"In the current political vocabulary, ‘need’ means wanting to get someone else’s money.
‘Greed,’ which used to mean what “need” now means, has come to mean wanting to keep your own.
‘Compassion’ means the politician’s willingness to arrange the transfer."
by:
Joseph Sobran
(1946-2010) American columnist
Source:
The Economics of Liberty (1990);
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Reader comments about this quote:
It is interesting that we as a society have been propagandized to the point that the Welfarian sector is only ever considered as having endless and expanding needs; the Producer sector is regarded as having no needs - only greed.

God only asks for 10% of our wealth and loves a cheerful giver; American socialism currently confiscates about 37% from the working set - 30%
is silently kicked in by the employer so the liberals can delude the economically ignorant populace as to the true cost. Add the Welfarians and the ignorant together and you have endless Democrat electoral victories.
 -- H Rearden, Burr Ridge IL     
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    Mark Twain gave this definition of public servants : "Persons chosen by the people to distribute the graft."
     -- jim k, austin tx     
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    (-: I like it a lot ;-) Way too much truth there. Great comments above also.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    Otherwise known as 'Newspeak.' Everyone has desires, and the pursuit of happiness is considered a natural-born 'right.' But power corrupts -- and the desires for global domination are insatiable. Funny how the People are to be distrusted with their own desires, but the ruling class 'need' us to surrender our power in order for the government to bestow compassion upon the even more powerless. Of course the object is complete domination of ALL people -- they call it 'equality' and 'social justice.' In other words, totalitarianism in whatever form that is socially fashionable at the time.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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     -- Ronw13, Yachats Or      
    Joseph Sobran - Had given a very truthful illumination of how terms have been wrongly re-visioned.
     -- Mary - MI     
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