Overproduction in military equipment goes to the police?

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

Most people, even the poor, already have the means to access bread and circus. Even if people can't afford new TVs or computers, most people have access to these things that they purchased in the recent past prior to the crisis, or even earlier. Or used items. Though also electronics are at a record low in price, so affording a new "ticket to the circus" isn't that expensive anymore. And even then, there's always credit cards. ...
Really, it's the bread that is driving the unrest, not the circus. Most people can afford electronics (or at least sustain them), but more and more people are dealing with hunger (or the new quaint term "food insecurity").

Good points.
But I think that bread and circus still have potential. As you said, the circus is cheap, and so is the bread really. Massive subsidies go into that (directly and indirectly), especially into the food production.
I think you have a good point there with credit - because that is sort of what drives the present day unrest in the US. While in many other parts of the world, it really is the bread that is missing (the Unrests in North Africa and Middle East are to a large degree "food riots", igniting on single food issues, like the price of cheese in Israel - the origin of many ideas in the "occupy movement"), I think in the US the situation is less focussed on food, because there is just so much cheap corn stuff and subsidized meat. But the possibilities of people to get credit and buy a new part of the circus, like a new 3D-TV or something broke down temporarily. The thing with the circus is, that you cannot use old programs. People will always be ok with bread as long as you also provide some cheese and butter, but in entertainment, you need progress to keep the happiness level constant. Nobody wants to see the same stuff again and again - new programs, new attractions need to be invented. A transistor radio or Walkman just dont have the same effect anymore on calming down and occupying people with entertainment - now you need HD-TV for the same effect and soon 3D-TV. People with only a radio may actually wake up. So my guess is that a lot of the attention is going to allowing people to get back to their comforts - give them more cheap (and worthless) food and encourage cheap imports of entertainment products. If expenses in some other area skyrocket as a cause, it is less important, I guess.