May 10, 2002
SUBJECT: Spending Money
When people spend their own money on themselves, they are careful about how much they spend and about what they spend it on. If people spend their own money on others, they are careful about how much they spend, but not as careful about what they spend it on. If people spend other peoples money on themselves, they are not careful about how much they spend, but they are careful about what they spend it on. If people spend other people's money on other people they are not careful about the amount of money they spend, nor are they careful about what they spend it on. That is government.
(One of the "Snowflake" memos written by Donald Rumsfeld during his tenure as U.S. Secretary of defense, from Harper's Magazine, May 2011).
Ok guys let's spend a billion dollars of Dick Cheney's money looking for WMDs at Rumsfeld's house.
ReplyDeleteThe statement is absolutely true and it's good to see a public servant aware of this. But I think the saying originated with someone other than Mr. Rumsfeld.
ReplyDelete-Chipper
That sounds so Rumsfeld, doesn't it? He has all the world figured out and pigeonholed into his little pseudo-philosophical sayings.
ReplyDeleteThis attitude toward money is true of children. I'm working on my kids as best I can right now. But mature, thoughtful adults are careful about anyone's money and goods.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great soundbite, but is it true? Anecdotes != truth.
ReplyDelete”This attitude towards money is true of children... thoughtful adults are careful about anyone's money and goods"
ReplyDeleteThen we have a lot of... Childish? Immature? Thoughtless? Adults around the world then...
Yeah, that is Rummie parroting the neocon/Reaganiomics government-hating bile that has been ruining our country for the last 30 years.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds reasonable, but the real end-game is that they want to destroy the government that serves and protects Joe Main Street from the oligarchs and corporations. Without unions (which they targeted early on) and effective regulatory departments, the populace has no capacity to fight the ultra-rich and corporate wealth. As it stands now, we are on the brink of having no effective government at all, and the abuses that brought about the 2008 economic collapse will are still un-fixed, and it is getting worse.
When they finally destroy Medicare and Social Security, their work will be done, and Americans will be completely powerless.
All this crap is a veneer or reasonableness to cover for the theft of America.