Looking Backward from the Tricentennial

Chapter Thirty-Two

"It's good to see you again, Julian," Carlton said. The rest of the group had vanished from the parlor, leaving the two men alone. "Did you have more questions about nonviolence?"

Julian shook his head. "No, about the American Union. You were there at the beginning." Carlton's eyes flashed enthusiastically. "Can you tell me more about how militarism was addressed?"

The septuagenarian folded his hands and relaxed in his chair. "The principled reasons for reducing the military-industrial complex were relatively straightforward—looking for the humanity in others makes violence a less appealing problem-solving technique. But the American Union also had to address the practical reason the military-industrial complex continued to grow. Do you know what was driving the economic demand?"

Teara Harper had mentioned two reasons that he'd jotted in his journal. "Since a growing economy needs money added to it, Congress used military spending as a justification for running up the national debt. And after the industrial revolution opened a structural gap in the economy, imperialism helped generate new markets for American goods."

Carlton's jaw fell open, and his eyes bugged out. "That wasn't what I was thinking of—not at all! But I suppose you're right." He stroked his beard as Julian grinned in pride. "No, Julian, there was another economic function that the military-industrial complex served—it pushed money out into every congressional district across the nation. The American Union Jobs Program established another mechanism for doing that.

"I like to think of unconditional basic income as a layer of snow falling across the country; the same amount comes down on every person. As that snow melts, the water runs downhill and flows into streams, rivers, and lakes. Money collects in the cities with big commercial interests. Then, like the water cycle, it gets recycled and redistributed across the nation again as UBI.

"Before the American Union Jobs Program, many parts of the country were economically parched. The military-industrial complex was like a big water truck, and many of those dry areas depended on it for fiscal irrigation. The economic impact in their home districts kept many members of Congress supporting unnecessary and wasteful programs.

"Once everyone had an American Union Job, those programs weren't so essential. The first legislative package required four years of 10% cuts to the military budget, forcing an evaluation and prioritization of how a trillion dollars were being spent. Wasteful spending was rampant since most of the money went to defense contractors, who raked in exorbitant profits.

"While military service continues to be a proud tradition, it turned out economic coercion was driving many young people to join. They didn't have better options, so they signed up." Julian thought he noticed a hint of bitterness in the man's voice. "American Union Jobs gave them the freedom to make other choices.

"The United States, Julian, had a huge global military footprint, with ten times the foreign military bases as all other countries combined. The legislation triggered an initial round of closures by applying the duty of nonviolence to affirm meaningful consent. It mandated that referenda be held around those foreign bases, asking the local population if they wanted the US military to remain. When the local population didn't want us there, we left within a year. That was the low-hanging fruit."

"That sounds pretty reasonable," Julian said. "It seems like it would be hard to argue that we should have military bases where we'd been told we weren't welcome."

Carlton paused and looked meaningfully up at the indicator lights in the corner of the room. Their two green lights had a red companion. The professor turned away from Julian and toward the door. "Idabee, dear, you're welcome to join us," he announced nonchalantly.