A Few Quotes On Government

[Warph]

The Democrats will be running the White House, the House and possibly the Senate soon.  Before they make drastic changes, they may want to consider some interesting quotations I found in my trusty little Book of Quotations on government.  My favorites reveal a general wariness of government -- a key principle upon which our republic was founded:

"A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take everything you have."
-- Barry Goldwater

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country -- against his government."
-- Edward Abbey

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse."
-- Edmund Burke


Well, Eddie, you got that right. We just handed our government a blank check worth billions to bail out our financial institutions.  And before we let Barack Hussein Obama "make government cool again," we may want to consider this:

"The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it's so rare."
-- Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"Government is inherently incompetent, and no matter what task it is assigned, it will do it in the most expensive and inefficient way possible."
-- Charley Reese

"Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us."
-- Leo Tolstoy


Sorry, Leo, but folks often forget how nasty government can be.  Right now, folks are clamoring for our government to do something, anything, to fix our economic woes -- forgetting, of course, that our government is a key contributor to those woes.  Here is where government is really effective:

"The government is good at one thing: It knows how to break your legs, then hand you a crutch and say, 'See, if it weren't for the government you wouldn't be able to walk.'"
-- Harry Browne


"Government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
-- Ronald Reagan


"Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer."
-- Ludwig von Mises


We citizens must be more skeptical about well-meaning politicians.  We must look past their flowery words to understand what they really may be up to:

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."
-- H.L. Mencken


"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation."
-- Thomas Reed


"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
-- George Bernard Shaw


Excellent quote, Georgie. You described the 2008 elections more accurately than 99 percent of America's journalists -- and you've been dead since 1950.

Look, it's long been time that America gets back to the basics.  American citizens must stand up and demand a return to the principles of SMALL government:

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
-- Patrick Henry

"Our best protection against bigger government in Washington is better government in the states."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower


Unfortunately, Dwight, we abandoned that concept some time ago.  Unless Americans wake up and remember the origin of our greatness -- it's the people, not the government -- we are poised for the government to expand more, and take more and control us more.

Humorists understand the ramifications better than anyone:

"The primary function of the government is -- and here I am quoting directly from the U.S. Constitution -- 'to spew out paper.'"
-- Dave Barry

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."
-- Will Rogers

"Did you ever notice that when you put the words 'THE' and 'IRS' together, it spells 'THEIRS?'"
-- Unknown

[Teresa]

As usual... common sense from the best.......
( on both levels... )