This is a great quote and an excellent suggestion.__ Facts seldom have a chance when up against ideas.

_Jefferson was, as usual, quite honest in his appraisal of unsupervised politicians and judges, although his wolf metaphor may not be his best. Like many other predators, wolves provide a control on prey populations, and their removal of weak individuals improves the viability of the herd - but please don't confuse me with a social Darwinist. __I like Albana's suggestion of "wolverines", which in some parts are still called "gluttons", but I prefer "looters" to describe the last few generations of "Congress and Assemblies, judges and governors". I'm curious about Jefferson's omission of the federal executive branch, since his letter from which this quote originates was written in 1816, long since that branch had been established. (http://www.jeffersonlegacy.org/Winter2003.htm)

I agree with former-Agent Presti completely. The funny thing is that the fear is not, for the most part, that the economy and infrastructure will collapse. That's moot at this point. The IRS relies on our fear of being inconvenienced.

Yup, J.Carlton, that's about it._____Freud didn't say much that wasn't ridiculous or obvious.

Thomas Jefferson is still the man. It is a horror that the current and recent generations of politicians didn't learn anything about him on their way up besides a couple of handy soundbites.__ David Rosenthal, I agree with you 100%.

Waffler, what "polite society" may have written about the 16th Amendment in 1913 was inspired by the fact that it and the ensuant surcharges applied primarily to the affluent and that, for the time being, they were expected to pay it. Also, you seem to equate the "polite society" complaining about the income tax with "'the people'... (who thought) taxes were to (sic) high." Do you mean to say that the individuals and businesses occupying the highest tax brackets are "the people"?

Zeitgeist, you make an excellent point about the difficulty in getting our minds around the numbers being tossed about these days. I'm sure this is true of the politicians and "experts" tossing around the money the numbers represent; I doubt most of them can understand these numbers as anything knottier than "big".__ I heard a story on the radio about this difficulty we have, and it included a useful illustration on the difference between millions and billions: One million seconds is a little over 11 1/2 Days. One billion seconds is roughly 31 3/4 Years.

What?

"It bites with stolen teeth." Nice.

The stars are for Ken from Allen, WA's post.

Dick from Fort Worth, I agree. In eyes of the slave, and the other unfortunates you mention, his life may not mean wealth. But the slave is a commodity, and someone profiting from him, or her. And so are we, when we pay less for the products of sweatshops and child labor.

E. Archer, all true and well said.

Reston, although I have learned to read I still don't see the double negative you refer to. Could you please point it out? As the first part of this quote refers to the previous sentence, which concerns the national debt of France, it only clouds the meaning of what follows. I'm curious how James Madison might have responded. I would not be surprised if he were to agree with Jefferson that it would indeed be wise and just for France, or any other nation, to include such a declaration in its constitution._________The text of this letter may be found at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field(DOCID+@lit(tj060008))

It would help if Keynes had explained how make-work sh#t details on such a scale could increase a community's real income and capital wealth. Must be those helpful repercussions, whatever they are.

Hey E Archer, you got in while I was typing. Make that two out of four.

I've seen this attributed to Benjamin Franklin. This motto ought to be returned to our currency and coins. Minding one's business properly would prevent the kind of economic fiasco we're currently seeing; a good start would be to not buy anything one cannot afford. But then, if such a common sense concept is beyond so many consumers, three words on their money won't help. With two out of three people who bother reading and commenting on quotes imagining the word "own" involved, another motto in the world probably wouldn't help at all.______ libertyjack, could you please tell me more about the flag you mentioned, or perhaps point me to a reference? I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.

Nice rant Kat. I did enjoyed (sic) it.

Future historians may see his speech that day as a high point for the ideals the United States once aspired to. We have fallen very far from the tree.

How far we have fallen.

This is a very good example of Kennedy's insight and prescience. ____Um, this is the first I've heard of "winter festival", and sheep burdened with blinders, sticks and carrots is quite a metaphor. Cheers.

Madison was correct, and many of his peers shared this view. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.” This is a danger of current times, when we are surrounded by an ever-growing glut of information, and so much of it is inaccurate. The reporting before the second invasion of Iraq is a good example. It is true that knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and that being misinformed is worse than being ignorant. I am by no means a Marxist, but as an economist and sociologist Marx had some sound insights, especially on the division of society into haves and have-nots. We are witnessing the acceleration of our society into a division of information have and have-nots. I have no doubt who will govern whom.

For the last sentence of Warren's post.

Yup, and they grow up to be immoral, disrespectful, and characterless politicians. Anything else we're going to blame on public schools?

Dame Agatha was very, very good at one thing: following a formula. I'll take her supposition for what it is

Public educators and Soviet farmers get paid about the same and get the same degree of respect and support from their respective societies. Okay, maybe some of the farmers got more recognition.