Good old Ev. When pols had decency, wit and common sense.

http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_emd_quotes.htm

I am reminded of a little story that I have previously told on the Senate floor. A fellow in one of the States had a balky mule. The mule lay down on the pavement and would not budge. His owner wore out a club on the mule. It did no good. The man built a modest fire under the mule. That did not help matters. Finally, a veterinarian came along and said, "What is the matter, Joe? You having trouble with your mule?" "Yeah, Doc, I can't do a thing with it."

So the veterinarian reached into his case and got out a great big animal syringe, filled it with something, and gave the mule a squirt in the hind quarters. In a little bit the mule got up and started down the street lickety-split.

The owner looked at the disappearing mule, looked at the doc, and said, "Doc, how much does that cost?"

The veterinarian said, "That's 10 cents."

The owner said, "Here is 30 cents. Give me two shots so I can catch that mule."

The story illustrates my point. We set a limit, and then we have to catch up to that limit all over again. So we set the limit higher. Then our expenditures rise to that point. There must be a Parkinson's law that fits the situation. We had better find out what it is, because the process is alarming.

[Congressional Record, March 1?, 1962, p.3219]

How can there be any money in the Treasury, actually, when we seem to be constantly spending well beyond what is in the Treasury itself?

I often think of the lady who went to the Governor of a certain state and said to him, "Governor, I want to get my husband out of prison."

He said, "What is he in prison for?"

She said, "For stealing a ham."

The Governor asked her: "Is he a good husband?"

"No, sir."

The Governor asked her: "Is he good to the children?"

"No, sir, Governor."

Then the Governor asked her, "Well, why do you want to get him out of prison?"
She said, "Because we are out of ham again." [Laughter.]

Well, I wonder when we are going to run out of ham one of these days. I mean not only money, but confidence as well.

[Congressional Record, June 2?, 1962, p. 12156]