What did President Eisenhower, have in mind when he gave his farewell address and to warned the people about guarding against the Military-Industrial-Complex.
For context, the President was saying this in 1961 within the depths of the Cold War.
"We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose and insidious in method ..." and warned about what he saw as unjustified government spending proposals. He continued with a warning that "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex." "we recognize the imperative need for this development ... the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist ... Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."
Upon delivering such an open speech to warn the public about the Military-Industrial-complex, we can assume, with some certainty, that the President, himself a Five-Star General had spent his time in office attempting to push against it.
We could say that, in part, Eisenhower might have seen that spending in this field rising, causing inflation and national debt to spike.
Plus, he might have been referring to the lobbying of the industry and politicians who played along for kick backs and future positions.
One thing that does interest me most in all of this, is wondering
whether Presidents really have any real hold on 'the levers of power' or whether the general perception of them, and their abilities, is really an illusion?
Whatever Eisenhower's reasons, it really does stand out as a notable speech by any serving president.
If Bitcoin were widely adopted, it sure would shake many things up.