Guest Post by John Hawkins
1) “There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs.” – Thomas Sowell
2) “To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.” – Charles Krauthammer
3) “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” — Aristotle
4) “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.”— Thomas Jefferson
5) “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” — Eric Hoffer
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6) “Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far.” — Teddy Roosevelt
7) “We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.” – Ronald Reagan
8) “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” — Robert Heinlein
9) “And many writers have imagined for themselves republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality; for there is such a gap between how one lives and how one ought to live that anyone who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation: for a man who wishes to profess goodness at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not good.” — Niccolo Machiavelli
10) “A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.” — Samuel Adams
11) “With regard to the idea of whether you have a right to health care, you have to realize what that implies. It’s not an abstraction. I’m a physician. That means you have a right to come to my house and conscript me. It means you believe in slavery. It means that you’re going to enslave not only me, but the janitor at my hospital, the person who cleans my office, the assistants who work in my office, the nurses.” — Rand Paul
12) “How many times have we heard ‘free tuition,’ ‘free health care,’ and free you-name-it? If a particular good or service is truly free, we can have as much of it as we want without the sacrifice of other goods or services. Take a ‘free’ library; is it really free? The answer is no. Had the library not been built, that $50 million could have purchased something else. That something else sacrificed is the cost of the library. While users of the library might pay a zero price, zero price and free are not one and the same. So when politicians talk about providing something free, ask them to identify the beneficent Santa Claus or tooth fairy.” — Walter Williams
13) “Compromise is very difficult in a political environment in which a deal is not a deal. Whether the question is trading robust immigration enforcement for an amnesty benefiting those illegals already present in the country or trading tax increases for spending cuts according to some agreed-upon ratio, the main obstacle is not ideology or partisan self-interest, but the belief – a well-justified belief – that cutting a long-term deal is pointless, because such deals will not stand. “— Kevin Williamson
14) “Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil. Usually the strength of a mass movement is proportionate to the vividness and tangibility of its devil…..Common hatred unites the most heterogeneous elements. To share a common hatred, with an enemy even, is to infect him with a feeling of kinship, and thus sap his powers of resistance…..Again, like an idea deity, the ideal devil is omnipotent and omnipresent.” – Eric Hoffer
15) “The preferred world can be seen any evening on television in the succession of programs where the good always wins — that is, until the late evening newscast, when suddenly we are plunged into the world as it is. Political realists see the world as it is: an arena of power politics moved primarily by perceived immediate self-interests, where morality is rhetorical rationale for expedient action and self-interest. Two examples would be the priest who wants to be a bishop and bootlicks and politicks his way up, justifying it with the rationale, ‘After I get to be bishop I’ll use my office for Christian reformation,’ or the businessman who reasons, ‘First I’ll make my million and after that I’ll go for the real things in life,’ Unfortunately one changes in many ways on the road to the bishopric or the first million, and then one says, ‘I’ll wait until I’m a cardinal and then I can be more effective,’ or ‘I can do a lot more after I get two million’ — and so it goes. In this world laws are written for the lofty aim of ‘the common good’ and then acted out in life on the basis of the common greed.” – Saul Alinsky
16) “America’s abundance was created not by public sacrifices to ‘the common good,’ but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America’s industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance–and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.” – Ayn Rand
17) “Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.” — Thomas Jefferson
18) “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” — Attributed to Harry Truman
19) “I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” — James Madison
20) “If you are explaining, you are losing.” — J.C. Watts
21) “All politics is local.” — Tip O’Neill
22) “A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” — Michael Kinsley
23) “The devotees of the party in power are smug and arrogant. The devotees of the party out of power are insane.” — Megan McCardle
24) “The curse of me and my nation is that we always think things can be bettered by immediate action of some sort, any sort rather than no sort.” — Plato
25) “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” – Winston Churchill
“He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.”
(Thomas Paine, “A Dissertation on the First Principles of Government”, 1795)
See Also:
“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”
(Pastor Martin Niemöller, circa 1946)
2) “Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.” – Charles Krauthammer
IMO, Liberals are Evil, but they are politically smarter (corrupt) than conservatives.
Fight Evil – eliminate a Liberal today; planet earth will love you.
I used to believe conservatives were just as patriotic as liberals, until I saw them applaud & cheer when the US lost out on hosting the Olympics in 2009. That told me their ideology meant more to them than their country.
Those who understand the crony-capitalism, waste, abuse, and violations of private property and individual rights that accompany the hosting of the Olympics, would applaud the loss EVERY TIME. Sad that you equate getting the Olympics with anything positive for the country or owning up to these realities and not wishing them upon your nation as something “negative.”
“Those who understand the crony-capitalism, waste, abuse….”
So are you suggesting it was for these reasons AFP and Limbaugh applauded the Olympics going to Brazil? That is not apparent from their statements.
