Q-Marxx

Truth Relief

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."
--James A. Garfield

Republican/Democrat Fundamentals

"The legitimate object of government is to do the community of people whatever they cannot do at all, or cannot do as well for themselves in their separate or individual capacities. In all that people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere."

--Abraham Lincoln

This is the reasoning I consider myself a moderate Republican.  Interesting, though, that the party I voted for in 2004 failed my city under the most extreme circumstances, which correlates with the first line of this quote.  The fundamental problem I have with the Democratic party is that they do not have faith in the people to take care of themselves.  They're too quick to offer a handout.

The Man in the Arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
--Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Citizenship in a Republic’, a speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Since I read this quote about seven years ago, it has been my all time favorite.  It says so much in such a little space.  After reading it the first time, I have always thought to consider the person whose actions I might criticize or praise.  You don't know what it's like until you've been in their shoes.  I would say in most cases we can't fathom what the person had to get through to do what s/he did.  I think due to the conglomeration of media today, we often think that we understand where a person far away is coming from.  However, we more than likely hardly know the person.