“The danger to a free society is not the guns owned by the citizens but an unconstrained government.... An armed society is a self-governing society, just as a disarmed people are vulnerable to arbitrary power of every kind.” PeopleKindSelfGovernmentDangerCitizensGunVulnerableArbitraryGoverningFree Society Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The most absurd public opinion polls are those on taxes. Now, if there is one thing we know about taxes, it is that people do not want to pay them. If they wanted to pay them, there would be no need for taxes. People would gladly figure out how much of their money that the government deserves and send it in. And yet we routinely hear about opinion polls that reveal that the public likes the tax level as it is and might even like it higher. Next they will tell us that the public thinks the crime rate is too low, or that the American people would really like to be in more auto accidents.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWantNeedsGovernmentMightWould BeWantedNextLevelsPayOpinionOne ThingCrimeFiguresHigherTaxesLowsDeserveRateAccidentsLikesAbsurdPublic OpinionPollsCrime RatesOpinion Polls Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Above all, ascribe no decent motives to the federal government. Always and everywhere, it is the enemy of truth.” GovernmentEnemyMotiveDecentFederal Government Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The larger the government, the more our livings standards are reduced. We are fortunate as a civilization that the progress of free enterprise generally outpaces the regress of government growth, for, if that were not the case, we would be poorer each year - not just in relative terms, but absolutely poorer too. The market is smart and the government is dumb, and to these attributes do we owe the whole of our economic well-being.” IfsYearsWellsWholeGovernmentWould BeGrowthTermCasesProgressEconomicCivilizationSmartStandardsDumbWell BeingFortunateEnterpriseAttributesRelativeFree Enterprise Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Americans are coming to their senses, and the libertarian theory of society and government is pointing the way. The times change, but the enduring principles that help us to interpret and understand the world do not. It remains true now, as then, as in the future, saecula saeculorum, that government provides neither an effective nor a moral means for solving any human problem.” WorldWayHumansMeanHelpingProblemGovernmentMoralPrinciplesTheoryRemainsEndureLibertarianSensesPointingHuman Problems Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The government is always looking for something that appears more dangerous than itself, and these criminals seem to fit the bill. Never mind that it was the government that promised but failed to protect us. It was the government that prevented the airlines from protecting themselves. It was the government that so badly botched the rescue operations. It was the government that had stirred up the hate that led to the terrorism.” MindSeemsGovernmentHateDangerousFitProtectBillsTerrorismCriminalsOperationsRescueAirline Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“If credit expansion, protectionism, and government spending were a path to prosperity, mankind would have long ago created heaven on earth.” IfsLongGovernmentEarthHeavenPathMankindProsperityCreditSpendingLong AgoExpansionHeaven On EarthGovernment SpendingProtectionism Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Welcome to the age of paper money, where governments and central banks can manufacture as much money as they want without limit. Gold was the last limit. Its banishment as a standard unleashed the inflation monster and leviathan itself, which has swelled beyond comprehension.” WantGovernmentAgeLastsLimitsPaperStandardsGoldMonstersWelcomeInflationComprehensionCentral BanksUnleashedLeviathanPaper MoneyBanishment Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Never forget that no government has wealth of its own to spend. The money has to come from taxation, monetary inflation, or debt expansion that must be paid later. And government's spending choices will always be uneconomic relative to how society would use that wealth. That is to say, the money will be wasted.” UseGovernmentChoicesWealthForgetPaidDebtSpendingNever ForgetRelativeExpansionTaxationInflationMonetary Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Even as the government dominates the headlines, private entrepreneurs are busy every day working to improve products and services that improve our lives. They do it without taxing us or regulating us, or making us suffer through tedious elections or political debates. They make their products and offer them to us in a way that pleases the consuming public the most. We can choose whether we want them or not.” WayWantGovernmentPoliticalSufferingOur LivesProductsPleaseOffersElectionEntrepreneurBusyDebateConsumingHeadlinesTediousPolitical Debates Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The private sector is creating a miracle a day, even as the stuff that government attempts is failing left and right.” GovernmentLeftStuffFailingCreatingMiraclePrivate SectorLeft And Right Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Government planning not only fails; it tends to produce outcomes that are the opposite of what its proponents say that they favor. The