Posted on 07/16/2009 9:30:58 AM PDT by Bodhi1
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" (Tanstaafl, get it?) originated way back in the late 1800s, when saloons offered free lunches to the homeless. All they had to do was buy one drink. How could they do this?
Well, the drinks were higher priced than other saloons, perhaps, or maybe rooms were more expensive. One way or the other, the cost of those free meals would have to be recouped. If they weren't they would have to eventually go out of business.
Wikipedia actually has a great article on the history of the phrase, but TANSTAAFL is summed up here, by Greg Mankiw, noted macro economist, who from 2003 to 2005 was "was the chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors."
"To get one thing that we like, we usually have to give up another thing that we like. Making decisions requires trading off one goal against another."
In "Atlas Shrugged," Ayn Rand had character Francisco d'Anconia summed it up when he said, "You can't have your cake and let your neighbor eat it, too."
But the book that used the term the best was "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein. What was the meaning of the phrase? Don't be a slave to the government...
(Excerpt) Read more at allamericanblogger.com ...
Someone send a memo to this lady, among a mass of others:
http://chicagoagainstobama.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/hope-obama-will-pay-my-mortgage-and-pay-for-my-gas/
He had to something to change topics from his pitching style.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.