Washington is a place where politicians don't know which way is

In the age of speeches and slogans, when laughter often revealed more truth than politics ever dared, the humorist Robert Orben spoke words that still strike with the sting of irony and the weight of wisdom: “Washington is a place where politicians don't know which way is up and taxes don't know which way is down.” Though born in jest, this saying is no mere joke — it is a mirror, reflecting the confusion of power and the unending burden placed upon the governed. It reminds us that when those who rule lose their sense of direction, it is the people who must carry the weight of their missteps.

Orben, a master of political wit, lived through the mid-twentieth century — a time when government swelled with complexity, bureaucracy multiplied, and the corridors of power seemed ever more distant from the simple truths of ordinary life. His words, delivered with a comedian’s smile, concealed a philosopher’s insight. Beneath the laughter lies a sobering truth: that the political world often drifts into chaos, untethered from the moral compass that should guide it, while the machinery of taxation — relentless, ever upward — presses upon the people without mercy or reprieve. Thus, Orben captured in a single sentence the paradox of modern governance: confusion above, burden below.

When he said that politicians don’t know which way is up, Orben was not mocking the intelligence of leaders, but the disarray of their purpose. For in Washington, as in all centers of power throughout history, ambition and self-interest often cloud the clarity of principle. The halls of government are filled with men and women who once dreamed of service but find themselves lost in the labyrinth of partisanship, compromise, and deceit. They rise high in title but sink low in truth; they climb the ladders of influence, yet forget the direction of virtue. Like sailors steering by a false star, they move constantly — yet toward no true destination.

Meanwhile, when he said that taxes don’t know which way is down, Orben exposed the silent tragedy of the common man. For every generation promises relief, and every government pledges restraint, yet the burden grows heavier still. It is the story of empire, repeated without end. In ancient Rome, the people once believed their taxes would build roads and feed armies; but as the empire aged, those taxes fed only the decadence of its rulers. Bread and circuses distracted the citizens while the treasury drained. So it is today — the names have changed, the palaces replaced by marble offices, but the pattern endures. The greater the confusion of those in power, the greater the cost to those who serve beneath them.

And yet, Orben’s quote, though filled with satire, also carries the fire of awakening. He invites us not to despair, but to recognize the folly of placing blind faith in institutions that have forgotten their purpose. If politicians do not know which way is up, then it falls upon the people to remind them. If taxes refuse to fall, then it is the duty of citizens to demand accountability and justice. A government is not a god, nor a machine beyond control — it is a mirror of its people. When the governed become passive, the rulers grow reckless; but when the governed are vigilant, the rulers remember humility.

From this, we learn that humor can often teach more than anger. Robert Orben’s laughter was not scornful, but redemptive — a way of awakening the spirit through irony. The wise man laughs not to mock, but to see clearly. And what he saw was a truth that spans all time: that power tends to lose its way when unexamined, and that the weight of taxation, both literal and moral, must be kept in check by the conscience of a free people.

Therefore, my children of the future, take this lesson to heart: never leave your government to find its way alone. Hold your leaders to the light of truth, for without it, they will drift into the fog of ambition. Demand clarity where there is confusion, and simplicity where there is waste. And when you speak of taxes, remember that each coin given must return as a blessing, not as a burden. The health of a nation is measured not by the height of its towers, nor the reach of its power, but by the fairness of its rule and the wisdom of its citizens.

So laugh, as Robert Orben laughed — but let your laughter awaken, not dull, your spirit. For the humorist’s jest hides the philosopher’s charge: know which way is up, and never stop reminding those in power of the way back to truth. And if taxes still do not know which way is down, let it not be said that the people stood silent while their own pockets — and their freedom — were slowly drained.