I’m not suggesting anything, nor would I EVER try and get inside their minds. Since economic ignorance is rampant, and Limbaugh is especially ignorant when it comes to appreciation of wasteful government spending – especially if the waste makes HIS ego feel good (like rampant, endless warfare), I would not be surprised if they actually thought that Brazil getting the games would actually be good for Brazil. From an ESPN article on the Brazil Olympics about a year after they happened: “While 15 of the original 27 venues have hosted some sort of event since the Games, others sit largely abandoned, their decay and disrepair a constant reminder of what was meant to be. Even the iconic soccer stadium, the Maracanã, has been vandalized, and had its power shut off completely after amassing a $950,000 electric bill. ” Search for Brazil Olympic debt and there are lots more.
I am simply saying that the Olympics are the global crony-capitalist prize and anyone who understands that, knows they are marketed to the gullible as something to covet as a nation but behind the scenes are nothing more than yet another government wealth-transfer scheme to benefit their friends.
Title of a recent Yahoo article (yes, they suck as a “news” outlet so save the criticism for citing them): “South Korea likely to lose more than $10 billion for hosting 2018 Winter Olympics”
I can guarantee that the folks who ended up with the contracts for the $13 Billion they spent are nowhere near as unhappy as the South Koreans who will be paying for this ADDED government debt for decades. Yeah, $10Billion in additional debt is really something to wish upon a nation you “love.”
Not really sure what your definition of “patriotism” is, or even “conservatives” for that matter. In my opinion, you either care about what is actually good for your country, freedom, liberty, private property rights, personal rights, etc. or you support just the opposite. From my experience, NEITHER so-called liberals or so-called conservatives consistently support ANY of these things. But your definition or who you label accordingly, may be different.
“the Olympics are the global crony-capitalist prize….”
We agree on that one, and I would dread the Olympics coming to a city in/near where I live. My God, the traffic alone.
I’m just doubtful that the AFP attendees in the clip were applauding for altruistic reasons. I also believe they would applaud with equal enthusiasm the Olympics coming to the US during a Republican administration.
Again, the applause would be due to economic ignorance and ignorance of the true nature of the Olympics (or they are to be the recipients of the largesse these games bring to the cronies).
Behind every great fortune is a crime.
Balzac
So… what’s the problem? “The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power.” (Gerry Spence, Attorney-at-Law).
“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Will Rogers
“I once met an honest politician.” Liars Club Lie of the Year (1957)
“The thorns, the thistles, and the briers, in the field of politics seldom permit the soil to produce anything… but ruin to the adventurer” Mercy Warren
“It is Mrs. Thatchers belief-rooted in her spartan Methodism-that nations must endure the pains of reform before they can prosper” Brian Dunning
My favorite Margaret Thatcher song (by Belfast street entertainer Alan Dean)
“People qualify for freedom in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains on their own appetites. Society cannot exist unless a controlling power is put somewhere on will and appetite, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters” Edmund Burke 18th century statesman
“History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur
“A bureaucracy never fails, because it never succeeds.” Joseph Sobran
“One must never allow disorder to continue so as to escape a war. One does not escape: The war is merely postponed to ones disadvantage.” Machiavelli The Prince 1514
“When the yearning for freedom destroys order, the yearning for order destroys freedom.” author unknown
“When people are in fear, they will always chose order over freedom. Tyrany will fill the void that moral chaos produces. You are left with ‘Friendly Fachism’.” Chuck Colson
Nixon lackey….nice.
Thanks!
“As a society gains the ability to limit suffering, it loses the ability to cope with what suffering remains.” “Silencing pain without considering its message is like disconnecting a ringing fire alarm to avoid receiving bad news.” Paul Brand. Both quotes from his book “Pain, The Gift Nobody Wants”.
“Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often and for the same reason.” Author unknown.
“It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur
“A nation that will not defend its language, culture, and borders will wind up like the Roman Empire.” Texas Representative Culberson on The Michael Savage Show talking about the two Border Patrol agents who went to prison for shooting a drug smuggler.
“Liberalism is the philosophy of the stupid.” “Liberal logic is twisted to the detriment of the nation.” A Liberal is dissatisfied with the condition of his own existence.” Mark Levin
“How do you fix a debt problem with crippling debt?” Glenn Beck
“I don’t want to press one for English, I want them to learn English!!!” Michael Savage
“You do not build wealth by destroying it.” Author unknown
“Back when America was great, back when the chrome was thick and the women were straight.” Michael Savage
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell
“You cannot borrow your way to prosperity.” Author unknown.
“Once you sacrifice liberty to the state, the state will not restore it without a fight.” Jim Quinn
“Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.” –Mark Twain
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” – Mark Twain
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
― H.L. Mencken, On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
― H.L. Mencken, Prejudices: First Series
“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable…”
― H.L. Mencken, Prejudices: Third Series
“A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar.”
― H.L. Mencken
“All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him. If it be aristocratic in organization, then it seeks to protect the man who is superior only in law against the man who is superior in fact; if it be democratic, then it seeks to protect the man who is inferior in every way against both. One of its primary functions is to regiment men by force, to make them as much alike as possible and as dependent upon one another as possible, to search out and combat originality among them. All it can see in an original idea is potential change, and hence an invasion of its prerogatives. The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are.”
― H.L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy
“Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.”
― H.L. Mencken
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”
― H.L. Mencken, In Defense Of Women
“Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey-cage.”
― H.L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy
“The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it.”
― H.L. Mencken, Minority Report
“Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.”
― H.L. Mencken