story straight.

You are right that both parties have changed. I'm not happy about any of that. But that entire quote was that the world, including our own government should invest more in people than it does in war. A message everyone from both parties need to remember.

Ike spurred the largest infrastructure program our nation had ever seen. He invested in this country more than anything. And he was right to do so. It's not nearly as simple as some of you are trying to make it sound.

That's fair... again, not sure I agree with you on that specifically, but just wanted to say that I do agree with your overall point.

Republicans pin everything on Democrats as well. US politics has evolved into a war of its own, thanks to you know who. Buy guns and arm up is the motif of this era. Enjoy.

If AOC had uttered those exact same words they would be screaming that she's a communist and a radical leftist. This entire thread is hilarious.