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From: Paul Lewiarz
T1: LewiarzP1@alpha.montclair.edu
Date: 10/21/99
Time: 12:31:43 PM
Remote Name: 130.68.51.55
I think that the imperialistic perspective discussed in "The Economics of Imperialism in Vietnam" is a thoughtful analysis and understanding of the way that the principles of economics should be run. In reality, the basic economic tenants of socialism and equality are fair ones that should be taken into consideration. The reality of the global economic situation present in today's world is a simple and quite complex one. I think that the economic situation as it stands in Vietnam during the present moment is one of great complexity and uniqueness in an industrialized sense.
The economics as they are dictated by the imperialist machine are ever increasingly responsible for misery and deceit in the world. This was clearly the case in my opinion of what had occurred in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a complex war that was difficult to explain and interpret. The result of American troops being pulled out of their country and sent over to a foreign land to fight for something that they were not all to familiar with.
I think that the whole military situation during the Vietnam War can be figured into the politics and economic significance of the Vietnam War. The result was quite clear. A great many people paid with their lives and the political and social climate was forever altered as a result of these actions taken by the American government. I think that the whole perspective resulting the political outcome of a war like Vietnam was extremely beneficial for military contractors which made billions of dollars. This is the capitalist quotient, a few rich military contractors making millions and billions of dollars in profit and poor men and women going of to a foreign country to die for something which in the end meant not a whole lot!
The costs are indeed social, for every bomb dropped on Vietnam, one military contractor made millions while women and children paid with their lives. The amount of money spent during the Vietnam War could have been spent in other more attractive areas. I think that the whole point of war is to create more money and more war for the people for whom it matters most, the capitalists! At what costs, the tens of billions of dollars spent on the Vietnam War could have been spent on social programs in America to help the needy and poor of America. Realistically, the money spent on Vietnam could have been spent on anything other than war and the outcome would have almost certainly been better. What did we gain from Vietnam? Absolutely nothing was gained but everything was lost! An entire generation of Americans was sacrificed at the government's expense with lies and deception. American people's standard of living did not improve one iota during the Vietnam War and it can certainly be argued that the standard of living has not improved from the end of the Vietnam War to the present moment. I think that this is a direct result of examples like Nike sneakers being manufactured overseas. They are manufactured at low prices, but when they are sold back to the consumers in the United States, the price does not become lower but is in fact sold at the most optimum sales price. Now if this is not capitalist greed, then I do not know what is! Again, the consumer does not benefit from such a circumstance but it is the sole capitalist who reaps the most benefit and profit.
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