Parliament of whores
by P. J. O'Rourke · first published 1991
60% recommend40% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Funny, sharp satire of how government and lawmaking actually work, with a chapter-by-chapter look at political process. It is entertaining and suited to high school government classes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In 1988 the author moved to Washington to take a long look at our government and to find an answer to the question every American asks: What the hell do these guys do all day, and why does it cost so much money? In his Introduction, he proffers the theory that we are suffering under a dictatorship of boredom. Adopting the manner of a high school civics textbook, he covers the three branches of government -- legislative, executive, judicial -- in a section entitled "Money, Television and Bullshit."
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I'd start with Parliament of Whores or Holidays in Hell. It's not as well known, but Modern Manners is a real howler with more laughs per page than just about any book I can think of, and is the perfect night table book because you can…
on “P. J. O'Rourke, 1947-2022” ↗…Eden and Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, for example. Or collections of Sherlock Holmes stories. Or Asimov's Foundation series (skip the last couple of books!). Or Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. Or Parliament of Whores by P.J. O'Rourke. Or go through lists of famous opening lines of novels and maybe pick up a novel that you really like the beginning of ("It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in…
on “I start taking English classes at the age of 46” ↗And anything by P.J. O'Rourke. Parliament of Whores was entertaining.
on “US unprepared for an electrical grid collapse, but it costs only $300M” ↗This preference isn't even black and white. One quote that sticks in my mind is this one from P.J. O'Rourke in Parliament of Whores, concerning Ken Starr's written position on a flag-desecration law: Congress had "acted narrowly." (That is, the law is very specific, and you can't be arrested for having a smart look on your…
on “The entire US Code is now online in XML” ↗…will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, and then they get elected and prove it." - P.J. O'Rourke in Parliament of Whores (1991)
on “F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules” ↗PJ O'Rourke had a line in his book "Parliament of Whores" when he, as a layman, ham-fistedly cuts a bunch of stuff from the federal budget, and then just subtracts 10% from it at the end. Probably not the originator, but a quote I think about often. "Add it…
on “How did DOGE disrupt so much while saving so little?” ↗Are you familiar with what PJ O'Rouke says about politicians? Have a listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbIqKqojOZU He is the author of Parliament of Whores Parliament of Whores is an international best-selling political humor book by P. J. O'Rourke published by Atlantic Monthly Press in 1991. Subtitled "A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire US…
on “Ebola Is Now Curable” ↗being specific is the essence of lawmaking and the whole difference between having a Congress and having a mom ~ P. J. O'Rourke, "Parliament of Whores"
on “Drone pilot makes US rescind no-fly zones around unmarked, moving ICE vehicles” ↗