I've always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.
I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the uncomfortable truth that economic interests, particularly oil, play a significant role in political decisions like the Iraq war.
Alan Greenspan's quote sheds light on the often-ignored motivations behind political actions, particularly military interventions. He suggests that the underlying reasons for the Iraq war, particularly the pursuit of oil resources, are widely recognized but remain politically sensitive to discuss openly. This underscores a broader commentary on the intersection of politics and economics, where decisions might prioritize national interests over moral or ethical considerations.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about military intervention, one could use this quote to emphasize the economic motivations behind war.
More from Alan Greenspan
All quotes βThere's no other job in public life that is like chairman of the Fed.
Since 1948 I have spent every single day thinking how the economic and political worlds have changed.
Most high-income people in our country do not realize that their incomes are being subsidized by their protection from competition from highly skilled people who are prevented from immigrating to the United States. But we need such skills in order to staff our productive economy, so that the standard of living for Americans as a whole can grow.
I don't know where the stock market is going, but I will say this, that if it continues higher, this will do more to stimulate the economy than anything we've been talking about today or anything anybody else was talking about.
Every economy exists, no matter what the level of democracy, has elements of crony capitalism. It's - given human nature and given the democratic structures, which we all, I assume, adhere to, that is an inevitable consequence.
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The president - every president - works for us. We don't work for him. We sometimes lose track of this, or rather get the balance wrong. Respect is due and must be palpable, but now and then you have to press, to either force them to be forthcoming or force them to reveal that they won't be.
America must be the teacher of democracy, not the advertiser of the consumer society. It is unrealistic for the rest of the world to reach the American living standard.
Governments are supposed to lie to their citizens.
In a democracy, when you get 20 million people in the street, you resign.
When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.
The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.