LibertasPost

By Jordan J. Ballor (with permission)

An Analogy for Good Government

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010

Riffing off of Lord Acton’s quote on liberty and good government, I came up with an analogy that was well-received at last month’s inaugural Acton on Tap.

In his essay, “The History of Freedom in Antiquity,” Acton said the following:

Best Headline about Budget 2010: “Budget Takes Wind Out of Clean Energy Sails” (Toronto Star, March 6/2010)

Best Use of Overblown Metaphors in a Political Speech: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s opening remarks re budget 2010 (see below):

As I rise in this House today, our nation is at a crossroads
We have passed through some steep and rocky terrain
Much of the territory was uncharted
We are making our way through and our compass has not failed us
The way forward remains challenging
Some would urge us to turn at this crossroads