Government Debt Quotes:

As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit.

- George Washington

source: George Washington, John Jay, Jared Sparks (1850). “Washington's Farewell Address to the People of the United States of America”, p.36, New York : J. Wiley

topic: Government Debt, Important, Credit, National Debt, Farewell Address

To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.

- Thomas Jefferson

topic: Independence, Liberty, Debt, Servitude, Limiting Government

Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.

- Herbert Hoover

source: Herbert Hoover (1938). “Addresses upon the American road”

topic: Children, Blessed, History, Presidents Day, National Debt

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I, therefore, intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt.

- Barack Obama

topic: Leadership, America, Effort, Fiscal Policy, Assistance

The country is headed toward a single and splendid government of an aristocracy founded on banking institutions and moneyed incorporations and if this tendency continues it will be the end of freedom and democracy, the few will be ruling...I hope we shall...crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to trial and bid defiance to the laws of our country. I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

- Thomas Jefferson

topic: Crush, Country, Believe, Large Scale, Incorporation

Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and corrupt the people.

- Wendell Phillips

source: Wendell Phillips (1864). “Speeches, Lectures, and Letters”, p.421

topic: Tyrants, Government, People, Owing A Debt, Corrupt Government

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

- Thomas Jefferson

topic: Wisdom, War, Political, Incumbency, Generation Gap

The biggest debt is always the government debt; it's always debt that government has run up on your behalf.

- Margaret Atwood

source: Source: www.macleans.ca

topic: Running, Government, Debt, Government Debt

I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.

- James Madison

topic: Government, Principles, Debt, National Debt, Republican Government

The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.

- Thomas Jefferson

topic: Knives, Office, Growth, Pruning, Debt By Founding Fathers

..avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burthen, which we ourselves ought to bear.

- George Washington

topic: War, Bears, Shunning, Owing A Debt, Debt By Founding Fathers

I am not among those who fear the people. They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom.

- Thomas Jefferson

topic: People, Revolution, Rich, Government Debt, Self-government

With all this consumer debt, business debt, government debt, smaller movements in interest rates have a magnified effect. a small movement can tip the boat.

- Bill Gross

topic: Government, Movement, Debt, Government Debt

A government debt is a government claim against personal income and private property - an unpaid tax bill.

- Hans F. Sennholz

topic: Government, Liberty, Bills, Government Debt

People who buy government debt deserve to be punished and taught a lesson

- Doug Casey

topic: Government, People, Taught, Government Debt

The great increase in longevity has produced a surge in the desire to accumulate assets for retirement. It has outpaced the ability of the private sector to produce assets, so we need a larger government debt.

- William Vickrey

topic: Retirement, Government, Desire, Government Debt

A dramatic unwinding of that relationship [between USA and China], by way of an aggressive trade policy, is one of the nightmare scenarios for the global economy as a whole, because it would result in a spiraling depreciation of the dollar, a surge in American interests rates, a collapse in the market for American government debt.

- Judy Woodruff

source: Source: www.pbs.org

topic: Government, Usa, Dollars, Depreciation, Government Debt

This is a derivative, if you will, of Cloward-Piven [theory]. "[Stephen] Lerner's plan is to organize a mass, coordinated 'strike' on mortgage, student loan, and local government debt payments - thus bringing the banks to the edge of insolvency and forcing them to renegotiate the terms of the loans.

- Rush Limbaugh

source: Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

topic: Government, Debt, Derivatives, Insolvency, Government Debt

Right now, a majority of the debt is owed to foreign interests, Japan being the largest purchaser of government debt today, soon to be surpassed by China as the number one purchaser of our debt in this Nation.

- Ron Kind

topic: Government, Japan, Numbers, Purchasers, Government Debt

In the distance, I see a frightful storm brewing in the form of un-tethered government debt. I choose the words -“frightful storm' - deliberately to avoid hyperbole. Unless we take steps to deal with it, the long-term fiscal situation of the federal government will be unimaginably more devastating to our economic prosperity than the subprime debacle and the recent debauching of credit markets that we are working right now so hard to correct.

- Richard W. Fisher

topic: Distance, Government, Long, Brewing, Debacles