“I am amazed that Congressmen can pass a bill imposing severe penalties on anyone who burns the American flag, whereas they are responsible for burning that for which the flag stands: the United States as a territory, as a people, and as a biological manifestation. That is an example of our perennial confusion of symbols with realities.” PeopleStatesRealityUnitedUnited StatesExampleResponsibleBillsConfusionSymbolsBurningManifestationTerritoryFlagsPenaltiesAmazedSevereImposingCongressmanAmerican Flag Author:Alan Watts
“Because the bill in reserving a certain parcel of land in the United States for the use of said Baptist Church comprises a principle and a precedent for the appropriation of funds of the United States for the use and support of religious societies, contrary to the article of the Constitution which declares that "Congress shall make no law respecting a religious establishment."” SaidStatesUseLawCertainChurchReligiousUnitedPrinciplesUnited StatesSupportAtheismLandConstitutionBillsCongressPositive AtheismContraryFundArticlesEstablishmentBaptistsPrecedentAppropriationParcel Book:The Writings of James Madison: 1808-1819 Source: The Writings of James Madison: 1808-1819
“To the Baptist Churches on Neal's Greek on Black Creek, North Carolina I have received, fellow-citizens, your address, approving my objection to the Bill containing a grant of public land to the Baptist Church at Salem Meeting House, Mississippi Territory. Having always regarded the practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government as essential to the purity of both, and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, I could not have otherwise discharged my duty on the occasion which presented itself” StatesGovernmentReligionHouseBlackChurchUnitedUnited StatesLandDutyCitizensEssentialsConstitutionFellowsBillsMeetingsPracticalsOccasionsGreekPurityDistinctionAddressesGrantsTerritoryBaptistsObjectionsMississippiCarolinaContainingNorth CarolinaConstitution Of The United StatesCreeksApprovingSalemPublic Lands Author:James Madison
“I've been a strong supporter of public financing my whole career. I'm the first guy to introduce a public financing bill to the United States Senate in 1973.” FirstsStatesWholeGuyStrongUnitedCareersUnited StatesBillsSenateIntroducingSupporterFinancing Author:Joe Biden
“The ban doesn't have anything to do with Livestrong or my ability to work in [the cancer] community. Perhaps it speeds it up. I don't know the examples in Great Britain of athletes who have fallen. I know the examples in the United States - the Tiger Woods, the Michael Vicks, even the Bill Clintons - people who are still out there able to work.” PeopleKnowsStillsStatesAbleCommunityAbilityUnitedUnited StatesExampleBillsClintonAthleteCancerWoodsSpeedFallenBritainTigersBansGreat BritainMichael Vick Author:Lance Armstrong
“[T]he bill exceeds the rightful authority to which governments are limited by the essential distinction between civil and religious functions, and violates in particular the article of the Constitution of the United States which declares that Congress shall make no law respecting a religious establishment.... This particular church, therefore, would so far be a religious establishment by law, a legal force and sanction being given to certain articles in its constitution and administration.” StatesGovernmentLawCertainGivenForceChurchReligiousUnitedUnited StatesAtheismParticularEssentialsAuthorityFunctionConstitutionBillsCongressPositive AtheismAdministrationDistinctionArticlesEstablishmentExceedSanctionsConstitution Of The United States Author:James Madison
“I'm completely fascinated by the health-care debate going on in the United States, especially by posters of Obama with a little mustache drawn on his upper lip. Is that what Hitler is really known for, his health-care plan? To quote Bill Maher, "I haven't seen this many pissed-off old white people since they cancelled 'Murder She Wrote.'"” PeopleLittlesStatesCareWhiteUnitedKnownUnited StatesPlansHavensMurderBillsLipsDebateHealth CareFascinatedPostersPissed OffMustache Author:David Sedaris
