industry, aviation for putting an end to millions of steam ship related jobs, films for vandalizing vaudeville and the Salk vaccine for putting a crimp in wheelchair and child coffin manufacturing.

your post is non-responsive to my question ... right?

In my opinion the very idea that a great wrong should continue because it brings profit to a segment of society is morally vacant and ethically vapid. It's junkie thinking, junkie as in one addicted to heroin.
It is also utterly daft to delay the use of electric light out of concern for the wick maker's guild.

building steam ships.

In other words, focusing on progress.

Arguments for status quo or regression are best met with optimism and forward-thinking, don't you think?

It can be scary when confronted with losing your job in defense industry. Not so scary when given opportunity to learn a new industry say something like solar power. Or wind turbines.

but there was a post earlier this year in response to one of mine about re-purposing parts of the military to things like Search & Rescue, and rebuilding after disasters. There are some advocates out there for this idea, and it wouldn't take much "ramp up" to accomplish. We already have people trained in many of these activities within the military. All it would take is coordination in implementing them.

What we could ram up is to build more hospital ships, more equipment meant for helping people in need, and so forth. I'd get behind any spending on that versus more drones, bombers, and stealth subs.

but that re-purposing of the military, does not respond to my question.

Sorry about that

"vote for me and I'll do something about it" campaign tease. The DoD is the world's largest welfare system. It reaches into all 50 states and brings jobs and paychecks with it. Virtually every aspect of government at every level relies on those dollars of death to stay in the black or at least stem the flood of red.

Changing this reality would be an undertaking on a scale that would dwarf the WPA, and while in the end it would benefit the nation even more than those Depression Era programs did, the transition would be both a very painful adjustment to the economy and and an Armageddon for political campaign contributions.

I am against taking any jobs away, except for a few republicans Reps and two senators who wanted a default.

Nice post.

Defense contracting corporations make massive, MASSIVE profits. Those workers aren't seeing any of it

Cut out the profits, keep paying the employees regardless of what they labor at

Save billions and billions

is creating new technologies and fostering new industries.

If the missile factory was to disappear, and 200,000 people left,
this city would be more sustainable and liveable.
Other cities have survived closing of bases and forts quite nicely.
The proportion of the federal budget that goes to the
military-industrial complex should be cut in half.
It's not the food stamp people that are sucking us dry,
it's the tools and toys of war.