The people driving the wars generally don't profit from the wars, and it's generally not true that the war profiteers have that much influence over spending dur

The people driving the wars generally don't profit from the wars, and it's generally not true that the war profiteers have that much influence over spending during war time, rather, they are a bit like doctors during a plague and have huge pricing leverage once a war starts. There are almost zero wars which are profitable even for the antagonist. 'Making needed weapons during war is exceedingly profitable' - yes it is, and often nations are in ruin after the fact, which will lead to profiteering like 'a racket'. And the proceeds will indeed go to very few.