Cato Institute is an unintelligent co-conspirator of the Koch Brothers. Their quotes are biased and not worth of being spread on the internet. Interestingly enough jim k, the income tax was hated for being to high when enacted (it was like 2%) and was only on the rich. Can you name a time when it was not to high!

We will all feel rich if we can surrond ourselves with people who are groveling at our feet. Go live in Bangladesh if you really want to feel rich.

She is full of it. We are now freer than ever but amazingly still becoming even more free. Don't you know that "we" have recaptured or regained millions of acres of south Florida swamp land and are returning it to the free and flowing everglades. "We" have regained it from the so called "free" individuals who were intent on destroying it for personal gain. This is just one example of our increasing freedom. Need I go on. Life is much about attitude and outlook. I am sorry for Ms. Beck and her lousy attitude and outlook.

You give up something every time you associate with others, just like you gave up soemthing if you took a wife. Carllton I simply agree with Kennedy. I agree that sometimes "socities" demand to much but lordy be we still have societies do we not. It would thus appear that folk have come to love their "societies" even with the negative caveat. Mike Ayn said nothing about the US, its' government or representative government. She only discussed society can you dig that. I doubt it.

Cato institute, nuff said? It really is just an arm of wealthy and manipulative Koch brothers clan. The clan and its follers that revel in chaos and stand ready to pick up the pieces. Just plain and simple evil people who wish to make the poor miserable so that they can further enrich self.

I think this man is crazy!

As usual for Ayn this is a shallow observation. By definition a "society" robs or hinders the individual. Every society. When you join a club, party or group you give up something of your self or your individuality. Kennedy's quote was better when he said "sometimes party loyalty demands to much'.

It is only a perverse people that resent law enforcement!

What else would we expect from a operative of the Natioanl Taxpayer's Union. USA taxes are among the lowest in the industrialized world and the lowest they have been since the 1950s. As we should all know we have not been operating on taxes but DEBT. Let us man up about the debt then lower taxes some more.

I agree with Leo but don't think it is a great quote. The term citizen denotes relationship with others within a georgraphic region or community. That relationship requires responsibilty towards each other and towards all.

Carlton is correct. The individual is forced by police action to drive on a certain side of the street or forced not to park in designated places like handicap spots. Generally speaking I hate all of these socialist conventions but am mature enough to recognize that I am not here alone and I enjoy the amenities of social interaction etc. Mike speaking of defining terms how do you compare the political parties of Europe such as Democratic Socialists, Christian Socialists, etcetera. They both use the term but have decidely different policies. Socialism in its broad non-totalitarian usage means a cooperative society where pure capitalism means a competitive society, on occasion the competitive society fails to see broader good in its blind race for profits. It is like two doctors who in their blind race for profits take out their frustrations upon the unsuspecting patient.

Companies saddle themselves with useless individuals all the the time J when they hire their lame brain and hemphiliac and inbred relatives. Hell ain't you never heard of DuPont before? Hate to admit it but Archer is on to a truth also, when the east bloc was liberated from "socialism" many did not know how to proceed, get a job, find a home etcetera. Same with American slaves in the 1800's, the transition from slavery was difficult for many. And yes when generations were born and raised in a welfare state by a majority who oppressed them it took a Bill Clinton not only to end the welfare but also the oppression.

The Tea Party Mike is a fraud from the get go. Where was it for example when Bush was running his major deficits and national debt. The Teaers complain about the tax guy Obama, yet Obama has never suggested tax increases only suggesting that the temporary Bush cuts expire as they were intended to do when he passed them. The Tea Party was started by the Koch as basically a resurrected KKK. I predict that Trump is running a scam to out mouth, circumscribe and "bury" Sarah Palin, by appealing to the same group of idiots. When he secures the nomination he will throw his support behind Obama. He has given over time to mostly Democrats including Harry Reid.

I have been to Burr Ridge rearden and lived in Hinsdale. They are both beautiful suburbs of Chicago. They are kept beautiful by a caring populace. I recall twenty or thirty years ago when a Hinsdale gas station put up a US Flag that was about three times bigger than any other. The town made him put up something a little more appropriate to the historic nature of the village. Sounds like you are doing good in business while keeping Burr Ridge beautiful thanks to the bureaucrats or would you have done that anyway, history has shown that not all profiteers care about the environment or there neighbors, such as the swamp drainers. J the wise men who gathered in Washington, in the late 1700's and early 1800's, at the behest of their people back home in the various states, claimed title to the northwest territories (Illinois, Wisconsin, etc) and then they purchased with the people's money or the people's debt a tract of land called The Louisiana Territory. They then saw fit to give wide swaths of this land to contractors who were to build railroads across the land. The people then provided protection to these railroads via the US Army etcetera from marauding indians. The government was then and still is the people, Carlton. Our ancestors bought and paid for this land through the offices of the wise men sent to DC, DC owns and operates much of this land particulaly west of the Mississippi for and in the name of the people. States do much of the same for lands east of the Mississippi. It has nothing to do with being smart or naive but with facts and the reality of law.

