Quotes

Walter E. Williams on Democracy

Walter E. Williams

“Some say that big government is what the majority of voters want and that in a democracy the majority rules.  But America’s Founders didn’t found a democracy, they founded a Republic.  The Founders knew how democracy had led to tyranny.  Instead, they set up a limited government, with checks and balances.  Unaware of the distinction between a democracy and a republic, many today believe that a majority consensus establishes morality.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Another common argument is that we need big government to protect the little guy from corporate giants.  But a corporation can’t pick a consumer’s pocket.  The consumer must voluntarily pay money for the corporation’s product.  It is big government, not corporations, that have the p0wer to take our money by force.  It should also be mentioned that private business can force us to pay them by employing government.  To see this happening look at GM or manufacturers that employ government to establish tariffs to keep out competition, or organized labor that thinks government should protect their jobs from non-union competition.  So it is a big government that the little guy needs protection against, not big business.”

  -  Walter E. Williams

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Walter E. Williams on Government Programs

Walter E. Williams

“Congressmen and Senators don’t reach into their own pockets to pay for a government program.  They reach into yours and mine.  The only way government can give one American a dollar in the name of this or that GOOD thing is by taking it from some other American by force.  The question we have to ask ourselves is whether there is a moral basis for forcibly taking the rightful property of one person and giving it to another to whom it does not belong.  I cannot think of one.  Charity is noble and GOOD when it involves reaching into your own pocket.  But reaching into someone else’s pocket is wrong.”

  -  Walter Williams

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