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"You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." -- Rahm Emanuel, White

"You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." -- Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff January 20, 2009 – October 1, 2010 "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin - 11 November 1755

josefresco 11y ago
...said in reference to the financial crisis, on the topic of regulation and reform. A lot less nefarious when you're talking about energy, health, education, tax policy, and regulatory reforms. He also went on to say "Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before." As for your (IMHO) cliché Franklin quote - that was in reference to a tax dispute. "He was writing about a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the family of the Penns, the proprietary family of the Pennsylvania colony who ruled it from afar. And the legislature was trying to tax the Penn family lands to pay for frontier defense during the French and Indian War. And the Penn family kept instructing the governor to veto. Franklin felt that this was a great affront to the ability of the legislature to govern. And so he actually meant purchase a little temporary safety very literally. The Penn family was trying to give a lump sum of money in exchange for the General Assembly's acknowledging that it did not have the authority to tax it." sigh
- vezzy-fnord 11y ago
  Genetic fallacy. That the quotes originated under particular circumstances does not invalidate them as generalities.
  - CyberDildonics 11y ago
    But it does take the weight away from them being a window into how politician's mind works. Without knowing the context it sounds like a politician stating outright what they seem to be doing all the time, which is exploiting a crisis to impose something that benefits few at the expense of many, while the context is the opposite. I'm sure politicians have this exact thought in either case, but the quote isn't the bullseye it might seem.
- Uhhrrr 11y ago
  A cliche is more than a maxim with which one disagrees. Franklin also said in Poor Richard's Almanack, "Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power." (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack) This was 17 years before the line in his "Reply to the Governor".
adamors 11y ago
Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine
sehugg 11y ago
Although “the legislative environment is very hostile today,” the intelligence community’s top lawyer, Robert S. Litt, said to colleagues in an August e-mail, which was obtained by The [Washington] Post, “it could turn in the event of a terrorist attack or criminal event where strong encryption can be shown to have hindered law enforcement.”
- whoopdedo 11y ago
  As brought to our attention in an earlier HN discussion. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10271139 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10271139

josefresco 11y ago

...said in reference to the financial crisis, on the topic of regulation and reform. A lot less nefarious when you're talking about energy, health, education, tax policy, and regulatory reforms. He also went on to say "Things that we had postponed for too long, that were long-term, are now immediate and must be dealt with. This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before." As for your (IMHO) cliché Franklin quote - that was in reference to a tax dispute. "He was writing about a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the family of the Penns, the proprietary family of the Pennsylvania colony who ruled it from afar. And the legislature was trying to tax the Penn family lands to pay for frontier defense during the French and Indian War. And the Penn family kept instructing the governor to veto. Franklin felt that this was a great affront to the ability of the legislature to govern. And so he actually meant purchase a little temporary safety very literally. The Penn family was trying to give a lump sum of money in exchange for the General Assembly's acknowledging that it did not have the authority to tax it." sigh

vezzy-fnord 11y ago
Genetic fallacy. That the quotes originated under particular circumstances does not invalidate them as generalities.
- CyberDildonics 11y ago
  But it does take the weight away from them being a window into how politician's mind works. Without knowing the context it sounds like a politician stating outright what they seem to be doing all the time, which is exploiting a crisis to impose something that benefits few at the expense of many, while the context is the opposite. I'm sure politicians have this exact thought in either case, but the quote isn't the bullseye it might seem.
Uhhrrr 11y ago
A cliche is more than a maxim with which one disagrees. Franklin also said in Poor Richard's Almanack, "Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power." (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack) This was 17 years before the line in his "Reply to the Governor".

adamors 11y ago

Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine

sehugg 11y ago

Although “the legislative environment is very hostile today,” the intelligence community’s top lawyer, Robert S. Litt, said to colleagues in an August e-mail, which was obtained by The [Washington] Post, “it could turn in the event of a terrorist attack or criminal event where strong encryption can be shown to have hindered law enforcement.”

whoopdedo 11y ago
As brought to our attention in an earlier HN discussion. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10271139 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10271139