--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ron Paul would have demanded that entire…" description: "\"Ron Paul would have demanded that entire departments be shuttered – not that the bums merely bring into balance what was stolen (taxes) with what is sq..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09f/ilana-mercer-6995_balance_ron-paul-would-have-demanded-that-entire_467213.jpg" --- # Ron Paul would have demanded that entire departments be… ![“Ron Paul would have demanded that entire departments be shuttered – not that the bums merely bring into balance what was stolen (taxes) with what is squandered (spending). Besides, what a balanced-budget requirement implies is that government has the constitutional right to spend as much as it…” quote by Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09f/ilana-mercer-6995_balance_ron-paul-would-have-demanded-that-entire_467213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09f/ilana-mercer-6995_balance_ron-paul-would-have-demanded-that-entire_467213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09f/ilana-mercer-6995_balance_ron-paul-would-have-demanded-that-entire_467213.jpg) > “Ron Paul would have demanded that entire departments be shuttered – not that the bums merely bring into balance what was stolen (taxes) with what is squandered (spending). Besides, what a balanced-budget requirement implies is that government has the constitutional right to spend as much as it takes in – that government is permitted to waste however much revenue it can extract from wealth producers.” [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Paul argues that budget balance should mean limiting government size, not merely offsetting taxes with spending, emphasizing constitutional limits on fiscal waste. **In simple terms:** Government should be limited, not just balanced. Key Takeaway Limit spending, not just balance. Themes government budget constitution taxes spending Mood critical analytical Type political policy When to use this quote - Tax policy debates - budget planning - government reform - public budgeting - political campaigns Key Concepts Fiscal responsibility constitutional law public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure fiscal responsibility without sacrificing essential services? - What mechanisms prevent wasteful spending beyond balancing? A Different Perspective Balancing budgets may ignore structural inefficiencies and power dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Balanced budget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced-budget/) [Budgets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/budgets/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [When you're governor, you've got to step up to the plate; you've got to make a proposal for a balanced budget. That's the requirement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-pritzker/when-you-re-governor-you-ve-got-to-step-up-to-the-plate-you-ve-got-to/) [J. B. Pritzker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-pritzker/) > [I think America is strong enough to fix the problems, grace and honor to D.C. I think energy independence and control spending. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zinke/i-think-america-is-strong-enough-to-fix-the-problems-grace-and-honor/) [Ryan Zinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zinke/) > [When I ran for governor in 2016, we shook up the political establishment - then cut more than a billion dollars in spending, balanced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-burgum/when-i-ran-for-governor-in-2016-we-shook-up-the-political/) [Doug Burgum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-burgum/) > [“In a much quoted passage in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/in-a-much-quoted-passage-in-his-inaugural-address-president-kennedy/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [The real goal should be reduced government spending, rather than balanced budgets achieved by ever rising tax rates to cover ever rising spending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-real-goal-should-be-reduced-government-spending-rather-than/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [States, virtually all of them, have a constitutional requirement to operate on a balanced budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kitzhaber/states-virtually-all-of-them-have-a-constitutional-requirement-to/) [John Kitzhaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kitzhaber/) > [Balanced budget requirements seem more likely to produce accounting ingenuity than genuinely balanced budgets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/balanced-budget-requirements-seem-more-likely-to-produce-accounting/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“IN ADDITION TO having become a distinctly Christian party, the GOP is more than ever America’s self-consciously white party. The nationalization of its Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/in-addition-to-having-become-a-distinctly-christian-party-the-gop-is/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [I'm incredibly humbled that the leader of the modern liberty movement and strong conservative leader Congressman Ron Paul is backing our campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-yoho/i-m-incredibly-humbled-that-the-leader-of-the-modern-liberty-movement/) [Ted Yoho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-yoho/) > [I'm absolutely a Ron Paul fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-m-absolutely-a-ron-paul-fan/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [Between Ron Paul and Rick Perry, I think the lesson is don't get sick in Texas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/between-ron-paul-and-rick-perry-i-think-the-lesson-is-don-t-get-sick/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I went to a Radiohead concert with Mr. Aaron Paul and became instantly hip. He's a great tweeter and took a photograph of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/i-went-to-a-radiohead-concert-with-mr-aaron-paul-and-became-instantly/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [“I'm worried that the government might kill Edward Snowden with a drone. --Ron Paul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-worried-that-the-government-might-kill-edward-snowden-with-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [We're just nerds that play music. Because we get played on the radio and have a Vitaminwater ad with Aaron Paul dancing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/we-re-just-nerds-that-play-music-because-we-get-played-on-the-radio/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [One thing is clear: Ron Paul defies labels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/one-thing-is-clear-ron-paul-defies-labels/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) ## More by Ilana Mercer > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [If women with the same skills as men were getting only 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, men would have long-since priced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/if-women-with-the-same-skills-as-men-were-getting-only-78-cents-for/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Liberals can always be trusted to see God in Mumia Abu-Jamal and the devil in the Pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/liberals-can-always-be-trusted-to-see-god-in-mumia-abu-jamal-and-the/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [In the bureaucracy, incentives will forever be inverted. Failure results in success: in more funds, more training, more time off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/in-the-bureaucracy-incentives-will-forever-be-inverted-failure/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Christianity in our country is a lot like what the Ducksters profess. No longer doctrinaire or demanding, the mishmash of pop-religion practiced in churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/christianity-in-our-country-is-a-lot-like-what-the-ducksters-profess/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Like or dislike her, the British Queen is harmless. Her role is purely ceremonial. Conversely, life and death are in the hands of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/like-or-dislike-her-the-british-queen-is-harmless-her-role-is-purely/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Breaking into a country signals quite reliably a willingness to break yet more of the invaded country's laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/breaking-into-a-country-signals-quite-reliably-a-willingness-to-break/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket of Africa, is now its dust bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/zimbabwe-once-the-breadbasket-of-africa-is-now-its-dust-bowl/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The end result of positively reinforcing bad behavior is that you get more of it. The culmination of a failure to punish predators is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-end-result-of-positively-reinforcing-bad-behavior-is-that-you-get/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Demonstrators for a government takeover of medicine have a right to discuss their demands, but no right to enact these demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/demonstrators-for-a-government-takeover-of-medicine-have-a-right-to/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The Big-Media collective, however, is slow, stupid and shackled by ideology. Reality must bite them before they’ll recognize it, much less report it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-big-media-collective-however-is-slow-stupid-and-shackled-by/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [The only time Republicans will shake fists and point fingers is over a war delayed, one that isn't led by the US, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-only-time-republicans-will-shake-fists-and-point-fingers-is-over/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [There are just too many Americans grubbing for free stuff and a preponderance of Republicans eager to parcel it out in exchange for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/there-are-just-too-many-americans-grubbing-for-free-stuff-and-a/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [free market is a market in which groups and individuals are differently represented. Parity in prosperity and performance between differently able individuals and groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/free-market-is-a-market-in-which-groups-and-individuals-are/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [Big media are all about the angle, the spin. Look to the overarching theme that runs through each and every news story. Be hip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/big-media-are-all-about-the-angle-the-spin-look-to-the-overarching/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) [Explore all 96 Ilana Mercer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ron Paul would have demanded that entire departments be shuttered – not that the bums merely bring into balance what was stolen (taxes) with what is squandered (spending). 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