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Federal Government Quotes

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Federal Government Quotes

“If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the General Welfare, the Government is no longer a limited one, possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one.”

Source: James Madison's

“I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people.' To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power not longer susceptible of any definition.”

Source: The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private : published by the order of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from the original manuscripts, deposited in the Department of State

“How can you raise the level of consciousness on this? How can you get the federal government to take the responsibility? Florida does not have a foreign policy. This is a federal policy or absence of federal policy. It's so clear that we're not being treated fairly. We have to come up with a solution. It hurts your head trying to figure out what to do.”

Trying Doe Government Hurt Levels Consciousness Responsibility Clear Figures Policy Solutions Raises Come Up Absence Immigration Treated Foreign Policy Florida It Hurts Federal Government

Author:Lawton Chiles

“The idea that the United States can't guard its own border is silly. It's a sign that were not serious about this...people who legally shouldn't be here. When the state is forced to take care of them - for example, if they have an illegal alien in their prison - the federal government should pay for it. If Washington has to pay for it, Washington's going to more rapidly understand why we have to take some necessary steps.”

People Ifs Should Ideas States Government Care United Pay Steps United States Example Serious Prison Take Care Silly Immigration Aliens Borders Illegal Federal Government Illegal Aliens

Author:Newt Gingrich

“The Commission agrees that the federal government should help alleviate these costs. The best way to do so is to reduce illegal immigration.... We recommend immediate reimbursement of criminal justice costs, because these conditions can now be met, but we urge further study of the costs of health care and education before impact aid is provided.”

“In 1992, the federal Government actually issued more work authorizations to immigrants and temporary foreign workers than the net number of new jobs created by our economy. Something is fundamentally wrong when we have millions of American citizens and legal residents begging for jobs, and yet we are admitting thousands and thousands of immigrants a year with virtually no consideration to our employment needs or their employment skills.”

“Based on my experience as a prosecutor in Miami, illegal immigration is one of the most critical issues facing this country. As a prosecutor, I felt the burden of it. I think what's important... is for the state and the federal government and for local governments to work together to do everything possible to control illegal immigration in a comprehensive way.”

“It is a travesty, in my mind, for the state and local governments on the one hand to expect the Federal government to reimburse them for costs attributable to illegal immigrants, when on the other hand the State and local governments prohibit their own law enforcement and other officials from cooperating with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to locate or apprehend or expel illegal aliens.”

“I would absolutely never use the federal government to enforce the law of using marijuana”

Use Government Law Marijuana Federal Government

Author:Ron Paul

“To bring about government by oligarchy, masquerading as democracy, it is fundamentally essential that practically all authority and control be centralized in our Federal government. . . The individual sovereignty of our states must first be destroyed.”

Firsts States Government Individual Liberty Democracy Essentials Authority Destroyed Federal Government Sovereignty Oligarchy

Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt

“To avoid the necessity of a permanent debt and its inevitable consequences, I have advocated and endeavored to carry into effect the policy of confining the appropriations for the public service to such objects only as are clearly with the constitutional authority of the Federal Government.”

Government Effects Policy Objects Authority Consequence Debt Inevitable Permanent Patriotic Federal Government Public Service Appropriation

Book:Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk

Source: Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk

“Every year the Federal Government wastes billions of dollars as a result of overpayments of government agencies, misuse of government credit cards, abuse of the Federal entitlement programs, and the mismanagement of the Federal bureaucracy.”

“The federal war on drugs is a total failure... The federal government's going in there and overriding state laws... Why don't we handle the drugs like we handle alcohol? ... I fear the drug war because it undermines our civil liberties. It magnifies our problems on the borders. We've spent over the last 40 years a trillion dollars on this war and - believe me - the kids can still get the drugs. It just hasn't worked.”

Years Believe Stills War States Problem Government Kids Lasts Law Liberty Drug Dollars Alcohol Handle Borders Marijuana Believe In Me Federal Government Civil Liberties War On Drugs

Author:Ron Paul

“If we get the federal government out of the classroom, maybe we'll get God back in.”

Ifs Government Military Classroom Federal Government

Author:Ronald Reagan

“They want the federal government controlling the Social Security, like it's some kind of federal program.”

Want Kind Humor Government Political Social Security Program Campaigns Federal Government Social Security Bushism Funny Bush

Author:George W. Bush

“The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment.”

Government Politics Function Entertainment Valuable Federal Government

Book:Dave Barry Turns 50

Source: Dave Barry Turns 50

“When the state or federal government controls the education of all of our children, they have the dangerous and illegitimate monopoly to control and influence the thought process of our citizens.”

