I love reading biographies of American Presidents. Eisenhower is a personal favorite since he is from Kansas. This article in The Atlantic Monthly reminds us of this general’s view of war and the industry that grows with it.

Even in his day the numbers are astounding as to how much money was spent on “defense.”

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities … We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.

One of the key beliefs Eisenhower had is trust in the American people. The PEOPLE needed to voice their views on how dollars were spent. Wishful thinking, as it has turned out. We cede power over to government all the time. If we are conservatives, we don’t question dollars spent on defense. If we are liberals, we don’t question dollars spent on social programs. We the people just assume. As Eisenhower prophetically pointed out: bad mistake.