Why shouldn't corporations be responsible for paying for the military?

[HadItUpToHere]

The vast majority of U.S. military actions have been abroad- not defending the country's borders and citizens from invading hordes.
All of these overseas actions have pretty much been to protect "American interests" i.e. American corporate interests.
since the main job of the military has been to keep the world safe for american business- shouldn't they be the ones footing the protection bill?

[KG]

1. you are spot on.

the militarys main, mostly unspoken, mission is not to defend the constitution, or even protect american citizens, but to safeguard corporate intrests abroad.

[catzies]

2. You're right, of course, and welcome to DU.

:hi: HadItUpToHere!

Because corporate America believes in socializing their costs and and privatizing their profits.

I wonder how much of the general population even knows our military is overseas protecting corporate interests. Besides oil, of course.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Welcome to DU *Wave*

[democracyindanger]

4. That would be handing control over to the corporations

Valid arguments that the corportations already have control over the military aside, at the very least war profiteers shouldn't get tax breaks and incentives to make money off the war--not to mention pay the basic taxes they should be paying in the first place.

[HadItUpToHere]

6. who said anything about handing over control...?

i'm just talking about footing the bills.

[democracyindanger]

8. They would hold the purse strings.

I'm not suggesting you want to hand over control; I'm just saying that if corporations were made to pay a specific war tax, they'd expect certain things in return. And given the way modern DC operates, they'd get those things.

[HadItUpToHere]

14. what the corporations "get" in return-

is protection to run their businesses around the world.

they wouldn't "own" the military, anymore than a restaurant patron "owns" the kitchen, just because the waiter presents him with a bill for his meal.

[geek tragedy]

5. Corporations pay taxes too. eom

[NorCalDem]

9. Certainly not their fair share!

(some) corporations do pay taxes, and many (most) don't pay their fair share (i.e. the same rate as citizens). Seeing as we have now given them the rights of citizenship, shouldn't they also be paying somewhere near the 40% income tax bracket, or more?

[geek tragedy]

15. The problem isn't the corporate tax rate--35%--but rather the loopholes

that they've bought.

[BrotherBuzz]

7. The Bush* plan in all things:

Privatize the profits and Socialize the costs.

[politicaholic]

10. Hold on...then the corps wouldn't have enough for campaign contributions!

Here's a solution:

Have corporations pay next to nothing and when they make a massive profit they'll find it within their hearts to pay for the war, social services, and toward the deficit. If they don't pay then they're obviously not making ENOUGH of a profit so you let them ship jobs to other countries for cheaper labor. Surely THEN they would be in the fine position to update their facilities to fuel efficient "green" factories.

See, the moment Kellogg, Brown, and Root clear a profit (and find that pesky 9 billion dollars they accidentally left lying around) there will be armored vests raining from the sky.

[Hubert Flottz]

11. We pay for security for the oil and chemical plants and pipelines

in cash and blood and we get huge raises in the price of gasoline in return.

[Cleita]

12. Yes, they should, but we are going to have to get legislators

that pass laws insisting that they do.

[DURHAM D]

13. Didn't some past President say "This business of America is

business" ?

[annabanana]

16. Because the Military (and us) have been paying THEM..

by the bucketful. Money that SHOULD be going to the military is going to security contractors and halliburton divisions..

If we could get the free market radicals under control, we might be able to get a lot done for America.

[Just Me]

17. Precisely. Or, they should be strictly prohibited from profiteering,...

,...during war time.