Archive for December 12th, 2007

  ”If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the
newspaper you are misinformed.”
  -Mark Twain
Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress….
But then I repeat myself.
   -Mark Twain
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
   -Winston Churchill
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support
of Paul.
   – George Bernard Shaw
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he
proposes to pay off with your money.
   -G Gordon Liddy
Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what
to have for dinner.
   -James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich
countries to rich people in poor countries.
   -Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to
teenage boys.
   -P.J. O’Rourke, Civil Libertarian
Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live
at the expense of everybody else.
   -Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)
Government’s view of the economy could 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 (1986)
I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
                -Will Rogers
If you think health care is expensive now; wait until you see what it costs
when it’s free!
   -P.J. O’Rourke
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics
won’t take an interest in you!
   -Pericles (430 B.C.)
No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in
session.
   -Mark Twain (1866)
Talk is cheap…except when Congress does it.
   -Unknown
The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at
one end and no responsibility at the other.
   -Ronald Reagan
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The
inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
   -Winston Churchill
The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the
taxidermist leaves the skin.
   -Mark Twain
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill
the world with fools.
  -Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)
There is no distinctly Native American criminal class…save Congress.
   -Mark Twain
What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
   -Edward Langley, Artist (1928 – 1995)
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to
take everything you have.
   -Thomas Jefferson

Reproduced from parmsplace.com
 
  
 

     When Shirley Temple Black, child actress, was appointed Ambassador to Ghana I figured, strange, but why not. After all, supporters of political parties had been rewarded with special appointments since time began. Besides, she was loved both here and abroad. She did such a great job she was given a much more sensitive appointment many years later as Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.    

   My jaw hit the floor when Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California, and then, of course, president. It didn’t seem to me that a movie idol turned Screen Actors Guild president had the background to lead a state government, let alone the country. But as history is my witness, he is credited with doing a great job and is considered one of the nation’s best and most popular leaders.    

   Others like Sonny Bono and Jesse Ventura and Clint Eastwood have further proven that show business is as good a background as political science to be a spokesperson for the people. And, obviously, being a household name before running for public office doesn’t hurt one’s chances at getting elected. In fact, a previous career in front of a camera may be one of the better foundations for public speaking. It sure wouldn’t have hurt the king of gaffs, George Bush, to have gotten some practice before stepping in front of an audience.    

    It is unfortunate, in my opinion, that our constitution prevents another great actor from becoming president. I am speaking of Arnold Schwarzenegger, of course. He is proving to be a very capable governor, following in Ronald Reagan’s footsteps somewhat. The fact that he was not born in this country would seem to have little to do with his leadership ability. As we can certainly see, being born in this country has little to do with a person’s ability to lead this nation either. 

Bob Parmelee