“At first it was the incomes of corporations, then of rich citizens, then of well-provided widows and opulent workers, and finally the wealth of housemaids and the tips of waitresses. This is all in line with the ability to pay doctrine. The poor, simply because there are more of them, have more ability to pay than the rich.” FirstsWellsLinesWealthAbilityPoorPayRichCitizensWorkersIncomeDoctrineCorporationsWidowsWaitressHousemaids Book:Income Tax: Root of All Evil Source: Income Tax: Root of All Evil
“There is a limited elite that understands the secrets of their own techniques, but not necessarily of all techniques. These men are close to the seat of modern governmental power. The state is no longer founded on the 'average citizen', but on the ability and knowledge of this elite. The average man is altogether unable to penetrate technical secrets or governmental organization and consequently can exert no influence at all on the state.” MenStatesAbilitySecretInfluenceModernCitizensOrganizationAverageTechniqueSeatsElitesPenetrateAverage ManMental Power Author:Jacques Ellul
“Few white citizens are acquainted with blacks other than those projected by the media and the so--called educational system, whichis nothing more than a system of rewards and punishments based upon one's ability to pledge loyalty oaths to Anglo culture. The media and the "educational system" are the prime sources of racism in the United States.” StatesAmericaCultureAbilityWhiteUnitedRaceEducationUnited StatesMediaSourceCitizensRacismRewardsEducationalLoyaltyPunishmentPrimePledgeOathEducational SystemReward And Punishment Author:Ishmael Reed
“A citizen who casts his ballot without having to the best of his abilities studied as much economics as he can fails in his civic duties.” AbilityFailingDutyCitizensEconomicsCastsCivicsBallotsCivic Duty Author:Ludwig von Mises
“Certain music, jazz in particular, has the ability to make you a better citizen of the world. It helps you expand your world view and gives you more confidence in your cultural achievements. Improvisational jazz teaches you about yourself while the swing in jazz teaches you how to work with others” WorldGivingHelpingCertainAbilityViewsTeachParticularCitizensAchievementJazzAbout YourselfSwingsWorld View Author:Wynton Marsalis
“A sound American is simply one who has put out of his mind all doubts and questionings, and who accepts instantly, and as incontrovertible gospel, the whole body of official doctrine of his day, whatever it may be and no matter how often it may change. The instant he challenges it, no matter how timorously and academically, he ceases by that much to be a loyal and creditable citizen of the republic.” MindMayMatterWholeBodyAmericaTimeSoundChangeChallengesAbilityAcceptingDoubtAcceptanceCitizensLoyaltyCeaseDoctrineInstantOfficialsRepublicLoyalQuestioning Book:Mencken Chrestomathy Source: Mencken Chrestomathy
“America's greatness depends on the ability of its citizens to make the most of their lives. Americans with disabilities are an enormous, often untapped reservoir of that potential.” AmericaAbilityGreatnessDependsCitizensEnormousDisabilityReservoirs Author:William J. Clinton
“You can offer the ability to citizens to choose from one of the two parties and elect their leaders as much as you want. But "democracy" is an illusion - a sham - if the most significant acts taken by those leaders are kept concealed from the citizenry.” IfsWantTwoAbilityPartyLeaderDemocracyTakenCitizensOffersIllusionSignificantConcealedCitizenry Author:Glenn Greenwald
“It bodes very ill for government when men are exalted to places of high trust through their own solicitations. He only fills a place with dignity who is invited to it by his fellow citizens from the experience they have had of his adequate abilities.” MenGovernmentAbilityCitizensDignityFellowsIllInvitedAdequateExaltedSolicitation Book:The Writings of Samuel Adams: 1778-1802 Source: The Writings of Samuel Adams: 1778-1802
“In some ways Jews and the various largely Catholic and often poor European immigrant groups were "white," as the historian Tom Guglielmo has recently put it, "on arrival." Where naturalization law was concerned, for example, ample precedents recognized their ability to become citizens, a right explicitly resting on their "whiteness." But they also remained, as Working toward Whiteness puts it, "on trial" for a harrowingly long time.” WayLongLawAbilityWhitePoorGroupsExampleCitizensLong TimeConcernedCatholicJewVariousTrialsImmigrantsHistorianTomsArrivalsPrecedentWhiteness Author:David Roediger
