Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens.
Thomas SowellRead
In short, killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy, so long as the goose does not die before the next election and no one traces the politicians’ fingerprints on the murder weapon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques short-sighted political strategies that prioritize immediate gains over long-term consequences.
In this quote, Thomas Sowell uses the metaphor of 'killing the goose that lays the golden egg' to illustrate how politicians may exploit valuable resources for short-term electoral gain, neglecting the negative consequences that could affect future outcomes. It highlights a morally questionable approach where immediate benefits are pursued without regard for sustainability or responsibility, as long as the repercussions are postponed until after the election.
Themes
PoliticsStrategyConsequencesMoralityShortsightedness
In practice
Example use cases
In a political debate about budget cuts, one might say, 'We cannot afford to kill the goose that lays the golden egg for immediate savings.'
More from Thomas Sowell
All quotes →Blacks were not enslaved because they were black but because they were available. Slavery has existed in the world for thousands of years. Whites enslaved other whites in Europe for centuries before the first black was brought to the Western hemisphere. Asians enslaved Europeans. Asians enslaved other Asians. Africans enslaved other Africans, and indeed even today in North Africa, blacks continue to enslave blacks.
Thomas SowellRead
One of the reasons for conspiracy theories is an assumption that people in high places always know what they are doing. When they do something that makes no sense, devious reasons are imagined by conspiracy theorists, when in fact it may be due to plain old ignorance and incompetence.
Thomas SowellRead
You will never understand bureaucracies until you understand that for bureaucrats procedure is everything and outcomes are nothing.
Thomas SowellRead
The real problem, both in discussions of mass shootings and in discussions of gun control, is that too many people are too committed to a vision to allow mere facts to interfere with their beliefs, and the sense of superiority that those beliefs give them.
Thomas SowellRead
Why is history important? Without history, many people have no idea how many of today's half-baked ideas have been tried, again and again - and have repeatedly led to disaster. Most of these ideas are not new. They are just being recycled with re-treaded rhetoric.
Thomas SowellRead
Similar quotes
Aristocrats fear the people, and wish to transfer all power to the higher classes of society.
Thomas JeffersonRead
France has no friends, only interests.
Charles De GaulleRead
A man without a vote is man without protection.
Lyndon B. JohnsonRead
The authority and influence of France on the world scene in the 21st century will not depend solely on its modernity and cohesion, nor even on the continuity and professionalism of its foreign policy. France will be heeded if it has a message to convey. Faced with the temptations of laissez-faire, France must stand out as the nation with the imagination and determination to pursue an ambition that combines cogency with generosity.
Jacques ChiracRead
Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.
Dalton TrumboRead
That no government, so called, can reasonably be trusted, or reasonably be supposed to have honest purposes in view, any longer than it depends wholly upon voluntary support.
Lysander SpoonerRead