The Difference Between a Thief and a Congressman

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The difference between a thief and a congressman: When a thief steals your money, he doesn’t expect you to thank him.

Walter E. Williams
2008
Liberty Versus the Tyranny of Socialism: Controversial Essays, page 110.
Also, in a 1994 column titled “Government vs. Private Charity.”

There are other differences as well. A thief won’t make innocent actions into criminal acts and tell you it is for your own good.

One could probably make a quite large list of differences indicating that thieves are more honest and honorable than congressmen. But I prefer to just say all politicians are criminal suspects and should be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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11 thoughts on “The Difference Between a Thief and a Congressman”

  2. As some long-ago comedian put it:

    Americans have a horrible reputation overseas… and it’s fair, and it’s not true! 98% of Americans are honest, kind, helpful, hard-working people. It’s only that lousy 2% that give us such a bad reputation overseas.

    On second thought, though, maybe we DESERVE the lousy reputation of that awful 2%. After all… we elected them.

    • Remember that, aside from that lousy (stipulated) 2% that includes the elected officials, the view of America that the rest of the world is filtered through the lens of Los Angeles and New York City based media.

      That filter doesn’t particularly like the rest of America.

      And anyone that knows that “damnyankee” is a single word knows that America isn’t particularly enamored of source of that filter.

      Thus, frequently when someone outside America hates “America”, it turns out that a lot of America also hates the part of “America” that they do.

      This is part of the reason that “[Nationality] visits America: they lied to us” Youtube videos are such a thing, where [Nationality] discovers that so much of what they were given to believe about America-brand Americans just ain’t so. The [Nationalities] that visit the US only to New York City, Disneyland/Los Angeles or the Potemkin village of Disney World don’t get that view.

  3. What should you expect when politicians are simply responding to the demands of the majority to provide them with something they have not earned, have no money for it but want it anyway? Remember the woman, on national TV when Obama was elected, celebrating that she was now going to get her free cell phone? Until the majority understands and accepts that government cannot provide anything they have not already expropriated (or at least the value there of) from individuals, we will never see a difference in this statement, no matter how loudly the minority yells. We WILL get the government we deserve because we (the majority) select it. And if we lose the Republic it will only get worse.

  4. Yes.
    All politicians on their best day are at the very least, extortionists.
    None of them have the slightest quibble with forcing you to give them your hard earned money, (food, clothing, and shelter for your children), at literal gunpoint.
    The covid plandemic told you all you need to know about their true personalities.
    King Ragna in the Vikings said it perfectly; “power always attracts the worst.”
    And the ages have proven that one principal more than any other.
    From Gilgamesh to Donald Trump. And everyone in between. Always the worst.
    Yet we as humans refuse to learn the hard lessons it has tried to teach us.
    Oh well, here we go again.
    P.S. To me the best political system we could have is to hold elections every 50 years. And promptly hang all the winners. Then just go back to just living our lives.

  5. The main difference? A congress-critter has an office.
    (Fulcher’s OK as far as congress-critters go. Risch makes me a bit queasy. Voted for Bundy in ’22 to send Little a message … DJT is a disappointment but still better than the alterntive)

  6. Pingback: Instapundit » Blog Archive » YES, INDEED:  The Difference Between a Thief and a Congressman.

  8. Teddy Roosevelt once said that when the clerk calls the roll, the Senators are unsure whether to answer present or not guilty.

  9. I can’t post the image of the cartoon, which shows a couple of sketchy looking guys with guns, drinking around a table which has money and playing cards, in a basement, while another guy, blindfolded is tied to a chair, off to one side. One huy speaks.
    The text is:

    No, I didn’t say I was thinking of going legit.
    I said I was thinking of running for congress.

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