William F. Buckley, Jr.

[Steeltime]

I grew up watching a show called "Firing Line," on PBS. That show provided the William F. Buckley, Jr. a forum to proffer his views. Bill Buckley was in my estimation one of the most underrated public figures in terms of how well he predicted future events, and warned against the present Government-centric economy at the core of our country.

Some great Buckley quotations bear reference here:

"Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views."

"One must bear in mind that the expansion of federal activity is a form of eating for politicians."

"Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich."

"Government can't do anything for you except in proportion as it can do something to you."

"I will not cede more power to the state. I will not willingly cede more power to anyone, not to the state, not to General Motors, not to the CIO. I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth. That is a program of sorts, is it not? It is certainly program enough to keep conservatives busy, and liberals at bay. And the nation free."

To Michael Kinsley of "Nation" magazine, a regular on his "Firing Line" show: "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said."

"I would like to electrocute everyone who uses the word 'fair' in connection with income tax policies."

"I would rather be governed by the first three hundred names in the Boston telephone book than by the Faculty of Harvard University."

"Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out."

Bill Buckley, Milton Friedman, and Ronald Reagan are the reasons I am a conservative, and will remain forever so.

 

[CharlesDavenport]

Buckley was awesome. Those are great quotes. This one is keeper - "I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.".

 

[21STEELERS21]

Problem is globalization has made Buckley, Friedman and Reagan obsolete. When economics changes, you need to adjust your thinking accordingly.
Problem with conservatives is they never think their views need to be adjusted, no matter how the world changes around them.

 

[Steeltime]

Problem is globalization has made Buckley, Friedman and Reagan obsolete. When economics changes, you need to adjust your thinking accordingly.
Problem with conservatives is they never think their views need to be adjusted, no matter how the world changes around them.

Yes, of course, if only Friedman and Buckley were as smart as you.

Reagan described the problem with liberals perfectly: "They believe a lot of things that are just not true."

 

[Superman]

21STEELERS21 - I just looked on the NY Times Best Seller list. When does your book come out?

 

[21STEELERS21]

Actually Buckley would have been one of the first conservatives to realize world economics was changing and his viewpoints
needed to adjust accordingly. That's the problem with him not being around today, he can't alert others to the fact their
viewpoints need to change as well.

I'm targeting for my book to release as the 2016 primaries begin. That should throw a number of candidates for a loop.

 

[IndySteel]

I'm targeting for my book to release as the 2016 primaries begin. That should throw a number of candidates for a loop.

Will we find this book in the comedy section or the fiction section?

 

[Rod Farva]

Problem is globalization has made Buckley, Friedman and Reagan obsolete. When economics changes, you need to adjust your thinking accordingly.
Problem with conservatives is they never think their views need to be adjusted, no matter how the world changes around them.

And the problem with liberals is they never think there's any issue that doesn't require change and that the change must align with their thoughts on the subject or it's invalid.....as someone or other once said "Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views."

Reagan in death has more actual relevance than ANY living liberal, imo.

Will we find this book in the comedy section or the fiction section?

Bargain bin

 

[Steeltime]

Actually Buckley would have been one of the first conservatives to realize world economics was changing and his viewpoints
needed to adjust accordingly. That's the problem with him not being around today, he can't alert others to the fact their
viewpoints need to change as well.

Jesus Christ, he died in 2008, not 1888. If there was some monumental shift in the way the world worked as of 2008 or before, he apparently forgot to tell us.

Thank heavens you are here for that task.