“My legislation would cut off all funding for trials of anyone from Guantanamo in any court in the United States of America. This bill would help stop the misguided plan to put Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 terrorists on trial in Downtown Manhattan.” StatesHelpingAmericaUnitedUnited StatesCuttingPlansBillsCourtTerroristTrialsUnited States Of AmericaLegislationFundingManhattanMisguidedDowntownGuantanamo Author:Peter King
“One thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they've already racked up. If Congress refuses to give the United States the ability to pay its bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy could be catastrophic.” IfsGivingShouldStatesAbilityUnitedPayUnited StatesEconomyOne ThingConsequenceBillsCongressRefuseCompromiseGlobal Economy Author:Barack Obama
“The following [addition to the Bill of Rights] would have pleased me: The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or otherwise to publish anything but false facts affecting injuriously the life, liberty or reputation of others, or affecting the peace of the [United States] with foreign nations.” PeopleWritingStatesFactsSpeakNationsUnitedLibertyUnited StatesRightsBillsFollowingReputationPublishDeprivedBill Of Rights Author:Thomas Jefferson
“Bill Clinton, who, to his credit, has established a clear and consistent foreign policy, which is as follows: Whenever the president of the United States gets anywhere near any foreign head of state, living or dead, he gives that leader a big old hug. This has proven to be an effective way to get foreign leaders to do what we want: Many heads of state are willing to sign any random document that President Clinton thrusts in front of them, without reading it, just so he will stop embracing them.” WayWantGivingStatesBigsReadingPresidentUnitedLeaderUnited StatesClearFrontsPolicyWillingBillsClintonCreditConsistentForeign PolicyHugDocumentsProvenThrustPresident ClintonHead Of State Book:Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus Source: Dave Barry Is from Mars and Venus
“If the 1,990-page House Health Care Bill becomes law, the average American will receive worse health care, American physicians will decline in status and income, American medical innovation will dramatically slow down and pharmaceutical discoveries will decline in number and quality. And, of course, the economy of the United States will deteriorate, perhaps permanently.” IfsStatesCareLawCoursesHouseUnitedNumbersQualityUnited StatesEconomyPagesDiscoveryInnovationDown AndBillsAverageMedicalIncomeHealth CareDeclinePhysiciansSlow DownPharmaceutical Author:Dennis Prager
“We've seen a massive attack on the freedom of the web. Governments are realizing the power of this medium to organize people and they are trying to clamp down across the world, not just in places like China and North Korea; we're seeing bills in the United States, in Italy, all across the world.” PeopleWorldTryingStatesGovernmentRealizingUnitedUnited StatesSeeingBillsChinaMediumsMassiveOrganizeKoreaNorth Korea Author:Sergey Brin
“Hillary Clinton, our junior senator from New York, announced that she has no intentions of ever, ever running for office of the President of the United States. Her husband, Bill Clinton, is bitterly disappointed. He is crushed. There go his dreams of becoming a two-impeachment family.” TwoStatesDreamRunningPresidentUnitedUnited StatesNew YorkBecomingHusbandOfficeBillsIntentionClintonDisappointedSenatorsJuniorsCrushedImpeachmentRunning For Office Author:David Letterman
“I never thought that Bill Clinton should be the president. When he was running to be the president of the United States, he said on over a hundred occasions, he said the following: He said, 'One of the great accomplishments while I was the governor of Arkansas, was to take my state in education from 50th to 49th.' And I thought, ' you know, Bill, you should keep that a secret.” KnowsShouldSaidStatesRunningPresidentUnitedSecretUnited StatesHundredBillsClintonFollowingOccasionsAccomplishmentGovernorsArkansasGreat Accomplishment Author:Lewis Black
“One of the high spots of the decade for me was offering the bill which culminated in the tax act of 1986, which brought rates down. That was the most difficult problem to solve: how to make the tax system of the United States more fair. We tried to make it simpler, but we failed on that one.” StatesProblemDifficultUnitedUnited StatesTaxesFairsBillsRateSolveDecadesSpotsOfferingTax SystemDifficult Problems Author:Donald T. Regan