What Does Eisenhower Trying To Say About The Problems Regarding The Military Industrial Complex

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With his Farewell Address in 1961, President Eisenhower warns the citizens of the United States about the dangers of the military-industrial complex’s growth in power. The military-industrial complex is the relationship between the nation’s military and defense industries, which was boosted greatly during World War II and previous wars. In our modern food industry, we deal with the “food industrial complex”. Michael Pollan, in his novel, The Omnivore’s Dilemma Part 1: “Industrial Corn”, speaks out about the problems in our food industry today. Eisenhower’s concerns of misplaced power, short term thinking, and imbalances in solving problems regarding the military-industrial complex are reflected in Pollan’s Part 1. When power is put into the wrong hands, or too much is given to a …show more content…

He states, “[the] potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist [...] Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together” (Eisenhower 3). Eisenhower is aware of those who have gained power over time due to their positions in society, for instance, the wealthy who pay and support politicians to get legislation passed in their favor, and reminds the citizens that they need to be alert and knowledgeable in order to preserve our democracy. Pollan, in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, saw parallels to this in our modern food system. The modern food system relies mainly on corn to function. With that being said, the majority of the corn in America is owned by two corporations, Cargill and ADM, who not only buy all the corn, but also provide all the services that farmers need to grow corn. They distribute pesticides, fertilizers, run the grain elevators, manufacture high fructose syrup, and much more. Cargill and ADM also “[helped] write many of the rules that govern this whole game, for [they] exert