THE BASIC LAW OF BUDGETS:

1

• THE BASIC LAW OF BUDGETS
• YOU CAN ONLY SPEND
• IT ONCE.
• Anonymous

2

• Budgets control everything an agency does. They
  are onerous and omnipresent, useless and
  demeaning. They suck enormous quantities of time
  away from real work. They trap managers in
  yesterday's priorities, which quickly become
  tomorrow's waste.
• Reinventing Government
• by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler

3

• The police chief gets a budget. If he wants to
  use it to buy police cars or to hire people,
  that's his business. What I care about is that
  the city gets good police protection and he's got
  money left over at the end of the year.
• Gale Wilson, Fairfield City Manager

4

• The United States government's program for
  arriving at budget is about the most
  irresponsible, Mickey Mouse arrangement that any
  governmental body has ever practiced.
• President Ronald Reagan, 1982

5

• When everybody has got money they cut taxes, and
  when they're broke they raise 'em. That's
  statesmanship of the highest order.
• Will Rogers
• Murray Levy

6

• Not everything that counts can be counted and
  not everything that can be counted, counts.
• Albert Einstein

7

• Our government is good at starting things but
  not so good at stopping things. I have just cut
  the United States Bicentennial Celebration
  Commission from the budget.
• President Bill Clinton in 1993

8

• For your information, let me ask you a few
  questions.
• Sam Goldwyn

9

• Never leave the room for any reason during a
  budget cutting session.
• Len Wood

10

• Distribute dissatisfaction uniformly.
• Budget Analyst's Rule

11

• None of us really understands what's going on
  with all these numbers.
• David Stockman,
• Director of Management and Budget

12

• Nothing is easier than spending public money.
  It does not appear to belong to anybody. The
  temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on
  somebody.
• Calvin Coolidge

13

• Don't equate activity with efficiency.
• Harvey Mackey

14

• Everyone can fill out financial reports. The
  biggest problem we have is teaching people how to
  interpret these reports.
• Jim Algie, Long Beach Finance Director

15

• Every budget dollar should be doled out like
  water in the desert.
• Ross Perot to Congress, 1993

16

• Spend it or lose it.
• Standard Operating Procedure in Many Organizations

17

• Budgeting is a black art practiced by
  bureaucratic magicians.
• David Muchow

18

• A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can
  always depend on the support of Paul.
• George Bernard Shaw

19

• The Golden Rule Those with the most gold make
  the rules.
• Murphy

20

• If you have to have a policy manual, publish the
  
• Ten Commandments.
• Robert Townsend

21

• It is common sense to take a method and try it.
  If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.
  But above all, try something.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt

22

• Trivial matters take up more time because we
  know more about them than important matters.
• Elected Official's Revelation

23

• Most of my ideas belonged to other people who
  didn't bother to develop them.
• Thomas Edison

24

• There are three kinds of lies lies, damned
  lies and statistics.
• Mark Twain

25

• Big budgets, small budgets, they are all the
  same just add or subtract a few sets of
  zero's.
• Budget Director, New York City

26

• A billion dollars isn't
• what it used to be.
• Nelson Bunker Hunt

27

• No. I like my way.
• My way is right.
• Do it my way!
• Former Charles County Commissioner,
• now Delegate Murray Levy