“Government has three primary functions. It should provide for military defense of the nation. It should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect citizens from crimes against themselves or their property. When government-- in pursuit of good intentions tries to rearrange the economy, legislate morality, or help special interests, the cost come in inefficiency, lack of motivation, and loss of freedom. Government should be a referee, not an active player.”
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Milton Friedman 158
American economist, statistician, and writer 1912–2006Related quotes

Manila Standard Today http://manilastandardtoday.com/mobile/2013/05/10/chiz-bares-proposal-to-create-more-jobs
2013, Mid-Term Campaign Trail

Quoted in Guns magazine "Know Your Lawmaker" column, p. 4. (Feb. 1960)

Speech to the Conservative Party conference http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/oct/07/conservatives2002.conservatives1 (07 October 2002)
Context: How can students and parents plan for the future when they can't rely on the country's examination system to deliver fair results? We reject Labour's "government knows best" approach, but we certainly don't subscribe to a philosophy that lets people sink or swim. We believe that an active government should focus on doing what it can to help people get on with their lives. This is the true measure of a compassionate government.
The Moser report on Literacy and Numeracy http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/moserec.html

Source: Bishops Write Bush to Back U.S. Efforts https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/21/us/a-nation-challenged-support-from-churches-bishops-write-bush-to-back-us-efforts.html (21 September 2001)

Source: (1962), Ch. 2 The Role of Government in a Free Society, p. 27
"Ashcroft's Lies" in The American Prospect (14 July 2002) http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=ashcrofts_lies
Context: When the government seeks to expand its power to spy on us, for example, it should be required to show how the loss of anonymity and freedom will make us safer. The FBI already enjoys the broad power to eavesdrop; according to government reports, it intercepts some two million innocent telephone and Internet conversations every year. The administration wants to expand its power to conduct surveillance by minimizing the role of the courts in monitoring it. Will this make us safer from terrorism or simply less safe from our government?

Source: The Production of Security (1849), p. 22

1910s, The Progressives, Past and Present (1910)