Children States Government School Process Influence Dangerous Citizens Our Children Federal Government Monopoly Thought Process Schools And Education Illegitimate Child

Author:Michael Badnarik

“I'll change the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology.”

Government Technology Embrace Administration American History Federal Government Posture Science And Technology

Author:Barack Obama

“Try this thought experiment. Pretend you're a tyrant. Among your many liberty-destroying objectives are extermination of blacks, Jews and Catholics. Which would you prefer, a United States with political power centralized in Washington, powerful government agencies with detailed information on Americans and compliant states or power widely dispersed over 50 states, thousands of local jurisdictions and a limited federal government?”

“I believe the states can best govern our home concerns, and the general government our foreign ones.”

Believe States Home Government I Believe Liberty Concern Libertarian Libertarianism Federal Government

Author:Thomas Jefferson

“Emergency does not increase granted power or remove or diminish the restrictions imposed upon power granted or reserved. The Constitution was adopted in a period of grave emergency. Its grants of power to the federal government and its limitations of the power of the States were determined in the light of emergency, and they are not altered by emergency.”

“With respect to the words "general welfare," I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.”

“The Federal Government was never, in its essence, anything but an anti-slavery government.”

Government Essence Slavery Federal Government Anti Slavery

Book:Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings

Source: Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings

“First of all, in principle, I'm against physician-assisted suicide, and secondly, I believe it is the prerogative of the federal government to control drug rules. And the idea of using a controlled substance to end somebody's life is something I don't agree with. I can see the idea of using controlled substances to ease somebody's pain. That makes sense.”

“This bill would renounce the safe, proper, and acceptable role for Government as a referee of disputes between the governed. It would interpose the Government as a biased protagonist, armed with the awesome authority of the Federal Government, in addition to rulemaking and umpire powers. The broad grants of power to the Attorney General to initiate and intervene in civil actions would go far toward transforming him into George Orwell's 'Big Brother' of '1984,' in the year 1964.”

“Americans need not fear the federal government because they enjoy the advantage of being armed, which you possess over the people of almost every other nation.”

People Needs Government Nations Enjoy Freedom Gun Advantage Gun Control Federal Government

Author:James Madison

“We repeat and again reaffirm that neither a State nor the Federal Government can constitutionally force a person "to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion." Neither can constitutionally pass laws or impose requirements which aid all religions as against nonbelievers, and neither can aid those religions based on a belief in the existence of God as against those religions founded on different beliefs.”

Persons Different States Government Law Religion Belief Force Existence Atheism Aids Repeats Requirements Federal Government Disbelief Existence Of God Different Beliefs

Author:Hugo Black

“The federal government is like a handicapped turtle trying to crawl around and keep up with the rabbit, which is technology.”

Trying Government Technology Federal Government Rabbits Turtles Handicapped

Author:Jim Breithaupt

“If the Tenth Amendment were still taken seriously, most of the federal government's present activities would not exist. That's why no one in Washington ever mentions it.”

Ifs Stills Government Liberty Taken Activity Libertarian Amendments Federal Government

Book:The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

Source: The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History

“The Community Relations Service would be another pro-civil rights Federal agency attempting to make people do what the policy of the Federal Government demanded that they do. Moreover, in title II of the bill, this Service is made an agent of the court without due thought as to the effect on legal and judicial procedures.”

People Made Government Would Be Community Rights Effects Policy Relation Bills Court Dues Civil Rights Agents Titles Agency Federal Government Attempting Procedures Judicial

Author:John Sparkman

“The federal government may not disarm individual citizens without some unusually strong justification.”

May Government Individual Strong Citizens Gun Justification Gun Control Federal Government

Author:Laurence Tribe

“The role of the federal government is to protect our liberties. That means they should protect our religious liberties to do what we want; our intellectual liberty, but it also should protect our right to do to our body what we want, you know, what we take into our bodies.”

Knows Want Should Mean Body Government Religious Liberty Roles Protect Intellectual Marijuana Federal Government Religious Liberty

Author:Ron Paul

“You can at least let sick people have marijuana because it's helpful. But the compassionate conservatives say, well we can't do this, we're going to put people who are sick and dying with cancer and are being helped with marijuana if they have multiple sclerosis - the federal government is going in there and overriding state laws and putting people like that in prison.”

People Ifs Wells States Government Law Dying Sick Prison Cancer Helpful Compassionate Marijuana Multiple Federal Government Multiple Sclerosis Sick And Dying

Author:Ron Paul

“Even if it takes changing the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got.”

