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Samizdata quote of the day

· Slogans & Quotations

The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop.

– P. J. O’Rourke

March 24th, 2010 |

9 comments to Samizdata quote of the day

  • Nuke Gray
    March 24, 2010 at 2:54 am

    Q. How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb?

    A. None- they love keeping us in the dark and feeding us B.S.!

  • Alan K. Henderson
    March 24, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    No stops signs, speed limit…

  • Steven Rockwell
    March 24, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    I wonder if the solution to Washington isn’t for the states to simply start ignoring Washington. Federal mandate comes down the pike and the states just say, “that’s nice,” and then go back to what they are doing. When the Federals say the states have to do something, the states just smile at the courts and do what they want anyways. All the Feds could do is stop holding highway funds over the states heads and see how long the states keep sending the same Congressmen to DC when the pork stops flowing.

    This isn’t the 1830s, and we certainly don’t have a Jackson or a Lincoln in the White House, and the Feds would never want the media black eye that would come with sending troops to a state capital to enforce a law nobody wants anyways. What’s Obama going to do, send US Marshals and the Army into every town to escort patients to the hospital the same way Eisenhower did with black school children?

  • Laird
    March 24, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    I don’t think it’s quite that easy, Steven, since the Feds send more than highway money to the states. They get cash from all manner of programs, from education to medicaid. Cutting the purse strings would be quite painful, especially to those states (such as SC, where I live) which receive more federal dollars than we send in via taxes.

    Still, it’s a fine idea, and I think the states should go “on strike” and instruct their residents to mail all their federal tax payments to the state capital instead of the IRS. That should stir things up nicely!

  • veryretired
    March 24, 2010 at 9:58 pm

    These massive entitlement programs are nothing more than variations on the Ponzi scheme.

    Just like what happened to Madoff, and many others, when the boom turned to bust, and he couldn’t hide the nature of his “investment program” when people started trying to take their money back out, so too will these massive wealth transfer programs collapse when there isn’t enough wealth available to pass around any more.

    My generation of Boomers, the most massively spoiled and self-indulgent group of people to ever plague this great country, will force this entire house of cards into collapse.

    I don’t care what happens to me. I refuse to see my children and grandchildren grow up in servitude and perpetual economic stagnation.

    As ye sew, so shall ye reap.

  • Paul Marks
    March 25, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    The last State to stand outside Medicare/Medicaid was Arizonia.

    However, Governor Bruce Babbit (a man who made his start in politics libelling bakers – of all people) went along with Federal pressure at the end of the 1970’s/start of the 1980’s.

    Needless to say the “mainstream media” praised the “courage” of the cowardly piece of shit. The “courage” of giving in to the pressure for ever higher government spending and ever higher taxes.

    The only way that a State could stand (financially) against D.C. would be to WITHDRAW from such programs as Medicare and Medicaid (and so on) that are partly Federally funded.

    But I see no State (yet) with a leadership with the amount of courage needed for such a move.

    So we must put our trust in court actions.

    If they fail there is only one alternative left.

    Prepare to rebuild after bankruptcy and breakdown (those who survive may be able to rebuild – if they start working things out now).

    For it WILL be inevitable.

    I am less despairing than I once was.

    Once I thought that most people would never be warned – that they would have no chance to prepare.

    However, in-spite for all his faults, seeing Glenn Beck on television is like seeing myself standing there (although a version of me that has hair).

    Now the people have been warned – they are warned five days a week, in a show watched by millions (and attacked by all the leading leftists – so they know of the warnings also).

    How many people will heed the warnings of Glenn Beck (and MANY others)?

    I do not know.

    But anyone who says in the future “I did not know what was coming – nobody warned me” is a liar.

  • wh00ps
    March 27, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    am i the only one that’s looking forward to the collapse? i’m young(ish), i’m strong… i’m kind of relishing the chance to survive on my own wits and be totally my own boss.
    At the very least i hope it comes while i still have youth on my side…

  • Laird
    March 28, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    Maybe not, wh00ps, but I’m not so young any more and personally am not looking forward to it. (Which doesn’t mean I’m not trying to get prepared for it, of course, just not with the same evident relish as you.)

  • Paul Marks
    March 29, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    As for me.

    I am going to die in the gutter – I know that.

    However, I hope that will not stop me laughing when the All Fools Festival finally ends.

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