Political Quotes

“Arthur Brooks is the head of AEI, American Enterprise Institute, and he has written on the subject of happiness in our country and how we get there. His most recent book is called ``The Battle: How the Fight Between Free Enterprise and Big Government Will Shape America's Future.'' His theme in this article was similar to the one in the book, which is that we have the system we have because Americans have found that it is a system which most leads us to the pursuit of happiness, the achievement of success, and things that are important in our lives. He talks about the fight we are engaged in now about extending the debt ceiling as being a fight against 50-year trends toward statism, which he identifies as a state that would be very disappointing to Americans, where we would not have the ability to pursue our dreams or the same opportunity we have today to be successful if we take risks and to utilize the full potential of the free market system. He says, ``Consider a few facts,'' and this is the one thing I will quote from his article: The Bureau of Economic Analysis tells us that total government spending at all levels has risen to 37 percent of the gross domestic product today from 27 percent in 1960--and is set to reach 50 percent by 2038. The Tax Foundation reports that between 1986 and 2008, the share of Federal income taxes paid by the top 5 percent of earners has risen to 59 percent from 43 percent.…”