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The property which every man has in his own labour, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable. The patrimony of a poor man lies in the strength and dexterity of his hands; and to hinder him from employing this strength and dexterity in what … Read more
He [Jefferson] then considered the general phrase of the Constitution that identified the purpose of the taxing power as “to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”* Congress, he said, was to levy taxes only for these purposes, not for any purpose they pleased. ”In like … Read more
On yesterday “This Week”, George Will had this to say in a retort to Dem stratgist Donna Brazile concerning the “Fiscal Cliff” that our “elected employees” have created for all of us with automatic spending cuts across the board, especially on the military, and Obama tax hikes (after all, if 10 year old tax cuts … Read more
Another thought worth remembering; Thomas Paine wrote in his Revolutionary pamphlet, The American Crisis: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” … Read more
“If we take the widest and wisest view of a Cause, there is no such thing as a Lost Cause, because there is no such thing as a Gained Cause. We fight for lost causes because we know that our defeat and dismay may be the preface to our successors’ victory, though that victory itself … Read more
“We should never despair, our Situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better, so I trust, it will again. If new difficulties arise, we must only put forth new Exertions and proportion our Efforts to the exigency of the times.” – George Washington, first President of the United States (who stepped down … Read more
Sigh – I really don’t even want to use the “a stopped clock” phrase here either. But: Majority rule only works if you’re also considering individual rights. Because you can’t have five wolves and one sheep voting on what to have for supper. – Larry Flint, Hustler magazine From RedState, this comment on that quote: … Read more
“All men are created equal,” says the American Declaration of Independence. “All man shall be kept equal,” say the British Socialist Party. – Sir Winston Churchill, Lord of the Admiralty, Prime Minister of Britain during WW II It seems that the American electorate has forgotten history, and has chosen to align itself with the British … Read more
An artful man became popular, the people had power in their hands, and they devolved a considerable share of their power upon their favorite; and the only use he made of this power was, to plunge those who gave it into slavery.
Having entered a protest against all objections from these quarters I may the more freely inquire, from history and experience, how far policy has contributed in all times to alleviate those evils which Providence, that perhaps has designed us for a state of imperfection, has imposed; how far our physical skill has cured our constitutional … Read more
The ideas of religion and government are closely connected; and whilst we receive government as a thing necessary, or even useful to our well-being, we shall in spite of us draw in, as a necessary, though undesirable consequence, an artificial religion of some kind or other. To this the vulgar will always be voluntary slaves; … Read more
“There is a sort of gloss upon ingenious falsehoods that dazzles the imagination, but which neither belongs to, nor becomes the sober aspect of truth.” And… “There is an air of plausibility which accompanies vulgar reasonings and notions, taken from the beaten circle of ordinary experience, that is admirably suited to the narrow capacities of … Read more
“GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME so vast and impersonal,” the presidential challenger asserted, “that its interests diverge more and more from the interests of ordinary citizens. For a generation and more, the government has sought to meet our needs by multiplying its bureaucracy. Washington has taken too much in taxes from Main Street, and Main Street has … Read more
That a government which undertakes to direct economic activity will have to use its power to realize somebody’s ideal of distributive justice is certain. But how can and how will it use that power? By what principles will it or ought it to guided? Is there a definite answer to the innumerable question of relative … Read more
“The two greatest institutions ever devised for lifting people out of poverty and enabling them to live in dignity are the market economy and the institution of marriage.” – Robert George, Professor of Law, Princeton University
“It seems obvious to me now–though I have been slow, I must say, in coming to the conclusion–that the institution of private property is one of the main things that have given man that limited amount of free-and-equalness that Marx hoped to render infinite by abolishing this institution. Strangely enough, Marx was the first to … Read more
The most important principle for designing an ethical society is to make sure that everyone’s reputation is on the line all the time, so that bad behavior will always bring bad consequences. – Jonathan Haidt (H/T: Cafe Hayek) IMHO, much of the problem that we see in Society nowadays is that Progressives embarked on a … Read more
“I am a man, but not only a man. Sentiment is not sentimentality, common sense is not common ignorance, and intuition is not superstition. Living with a recognition of the spiritual dimension of the world not only ensures a happier life but also a more honest intellectual life than if we allow no room for … Read more
“The Roman Republic fell, not because of the ambition of Caesar or Augustus, but because it had already long ceased to be in any real sense a republic at all,” he said. “When the sturdy Roman plebian, who lived by his own labor, who voted without reward according to his own convictions, and who with … Read more
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages. Nobody but a beggar chooses to … Read more