If you were paying attention yesterday, you may have noticed a distinct parallel in messages to the American people separated by 64 years almost to the day.
It was on Jan. 17, 1961 that President Dwight Eisenhower, in his FAREWELL ADDRESS to the American people, warned that “we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions.”
Ike, who as a distinguished Army general himself, led the Allies to victory over Nazi Germany, went on to say, “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
Eisenhower’s speech, as noted in the video clip above, received little attention at the time and there were those who felt that the warning had been slipped into his address by some speechwriter with an agenda. Not so. It was a warning that came from the president’s heart.
Obviously, his words of caution went unheeded as we have seen more and more of our taxpayer dollars funneled into outrageous military spending.
Yesterday, another president on his way out the door gave his own farewell speech that again, went largely unnoticed by anyone other than political junkies. Joe Biden, at 82, is 11 years older than Eisenhower when the military-industrial complex message was delivered. And though Biden’s expressed concern was of a different perceived threat, the words were eerily similar.
Biden used his final OVAL OFFICE ADDRESS to warn of “a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people.”
He went on to say, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence, that literally threatens our entire democracy. Our basic rights and freedoms. And a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
Instead of the military-industrial complex, Biden said he sees as a greater threat a “tech-industrial complex.”
And like Ike’s words of caution, Biden’s heads-up is very likely to be equally ignored by a citizenry more concerned about whether Notre Dame can beat Texas or who is the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl or which bachelor the Bachelorette will choose.
There are differences between the two men to be sure. Eisenhower never held political office until he ran for president in 1952. Biden spent half-a-century in politics. Ike was a Republican at a time the differences between political parties wasn’t so stark.
Biden is a Democrat at a time when neither party will concede an inch to the other, creating gridlock at the very time that this country most needs its leaders to come together to address problems like homelessness, mental illness, economy, and a multitude of other issues.
Now, as Biden prepares to hand the keys to the White House over to Donald Trump, we’re witnessing a disturbing takeover of the government of the United States by monied interests who are likely to use their positions as a springboard to greater power and riches – at the expense of democracy.
Anyone who actually believes that Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy is the least bit interested in reducing government waste or that he cares one whit for the welfare of working Americans is delusional.
All one has to do is look at what happened to the FEDERAL DEBT the last time Trump held the highest office (hint: it increased by $3 trillion despite his campaign promises to wipe out the federal deficit).
Does anyone think Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to terminate Meta’s fact-checking just as the world’s most prolific liar takes office was a coincidence?
The decisions by the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times not to endorse either presidential candidate was unprecedented as was ABC’s rollover in settling Trump’s libel lawsuit against the network, a lawsuit ABC likely would’ve won had the network dug in its heels.
I’ve got this uneasy feeling that all the noise we’re hearing about libraries, deportations, tariffs, Greenland, Panama, Canada, vaccine mandates and crime is just that – noise.
I have always subscribed to the theory that to know what politician’s intent is, don’t listen to what he says, listen to what he does not say – and watch what he does.
Biden’s fears of rule by an oligarchy are well-founded and we’d be wise to pay attention.
Musk, Ramaswamy, Bezos, et al have not taken their eyes off the enrichment ball.
Neither should we.
Louisiana Voice 
While you and I and others were watching good soul Joe say goodbye with cautionary words.-The leaders of the Democratic Party were occupied at a forum vying to see who will lead the party. What and who are the nuts and bolts of countering the techno garchs? Trying to take down Elon Musk as Steve Bannon has asserted he intends to do-is quite a tall order. Maybe he learned something while teaching civics to fellow inmates in the system. What are you going to do Steve? Limit Musk to 1 trillion net worth? Get him to join you at your favorite watering hole?
The people who voted a sociopath into office again-fool me once shame on you-fool me twice shame on me- will rue the day they rolled over for someone they “know is a shit-but like him anyway.” From the days the father of the Koch Bros. threw in with the John Birch Society there has been an assiduous effort to dumb down the populace. Privatize the Supreme Court and allow money to co-opt elections.
As Benjamin Franklin said when asked “What kind of a country are you giving us?” ” A republic-if you can hold it.” Push has come to shove. Democracy is messy and elusive. The right wing controls the courts, controls Congress and the Oval Office. The NRA has militarized the masses.
Let’s see who and how the advocates of Democracy stand and deliver.
Jack Brown
As a senior citizen, it seems to me that in many organizations, large and small, local and national, selfish interest seems to dominate the leadership class. It is the responsibility of individual citizens to honestly assess the influence of this oligarchy. Average citizens must assume the oligarch’s intent is to enrich themselves at the expense of the general public. Average citizens should not allow themselves to be used as play toys by the oligarchs. As a personal habit, I don’t provide head space to oligarchs. I have never had a Facebook account. I don’t listen to anything an insurrectionist, convicted, racist, worthless POS has to say.
One day all those stupid fascist voters will realize they’ve been played for fools and when they do they’ll blame the rest of us for it. Because fascism is a choice, but stupidity isn’t.