Why Government Doesn't Work: on Homeland Security


War destroys without resolving issues

It’s easy to ignore [past government] failures all about us as we imagine that the next scheme will operate efficiently and fairly. This blindness afflicts people still hoping to make the world safe for democracy. WWI didn’t convince them otherwise. Nor did WWII. One can support the newest foreign military adventure only by ignoring the wreckage left by all previous military adventures.
After the 1991 war against Iraq ended, many people continued to feel the US had been right to become involved. Some of them said, in effect, “Going to war was the right thing to do, but it didn’t settle anything because the US didn’t go all the way and remove Saddam Hussein from power.” So, despite killing thousands of people and spending billions of dollars, the war failed to settle matters. Why? because the government mishandled the project. But when has the government handled anything correctly? Was is just one more government program.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by H. Browne, p. 26-27 Jul 2, 1995

Wars have historically established nothing

Politicians always justify war as being necessary for the greater good. They speak movingly of giving one’s life for one’s country. But it’s always someone else’s life they’re talking about.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p.140 Jul 2, 1995

6-point plan to get government out of war programs

    There is so much we can do to avoid war-to assure that America’s youth never go to war again, and that our lives and homes are secure against foreign attack:
  1. End all loans & giveaways to foreign governments & international agencies. Stopping giveaways keeps our government from taking sides in foreign disputes.
  2. Get out of all alliances, treaties, & international organizations. America doesn’t need to be a joiner to have good relations with the rest of the world.
  3. End all arms sales by the government.
  4. Open our markets to goods & services from all over the world. Nothing could do more to give foreign people a vested interest in keeping the peace with us.
  5. When a foreign leader threatens the US, announce that carrying out any warlike act against us will lead to a multi-million-dollar reward for his assassination.
  6. Establish a defense that protects against missiles launched from anywhere in the world-a system built by private companies competing for a reward.
Source: Why Government Doesn’t Work, by Harry Browne, p.158 Jul 2, 1995

  • The above quotations are from Why Government Doesn't Work: How Reducing Government Will Bring Us Safer Cities Better Schools, by Harry Browne.
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019