Capital gains Quote by Thomas Frank
““The trick never ages; the illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive deindustrialization. Vote to screw those politically correct college professors; receive electricity deregulation. Vote to get government off our backs; receive conglomeration and monopoly everywhere from media to meatpacking. Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization. Vote to strike a blow against elitism; receive a social order in which wealth is more concentrated than ever before in our lifetimes, in which workers have been stripped of power and CEOs are rewarded in a manner beyond imagining.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Political Rhetoric, 2020
A satirical list of political promises paired with their unintended negative consequences, highlighting hypocrisy and trade‑offs in policy making.
In simple terms: Political promises often hide hidden costs.
Key Takeaway
Beware of promises that sound good but have hidden harms.
Themes
politics
hypocrisy
policy
consequences
satire
Mood
skeptical
critical
ironic
Type
political
satirical
cautionary
When to use this quote
- voting decisions
- policy debates
- public discourse
- media analysis
Key Concepts
trade‑offs
unintended effects
public trust
Questions to Reflect On
- What hidden costs might a political promise have?
- How can voters evaluate long‑term impacts?
A Different Perspective
The satire may oversimplify complex issues and ignore benefits of some policies.
