[CatoRenasci]

You're using one of my favorite Mencken lines. The source, of course, is H.L.Mencken and George Jean Nathan's A Book of Burlesques in the section entitled The Jazz Webster. The quote itself comes from the definition of Democracy: Democracy is the theory that two thieves will steal less than one, three thieves will steal less than two ... and so on; the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

[Ichneumon]

[As H. L. Mencken wrote, “The American people get the government they deserve, good and hard.”]

You're using one of my favorite Mencken lines.

Actually, he's misusing/misquoting it.

The source, of course, is H.L.Mencken and George Jean Nathan's A Book of Burlesques in the section entitled The Jazz Webster. The quote itself comes from the definition of Democracy: Democracy is the theory that two thieves will steal less than one, three thieves will steal less than two ... and so on; the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

Nonetheless, Billybob mangled the quote, losing much of Mencken's deftness with the language, and confuses it with portions from other famous quotes:

"Every country has the government it deserves"
-Joseph de Maistre (1753 - 1821) Written on August 15, 1811

"Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

If you're going to "quote" someone by name, use their actual words, or else drop the quotation marks and indicate that it's a paraphrase or your own restatement inspired by the original.