Life is a near-death experience.
George CarlinRead
Have you ever wondered why Republicans are so interested in encouraging people to volunteer in their communities? It’s because volunteers work for no pay. Republicans have been trying to get people to work for no pay for a long time.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the tendency of certain politicians to promote volunteerism as a way to reduce the need for paid work.
George Carlin's quote highlights the irony in how certain political ideologies, particularly those aligned with Republicans in this context, promote volunteerism as a noble pursuit while simultaneously benefiting from the labor of those who work without compensation. It suggests that this advocacy is not purely altruistic but serves to diminish the importance of paid labor and the value of workers' rights.
In practice
This quote can be used in a political debate about the implications of volunteerism versus paid employment.
Life is a near-death experience.
Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car."
If you've got a cat and a leg, you've got a happy cat. If you've got a cat and two legs, you've got a party.
This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen.
Some people try to get out of jury duty by lying. You don't have to lie. Tell the judge the truth. Tell him you'd make a terrific juror because you can spot guilty people.
Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.
We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.
Democracy is the most demanding of all forms of government in terms of the energy, imagination, and public spirit required of the individual.
In February 2004, the two traditional torturers of Haiti - France and the United States - combined to back a military coup and send President Aristide off to Africa. The U.S. denies him permission to return to the entire region.
What we have ignored is what citizens can do and the importance of real involvement of the people involved - versus just having somebody in Washington make a rule.
If economic progress is not translated into better quality of life and respect for citizens' rights, we will witness more Tahrir Squares in Africa.
A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues.
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