Monday, January 3, 2011

Quote of the day - Nature of government

"Government, like any other organism, refuses to acquiesce in its own extinction. This refusal, of course, involves the resistance to any effort to diminish its powers and prerogatives. There has been no organized effort to keep government down since Jefferson's day. Ever since then the American people have been bolstering up its powers and giving it more and more jurisdiction over their affairs. They pay for that folly in increased taxes and diminished liberties. No government as such is ever in favor of the freedom of the individual. It invariably seeks to limit that freedom, if not by overt denial, then by seeking constantly to widen its own functions."

- H.L. Mencken

Mencken died in 1956. I wonder what he would say about the government we have today?

4 comments:

Laura said...

Mike, i've gotta ask...who is this Maddened Fowl guy, and why does he link every one of your posts to at least 3 of his?

Mike W. said...

He's a gunblogger who blogs here

http://mad-duck-training.blogspot.com/

I don't think he's actually linking to all of my posts. I think it's some kind of weird glitch in blogger.

Laura said...

ahh, that's annoyingly weird. i just figured the guy REALLY REALLY liked you...lol.

Mike W. said...

Don't you know, almost everyone REALLY, REALLY likes me. I'm just likeable like that, like, totally!