--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Except for spending to protect property…" description: "\"“Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce the law, and protect citizens from foreign aggressors, all government spending crowds out priv..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg" --- # Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce… ![“Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce the law, and protect citizens from foreign aggressors, all government spending crowds out private spending and weakens the vitality of capitalism.” quote by Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg) > ““Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce the law, and protect citizens from foreign aggressors, all government spending crowds out private spending and weakens the vitality of capitalism.”” [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Government spending beyond core functions displaces private investment, harming market dynamism. **In simple terms:** Excessive state spending reduces private sector vitality. Key Takeaway Limit government to essential services. Themes economics government capitalism public policy taxation Mood critical analytical Type policy economic When to use this quote - budget planning - business investment - policy debate - public budgeting Key Concepts crowding out fiscal responsibility market efficiency Questions to Reflect On - What essential services truly require public funding? - How can we measure the crowding‑out effect accurately? A Different Perspective Assumes all private spending is productive; some may be wasteful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government spending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-spending/) [Property rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property-rights/) ## Related quotes > [Whether government finances its added spending by increasing taxes, by borrowing, or by inflating the currency, the added spending will be offset by reduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/whether-government-finances-its-added-spending-by-increasing-taxes-by/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [In reality, every time the government takes an additional dollar in taxes out of someone's pocket, it's a dollar that person will not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/in-reality-every-time-the-government-takes-an-additional-dollar-in/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [You have to have a government to provide you with legal order, with stability, enforcement of property rights, enforcement of contracts, definition of rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-buchanan/you-have-to-have-a-government-to-provide-you-with-legal-order-with/) [James M. Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-buchanan/) > [Any so-called stimulus program is a ruse. The government can increase its spending only by reducing private spending equivalently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/any-so-called-stimulus-program-is-a-ruse-the-government-can-increase/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [“When it is a question of taxes, gentlemen, prove their usefulness by reasons with some foundation, but not with that lamentable assertion: “Public spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/when-it-is-a-question-of-taxes-gentlemen-prove-their-usefulness-by/) [Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [We could curtail private spending by several trillion dollars a year without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone. That would be more than enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-frank/we-could-curtail-private-spending-by-several-trillion-dollars-a-year/) [Robert H. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-frank/) > [“Modern governments actually spend relatively little on programs and systems that benefit all citizens, such as national defense or the judicial system; mainly they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/modern-governments-actually-spend-relatively-little-on-programs-and/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“When it comes down to it, what are being traded in a capitalist economy are property rights—the ownership rights in goods and services.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/when-it-comes-down-to-it-what-are-being-traded-in-a-capitalist/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [State capitalism is about more than emergency government spending, implementation of more intelligent regulation, or a stronger social safety net. It's about state dominance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/state-capitalism-is-about-more-than-emergency-government-spending/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [The police are paid by the public and carry a public trust, and they take an oath to protect us as citizens. The police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/the-police-are-paid-by-the-public-and-carry-a-public-trust-and-they/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [“John Locke says that whatever other tasks a government undertakes—whether humanitarian or otherwise—its primary duty is to protect its own citizens from foreign and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/john-locke-says-that-whatever-other-tasks-a-government-undertakes/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [A state should protect citizens in general and women in particular. And in the 21st Century, every society needs to respect the individual choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-fernandez/a-state-should-protect-citizens-in-general-and-women-in-particular/) [Alberto Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-fernandez/) > [We must protect the right of citizens to practice their religions freely. As president, I will support federal and state-level legislation like the Religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/we-must-protect-the-right-of-citizens-to-practice-their-religions/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [The state has a duty to protect all its citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeyah-khan/the-state-has-a-duty-to-protect-all-its-citizens/) [Deeyah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeyah-khan/) > [Discrimination isn't welcome in Louisiana, but as is the case often, folks running for office seem to forget that we have an obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bel-edwards/discrimination-isn-t-welcome-in-louisiana-but-as-is-the-case-often/) [John Bel Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bel-edwards/) ## More by Thomas J. DiLorenzo > [“in reality, after the fall of communism in the late 1980s the world learned of some of the worst environmental disasters imaginable—rivers so polluted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/in-reality-after-the-fall-of-communism-in-the-late-1980s-the-world/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“When it comes down to it, what are being traded in a capitalist economy are property rights—the ownership rights in goods and services.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/when-it-comes-down-to-it-what-are-being-traded-in-a-capitalist/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“One way of minimizing costs is to figure out how to manufacture a product with the least possible resources. In the telecommunications industry, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/one-way-of-minimizing-costs-is-to-figure-out-how-to-manufacture-a/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“Private property and capitalism also provide strong incentives to preserve resources for the future, whereas political resource allocation under democracy tends toward immediate gratification.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/private-property-and-capitalism-also-provide-strong-incentives-to/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“We who live in capitalist countries tend to take all of this—property rights, free-market pricing, entrepreneurship—for granted, but every socialist country that has ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/we-who-live-in-capitalist-countries-tend-to-take-all-of-this-property/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) > [“Modern governments actually spend relatively little on programs and systems that benefit all citizens, such as national defense or the judicial system; mainly they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/modern-governments-actually-spend-relatively-little-on-programs-and/) [Thomas J. DiLorenzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) [Explore all 7 Thomas J. DiLorenzo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. Harper > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [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/) > [“Scholars have long debated whether capital markets lead to appropriate levels of saving and investment for future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-weimer/scholars-have-long-debated-whether-capital-markets-lead-to/) David L. Weimer > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce the law, and protect citizens from foreign aggressors, all government spending crowds out private spending and weakens the vitality of capitalism.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas J. DiLorenzo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/except-for-spending-to-protect-property-rights-enforce-the-law-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capitalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/except-for-spending-to-protect-property-rights-enforce-the-law-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/thomas-j-dilorenzo-51562_economics_except-for-spending-to-protect-property_2243514.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Except for spending to protect property rights, enforce the law, and protect citizens from foreign…” — Thomas J. DiLorenzo", "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": "Thomas J. DiLorenzo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-dilorenzo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Except for spending to protect property...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/except-for-spending-to-protect-property-rights-enforce-the-law-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-dilorenzo/except-for-spending-to-protect-property-rights-enforce-the-law-and/#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 } } ] } ```