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I believe it was Winston Churchill!

I second Milan’s answer. Is it Winston Churchill?

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” — Winston Churchill

He would be ashamed of what England has become.

And from our founders … for a country afflicted with hopenosis — “Mankind will in time discover that unbridled majorities are as tyrannical and cruel as unlimited despots.” – John Adams

I have no idea, but a perverse logic recommends somebody like Karl Marx as the source. What’s the answer from the back of the book?

I’m pretty sure Churchill said, “Give me liberty, or give me $13!!!”

Didn’t he?

Was it Putin?

Ronaldus Maximus?

@Wisdom: Putin said this:

the state’s increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks. Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent.

The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.

It was Churchill, in October 1947, at the The Rights of the
Conservative Party Conference in Brighton. He warned that Prime Minister Clement Atlee was going to turn Britain into a fascist state,

Odd how it rings true today in America.

Jeff V

@ruaqtpi2: You get the Gold Eagle:

Photobucket

Now, confess… how did you know that?

@ruaqtpi2

Attlee might of tried to turn Britain into a socialist state (he was a socialist after all) but it wasn’t turned into a fascist state then or since. Atlee fought against fascism.

As for Churchill – well he got back into power after Atlee in 1951 and continued as Prime Minister until 1955. His second turn as Prime Minister seems fairly unremarkable. And if he despised the socialist initiative put in place by Atlee such as the setting up of the welfare state and the NHS – then why didn’t he scrap them?

Politically it was the Tories who almost got Britain closest to becoming a fascist state. After Chamberlain appalling appeasement and resignation – if it had been Lord Halifax instead of Churchill who became Prime Minister in 1940 then Britain might have made a shameful deal with Hitler and eventually lost.

Wow, for me? [blush]

I’ve recently been researching post-war (WWII) Europe, John Maynard Keynes, and nationalization of banks. The address he gave was still fresh in my head when I saw your puzzler.

If you get a chance, read about Atlee. There are eerie similarities between him and Obama, except for skin color (Atlee was “white”) and initial socio-political ideology (he was conservative). After WWII, he turned socialist, and believed firmly that Keynes had the solution to the economic crisis in post-war Europe. Churchill believed that government under Atlee and his Labour Party was getting too large.

Substitute Obama for Atlee, and the similarities are scary.

Jeff V

@ruaqtpi2: It’s worth underscoring the point here that these redistributionist, big government policies have been tried before and have failed.

As Gaffa points out, the depressing part about the Obama-Atlee connection is that once these hideous programs are implemented they are impossible to get rid of.

I came across the speech last night as I was reading “Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches” selected by his grandson Winston S. Churchill.

@ruaqtpi

Although Attlee initially had conservative views as you say – he became a socialist decades before WWII – he became a Labour MP in 1922. Churchill also crossed over from the Tories to become a Liberal MP for 20 years before heading back.

“Mr. Attlee is a very modest man. Indeed he has a lot to be modest about.”
Churchill

‘Winston Churchill – fifty per cent genius, fifty per cent bloody fool’
Attlee

HAD TO BE WINSTON CHURCHILL