The biggest deficit spending administration was Ronald Reagan at 2.5 trillion, his two proteges Bush I and Bush II come in at 1.5 trillion in the red each. The best of all time was the surplus Presiden William Clinton who for eight years amassed a 1 billion dollar surplus. The previous surplus President was Harry Truman. The biggest deficit as % of GDP was 1943 at 24%, Obama's inherited mess in 2009 amounted to 13%. Just the facts, just the facts!

It is sad that all of us above have a different bag of facts. How are we ever going to man up and face our obligations if we keep doing this? I will research who is the biggest deficit spender and report back. PS: When Bill Clinton started running surpluses after years of deficits by the likes of Reagan and Bush the silly repubs in Congress complained "but that is the peoples money". While they were right what they never point out is it is also the peoples debt and it is time that we man up the fact.

Would be nice to see Dr Paul, Dick "deficits don't matter, Reagan proved that" Cheney, George "read my lips no new taxes" Bush, and George "double tax cut for the rich and biggest deficit spender in history" Bush II, in the same room. Might have to throw in Bill "budget surplus as far as the eye can see, and debt reducer" Clinton into the mix to give the good doctor some moral support.

We should put the prisoners to productive work that would cover their room and board while teaching them a useful skill. The profit from the work must never exceed their room and board or it woud appear to be enslavement for the benefit of the "state". Do you remember the "state"?

There are at least two forms of socialism, voluntary and forced. We have numerous if not millions of voluntary "socialisms" in America. Such as farmer owned brands of agricultural products, farm cooperatives, after all, cooperation is all that socialism is really about. We have socialisms ran by society via our governments via democratic voting that force all individuals to the same standard of behaviour or action, and dictate where the streets and sewers will be etcetera, what are to be the standards of wages, working conditons etcetera. For intelligent conversation I think it would be best if we desisted from using the word "socialism" for it generally only results in a knee jerk reaction by most people. A stupid knee jerk quote that rates less than a thumbs down.

There are at least two forms of socialism, voluntary and forced. We have numerous if not millions of voluntary "socialisms" in America. Such as farmer owned brands of agricultural products, farm cooperatives, after all, cooperation is all that socialism is really about. We have socialisms ran by society via our governments via democratic voting that force all individuals to the same standard of behaviour or action, and dictate where the streets and sewers will be etcetera, what are to be the standards of wages, working conditons etcetera. For intelligent conversation I think it would be best if we desisted from using the word "socialism" for it generally only results in a knee jerk reaction by most people. A stupid knee jerk quote that rates less than a thumbs down.

The Cato Institute is a fifth column movement of anarchist capitalists founded by Edward Crane. It has a profound and definite philosophy that in no way is for truth or honesty. In short it has an axe to grind. Ax grinding is what most on this site long for but Cato and ax grinding is not the same thing as freedom of expression, liberty etcetera. Cato is substantiall aided and abetted and funded by the Koch brothers who have also given us the likes of the Tea Party, hahaha, ain't that a laugh!

Oh! Oh! Oh! how shallow and unthinking this quote is, it actually hurts to read something so stupid and insensitive to truth and lacking in basic understanding. It of course, was, the government, that is the people, who purchased and secured most of the land and gave it to the railroad men to build rails to serve the nation. And honoring men who drain swamps, well that is the epitome of folly. We want industrious folk who do things that serve the needs of people, the nation, and as we know, make handsome profits doing so, probably more handsome than anywhere else in the world.

and you miss the point J, I suspect intentioally. Okay so I was wrong about Obama being involved but is there something wrong with this asinine carping about schools and with so called liberty tree printing these stupid quotes from 1889?

Wow this happened way back in 1889! So what is all the crap people are saying that the schools have been subverted in this later age particulaly by the Obama and liberal crowd. It is all BS I tell you about folk constanly complaining about the schools. They were complaining in 1889, when I went to school in the 1950's and still now. I tell you the complaint about schools is really just some ingrained, innate complaint about kids or dislike of kids or fear of kids and the future.

J when Clinton and the Repub congress radically changed welfare, the adminitration went to the corporate leaders of America and jobs and hiring of former welfare receipients was vast. You cannot or at least should not put people on to reservations or ghettos and expect them to get out, get up and get going. Again society that is best is one that boosts or lifts people up, not one that is based on money for the rich and welfare for the poor. At the end of Clinton's term every one was working. Guess what J, when the poor are working every one is working.