Sometimes after playing golf or just visiting with a group of friends, the subject of government comes up. My participation in these discussions is usually limited to an occasional comment, but mostly I just listen. There are three or four very good reasons that I limit my contribution \u2014 maybe I\u2019ll talk about those here some time later. Anyhow, the consensus is that government is \u201call screwed up\u201d and people in general don\u2019t trust the government.<\/p>\n
The forces contributing to the (current) wave of distrust include, but aren\u2019t limited to, an uncertain economic environment, overwhelming discontent with Congress and elected officials in general, and a prevailing partisan environment. During the final House debate over health care reform, the public perception of Congress reached an all-time low. Generally speaking, the public\u2019s impressions of elected officials are that they are corrupt, wasteful, self-serving, unwilling to compromise, and indifferent to the concerns of the general public.<\/p>\n
But the fact is that dissatisfaction with government predates the health care debate and the Obama presidency. Down through the years, government and people\u2019s perception of government hasn\u2019t changed that much. Hating Congress (and the government in general) is a beloved American tradition. To confirm my suspicions, I did some extensive research and here\u2019s some actual quotes from people you\u2019ve probably at least heard of over the years. I didn\u2019t make this up \u2014 they\u2019re actual quotes \u2014\u00a0you can look them up yourself\u2026. I\u2019m pretty sure lots, if not most Americans, would agree with them today.
\nOne of the more famous quotes comes from Mark Twain, \u201cReader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t determine when the first quote, joke or slam of the government occurred, but they started long ago\u2026 Some of these quotes are funny, some are profound, but pretty much all of them speak some amount of truth. I don\u2019t disagree that the government certainly has room for improvement \u2014it\u2019s always gone through highs and lows, hopefully we\u2019re just in one of the lows now. I\u2019ve traveled and lived in a good part of the world \u2014 I never entertained the thought of \u201csettling down\u201d in any other country. The grass isn\u2019t always greener \u2014 grass is still grass. This country is still great \u2014 of course it could be greater if we could come up with more unemployed politicians. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes after playing golf or just visiting with a group of friends, the subject of government comes up. My participation in these discussions is usually limited to an occasional comment, but mostly I just listen. There are three or four … Continue reading
\n\u201cJust because you do not take an interest in politics doesn\u2019t mean politics won\u2019t take an interest in you.\u201d \u2014 Pericles (430 B.C.)
\n<\/em>\u201cWe hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.\u201d \u2014 Aesop
\n<\/em>\u201cA government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.\u201d \u2014 George Bernard Shaw
\n<\/em>\u201cA government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.\u201d \u2014 Thomas Jefferson
\n<\/em>\u201cGiving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.\u201d \u2014 P.J. O\u2019Rourke (Civil Libertarian)
\n<\/em>\u201cIn my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a government.\u201d \u2014 John Adams
\n<\/em>\u201cForeign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.\u201d \u2014 Douglas Casey (Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n