People Ifs Should Made Government Law President Honor Commitment Memorable Federal Government

Author:William J. Clinton

“I support ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country. I believe strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away and passing laws that extend equal rights to gay couples. I've required all agencies in the federal government to extend as many federal benefits as possible to LGBT families as the current law allows. And I've called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and to pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act.”

“Taking privacy cues from the federal government is - to say the least - ironic, considering today's Orwellian level of surveillance. At virtually any given time outside of one's own home, an American citizen can reasonably assume his movements and actions are being monitored by something, by somebody, somewhere.”

Home Government Today Action Given Levels Security Movement Citizens Assuming Privacy Ironic Considering Federal Government Surveillance American Citizens Orwellian

Author:Bob Barr

“What would you think of a person who earned $24,000 a year but spent $35,000? Suppose on top of that, he was already $170,000 in debt. You'd tell him to get his act together - stop spending so much or he'd destroy his family, impoverish his kids and wreck their future. Of course, no individual could live so irresponsibly for long. But tack on eight more zeroes to that budget and you have the checkbook for our out-of-control, big-spending federal government.”

Thinking Years Persons Long Bigs Government Kids Together Political Courses Politics Individual Economics Eight Debt Spending Budgets Federal Government Wrecks Politics And Economics

Author:John Stossel

“Parts of the Voting Rights Act are due to expire next year if Congress doesn't extend them, including the section that guarantees that voting rights will be protected by the federal government.”

Ifs Years Government Next Rights Including Congress Dues Guarantees Voting Protected Federal Government Sections Next Year Right To Vote Guarantees That Voting Rights Act

Author:Marty Meehan

“When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, I was thrilled to learn that the federal government would offer resources to all states to assist them in enhancing the voting process in America.”

States Helping Government America Process Offers Resources Vote Congress Voting Federal Government All State

Author:DeForest Soaries

“After an unequivocal experience of the inefficacy of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America.”

States Government America United United States Constitution United States Of America Federal Government Deliberate Unequivocal

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“The proposed Constitution, so far from implying an abolition of the State governments, makes them constituent parts of the national sovereignty, by allowing them a direct representation in the Senate, and leaves in their possession certain exclusive and very important portions of sovereign power. This fully corresponds, in every rational import of the terms, with the idea of a federal government.”

Source: The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

“But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm . . . But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity.”

States Government Would Be Degrees Authority Madness Opposition Ambitious Federal Government Signals Alarms State Government Federalist Papers Extremity Encroachment Federalism

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

“The appointment of senators by the state legislatures . . . is recommended by the double advantage of favoring a select appointment, and of giving to the state governments such an agency in the formation of the federal government, as must secure the authority of the former.”

Giving States Government Authority Advantage Secure Former Agency Senators Federal Government Select Formation Legislature Appointments State Government Federalism State Legislatures

Book:Selected Writings of James Madison

Source: Selected Writings of James Madison

“The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal judiciary; an irresponsible body, (for impeachment is scarcely a scare-crow) working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the States, and the government of all be consolidated into one.”

“All of us should remember that the federal government is not some mysterious institution comprised of buildings, files and paper. The people are the government. What we create we ought to be able to control.”

People Should Government Able Remember Building Ought Paper Institutions Mysterious Federal Government Files

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan, 1981

“If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify.”

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788

“Well, as you know, there are many things in life that are not fair, that wealthy people can afford and poor people cant. But I dont believe that the Federal Government should take action to try to make these opportunities exactly equal, particularly when there is a moral factor involved.”

People Knows Life Should Trying Believe Wells Government Action Opportunity Poor Moral Involved Equal Fairs Factors Wealthy Things In Life Federal Government Poor People Cant Not Fair

Book:Jimmy Carter

Source: Jimmy Carter

“We have, in this country, one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board. This evil institution has impoverished the people of the United States and has practically bankrupted our government. It has done this through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it.”

“I am pleased to report that Texas is known for having one of the strongest set of open government laws in our Nation. And ever since that experience, I have long believed that our federal government could use 'a little Texas sunshine.'”

Littles Long Use Government Law Nations Known Reports Sunshine Strongest Texas Federal Government

Author:John Cornyn

“While I wholeheartedly support finding cost savings through efficiencies in all areas of the federal government, including defense, I will resist any actions that would compromise our nation’s qualitative edge when it comes to national defense. It is well known that weakness invites aggression. Threats do not always announce themselves in advance. In order to prepare for unpredictable threats, we must modernize our defense systems. We certainly cannot let them age and deteriorate.”