You can't give the government the power to do good without also giving it the power to do bad - in fact, to do anything it wants. Harry Browne More Quotes by Harry Browne More Quotes From Harry Browne The free market punishes irresponsibility. Government rewards it. Harry Browne libertarian liberty government Profit is a reward for satisfying the desire of someone else. Harry Browne rewards desire morning It is well known that in war, the first casualty is truth - that during any war truth is forsaken for propaganda. Harry Browne truth-is war firsts When you know that you're capable of dealing with whatever comes, you have the only security the world has to offer. Harry Browne offers capability world If you ask the government to impose morality, then moral questions will be decided by whoever has the most political power. Harry Browne morality political government I say that the Second Amendment doesn't allow for exceptions - or else it would have read that the right "to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, unless Congress chooses otherwise." And because there are no exceptions, I disagree with my fellow panelists who say the existing gun laws should be enforced. Those laws are unconstitutional [and] wrong - because they put you at a disadvantage to armed criminals, to whom the laws are no inconvenience. Harry Browne political gun law Freedom and responsibility aren't interconnected things. They are the same thing. Harry Browne freedom-and-responsibility interconnected responsibility Libertarians know that a free country has nothing to fear from anyone coming in or going out - while a welfare state is scared to death of poor people coming in and rich people getting out. Harry Browne going-out country people Everything we know about human nature and about government tells us that individuals using their own money will achieve far more good for themselves and far more for others than politicians spending money they didn't have to work to earn. Harry Browne human-nature politician government Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, 'See, if it wasn't for us, you couldn't walk.' Harry Browne crutches government hands For those looking for security, be forewarned that there's nothing more insecure than a political promise. Harry Browne insecure political promise Asset forfeiture is a mockery of the Bill of Rights. There is no presumption of innocence, no need to prove you guilty (or even charge you with a crime), no right to a jury trial, no right to confront your accuser, no right to a court-appointed attorney (even if the government has just stolen all your money), and no right to compensation for the property that's been taken. Harry Browne government taken rights We may not always recognize it, but government plays a bigger role in our lives than any other single person or institution. We spend nearly half of our lives working to pay for it. Children spend more time in government schools than they do with their parents. Birth, death, marriage, every area of our lives feels the influence of government. Harry Browne government children school Government seems to operate on the principle that if even one individual is incapable of using his freedom competently, no one can be allowed to be free. Harry Browne liberty government principles The income tax is the biggest single intrusion suffered by the American people. It forces every worker to be a bookkeeper, to open his records to the government, to explain his expenses, to fear conviction for a harmless accounting error. Compliance wastes billions of dollars. It penalizes savings and creates an enormous drag on the U.S. economy. It is incompatible with a free society, and we aren’t libertarians if we tolerate it. Harry Browne errors government people Give politicians power and it certainly will be abused eventually - if not by today's politicians, then by their successors. Harry Browne political today giving The Bill of Rights isn't some legalistic fine print. It was written to make our lives freer, more prosperous, and happier. By forsaking it, America has become no better than any other country in the world. Harry Browne rights country america I want a government small enough to fit inside the Constitution. Harry Browne liberty government want When you give up the hope that some advisor, some system, some source of inside tips is going to give you a shortcut to wealth, you'll finally begin to gain control over your financial future. Harry Browne gains giving-up over-you If a law could keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, there would be virtually no gun crime at all. Harry Browne gun law hands
