Quote-a-palooza
“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.” —Thomas Jefferson
“The difference between a welfare state and a totalitarian state is a matter of time.” —Ayn Rand
“Conservatism is a grasp and understanding of the value of every human being and the fact that when they earn money, they should be able to keep as much of it as possible so they can gain independence. That’s Reagan conservatism.” —former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore
“[T]he initial aim of campaign ‘reforms’ was less the proclaimed purpose of combating corruption or ‘the appearance’ thereof than it was to impede the entry of inconvenient candidates into presidential campaigns. In that sense, campaign reform is a government program that has actually worked, unfortunately.” —George Will
“Political correctness is not really about sensitivity and courtesy, which require mutual respect. Rather, political correctness entails intolerance for some prejudices but impunity for others.” —James Taranto
“Stop the presses: Senator Barbara Boxer of California has a good idea. Ms. Boxer, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, suggested last week that a first step in reducing greenhouse gases would be to require that federal buildings use more efficient light bulbs, and ask federal bureaucrats to turn off their computers at night. ‘Don’t you think it’s time the federal government were a model of energy efficiency?’ she asks. We warmly agree, not least since the United States Government is the largest single consumer of energy in the United States. It’s also one of the most inefficient energy users. According to a 1999 report by the Alliance to Save Energy, the ‘federal government, consumes about 32% more energy per square foot than the nation’s building stock at large.’ This inefficiency costs taxpayers an estimated $1 billion a year. In Al Gore’s phrase, Uncle Sam’s leaving one giant ‘carbon footprint.’ Of course, it follows from all this that the best way to make the federal government more energy efficient would be to undertake a government-wide policy of... lights out, permanently. Save the environment; kill a federal program. Start, needless to say, with the Department of Energy, operating at an annual cost of $22 billion. The U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that from 1980 to 1996 Energy frittered away more than $10 billion on programs that were ‘terminated before completion.’ On behalf of combating climate change, America could live without DOE’s Energy Hog Webgame for kids, which cost taxpayers $325,000. The Senate Government Reform Committee has identified more than $200 billion of budget savings, enough to easily balance the budget, by eliminating redundant and wasteful federal activities. They’d have to open that nuclear-waste dump at Yucca Mountain to bury all the turned-off lightbulbs and computers. At this rate, Barbara Boxer might eclipse Al Gore as the Democrat who saved the planet. The key to success is one wonderful word—‘efficient’.” —The Wall Street Journal
Jay Leno: Kind of an embarrassing situation for Al Gore with his whole global warming thing. Turns out his Tennessee home has been using 20 times the energy as the average household. To be fair, it is still not as much energy as John Edwards’ blow-dryer is using. ... Iran is going to build an island just for women who want to go on vacation. No men will be allowed on the island. Which of course leads to the philosophical question: If something goes wrong, whose fault will it be? ... Prince Charles says he wants to ban McDonald’s. He said banning McDonald’s is the key to living a healthy lifestyle. Really? Why did he single out McDonald’s? I think banning Dominos would make more sense. They deliver the junk food to your house. At least with McDonalds you have to get off your rear and walk to your car. Prince Charles says he wants to ban McDonald’s to teach people that excess is bad. Who better to teach people that excess is bad than a guy who lives in a giant castle?