20 Years Ago

"Disillusionment with government can be traced back to the grand betrayals and failures of the 1960s and '70s: Vietnam, Watergate, stagflation, the growth of the underclass. But the current anti-Washington fervor ignited in the late '80s and was fueled by a succession of scandals featuring a sleazy mix of public power and private gain: the Keating Five, the Jim Wright book deal, the HUD mess, honoraria, the flap over congressional pay raises, and check kiting at the House bank. Throw in the chronic irresponsibility of deficit spending, George Bush's broken 'no new taxes' promise, and Bill Clinton's general fecklessness, and distrust of politicians finally appears to have reached a healthy level."
—Brink Lindsey, "Big Mistake"

"The tobacco industry obviously spends more in legal fees each year than their reputation is worth, but, small thing that it is, they treasure it and they are welcome to it."
—Michael McMenamin, "The Law: Tobacco Row"

—February 1996