only stable and productive social system is one that embraces human liberty in its totality, and defends the market economy, private property, sound money, and peaceful international relations, while opposing government intervention as economically and socially destructive.” HumansGovernmentSocialSoundLibertyEconomyFailingProduceOppositesRelationEmbracePropertyInternationalFavorsPlanningPeacefulOutcomesDestructiveProductiveStableInterventionInternational RelationsOpposingPrivate PropertyTotalityMarket EconomySocial SystemsGovernment Intervention Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“In any government bureaucracy, they are not working for you but for the mythical blob called the 'public sector,' which is really nothing but a stash of stolen cash divided among the robber class.” GovernmentClassDividedCashBureaucracyStolenRobbersPublic SectorGovernment Bureaucracy Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“What the American worker needs is more of what WalMart offers and less of what the government offers.” NeedsGovernmentOffersWorkersAmerican WorkersWalmart Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The people and the warmakers are two distinct groups. We must never say 'we' when discussing the US government's foreign policy. For one thing, the warmakers do not care about the opinions of the majority of Americans. It is silly and embarrassing for Americans to speak of 'we' when discussing their government's foreign policy, as if their input were necessary to or desired by those who make war.” PeopleIfsTwoWarGovernmentCareSpeakOpinionOne ThingGroupsPolicyMajoritySillyForeign PolicyEmbarrassingDiscussingInput Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The most encouraging trend of our time is the widespread loss of faith in government. No longer do people look to the government as the great problem solver, economic planner, social unifier, or cultural czar. The government is more likely to be seen for what it is, a haven for grafters, liars, and would-be tyrants. Americans, like the Russians, no longer believe anything until it is officially denied.” PeopleBelieveLooksProblemGovernmentWould BeSocialLossEconomicHavensOur TimeLiarsTrendsTyrantsDeniedPlannersProblem SolversLoss Of FaithCzarsMost Encouraging Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“To centralize power in the name of freedom is akin to putting a crime syndicate in charge of rooting out corruption. It is the normal state of politics that the more centralized it is, the more damage it does. Fast-track authority [for government-to-government trade agreements] centralizes power and is therefore part of the problem.” DoeStatesProblemGovernmentNamesCrimeAuthorityNormalTradeTrackCorruptionDamageAgreementTrade AgreementsSyndicate Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“All the stuff that makes life worth living is produced privately, and all that the government does is slow down the progress of civilization and bring destruction and disaster wherever it goes.” DoeGovernmentStuffProgressCivilizationDestructionDisasterSlow DownWorth LivingLife Worth Living Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The leviathan state, that monster devouring civilization in this century, is in the throes of death. This is not a wish or a prediction, but a conclusion drawn from a broad look at the trends of the last decade and a half, which, if we take the right steps, can continue on into the next century. What has happened around the world - nations states collapsing, markets outwitting planners, citizens rising up against government masters - can and is happening here at home.” IfsWorldLooksStatesHomeGovernmentLastsNextNationsWishHalfLibertyStepsHappenedCenturyMastersCitizensCivilizationHappeningsLibertarianDecadesMonstersConclusionAround The WorldRisingBroadsTrendsLibertarianismPredictionsPlannersDevouringRising UpLeviathanOutwitting Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“Private enterprise creates; government destroys. That is the great economic lesson of our times and all times.” GovernmentLibertyEconomicLessonsLibertarianAll TimeOur TimeEnterprisePrivate EnterpriseGreat Libertarian Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“It isn't a coincidence that governments everywhere want to educate children. Government education, in turn, is supposed to be evidence of the state's goodness and its concern for our well-being. The real explanation is less flattering. If the government's propaganda can take root as children grow up, those kids will be no threat to the state apparatus. They'll fasten the chains to their own ankles. H.L. Mencken once said that the state doesn't just want to make you obey. It tries to make you want to obey. And that's one thing the government schools do very well.” IfsWantTryingWellsChildrenSaidRealStatesGovernmentKidsSchoolTurnsGrowsGrowing UpOne ThingGoodnessEvidenceConcernRootsThreatLibertarianChainsSupposed To BeWell BeingPropagandaExplanationEducateCoincidenceFlatteringAnklesGovernment Education Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
“The only reason for a government service is precisely to provide financial support for an operation that is otherwise unsustainable, or else there would be no point in the government's involvement at all.” ReasonGovernmentWould BeSupportFinancialOperationsInvolvementNo PointFinancial SupportGovernment Service Author:Llewellyn Rockwell
