A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'
Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the shifting justifications for collectivism based on economic conditions, revealing a paradox in political rhetoric.
William F. Buckley, Jr.'s quote highlights the irony in the political discourse surrounding collectivism, where the necessity for collective action is argued differently based on societal wealth. In the 1930s, the call for collectivization stemmed from economic hardship, but in contemporary times, it is suggested that such measures are needed due to the affluence of the people, suggesting that the motivations for collectivization are less about addressing poverty and more about exerting control regardless of the economic context.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about government intervention in the economy, this quote can illustrate the complexities and contradictions in policy rationale.
More from William F. Buckley, Jr.
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I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.
One must bear in mind that the expansion of federal activity is a form of eating for politicians.
I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.
You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.
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History is a pact between the dead, the living, and the yet unborn.
In a state where corruption abounds, laws must be very numerous.
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