# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 506
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10101 "2013-07-22T19:34:56Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Oh wait, I found one: [Congress Repeals Financial Disclosure Requirements For Senior U.S. Officials](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/12/177063450/congress-repeals-financial-disclosure-requirements-for-senior-u-s-officials) > > The ick factor pretty much applies to both parties here, but there you go: Congress may now be judged. I’m going home, stream Mars Attacks, and root for the Martians. They disintegrated Congress, they can’t be all bad. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10102 "2013-07-22T21:39:32Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Oh wait, I found one: [Congress Repeals Financial Disclosure Requirements For Senior U.S. Officials](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/12/177063450/congress-repeals-financial-disclosure-requirements-for-senior-u-s-officials) > > The ick factor pretty much applies to both parties here, but there you go: Congress may now be judged. There was that one line about voting oneself largesse from the State, I can’t remember whom it was attributed to, but it comes to mind regardless. Except now it’s voting oneself amnesty from voting themselves largesse from whomever. Times, they have a-changed, eh ? Brave new world we live in. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10103 "2013-07-22T21:42:44Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > OK, I got a gun, and you got ten seconds to decide: suck off a goat, or boink Ann Coulter. Nine, eight, seven… Back in \*my \*day, we were magnanimous and always allowed for the “or eat a bowl of shit” option. See ? The times, they done have a-changed. Harsher times, now. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10104 "2013-07-22T22:27:36Z")
Could I drink a bowl of shit instead? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10105 "2013-07-22T23:08:05Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > There was that one line about voting oneself largesse from the State, I can’t remember whom it was attributed to, but it comes to mind regardless. That one [is misattributed](http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/athenian.asp) (and with intentional dishonesty, it appears) to [Alexander Fraser Tytler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Tytler), or sometimes to “Alexander Tyler”. [Here’s](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler) the actual source, probably: > [@](#): > > **Misattributed** > > “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy.” > The earliest known attribution of this quote was December 9, 1951, in what appears to be an op-ed piece in The Daily Oklahoman under the byline Elmer T. Peterson, Elmer T. Peterson (9 December 1951). “This is the Hard Core of Freedom”. Daily Oklahoman: p. 12A.. The quote has not been found in Tytler’s work. It has also been attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville. > There are many variants circulating with various permutations of majority, voters, citizens, or public. Ronald Reagan is known to have used this in speeches, as reported in Loren Collins, “The Truth About Tytler”: > Other variants: > The American Republic will endure until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money. > The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money. It would be a lie even if Tytler had said it. Some republics in human history have been destroyed or self-destructed, but never by way of the people voting themselves too much largess from the treasury. See also: > [@](#): > > “The historical cycle seems to be: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more.” > From 1943 speech Industrial Management in a Republic, Prentis, Jr., Henning Webb (1943). Industrial Management in a Republic. Newcomen Society in North America. p. 22. by H. W. Prentis, president of the Armstrong Cork Company and former president of the National Association of Manufacturers. > This quote sometimes appears joined with the above one, most notably as part of a longer piece which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election (“The Fall of the Athenian Republic,” Urban Legends Reference Pages): > > A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. > The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; > From spiritual faith to great courage; > From courage to liberty; > From liberty to abundance; > From abundance to complacency; > From complacency to apathy; > From apathy to dependence; > From dependence back into bondage. That has never actually happened, either. What Tytler **actually** said about democracy was: > [@](#): > > It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is of contending elements of vice and virtue, and ever mainly influenced by the predominant principle of self-interest. It may, indeed, be confidently asserted, that there never was that government called a republic, which was not ultimately ruled by a single will, and, therefore, (however bold may seem the paradox,) virtually and substantially a monarchy. Which just makes him sound like a clever idiot, now. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10106 "2013-07-23T01:41:27Z")
Oh, for fuck’s sake! Just how stupid ARE these people? [quote=] Republican legislators in the House are hitting the Obama administration for regulations on ceiling fans. Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) claim that potential new standards to conserve energy would drive up prices and hurt American consumers. “First, they came for our healthcare, then they took away our light bulbs, and raided our nation’s most iconic guitar company – now they are coming after our ceiling fans," said Blackburn in a statement, referring to regulations on light bulb efficiency and a 2011 Justice Department raid on Gibson Guitars to confiscate wood it claimed was illegally obtained. Read more: [http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/310223-gop-lawmakers-decry-ceiling-fan-regulations#ixzz2ZpK4sioB](http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/310223-gop-lawmakers-decry-ceiling-fan-regulations#ixzz2ZpK4sioB) [/quote] Okay, Hunter Fans is in Blackburn’s district, and they do like their fans that look like they were made 100 years ago, with century-old motors and flat, plywood blades, but a modern motor would fit in that case and a more-aerodynamic shaping of the blades could still look as antiquey as shit while improving efficiency and reducing noise, which tend to go hand-in-hand anyway. But such bald-faced pandering to a single corporate constituent is par for the course in politics. What pisses me off is that NOBODY IS TAKING AWAY ANYBODY’S FAN!!! This scare tactic is so very stupid that I would hope that she understands that this legislation only affects NEW fans, but I know so many people who jump to similar conclusions that I have no hope left. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qro7oBzUBos/hqdefault.jpg "PLAN NINE: "Your Stupid Minds! Stupid! Stupid!"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qro7oBzUBos) As for compact fluorescents, it may be financed by our local electrical utility to reduce consumption so they don’t need to build another powerplant, but Dollar Tree has four “60W” CFLs for a buck. Industry, retailing, and I have something we can agree on. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10107 "2013-07-23T07:15:45Z")
So the shit finally hit the fan, **dropzone**? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10108 "2013-07-23T13:52:39Z")
Allen West [explains](http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/07/21/allen-west-no-one-ever-followed-me-mall-or-clutched-their-bag-when-i-got-elevator) that he never had any problems with racism because he was just too gosh-darn respectful. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10109 "2013-07-23T13:57:39Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > Oh wait, I found one: [Congress Repeals Financial Disclosure Requirements For Senior U.S. Officials](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/12/177063450/congress-repeals-financial-disclosure-requirements-for-senior-u-s-officials) > > The ick factor pretty much applies to both parties here, but there you go: Congress may now be judged. In fairness, the act still applies to Congresscritters. They exempted congressional and executive staffers, not themselves. > [@silenus](#): > > Could I drink a bowl of shit instead? How will you know the difference? ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10110 "2013-07-23T19:11:07Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Could I drink a bowl of shit instead? [/QUOTE] > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > How will you know the difference? With the bowl of shit, the bad taste in your mouth eventually goes away. (Although that’s also probably true of the goat felching option.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10111 "2013-07-23T19:27:15Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of a bowl of yeast shit, appropriately distilled. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10112 "2013-07-23T19:51:14Z")
Steven King, speaking to _Newsmucks_ on the Dream Act… > [@](#): > > …Iowa conservative Republican Congressman Steve King said in an interview with Newsmax that for every valedictorian DREAMer who has been brought to this country by his or her family, “…there’s another 100 out there who, they weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.”… ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10113 "2013-07-23T23:00:12Z")
Hat tip to [Dick Destiny’s blog](http://dickdestiny.com/blog1/?p=15797): [NC Senate introduced new limits on voting](http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2013/07/23/worse-than-imagined-voter-suppression-bill-emerges/#more-50868). Among my favorites: > [@](#): > > [ul] > [li]Authorizes vigilante poll observers, lots of them, with expanded range of interference.[/li] > [li]Voter can be challenged by any registered voter of the county rather than the precinct.[/li][/ul] Per Dick’s comment on the latter, “That’s called a straight invitation to a brawl, the GOP’s way of waging its cold Civil War 2 out in the counties.” update – Ninjaed by \*\*elucidator \*\*in another thread ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10114 "2013-07-23T23:35:07Z")
He actually said “calves the size of cataloupes”… -\_-; ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10115 "2013-07-23T23:40:12Z")
Sounds like King might be the next one out of the tighty-righty closet. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10116 "2013-07-24T09:17:33Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > He actually said “calves the size of cataloupes”… -\_-; “…flexing and unflexing as he walks, with a thin sheen of perspiration glistening in the morning sun. They’d be named something exotic like ‘Reynaldo’ and have a full black mustache above their strong, masculine lips…sorry, what were we talking about again?” ---
**Author:** ![sylmar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@sylmar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sylmar)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10117 "2013-07-24T11:08:16Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > He actually said “calves the size of cataloupes”… -\_-; Ahh! That explains the priceyness of veal. And underscores the urgency in stopping any further immigration of undersized, immature bovines… ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10118 "2013-07-24T21:42:24Z")
I don’t know if this so much stupid as loathsome, but… [Pro-life congressman who urged abortions for ex-wife and mistress running again](http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2013/07/24/desjarlais-pro-life-congressman-who-urged-abortions-for-ex-wife-and-mistress-is-running-again?google_editors_picks=true) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10119 "2013-07-24T22:17:30Z")
> [@legalsnugs](#): > > And how many laws have they repealed, exactly? Well, they repealed Obamacare 28 times. That’s got to count for something! ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/10120 "2013-07-25T11:50:13Z")
What does America really need? Lindsey Graham seems to think it is another war in the mid-east, [this time against Iran](http://news.yahoo.com/lindsey-graham-wants-war-iran-end-summer-221000618.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=505) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=507)