Political Quotes

Sen. Paul Simon: “To extinguish a Debt which exists and to avoid contracting more are ideas almost always favored by public feeling and…”

On the recordFebruary 22, 1994
To extinguish a Debt which exists and to avoid contracting more are ideas almost always favored by public feeling and opinion; but to pay Taxes for the one or the other purpose, which are the only means of avoiding the evil, is always more or less unpopular. These contradictions are in human nature. And the lot of a Country would be enviable indeed, in which there were not always men ready to turn them to the account of their own popularity or to make other sinister account.
Said by
Sen. Paul Simon
Illinois

Editor's note · Context

The speaker discusses the historical agreement between Hamilton and Jefferson on public debt and taxation.

Share

More from Sen. Paul Simon

Dec 8, 2014

A rising tide of red ink sinks all boats.

congress.gov
May 23, 1994

I think it is worth reminding ourselves also, as we talk about Martin Luther King, his last effort was in behalf of custodians--janitors, if you will--in Memphis, TN. We have a country today where 23 percent of the children live in…

govinfo.gov
Apr 15, 2019

It ought to be a very rare thing. We can't just be an international Rambo wandering around doing whatever we want regardless of international law.

transcripts.cnn.com
Oct 14, 2026

The offer of funding ... was a last-ditch effort to cover for an inadequate Canadian trade regime that has failed to create a viable market for the products manufactured at Hamilton Works.

thestar.com

Other voices in this conversation