Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
P. J. O'RourkeRead
Government proposes, bureaucracy disposes. And the bureaucracy must dispose of government proposals by dumping them on us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote criticizes how government proposals are often hindered or mismanaged by bureaucracy, leading to negative consequences for the public.
P. J. O'Rourke highlights the disconnect between government intentions and bureaucratic processes. He suggests that while the government may put forth innovative or necessary proposals, the bureaucratic machinery often stifles these ideas, ultimately burdening citizens instead of benefiting them. This commentary reflects a skepticism towards the effectiveness of bureaucratic systems in realizing the goals of governance.
Themes
GovernmentBureaucracyProposalsPublicPolitics
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate about government inefficiencies.
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I spend my days kneeling in the muck of language, feeling around for gooey verbs, nouns, and modifiers that I can squash together to make a blob of a sentence that bears some likeness to reason and sense.
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Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine.
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Hubris is one of the great renewable resources.
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