by Tom Blair
Columnist

It is pretty obvious that the press misleads us, especially when you hear them report on politicians. Instead of just giving us the facts, they interpret things the way they want us to be swayed. Mark Twain said it much better: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.”

It seems that when I say these things, I never get famous; it may be that you must BE famous first to get the credit for saying things.

I always wondered what happens to the money – you know, the billions we give to other countries. Where does it go? Does it do any good? Well, a fellow named Douglas Casey had the perfect answer: “Foreign aid can be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.”

It seems that whatever financial problems we have, there are those political leaders who insist that taxing the citizens is the solution. Winston Churchill stated years ago: “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.”

Whoever is running for an office that promises the most freebies gets the support of those who want more: George Bernard Shaw stated that a government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

Speaking of money and taxes, I think this was one of the best things Ronald Reagan ever uttered back in the mid-eighties: “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.”

I have always said that our government is drunk with power and money, but P.J. O’Rourke said the same thing and his name isn’t exactly a household word. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

P.J. O’Rourke has published a lot of things and is quite a writer. He had articles in Playboy, Vanity Fair, Car & Driver and Rolling Stone. He was even on 60 Minutes for awhile. He’s the one who said: “If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free!”

It seems that no matter how far back you go in history, some of the wisest things said seem to hold true: “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) Sound familiar?

In case you missed my discussion about Thomas Jefferson, this has to be the best of his quotes: “A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”

Tom “Road” Blair

road742@aol.com