“ISIS is a radical jihadist group that is increasingly sophisticated in its ability, for example, to radicalize American citizens, in its inability to exploit loopholes in our legal immigration system, in its ability to capture and hold territory in the Middle East, as I outlined earlier, in multiple countries.” CountryAbilityGroupsMiddleExampleCitizensEastImmigrationRadicalTerritoryCaptureMiddle EastMultipleSophisticatedInabilityExploitsAmerican CitizensLoopholesLegal Immigration Author:Marco Rubio
“There's a false narrative that only the political class has the wisdom and the ability to be commander-in- chief. But if you go back and you study the design of our country, it was really designed for the citizen statesman.” IfsCountryPoliticalAbilityClassStudyDesignCitizensOur CountryChiefsNarrativeCommandersStatesmenCommander In Chief Author:Benjamin Carson
“Citizen journalism is rapidly emerging as an invaluable part of delivering the news. With the expansion of the Web and the ever-decreasing size and cost of camera phones and video cameras, the ability to commit acts of journalism is spreading to everyone.” AbilityCitizensCostNewsCamerasSizePhonesVideoCommitJournalismExpansionEmergingDeliveringInvaluableVideo CamerasCitizen Journalism Author:Arianna Huffington
“As a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, American democracy is being undermined by the ability of the Koch brothers and other billionaire families. These wealthy contributors can literally buy politicians and elections by spending hundreds of millions of dollars in support of the candidates of their choice. We need to overturn Citizens United and move toward public funding of elections so that all candidates can run for office without being beholden to the wealthy and powerful.” NeedsRunningMovingChoicesAbilityDecisionUnitedResultsPowerfulMillionsSupportDemocracyBrotherCitizensPoliticianOfficeElectionCourtDollarsSpendingSupremeCandidatesWealthySupreme CourtFundingBillionaireContributorsAmerican DemocracyCourt DecisionCitizens United Author:Bernie Sanders
“I think what Obama does more than his amazing speaking ability is he's able to connect with voters. And it's that hope that he brings out in American citizens that we are all hungry for, that people get excited about Sen. Obama.” PeopleThinkingDoeAbleAbilityCitizensExcitedHungryVotersAmerican Citizens Author:John H. McWhorter
“The question that we, as a society, have to ask is, are our collective rights worth a small relative advantage in our ability to spy on other countries and foreign citizens? I have my opinion about that, but we all collectively have to come to our opinion about it.” CountryAsksAbilityOpinionRightsCitizensAdvantageCollectivesRelativeOther CountriesSpy Author:Edward Snowden
“We need to take a close look at the relationship between the economic system of Capitalism and the political system of Democracy. A democracy with high concentrations of private wealth buys votes and interferes with the ability of Capitalism to perform well. It is no longer one citizen, one vote.” NeedsWellsLooksPoliticalWealthAbilityDemocracyEconomicCitizensCapitalismVoteConcentrationInterferePolitical SystemsEconomic Systems Author:Philip Kotler
“Crucial to understanding federalism in modern day America is the concept of mobility, or 'the ability to vote with your feet.' If you don't support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol - don't come to Texas. If you don't like medicinal marijuana and gay marriage, don't move to California.” IfsAmericaMovingUnderstandingAbilitySupportFeetModernCitizensGayConceptsVoteCaliforniaTexasCrucialMarijuanaPenaltiesDeath PenaltyGay MarriagePistolsMobilityPackingModern DayFederalism Author:Rick Perry
“I have introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and make it clear that the Congress and state legislatures do have the ability and the power to regulate and get corporate funding out of political campaigns.” StatesPoliticalAbilityUnitedClearCitizensCongressCampaignsCorporateAmendmentsFundingLegislaturePolitical CampaignState LegislaturesConstitutional AmendmentsCitizens United Author:Bernie Sanders
“Freedom is not defined by safety. Freedom is defined by the ability of citizens to live without government interference. Government cannot create a world without risks, nor would we really wish to live in such a fictional place. Only a totalitarian society would even claim absolute safety as a worthy ideal, because it would require total state control over its citizens’ lives. Liberty has meaning only if we still believe in it when terrible things happen and a false government security blanket beckons.” IfsWorldBelieveStillsStatesGovernmentHappensWishAbilityLibertyRiskSecurityCitizensTerribleIdealsClaimsAbsolutesSafetyWorthyThings HappenDefinedTerrible ThingsBlanketInterference Author:Ron Paul