I don't use the word 'renaissance'. It's flawed because in Latin, it's tied to the rebirth of Christ... It's a word that's tied to a European concept.
If allowed to run free of the social system, capitalism will attempt to corrupt and undermine democracy, which is after all not a natural state.
The citizen's job is to be rude - to pierce the comfort of professional intercourse by boorish expressions of doubt.
There's nothing wrong with paying taxes; they should be paid in proportion to how rich you are. This idea that you're going to get better growth by cutting taxes at the top has no historical justification. And it's certainly not an argument in favor of capitalism.
What nobody wants to discuss is whether or not the black-and-white argument about trade - you're either a free trader or you're a protectionist - is the right one. It's the old 19th century argument.
Bankers - pillars of society who are going to hell if there is a God and He has been accurately quoted.
Armaments; extremely useful for fighting wars, a deadweight in any civil economy.
Anglo Saxons: To blame for everything.
You can always tell you're in deep trouble when people start thinking money's real.
Democracy, of course, requires strong demands from the public.
It's quite humbling when you see the list of writers who have been president of PEN and you know some of the things they've done.
