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We get the government we deserve.  Who do you mean, "We," Kimosabe?  I don't think I've ever gotten the government I deserve.  I contribute money, fill out questionaires, answer pollsters, call, write, and email my Senators and Congressmen (it's always been men for me), send my opinion to important "swing" vote Senators, write the White House, and anything else I can think of short of picketing or working for a campaign.  And I'm still stuck with Lamar Smith, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and John Cornyn.  (Don't get me started on Gov. Goodhair.)

No; I most assuredly don't get the government I deserve; I get the government other people stick me with.

^{No one "deserved" these clowns!}

Life is unfair.  This is a phrase used by folks who either are just about to, are in the act of, or just finished screwing you, and they are trying to justify their actions.  (Sometimes it's someone else doing the justification.)  But in my experience, this phrase only gets employed after a royal screwing as a way of trying to lessen the guilt on the screwers' part.

Life is neither fair nor unfair; it just is.  People, on the other hand, can behave in a fair or unfair manner, and if it is the latter, they should be called on it.

I just have a quick question.  In the office cubical world, this phrase is used to interrupt one when one is obviously in the middle of something.  Sometimes--rarely--it is a quick question; more often, it is a complex, long, involved, and time-consuming question that will take a while--and probably visits to others' cubes--to sort out.  But I guess it wouldn't go over very well to say, "Hi, I have a long, involved, time-consuming question for you."  (Me, I just say, "Sorry to interrupt."  No sense in setting up false expectations.)

We value your call.  If you valued my call so much, why don't you answer it instead of putting me on hold?

Listen carefully, as our options have changed.  Really?  Since when?  Because when I called you last week, you said the same thing.  How often do your options change, anyway?  Every day?  When was the last one?  Because if it was more than 6 months ago, this phrase is nothing more than a ploy to waste my time and frustrate me so that I won't work my way through your voicemail buffer system.  Which, frankly, is all I suspect it is.

All this stuff is related to, but not the same as, Business Speak, wherein people say things that sound like B.S., but do so in order to avoid, say, a fist fight.  Like when someone says, "My understanding is . . ." instead of, "What you just said is completely wrong, but I don't want to embarass you in front of everyone, so I'm being kind."  Stuff like that.

So, what common clichéd phrases are you tired of?

Update:

A couple of good ones from Salon today:

Some say (or "Some people are saying" or "There are those that say").  When  politicians say this, it means they're either tossing out a total straw man argument, or they're putting forth their own opinion but are terrified of being pinned down by actually saying it (e.g., "Some say that we should privatize Social Security, which I think is an interesting idea.")

There's an argument to be made.  Again, generally deployed by politicians, specifically when they're floating an argument but again are too cowardly to actually take ownership of the idea.  Translation:  "I think this is a good idea, but I know it's going to take a lot of heat, so I'm going to hide behind this vague statement."

Also, read the comments for some more good examples.