America

"Turning $100 into $110 is work. Turning $100,000,000 into $110,000,000 is inevitable."

"It is in the nature of democratic institutions, that they presuppose at least a minimal willingness to abide by the rules of democratic principles.  But it is extremely dangerous, either in the name of "civility" or "bipartisanship," to yield to those who seek nothing less than the destruction of democracy—a point drivin home by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels's harsh reference to the "stupidity" of democracy, Goebbels proclaimed: "It will always remain one of democracy’s best jokes that it provided its mortal enemies with the means by which it was destroyed."

                     -- The Coming of the Third Reich

“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.”

"The next Monday the class discussed socialism and capitalism. John proposed that only bees, termites and ants were true socialists and that, fundamentally, capitalists get it wrong because the one true fact about wealth was that it was finite like the material universe; and therefore the accrual of wealth did double duty as an engine of poverty."

"Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms [of government] those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny."

"He was a man of many ideals and no principals."
                    -- An Historian's description of Woodrow Wilson.

"What the Iron Maiden was to stupid tyrants, the committee is to the wise; less messy, considerably more efficient, and, best of all, you had to force people to climb inside the Iron Maiden."

"When they took the fourth amendment, I was silent because I don't deal drugs. When they took the sixth amendment, I kept quiet because I know I'm innocent. When they took the second amendment, I said nothing  because I don't own a gun. Now they've come for the first amendment, and I can't say anything at all.”