“People should be free, people should be unencumbered by regulation as much as possible, that big government always goes corrupt and the truth shall always set you free.”
Government shapes daily life in ways most people never think about. These quotes cover democracy, policy, power, corruption, civic duty, and the endless debate over how much government is too much — or not enough.
“Peace as a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not even the most belligerent.”
“People should be free, people should be unencumbered by regulation as much as possible, that big government always goes corrupt and the truth shall always set you free.”
“I've been in and out of Wall Street since 1949, and I've never seen the type of animosity between government and Wall Street. And I'm not sure where it comes from, but I suspect it's got to do with a general schism in this society which is really becoming ever more destructive.”
“Government is dysfunctional.”
“My mother's sympathies were strongly with the Union. She knew that war was bound to come, but so confident was she in the strength of the Federal Government that she devoutly believed that the struggle could not last longer than six months at the utmost.”
“Barack Obama's enemies are the people who make this country work. Barack Obama's enemies are those who succeed. Those are the people whose income he wants to redistribute. Those are the people whose income he wants to take, using the power and the force of the federal government to do it.”
“We are a forward-looking people, and we must have a forward-looking government.”
“Concerns about the size and role of government are what seem to leave reformers stammering and speechless in town-hall meetings. The right wants to have a debate over fundamental principles elected Democrats seem incapable of giving it to them.”
“There are many people who feel that it is useless and futile to continue talking about peace and non-violence against a government whose only reply is savage attacks on an unarmed and defenceless people.”
“My actions constituted pure hacking that resulted in relatively trivial expenses for the companies involved, despite the government's false claims.”
“I think if you have a two-story office and you hire someone who's handicapped, it might be reasonable to let him have an office on the first floor rather than the government saying you have to have a $100,000 elevator.”
“Politically, the world is so confused right now - there's so much suffering caused by various movements by various parties and people in power in government.”
“I'm not really conservative. I'm conservative on certain things. I believe in less government. I believe in fiscal responsibility and all those things that maybe Republicans used to believe in but don't any more.”
“Our nation is too different, too diverse to say that what works in Massachusetts is somehow going to be grabbed by the federal government, usurping the power of states and imposing a one-size-fits-all plan on the nation. That will not work.”
“But then it hasn't really been a focus of our government to make us an educated people.”
“It is not the constitutional prerogative of the Government to determine needs.”