If the Tenth Amendment were still taken seriously, most of the federal government's present activities would not exist. That's why no one in Washington ever mentions it.
Thomas WoodsRead
Government has a habit of blaming the private sector for its own failings while taking credit for advances we in fact owe to the private sector.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Government often shifts responsibility for its shortcomings to the private sector while claiming credit for its accomplishments.
In this quote, Thomas Woods critiques the tendency of government entities to deflect blame onto businesses and private organizations when things go wrong, yet they readily take credit for positive developments that are primarily driven by the innovation and efficiency found in the private sector. This reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the roles and interactions between public and private institutions in a functioning economy.
Themes
GovernmentPrivate SectorBlameCreditEconomy
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate, I might reference this quote to illustrate how government policies impact economic growth.
More from Thomas Woods
All quotes βOne of the market's virtues, and the reason it enables so much peaceful interaction and cooperation among such a great variety of peoples, is that it demands of its participants only that they observe a relatively few basic principles, among them honesty, the sanctity of contracts, and respect for private property.
Thomas WoodsRead
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