Idiotic Government Clich

[Michael Fisher]

"If just one teen sees this and decides illegal drug use is not the path for them, it will be a success," said Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Idiotic Government Clich?s:

"If this saves even one life, it will be worth it."

(feel free to add to this list)

[Michael Fisher]

"If you quit school, you'll have a McJob for the rest of your life."
"You can't get into college unless you graduate from high school."

"Immigration is destroying America."

"Without a government, everyone would live in tribes and kill each other."
"Without a government, there wouldn't be any police, fire department, roads, traffic signals, or garbage service."

"We're a democracy."
"We're making the world safe for democracy."

[Michael Fisher]

"Offense is the best defense."

"America is a free country."

"Muslims only hate us because we're free."
"Why don't the 'real' Muslims protest against the terrorists?"

"(insert next target country's name) has weapons of mass destruction."
"(insert next target country's name) is trying to fool the world."
"(insert next target country's name) is aiding the terrorists."

"If America pulls out of Iraq, it will be a complete disaster."

[AlanM]

And of course the old classic: It's for the children. 

[Caleb]

"We're spreading freedom in Iraq."

"The leader of the free world" gimme a break!

"If you don't like this country, why don't you leave?"

"Tell me one other country that is this free!"

[AlanM]

The Government is there to protect you.

[Spencer]

I, of course, love Thomas Sowell (purely platonically, of course), and he has hit the nail on the head with his column about the "safety zealots" who overregulate using the justification: "If it saves just one life."

Here's a link to full column, but the following are some gems:

Nowhere is the tyranny of visions more absolute than with issues involving safety.
Attempts to talk about costs, trade-offs or diminishing returns are only likely to provoke
safety zealots to respond with something like, "If it saves just one human life, it is worth it!"

That immediately establishes the safety zealot as being on a higher moral plane than those
who stoop to consider crass materialistic costs. And being on a higher plane is what a great
deal of zealotry is all about.

The vision of zealots is not just a vision of the world. It is a vision of themselves as special
people in that world. The down side is that such a heavy ego investment makes reconsideration
of the issues highly unlikely. Ego trumps mundane facts or dry logic.

Safety laws and regulations all have costs — not just money outlays but other restrictions that
reduce the rate of production of wealth. If wealth is itself one of the biggest lifesavers, costly
safety devices cannot automatically be considered justified "if it saves just one human life" when
the wealth it forfeits could have saved many lives.

***

Everything depends on the particular safety rule or device. Some save many lives at small costs
and others save few, if any, lives at huge costs.

Diminishing returns matter as well, though these are seldom taken into account by safety zealots.

Trade-offs and diminishing returns are not the stuff from which heady visions and dramatic crusades
are made. For that you need goals to be reached "at all costs" and a clash between heroes and
villains. This appeals to the young and to those who remain adolescents all their lives.

The realities of life force most of us to grow up, whether we want to or not. But for people
protected from realities by being born rich, or by having lifetime tenure as academics or federal
judges, maturity is optional.

Many of the most extreme safety and environmental crusaders are rich busybodies or academics
and their students, and they are often helped by judges whose rulings allow them to violate other
people's rights while pursuing their own vision.

***

Nothing is categorically safe. But few things are as dangerous as those who are pursuing a safety
vision that ministers to their egos, with the costs being paid by others.

[Michael Fisher]

"We're spreading freedom in Iraq."

"The leader of the free world" gimme a break!

"If you don't like this country, why don't you leave?"

"Tell me one other country that is this free!"

"The land of the free..."  ???

[Michael Fisher]

"Assault Weapon"

"Guns kill."
"Drugs kill."
"(insert inanimate object) kills!"

Neocon: "But what about the poor Iraqi people?"
(a few minutes later)
Neocon: "Stupid Arabs, kill 'em all!"

Neocon: "But don't you support our troops?"
(a few minutes later)
Neocon: "It's their own fault, they knew what they were signing up for!"

"Why is it necessary to be able to buy a gun?" (actual Brady Bunch quote)

The War is Peace collection:
- "Freedom Through Order"
- "Peace Through Strength"
- "Peace Through Superior Firepower"
- "Peace Through Justice"
- "World Peace Through Law"
- "International Peace through International Law"

[Minsk]

"The land of the free..."  ???

Free roads, free police, working on free healthcare. What more do you want?!

Someone needs to start a concerted effort to import "libre" to English, as it's shorter than "free as in freedom".

And to stay on topic: "Tax Benefits"

[Michael Fisher]

And to stay on topic: "Tax Benefits"

ROFL!

[Michael Fisher]

Here's an idiotic Bush clich? for you:

"War on Terra" (literally "War against Earth")

[Michael Fisher]

Some neocon/government clich?s:

"Clinton balanced the budget."

"Americans are sitting ducks right now."

"Arabs are taking over the world."
"Atheists are taking over the world."
"Gays are taking over the country."
"(insert latest target of pointless hatred) are taking over the country/world!"

"9/11 changed everything."
"(insert latest event as an excuse to kill people) changed everything!"

"If we didn't nuke Japan, we'd be speaking Japanese/German/Italian right now!"
"If we don't attack (insert enemy country), we'll be speaking (insert enemy language) some day!"

"France is corrupt!"
"(insert pointlessly hated country) is corrupt!"
(every country is corrupt, so this clich? is always true)

[John]

From a little song:

"Some people say if you don't like it here, why don't you leave
And, if you don't vote then you should not complain . . ."

[John]

I liked this from Mr. Sowell:

"The realities of life force most of us to grow up, whether we want to or not. But for people protected from realities by being born rich, or by having lifetime tenure as academics or federal judges, maturity is optional."