Nashville (1975)

Thomas Hal Phillips: Hal Phillip Walker

Quotes 

• Hal Phillip Walker : Who do you think is running Congress? Farmers? Engineers? Teachers? Businessmen? No, my friends. Congress is run by lawyers. A lawyer is trained for two things and two things only. To clarify - that's one. And to confuse - that's the other thing. He does whichever is to his client's advantage. Did you ever ask a lawyer the time of day? He told you how to make a watch, didn't he? Ever ask a lawyer how to get to Mr. Jones' house in the country? You got lost, didn't you? Congress is composed of five hundred and thirty-five individuals. Two hundred and eighty-eight are lawyers. And you wonder what's wrong in Congress? No wonder we often know how to make a watch, but we don't know - the time of day.

• Hal Phillip Walker : I'm often confronted with the statement, "I don't want to get mixed up in politics." Or, "I'm tired of politics." Or, "I'm not interested." Almost as often, someone says, "I can't do anything about it anyway." Let me point out two things. Number one: all of us are equally involved with politics whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not. And number two: we can do something about it. When you pay more for an automobile than it cost Columbus to make his first voyage to America, that's politics.

• Hal Phillip Walker : Does it make sense that the churches should remain untaxed on their vast holdings of land and corporate investments? Does it make sense that a multi-million dollar income should go untaxed year after year? No, all will not be easy. But, we will bask in the satisfaction of having done what we should have done. And if we don't get it done today, we may run out of tomorrows.