Witticism as Wisdom? or Wisdom disguised in Witticism?

[instudiocity]

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1. In 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 congress. --
   John Adams,
   Ambassador, first Vice-President, second President and father of John Quincy Adams, sixth President
   
   
2. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. --
   Mark Twain,
   Humorist and Democrat, famous for saying, I don't belong to an organized political party, I'm a democrat.
   
   
3. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself. --
   Mark Twain
   
   
4. 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,
   British Conservative
   
   
5. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. --
   George
   Bernard Shaw,
   Irish playwright and co-founder of the London School of Economics
   
   
6. Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. --
   James Bovard
   ,
   Civil Libertarian (1994)
   
   
7. Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. --
   Douglas Case
   ,
   Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University.
   
   
8. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys --
   P.J. O'Rourke
   ,
   Civil Libertarian
   
   
9. Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. --
   Frederic
   Bastiat
   ,
   French economist(1801-1850)
   
   
10. 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
    
    
11. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. --
    Will Rogers
    
    
12. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! --
    P. J. O'Rourke
    
    
13. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. --
    Voltaire
    (1764)
    
    
14. 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.)
    
    
15. No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. --
    Mark Twain
    
    
16. Talk is cheap, except when Congress does it. --
    Anonymous
    
    
17. The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. --
    Ronald Reagan
    
    
18. 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
    
    
19. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. --
    Mark Twain
    
    
20. There is no distinctly Native American criminal class, save Congress. --
    Mark Twain
    
    
21. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians --
    Edward Langley
    ,
    Artist (1928-1995)
    
    
22. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. --
    Thomas Jefferson,
    author Declaration of Independence, third President
    
    
23. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. --
    Aesop
    
    

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[KMEM]

Who can argue with these? However, perhaps some will come forward and identify themselves.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[+ honcho]

Taking the bait

 

Being a masochist and a public servant I will step up to the pillory post (and I have been accused of being humorless)

 

I note that only one of the purported witticisms is about something other than government - by Mark Twain

and about newpapers (with which I happen to agree, and we have to remember that in fact Clemens did, in fact, work

for newpapers for part of his carreer).

 

As poor as the performance of the present Congress has been, and while history has shown despotism to be

more *efficient*, I would invite KMEM to remind of some other form of govenment that's worked better in actually

history to the liking of the people and would be practical to adopt within the borders of what is currently the USA.

 

I also invite instudiocity to find some additional institutions worthy of witticisms? Since government has been

targeted since the time of Aesop, surely there's something equally entertaining and more recent

[EZEtoGRU]

I know some Republicans here in Texas that would like to do away with the US government and federal taxes entirely. Now wouldn't that be fun.

 

Why is this thread not in the politics forum?

[+ azdr0710]

excellent stuff, studiocity....we've heard it all before, but always good to remember it again....sad this stuff was written decades/centuries ago.....

 

of course, we have only ourselves to blame for the current state of Congress....

[KMEM]

honcho-

 

I am thrilled to paraphrase Winston Churchill and agree that a democracy (or the republic form of it in the US) is the worst way to govern except for all the others.

 

azdr-

 

Correct, we only have ourselves to blame.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[instudiocity]

I also invite instudiocity to find some additional institutions worthy of witticisms? Since government has been targeted since the time of Aesop, surely there's something equally entertaining and more recent

Government like food is something we can't do without, but unlike food, we'd like to try!

 

Why is this thread not in the politics forum?

Maybe it should be, but is the butt of the joke the justification for that joke's classification? Methinks not!

 

excellent stuff, studiocity....we've heard it all before, but always good to remember it again....sad this stuff was written decades/centuries ago...

 

of course, we have only ourselves to blame for the current state of Congress....

In all things in life, WE ONLY HAVE OURSELVES TO BLAME.