June 30, 2023
In the newest edition of ‘Pride in America’, IFF Founder Wayne Hoffman shares some of journalist and satirist H.L. Mencken’s observations on American government:
- “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable.”
- “The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naïve and usually idiotic. He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.”
- “Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.”
- “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.”
The ‘Pride in America’ series is the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s month-long celebration of individuals “who ha[ve] demonstrated and defended American values.” Since June 1, the series has recognized people as diverse as explorer Davy Crockett, entrepreneur Elon Musk, saleswoman Nancy Green, and athlete Riley Gaines.
The full article may be read on the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s website, here.
