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Samizdata quote of the day Drunken sailors generally spend cash that they’ve already earned themselves, rather than running up debt to be paid by others. If our politicians started spending like drunken sailors, it would in fact represent a dramatic improvement.
– Instapundit yesterday. The Bishop likes it also.
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Spot on of course- but I’m sure I remember a letter in the Telegraph circa 1978 pointing out that drunken sailors spend their own money.
I’ve been challenging people on the use of the phrase “spending like drunken sailors” for years. Using that in reference to politicians’ spending is an insult to sailors. My dad was in the Royal Navy. Show some respect.
Instead, a more appropriate expression is, “spending like drunken Congressmen.” I use that routinely and people do a double-take and start laughing.
Or a sober congressman…
Very possible. But the quote is so memorable it’ll end up being attributed to Lincoln, anyway.
But all this begs the question “What shall we do with the Drunken Sailors?”
“String em from the yardarm till they’re sober,
“Earlie in the morning”
Naval folklore has accumulated a lot of other suggestions:
More at Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunken_Sailor
It is a good a line indeed.
Nor do drunken sailors tend to go around saying their wild spending is “good policy in a recession” “countering the cycle” “stimulating the economy” or (worst of all) “investment for the future”.
Exactly Paul,
No drunken sailor ever thought they were “investing” in the future unless a regretable tattoo, a hang-over and a dose of the clap count as an “investment”.
Well Gordoom ain’t gonna give us the tattoo and the “social” disease” but the hang-over will affect children as yet mere glints in their parents eyes and that is a hell of a hang-over
Exactly correct. Spending money like a teen-aged Saudi is a perfect analogy.
Not sure about that, dr kill. AS far as I know teen-aged Saudis don’t borrow the money for their spending sprees.
I believe that Insty was paraphrasing Ronald Reagan, who had phrased it as an apology to sailors.