1. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson

2. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

-- George Bernard Shaw

3. Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

4. If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

-- Mark Twain

5. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!

-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

6. In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

-- Voltaire (1764)

7. Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!

-- Pericles (430 B.C.)

8. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.

-- Mark Twain

9. Talk is cheap... except when Congress does it.

-- Anonymous

10. The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.

-- Mark Twain

11. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.

-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

Source: received by email

From the text “On Government and Politicians” one might correctly infer that

(001) Mark Twain suggests that members of Congress are idiots.

(002) government, politics and politicians are highly regarded by the authors.

(004) O'Rourke believes that governments should have more access to money and power.

(008) you must read a newspaper to be uninformed.

(016) politics has been debated before Christian times.