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The only things government can do are regulate and redistribute, prohibit and penalize, confiscate and command. Are these the things that liberty is made of? Somebody else's money and an endless list of Thou Shalt Nots?

James Bovard

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James Bovard
Age: 68
Born: 1956
Born: July 22
Author
Journalist
Writer
Ames
Iowa
Else
List
Government
Lists
Penalize
Made
Command
Confiscate
Things
Endless
Redistribute
Thou
Nots
Somebody
Prohibit
Liberty
Regulate
Money
Shalt

More quotes by James Bovard

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There is no virtue in denying the law of gravity, and there should be no virtue in denying the limitations of government. ... The more we glorify government, the more liberties we will lose.
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Politicians as a class are dangerous, that people who are seeking power over us are not, by definition, our friends.
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How many McDonald's gift certificates would it take to sway a lot of Americans to pledge to never publicly criticize the U.S, President?
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The more government dependents, the more likely that democracy will become a conspiracy against self-reliance.
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American democracy is capsizing as a result of the vast increase in the number of government dependents and government employees.
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Once freedom is equated with a certain material standard of living, confiscation becomes the path to liberation.
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It is absurd to expect governments to descend gradually, step-by-step into barbarism - as if there was a train schedule to political hell and people could get off at any stop along the way.
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If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd in chief.
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It has been surprising to me that so few conservatives have voiced concern over the precedence that are being set in favor of suppression by this so-called conservative administration.
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Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about the Bill of Rights most of the time.
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Throughout history, politicians have used other people's property to buy themselves power. That is the primary achievement of the welfare state.
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There is no safe political refuge for those afraid to take responsibility for their own lives.
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The first step in saving our liberty is to realize how much we have already lost, how we lost it, and how we will continue to lose it unless fundamental political changes occur.
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Not only has the number of government employees multiplied in recent decades, but the rise of government unions further stacks the political odds against private citizens.
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Today's citizen is obliged to find his freedom only in the narrow ruts pre-approved by his bureaucratic overlords. Risk-free liberty is the ideal of the Welfare State: citizens are permitted only liberties which have been declawed, defanged, neutered, certified and wrapped in benevolent restrictions.
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Government aid programs have been endlessly expanded, and the government has sought to maximize the number of people willing to accept handouts..... Roughly half of all Americans are dependent on the government, either for handouts, pensions, or paychecks.
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Politicians nowadays treat Americans like medical orderlies treat Alzheimer's patients, telling them anything that will keep them subdued. It doesn't matter what untruths the people are fed because they will not long remember. But in politics, forgotten falsehoods almost guarantee new treachery.
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The key question for many voters is: How much is the candidate offering for my vote?
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As soon as people drop the reins on government, government will leash the people.
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Foreign aid breeds kleptocracies, or governments of thieves.
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