“Americans cannot escape a certain responsibility for what is done in our name around the world. In a democracy, even one as corrupted as ours, ultimate authority rests with the people. We empower the government with our votes, finance it with our taxes, bolster it with our silent acquiescence. If we are passive in the face of America's official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them.” PeopleIfsWorldDoneGovernmentActionAmericaFacesCertainNamesResponsibilityDemocracyEffectsTaxesAuthorityVoteUltimateSilentFinanceAround The WorldOfficialsEmpoweringPassiveAcquiescence Book:The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World Source: The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World
“When a democracy reaches a point where the politicians cannot say no to the people, and both parties are competing for votes by promising even more spending or even lower taxes, or both, the experiment is about over.” PeoplePartyDemocracyPoliticianTaxesVoteSpendingExperimentsCompeting Author:Pat Buchanan
“People call me a socialist sometimes. But, no, you gotta meet real socialists. You'll have a sense of what a socialist is.” PeopleRealSometimesRealityPoliticalPoliticsMoneyPartyDemocracyComedyWallTaxesSocialismIdeologyCall MeFree SpeechSocialistPolitical PartiesFree Market Author:Barack Obama
“One faction of one party, in one house of Congress, in one branch of government, doesn't get to shut down the entire government just to refight the results of an election.” GovernmentPoliticalHousePoliticsLeadershipResultsMoneyPartyDemocracyPolicyTaxesConstitutionElectionCongressIdeologyBranchesFree SpeechPolitical PartiesFactionsPartisanshipBranches Of Government Author:Barack Obama
“We want [government] down to the size to where it would fit in a bathtub, and then it could worry about what we were up to.” WantGovernmentFatherPoliticsMoneyWorryDemocracyPolicyFitTaxesConstitutionSizeIdeologyFree SpeechBathtubs Author:Grover Norquist
“Jail is just another micro-society. It just happens that here, the problems are far more out in the open, we don't live with the facades of lies that democracy or capitalism creates for us.” ProblemRealityHappensLyingPoliticsCommunityMoneyClassDemocracyPolicyWallTaxesCapitalismTradePropertyHuman RightsIdeologyJailFree SpeechConsumerismFacadePartisanship Author:Cecily McMillan
“[The healthcare bill is a] headlong rush into socialism....we will not stand for the Obama-Pelosi-Reid hijacking of our freedom and democracy so they can impose their socialist 'utopia' of higher taxes, restricted access, inferior quality, and deadly inefficiency on the best health care system in the world....You and the RNC are all that stand between the Democrats' scheme to take more of your hard-earned income to pay for this unsustainable, freedom destroying entitlement and an opportunity to work for real, truly bipartisan step-by-step solutions.” WorldRealHardCareOpportunityPayQualityStepsDemocracyHigherTaxesSolutionsBillsDemocratAccessIncomeSocialismHealth CareDestroyingHealthcareSchemesSocialistInferiorsUtopiaEntitlementBipartisanInefficiencyHealth Care SystemHijacking Author:Michael Steele
“We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden - a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes.” PeopleGovernmentUnitedEconomyDemocracyHigherOffersTaxesDeterminePrioritiesKingdomsFranceRangeGermanySocialistPrivate SectorSwedenUnited Kingdom Author:Dick Morris
“We began to temper Western democracy with what I'd call a social contract. We put in Social Security, graduated income tax, workers' compensation. We developed strong unions to negotiate with business owners so workers got an equitable share of the profits.” StrongSocialDemocracyShareSecurityTaxesUnionsWesternWorkersProfitIncomeOwnersContractsTemperSocial SecurityCompensationIncome TaxBusiness OwnersEquitableSocial Contract Author:John Shelby Spong
“India is a huge democracy. Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi has ambitions to try to fix the infrastructure, the rules, taxes, education, and to lift up the Indian people. And we're hopeful that that's going to create positive momentum.” PeopleTryingDemocracyHugeTaxesAmbitionIndiaIndianLiftsMinistersHopefulPrimePrime MinisterInfrastructureMomentum Author:Jamie Dimon
“In a democracy the day when you pay your taxes, April 15, would be a day of celebration, because you're getting together to provide resources for the programs you decided on.” Would BeTogetherPayDemocracyTaxesResourcesProgramDecidedCelebrationApril Author:Noam Chomsky
“In the United States, the day when you pay your taxes is a day of mourning because this alien force - the government - is coming to rob you of your hard-earned money. That's the general attitude, and it's a tremendous victory for the opponents of democracy, and, of course, any privileged sector is going to hate democracy. You can see it in the healthcare debate.” HardStatesGovernmentHateCoursesForceUnitedPayAttitudeUnited StatesDemocracyVictoryTaxesDebateAliensOpponentsMourningHealthcarePrivileged Author:Noam Chomsky
“Relative to the world's other advance democracies, Americans get off easy on tax day. Of the 35 richest countries, the U.S. ranks 32nd in total tax burden.” CountryEasyDemocracyTaxesBurdenRelative Author:T.R. Reid
“We are seeing a working-class, a middle class, which over the last three decades has seen their wages and income stagnate, while the very rich have seen their tax burden lighten in ways not seen in three or four decades. It's a face of a country that we need to look at and understand that inequality is perhaps the greatest threat to our economic recovery and democracy, and in that context we must take action.” CountryActionDemocracyRichEconomicTaxesThreatBurdenRecoveryInequalityMiddle Class Author:Katrina vanden Heuvel
“Trump himself stands to benefit dramatically from the tax cuts. One of the things they're cutting is the alternative minimum tax. Last time we have tax returns for him was in 2005, where he paid about $31 million because of the alternative minimum tax. He won't have to pay that, if this tax bill goes through. So, not only is he reordering our constitutional democracy, he is personally enriching himself - which is not new, because, of course, he's done it ever since he swore an oath to become president of the United States.” DonePresidentDemocracyCuttingTaxesLast TimeOath Author:Keith Ellison
“America's corporate and political elites now form a regime of their own and they're privatizing democracy. All the benefits - the tax cuts, policies and rewards flow in one direction: up.” AmericaFormPoliticalDemocracyCuttingPolicyTaxesBenefitsFlowRewardsCorporateRegimesElitesTax CutsOne Direction Author:Bill Moyers
“No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy - well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will.” WellsLongPresidentPartyBreakDemocracyTaxesCongressRefuseMathSpendingCompromiseWealthyAlliesGovernorsDeficitMonopolyRomneyTax BreaksGovernor Romney Author:Barack Obama