The Military Establishment and Social Welfare: Past, Present (and Future?)

Authors

George W. Ayers, University of Texas, Arlington

Abstract

As we move toward the decade of the eighties we are becoming increasingly aware of the difficulties and realities of economics on a national level. More and more we, as a people, are faced with difficult choices concerning the services that we either demand of our government or which government deems it necessary to provide.

Although it is an oversimplication, our Constitution mandates that government always follow to some degree a "guns and (not or) butter" philosophy in its preamble provisions dealing with "common defense" and "general welfare." We have though paid dearly, in economic terms, for attempting to follow such a fatal "guns and butter" philosophy during the Vietnam conflict. Faced with the untenability of the above non-choice planners, elected officials, and others must take a hard look at current and future allocation of resources in order to maintain some semblance of "living within our means."

It is the purpose of this article to examine one area in which there could be a re-distribution of financial resources and to advance suggestions concerning the implementation of programs.

Recommended Citation

Ayers, George W. (1977) "The Military Establishment and Social Welfare: Past, Present (and Future?)," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 4: Iss. 8, Article 25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1250
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol4/iss8/25