A Usenet persona calling itself Michael Daly wrote:

On 15-Feb-2005, Scott Weiser wrote:

Which produces many products the government uses, and provides us with peace
through superior firepower, something the EU can be thankful for, given how
much of our military technology they use.

The vast majority of military spending provides nothing. Just read
economist Joan Robinson.

It provides peace.


Oh, it usually gets consumed, eventually.

You're talking thru your hat. Better check on the history of
US agricultural supports and their "strategic" food stores.
They sit there doing nothing then get destroyed. Grains, butter,
oil seeds, you name it. All done for no other reason than to
prop up US prices and guarantee profits for big agriculture
companies.

Um, the primary reason for stockpiles is to provide food in the event of
crop failures and shortages, which is a feature of the combination of
agriculture and the environment. Once the food is spoiled, however, then it
must be destroyed and replaced. Some out-of-date stockpiles are converted to
other uses. Corn is a biggie, and it is used to create alcohol. Other
foodstocks are turned into animal feed or are recycled as compost.

--
Regards,
Scott Weiser

"I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend on
friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" TM

© 2005 Scott Weiser