Patricia Hewitt Quotes

People have had certain assumptions in the past about Conservative governments, partly because of some of the things that happened in the 1980s, and partly because of the tone of some of the debate in the 1980s that appeared to say public spending on the arts was something you might want to progressively reduce.

I've got money so I'm a Conservative.

In these difficult times, when tough decisions are required, the differences between Labour and the Tories are becoming much clearer. One party believes in intervention to reduce social and economic costs and the other believes in market forces and letting things take their course.

Whichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power.

If you are a Social Democrat, then you think it's cool to pay taxes. For me, taxation is the finest expression for what politics really is.

Past experience with fiscal austerity at home and overseas strongly suggests that it is best for the economy's long-run performance to restrain government spending rather than raise taxes.

Well, the economic recovery was successful even though the Democrats opposed the reforms every step of the way. And it is clear the Democrats have no clear plan to strengthen our economy, as Republicans do.

People question me all the time about my experience. They question my experience in politics, and the first thing I always tell them is yes, I have no experience raising taxes over and over. I have no experience increasing the debt in a state.

Obama's claim is that he wants to give. The GOP is saying it wants to take.

I think the business community is smart enough to realise that just having a trade union is not enough. They are smart enough to know they need to be part of a union that has political and financial power.

If we have an economic crisis in the Western world it's because the government makes up 50 percent or more of the economy. This is a cancer that is taking away people's freedom.

Every diminution of the public burdens arising from taxation gives to individual enterprise increased power and furnishes to all the members of our happy confederacy new motives for patriotic affection and support.

When government grows, it breaks the family.

We talked about many issues, like welfare, is it the way of life or hand up? Talked about size of government, how much should it tax families and small businesses? And when we left that lunch, we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said, 'I'll be damned. we're Republicans.'

I am very concerned about anything that says 'revenue' because let's just be honest; revenue for Democrats has become code for tax increases.

Republicans spend and borrow, Democrats tax and spend.

I'm an economist by training. And I know that what works is a permanent increase in buying power.

In 1991, the government unleashed the power of India and created a partnership between itself and industry. As a result, India has emerged as an economic success story, and that is a matter of pride for all of us.

A liberal is a man who is willing to spend somebody else's money.

It is unfortunately none too well understood that, just as the State has no money of its own, so it has no power of its own.

My background in financial services and my experience as a state representative have given me the ability to identify our country's fiscal problems and find steps to remedy them.

I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.

A nation is not a budget, no matter how much ideologues want it to be so.

There are only two powers that matter in the bureaucracy of Washington: The power to say ‘Here’s your money,” and the power to say “You’re fired!”

Liberals believe government should take people's earnings to give to poor people. Conservatives disagree. They think government should confiscate people's earnings and give them to farmers and insolvent banks.