--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans sometimes ask what the…" description: "\"Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays for all kinds of invisible but essential s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg" --- # Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where… ![“Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays for all kinds of invisible but essential safety nets and life belts and guardrails that are useless right up until the day they are priceless.” quote by Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg) > “Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays for all kinds of invisible but essential safety nets and life belts and guardrails that are useless right up until the day they are priceless.” [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government provides invisible safety nets that become invaluable when needed. **In simple terms:** Invisible safety nets become priceless in crises. Key Takeaway Recognize and support essential public services. Themes public policy social safety taxation Mood concerned reflective Type analytical informative When to use this quote - budget planning - social work - community advocacy - personal finance Key Concepts welfare collective risk public goods Questions to Reflect On - How do we ensure these nets remain funded? - What role should citizens play in oversight? A Different Perspective These nets can be politically contested and underfunded. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Tax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tax/) ## Related quotes > [“Nets can be traps. But they can also be safety nets. You just have to know when to jump in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/nets-can-be-traps-but-they-can-also-be-safety-nets-you-just-have-to/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [There are all these safety nets in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/there-are-all-these-safety-nets-in-pop-music/) [Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/) > [Some people need safety nets. Some people need two safety nets. I've grown up with no safety nets around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-campbell/some-people-need-safety-nets-some-people-need-two-safety-nets-i-ve/) [Sol Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-campbell/) > [I don't believe in having safety nets - you'll end up using them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ophelia-lovibond/i-don-t-believe-in-having-safety-nets-you-ll-end-up-using-them/) [Ophelia Lovibond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ophelia-lovibond/) > [Social Security and Medicare are necessary safety nets, but they are nearing insolvency as fewer pay in, more take out, and more take out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/social-security-and-medicare-are-necessary-safety-nets-but-they-are/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-so-my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The question Americans should ask is not whether a candidate is affiliated with a particular faith but rather whether that candidate's faith makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/the-question-americans-should-ask-is-not-whether-a-candidate-is/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country has done for you. Ask what you have done for your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/and-so-my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-has-done-for-you/) [John Fitzgerald Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fitzgerald-kennedy/) > [“Honestly, the only question most Americans ask about a new building at this point is basically: Is it a soul-sucking eyesore of cheap-ass despair?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/honestly-the-only-question-most-americans-ask-about-a-new-building-at/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-meet-any-hardship-support-any-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [It's not an accident that the U.S. ranks lowest of all major donor countries in the world - that is the share of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/it-s-not-an-accident-that-the-u-s-ranks-lowest-of-all-major-donor/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [I ask of cinema what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-ask-of-cinema-what-most-north-americans-ask-of-psychedelic-drugs/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [Tonight - to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans - I ask for your support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/tonight-to-you-the-great-silent-majority-of-my-fellow-americans-i-ask/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you-ask-what/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” that they summoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/and-so-my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) ## More by Nancy Gibbs > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Be bored and see where it takes you, because the imagination's dusty wilderness is worth crossing if you want to sculpt your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/be-bored-and-see-where-it-takes-you-because-the-imagination-s-dusty/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [As you probably know, I've written a lot about the presidency, so it's obviously exciting when you get to interview a president and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/as-you-probably-know-i-ve-written-a-lot-about-the-presidency-so-it-s/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [ \[Former chief executives\] come away thinking that America needs a strong, functioning presidency to succeed, and they become very protective of that office. Democrats… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/former-chief-executives-come-away-thinking-that-america-needs-a/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [It's hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/it-s-hard-to-think-of-any-tool-any-instrument-any-object-in-history/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Lydon Johnson realized he really was President, that his identity had changed by President Kennedy's shocking death, when aides who had been like family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/lydon-johnson-realized-he-really-was-president-that-his-identity-had/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [A typical smart phone has more computing power than Apollo 11 when it landed a man on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/a-typical-smart-phone-has-more-computing-power-than-apollo-11-when-it/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [George W. Bush, though a president's son, is cast as Reagan's heir even more than his father's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/george-w-bush-though-a-president-s-son-is-cast-as-reagan-s-heir-even/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [For God to be kept out of the classroom or out of America's public debate by nervous school administrators or overcautious politicians serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/for-god-to-be-kept-out-of-the-classroom-or-out-of-america-s-public/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Pain is the most private experience, but its causes, whether natural or man-made, demand public accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/pain-is-the-most-private-experience-but-its-causes-whether-natural-or/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [On the court, Jason Collins is not a huge basketball star, but he has already claimed his place in civil rights history as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/on-the-court-jason-collins-is-not-a-huge-basketball-star-but-he-has/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [When you are a media celebrity, every word you speak is dissected, as are those you choose not to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/when-you-are-a-media-celebrity-every-word-you-speak-is-dissected-as/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to maim its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/if-you-want-to-humble-an-empire-it-makes-sense-to-maim-its-cathedrals/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“The wand is mighter then the sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-wand-is-mighter-then-the-sword/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) [Explore all 179 Nancy Gibbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays for all kinds of invisible but essential safety nets and life belts and guardrails that are useless right up until the day they are priceless.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Gibbs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-government-does-and-where-their-tax/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-government-does-and-where-their-tax/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-governm_1432848.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans sometimes ask what the government does and where their tax money goes. Among other things, it pays…” — Nancy Gibbs", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nancy Gibbs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Americans sometimes ask what the government...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-government-does-and-where-their-tax/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/americans-sometimes-ask-what-the-government-does-and-where-their-tax/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```