“We are not denying that Turkey has a right to defend itself from extremists but some of its actions are not serving any democratic purpose in Turkey or in Iraq. This will not benefit the relations between the two countries.” TwoCountryActionPurposeBenefitsRelationDemocraticIraqServingTurkeysExtremistTwo Countries Author:Jalal Talabani
“The natural proclivity of democratic governments is to pursue public policies which concentrate benefits on the well-organized and well-informed, and disperse the costs on the unorganized and ill-informed.” WellsGovernmentNaturalPolicyCostBenefitsDemocraticIllPursueOrganizedPublic PolicyDemocratic Government Author:Peter Boettke
“I am always suspicious of the formulation that "politics" has prevented a great idea from being enacted by government. Politics IS government, in a democratic society. It's a challenge for school reformers, like reformers in any realm, to build a popular constituency for their work. If the people it's supposed to benefit vote against it, that tells me that the person pushing reform lacks political skill. And political skill is a good thing.” PeopleIfsPersonsIdeasGovernmentSchoolPoliticalChallengesSkillsBenefitsVoteGood ThingsDemocraticReformRealmsPushingSuspiciousGreat IdeaDemocratic SocietyReformersGovernment Politics Author:Nicholas Lemann
“Democratic capitalism: A cooperative enterprise to earn enough money to buy enough Congressional influence to gain control over the government's guns so as to get even more money for your special-interest group.Social democratic capitalism: A cooperative enterprise to promise sufficient government benefits to enough voters to gain control over the government's guns so as to keep any other special-interest group from getting as much power as yours.” EnoughGovernmentSocialInterestGroupsInfluenceSpecialPromiseBenefitsGunCapitalismGainsDemocraticSufficientEnterpriseVotersMore MoneySpecial InterestsCooperativesInterest GroupsSpecial Interest Groups Author:Gary North
“I think what history will show is that one of the most tragic results of the war in Iraq will be that although Sharon, the Likudites, the Neoconservatives in our country, President Bush and the Democratic party thought the war in Iraq and destroying Saddam would benefit Israeli security, we're seeing absolutely that the war in Iraq has probably put Israeli security in a more tenuous condition than it's been in since the founding of the Israeli state.” ThinkingWarCountryStatesShowsPresidentResultsPartySeeingConditionsSecurityBenefitsDemocraticIraqOur CountryTragicDestroyingSaddamFoundingDemocratic PartyIsraeliPresident BushSharon Author:Michael Scheuer
“All religions try to benefit people, with the same basic message of the need for love and compassion, for justice and honesty, for contentment. So merely changing formal religious affiliations will often not help much. On the other hand, in pluralistic, democratic societies, there is the freedom to adopt the religion of your choice. This is good. This lets curious people like you run around on the loose!” PeopleNeedsTryingHelpingHandsRunningChoicesReligiousJusticeCompassionHonestyLike YouBenefitsMessagesDemocraticCuriousContentmentFormalLove And CompassionDemocratic SocietyAffiliation Author:Dalai Lama
“I think, from a progressive point of view, to have a Democratic Congress and a Democratic White House, and to have spent the time on Obamacare, which had real benefits, 20 million insured, but not on inequality, was a major cost to the Democratic Party, costing them their majorities, but also a bit of a cost to the country, because it didn't address the fundamental issues that led to Donald Trump and that led to a lot of unhappiness, just the continued widening inequality.” ThinkingRealCountryHouseBitsWhiteViewsPartyMillionsIssuesTrumpCostBenefitsMajorsFundamentalsMajorityDemocraticCongressPoint Of ViewInequalityAddressesUnhappinessWhite HouseProgressiveDemocratic PartyObamacare Author:David Brooks
“We do need great change in Burma. We are trying to build a new society, a society where basic human rights are respected, and where our people enjoy all the benefits of democratic institutions.” PeopleNeedsTryingHumansEnjoyRightsBenefitsInstitutionsDemocraticHuman RightsGreat ChangeBurmaBasic Human Rights Author:Aung San Suu Kyi
“I was able to do that [showing up of Democratic benefits] when I was the candidate. But I've not seen or presided over that kind of systematic outreach that I think needs to happen.” ThinkingNeedsKindHappensAbleBenefitsDemocraticCandidatesSystematicShowing UpOutreach Author:Barack Obama
“It is one of the saddest spectacles of our time to see a great democratic movement support a policy which must lead to the destruction of democracy and which meanwhile can benefit only a minority of the masses who support it. Yet it is this support from the Left of the tendencies toward monopoly which make them so irresistible and the prospects of the future so dark.” LeftDarkSupportDemocracyPolicyMovementBenefitsMassDestructionDemocraticTendenciesOur TimeMinoritiesMonopolyIrresistibleSaddestProspectsSpectacles Author:Friedrich August von Hayek