Government Assistance, Government Grants, Government Funding, Government Benefits Quotes

× Warning! Listed quotes will be limited to the maximum of 1000 results. Please use the search page and refine your search criteria.


This is an excellent statement of an ultra conservative view of welfare where the welfare recipient is “punished” for succeeding by losing all or part of the welfare payment. On the other side is a need based philosophy. If someone is in need, welfare will help. But once the person is on his feet and no longer has the degree of need, the welfare payment is ended and the funds are available for someone else is in need.


The quotation about the relationship of the government and the people is from a famous veto message of Grover Cleveland—see {563567}. Unlike some other religious organizations which seek and sometimes pressure government for funds with which they can administer welfare and other needed social services, the Mormons are strong advocates of the separation of church and state. They fund their own extensive set of social services and as this quote illustrates even discourages their members from participating in Government social programs.


Even in democratic America, this has been true. We spend almost any amount of money to give our military the weapons of war that will make them more effective soldiers, but when they return with mental and physical wounds, government money is not so easy to come by to preserve them in good health. Cost is a major consideration in Veterans benefits and care, but weapons expenditures have little restraint. It has been so for many years in many cultures.


Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton gin, tried his hand as a gun manufacturer early in the history of the new nation. He persuaded President Thomas Jefferson that he could manufacture muskets with interchangeable parts in an era where each gun was made uniquely and there were no “spare parts.” So Whitney was the first of the American Defense Contractors. He was also the first to fail to deliver on his contract. His guns were years late and when they were finally delivered, they were very expensive and worse, not very good. The reason that this quotation is cited is that while Irvine was trying to recover the taxpayer’s money, Whitney visited the Secretaries of State and War as well as President Madison and members of Congress. The result was to give Whitney another chance and another big order for 15,000 guns. Even Whitney later admitted that these were not very good. Some argue that this quotation shows that nothing has changed much in military procurement and defense spending.