Some interesting numbers..........
Snippets:
10 companies profiting the most from war
The business of war is profitable. In 2011, the 100 largest contractors sold $410 billion in arms and military services. Just 10 of those companies sold over $208 billion. Based on a list of the top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in 2011 compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 companies with the most military sales worldwide.
These companies have benefited tremendously from the growth in military spending in the U.S., which by far has the largest military budget in the world. In 2000, the U.S. defense budget was approximately $312 billion. By 2011, the figure had grown to $712 billion. Arm sales grew alongside general defense spending growth. SIPRI noted that between 2002 and 2011, arms sales among the top 100 companies grew by 51%.
10. United Technologies (UTX) -- aircraft, electronics, engines
Arm sales: $11.6 billion, total sales: $58.2 billion
Gross profit: $5.3 billion, total workforce: 199,900
9. L-3 Communications (LLL) -- electronics
Arm sales: $12.5 billion, total sales: $15.2 billion
Gross profit: $956 million, total workforce: 61,000
8. Finmeccanica -- aircraft, artillery, engines, electronics, vehicles and missiles
Arms sales, $14.6 billion, total sales: $24.1 billion
Gross profit: $ -3.2 billion, total workforce: 70,470
7. EADS -- aircraft, electronics, missiles and space
Arm sales: $16.4 billion, total sales: $68.3 billion
Gross profit: $1.4 billion, total workforce: 133,120
6. Northrop Grumman (NOC) -- aircraft, electronics, missiles, ships, space
Arm sales: $21.4 billion, total sales: $26.4 billion
Gross profit: $2.1 billion, total workforce: 72,500
5. Raytheon (RTN) -- electronics, missiles
Arm sales: $22.5 billion, total sales: $24.9 billion
Gross profit: $1.9 billion, total workforce: 71,000
4. General Dynamics (GD) -- artillery, electronics, vehicles, small arms, ships
Arm sales: $23.8 billion, total sales: $32.7 billion
Gross profit: $2.5 billion, total workforce: 95,100
3. BAE Systems -- aircraft, artillery, electronics, vehicles, missiles, ships
Arm sales: $29.2 billion, total sales: $30.7 billion
Gross profit: $2.3 billion, total workforce: 93,500
2. Boeing (BA) -- aircraft, electronics, missiles, space
Arm sales: $31.8 billion, total sales: $68.7 billion
Gross profit: $4 billion, total workforce: 171,700
1. Lockheed Martin (LMT) -- aircraft, electronics, missiles, space
Arm sales:$36.3 billion, total sales: $46.5 billion
Gross profit: $2.7 billion, total workforce, 123,000
[URLhttp://
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/bus ... r/1970997/[/URL]
While posting this I thought of two songs with pertinent lyrics.
From Jethro Tulls' old 1970s classic War Child:
No unconditional surrender; no armistice day ---
each night I'll die in my contentment and lie in your grave.
And, from Fleetwood Mac's Peacekeeper:
We make all of our sons the same
Every one will suffer the fire we've made
They all explode just the same
And there's no going back on the plans we've made
Only creatures who are on their way
Ever poison their own well
But we still have time to hate
And there's still something we can sell
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"High morals" aside ("who's better..."), we need to face it, the government calls the shots and they work with their backers to make THEM profits........ In the final analysis, we're all enablers because we allow this.