“It is hard for us to admit we have a sin nature because we live in this system of checks and balances. If we get caught, we will be punished. But that doesn't make us good people; it only makes us subdued. Just think about the Congress and Senate and even the president. The genius of the American system is not freedom; the genius of the American system is checks and balances. Nobody gets all the power. Everybody is watching everybody else. It is as if the founding fathers knew, intrinsically, that the soul of man, unwatched, is perverse.” PeopleIfsThinkingMenSoulHardFatherPresidentSinGeniusBalanceCongressCaughtChecksGood PeopleSenateFounding Book:Blue Like Jazz: Movie Edition: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality Source: Blue Like Jazz: Movie Edition: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
“Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order, and should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so. As for now, I'm in control here, in the White House.” IfsWantShouldStatesOrderCoursesHousePresidentWhiteReturnVicesChecksGentlemanWhite HouseSecretaryTransfersVice PresidentHelmPending Author:Alexander Haig
“Three times a year, theres Strategicon convention, and I go for the board games. It happens Presidents Day, Labor Day, and Memorial Day weekends. You go and take a look at the new board games and meet a couple of board game designers, and you can check out games you dont own from the library and then return them.” YearsLooksHappensThreeGamesPresidentReturnCoupleLaborLibraryChecksBoardsDesignerWeekendConventionsThree TimesMemorialMemorial DayLabor DayPresidents DayBoard GamesMemorial Day Weekend Author:Rich Sommer
“I have found that when calculating what no one has calculated before, like my observing sessions on the mountain, my mental acuity peaks. Ironically, these are the times that I would flunk the reality check normally reserved for mental patients and dazed boxers: What is your name? What day is it? Who is the president of the United States?... I do not know, and I do not care. I am at peace with my equations as I connect to the cosmic engines that drive our universe.” KnowsStatesRealityCareUniverseFoundNamesPresidentUnitedUnited StatesMountainPatientChecksExplorationEnginesCosmicEquationsSessionObservingReservedSpace ExplorationBoxersCalculatingDazed Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson
“I don't think that split government is a good idea. Conventional wisdom in Washington for years has been that divided government is good because of a check and a balance. What I believe happens all too often, regardless of which party is there's gridlock. And I think the better argument is give one party a chance, give them a chance with a House and a Senate and a president. Give them a few years to see what they can do. And if you don't like it, put another party in.” IfsThinkingGivingYearsBelieveHas BeensIdeasGovernmentHappensHouseI BelievePresidentCan DoChancePartyBalanceArgumentChecksDividedGood IdeasSenateSplitsConventionalConventional WisdomGridlockDivided Government Author:Scott Walker
“We need a return to transparency and a system of checks and balances, to a president who respects Congress' role of oversight and accountability.” NeedsPresidentRolesReturnBalanceCongressChecksAccountabilityTransparencyOversight Author:Hillary Clinton