"William W Johnstone - Ashes 32 - Destiny in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

Herb emptied the cold coffee out of her cup into a sink, and refilled it
with steaming-hot brew.

"How's the speech coming?" he asked, looking over her shoulder as he
sipped from his own cup.

She grinned. "Good, I think. The problem is to tell these nabobs what
they want to hear, not necessarily what's going to happen."

He laughed. "That's easy," he said. "All you have to do is tell them
under your new Administration, things will go on as they always have.
That is, the rich will get richer and the poor will stay the same."

"That'll sure make these jerks happy," Claire agreed, looking back at
her speech. "The lower the government's treasury has gotten, the more
they've been able to sock away."

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45

Herb shrugged. "Can't be helped, my dear," he said. "The movers and
shakers in every government since the dawn of time have always profited
from their support of the ruling classes. It's just the way it is."

Claire leaned back. "You know, Herb. When I first took office, I was
naive enough to think I could actually do something for the poor and
downtrodden ... actually make a difference in their lives for the
better. That was the whole premise of the socialist/democratic movement."

Herb sat down across from her, shaking his head. "And then you found out
what every leader has discovered since history has been recorded. The
poor and downtrodden are that way for a reason. For the most part,
they're too lazy or stupid to prepare themselves to make a living in the
modern world."

Claire nodded. "And the sad part is, they expect the government to
provide everything they need without them having to work or sacrifice
for it at all."

He gave her a sarcastic look. "I^Iaybe they think that way because their
leaders keep telling them there is such a thing as a free lunch."

She gave him a sharp glance. "Are you referring to me?" she asked archly.

He smiled back at her. "Of course, dear. But I don't blame you . ..
that's what you have to say nowadays to get elected in the first place."

She relaxed again. "I sometimes think Jefferson was right."