--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Government failure is always used as an…" description: "\"Government failure is always used as an excuse for government expansion. Government thrives on crisis and incompetence.\" — Jim Babka" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/jim-babka-59714_crisis_government-failure-is-always-used-as-an_1701307.jpg" --- # Government failure is always used as an excuse for… ![“Government failure is always used as an excuse for government expansion. Government thrives on crisis and incompetence.” quote by Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/jim-babka-59714_crisis_government-failure-is-always-used-as-an_1701307.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/jim-babka-59714_crisis_government-failure-is-always-used-as-an_1701307.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/jim-babka-59714_crisis_government-failure-is-always-used-as-an_1701307.jpg) > “Government failure is always used as an excuse for government expansion. Government thrives on crisis and incompetence.” [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government failures are used to justify expansion; crises fuel growth. **In simple terms:** Failures become excuses for more government. Key Takeaway Watch for power grabs during crises. Themes politics power crisis Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - elections - natural disasters - economic downturns Key Concepts public policy authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens hold government accountable? - What signs indicate misuse of crisis? A Different Perspective Not all expansion is negative; some reforms help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [And the other issue is Gore, $4.6 trillion - the single largest expansion of government in American history, from universal preschool, now, to prescriptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/and-the-other-issue-is-gore-4-6-trillion-the-single-largest-expansion/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [Political scientists almost everywhere have promoted the expansion of government power. They have functioned as the clergy of oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-rummel/political-scientists-almost-everywhere-have-promoted-the-expansion-of/) [Rudolph Rummel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-rummel/) > [We know the costs of failure. There is now no excuse for government - at any level - not to invest in a safer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/we-know-the-costs-of-failure-there-is-now-no-excuse-for-government-at/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/protecting-the-rights-of-even-the-least-individual-among-us-is/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [This is what the government is, has always been, the creator and defender of privilege; the organization of oppression and revenge. To hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/this-is-what-the-government-is-has-always-been-the-creator-and/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [How can you have the mess we have in New Orleans, and not have had deep investigations of the federal government, the state government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/how-can-you-have-the-mess-we-have-in-new-orleans-and-not-have-had/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [Many politicians and pundits claim that the credit crunch and high mortgage foreclosure rate is an example of market failure and want government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/many-politicians-and-pundits-claim-that-the-credit-crunch-and-high/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [The Great Depression was not a sign of the failure of monetary policy or a result of the failure of the market system as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-great-depression-was-not-a-sign-of-the-failure-of-monetary-policy/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Much worse than the unavoidable inefficiencies of large government is the failure to fund the government we need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/much-worse-than-the-unavoidable-inefficiencies-of-large-government-is/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [“Economists are quick to speak of ‘market failure’, and rightly so, but a greater threat comes from ‘government failure‘. Because it is a monopoly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/economists-are-quick-to-speak-of-market-failure-and-rightly-so-but-a/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [People are angry and dispirited about government because of a failure to do something about crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/people-are-angry-and-dispirited-about-government-because-of-a-failure/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [Politicians are terrified of losing touch with folks back home but content to be clueless about government's failure to fix real problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/politicians-are-terrified-of-losing-touch-with-folks-back-home-but/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [We have a deeply rooted misconception in our country that unhoused people have done something to deserve their conditions - when the reality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-bush/we-have-a-deeply-rooted-misconception-in-our-country-that-unhoused/) [Cori Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-bush/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by Jim Babka > [Since Congress makes the laws they are under the delusion that anything they do is legal, no matter if it is unwise, unethical, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-babka/since-congress-makes-the-laws-they-are-under-the-delusion-that/) [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) > [Turning to politicians is the worst way to solve a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-babka/turning-to-politicians-is-the-worst-way-to-solve-a-problem/) [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) > [The only things that are immortal in this world are government programs and cancer cells in petri dishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-babka/the-only-things-that-are-immortal-in-this-world-are-government/) [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) > [Every single person in the government swears an oath to the very same constitution, to abide by the laws in pursuance of this constitution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-babka/every-single-person-in-the-government-swears-an-oath-to-the-very-same/) [Jim Babka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) [Explore all 5 Jim Babka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-babka/) ## More Crisis quotes > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) Jim Wright > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. 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