James Madison Quotes
There is a seeming impropriety in leaving any set of men without control to put their hand into the public coffers, to take out money to put in their pockets.
James Madison, 1751-1836, 4th President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), Statement introducing a requirement that a Congress could not vote itself and immediate raise as the original 2nd Article of the Bill of Rights, 1789
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He was a conservative, Republican Congressman from Georgia when he made this statement complaining about the wast of mmoney by Federal Officials and bureaucrats. The thing that made this common complaint memorable is that several years later, he was appointed by President Donald Trump as Secretary of Health and Human Services. In less than a year in the office, he was forced to resign [fired] in disgrace for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars chartering private airplanes for himself and his staff including one where he spent $25,000 to charter a plane from Washington DC to Philadelphia -- a two hour drive in his government car, less than $100 for the Amtrak train or $10 by the Greayhound bus. The scandal that erupted was made worse by the hypocricy.
He had not committed any felonies, but these charges were laid under the concept of “high crimes and misdemeanors”.
He was one of the few Congressman who never engaged in the shady practice of earmarking appropriations for their own districts, states, constituents and lobbyists who contribute to their campaigns. However, like almost all members of Congress, he was very aggressive in seeking and supporting programs for his district.
The Congressman appeared on the floor of the House wearing a pig's snout and ears:
Viscount Morley of Blackburn
He observed that Saudi Arabia was the only oil rich country that at least modernized itself in spite of the amount wasted on corruption. Bandar’s point was that the bribes enabled the country to transform itself and without the bribes, modernization would have been impossible as in other oil counties.
Ideally, public officials would be honest and work for average societal wages, but historically that has rarely occurred in history after revolutions or major changes where idealism was the major driver for public service. But this, when it exists, tends to fade.
James Madison Jr. was an American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the United States Bill of Rights. He co-wrote The Federalist Papers, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party, and served as the fifth United States Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809.
