Word: axiom
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Gorbachev-Yeltsin alliance has long been an axiom of reform politics in the Soviet Union. The combination may not make for the most stable relationship, but the two complement each other neatly in experience and temperament. Gorbachev is the cautious infighter who thinks out every move in advance; Yeltsin is the street brawler who goes with his heart and throws caution to the winds. Gorbachev is the sophisticated world traveler who shows presence of mind in the White House or the Vatican; Yeltsin is the blunt- spoken man of the people, comfortable mixing with workers on a shop floor...
...program that is passed either affects certain people or they have to pay for it," he explains. "To comprehend the political struggles in Washington, you have to know what's occurring in the small corners of this nation." Sidey has always been unerring in his devotion to that axiom. The politicians he covers sometimes tend to forget it, and that's how many news stories get their start...
There is a simple way. First, distinguish between environmental luxuries and environmental necessities. Luxuries are those things it would be nice to have if costless. Necessities are those things we must have regardless. Then apply a rule. Call it the fundamental axiom of sane environmentalism: Combatting ecological change that directly threatens the health and safety of people is an environmental necessity. All else is luxury...
Here's an axiom of the new budget math for state officials: '80s into '90s won't go. For much of the past decade state budgets were pushed into the black by a buoyant economy that kept tax revenues pouring in just fast enough. In a pinch, states could unveil a new lottery, nudge up the sales tax or practice the kind of creative accounting that shifts one year's outlays into the next. But with the economy slumping and voters raising a fuss at the very whisper of new taxes, the assumptions of the '80s are not working anymore...
...each, share four characteristics: an irresistible envelope, a personalized typewritten letter, a brochure intended to give an as yet nonexistent product an aura of legitimacy, and a response card. Jayme and Ratalahti know that people do not read direct-mail pitches carefully, so they adhere to a simple axiom: state the message, repeat it -- then repeat it again...