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Government Quotes

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Government Quotes

“I saw the government really using the excuse of a weak economy and a financial crisis to create more government and to push onto the American entrepreneurial society more and more restraints and government activity.”

Government Economy Saws Activity Weak Crisis Financial Excuse Restraint Entrepreneurial Financial Crisis

Author:Rob Portman

“I also urge the Obama administration - both on its own and in cooperation with other responsible governments around the world - to use all legal means necessary to shut down WikiLeaks before it can do more damage by releasing additional cables. WikiLeaks' activities represent a shared threat to collective international security.”

“I don't think we should discriminate against an organization or congregation because they're religious, if they're doing good work. But government can't subsidize proselytizing or worship or religious activity. It can't.”

Ifs Thinking Should Government Religious Activity Worship Organization Good Work Doing Good Congregation Proselytizing

Author:Jim Wallis

“I must confess the activities of the UK governments for the past couple of years have been watched with frank admiration and amazement by Lord Vetinari. Outright theft as a policy had never occurred to him.”

Years Has Beens Government Past Lord Policy Couple Activity Admiration Frank Theft Amazement Vetinari

Author:Terry Pratchett

“So that the record of history is absolutely crystal clear that there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free-enterprise system.”

“If we become an accomplice to criminal activities by the American government, then we are liable too.”

Ifs Government Activity Criminals Liable American Government Accomplices

Author:Clive Stafford Smith

“Law-abiding Americans deserve to know that their government will not secretly tap their phones, read their medical records, access their library accounts or otherwise invade their personal lives, with no oversight or accountability. Law-abiding Americans also deserve to know that when law enforcement can show an impartial judge clear evidence of criminal activity or a threat to national security, swift and decisive action will be taken to protect the public. That is the balance we must achieve.”

“In the last few decades entire new categories of waste have come to plague and menace the American scene. Pollution is growing at a rapid rate. Pollution destroys beauty and menaces health. It cuts down on efficiency, reduces property values and raises taxes. Almost all these wastes and pollutions are the result of activities carried on for the benefit of man. A prime national goal must be an environment that is pleasing to the senses and healthy to live in. Our Government is already doing much in this field. We have made significant progress. But more must be done.”

“The Framers of the First Amendment were not concerned with preventing government from abridging their freedom to speak about crops and cockfighting, or with protecting the expressive activity of topless dancers, which of late has found some shelter under the First Amendment. Rather, the Framers cherished unabridged freedom of political communication.”

Source: With a Happy Eye, But...: America and the World, 1997--2002

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Scientists made a great invention by calling their activities hypotheses and experiments. They made it permissible to fail repeatedly until in the end they got the results they wanted. In politics or government, if you made a hypothesis and it didn't work out, you had your head cut off.”

“In a free society, a large degree of human activity is none of the government's business. We should make criminal what's going to hurt other people and other than that we should leave it to people to make their own choices.”

People Should Humans Government Choices Hurt Activity Degrees Criminals Free Society Human Activity

Author:Barney Frank

“State capitalism is about more than emergency government spending, implementation of more intelligent regulation, or a stronger social safety net. It's about state dominance of economic activity for political gain.”

States Government Political Social Economic Activity Capitalism Gains Stronger Intelligent Safety Spending Regulation Emergencies Dominance Implementation Safety Net Government Spending

Author:Ian Bremmer

“The purpose prong of the Lemon test requires that a government activity have a secular purpose. That requirement is not satisfied, however, by the mere existence of some secular purpose, however dominated by religious purposes... The proper inquiry under the purpose prong of Lemon, I submit, is whether the government intends to convey a message of endorsement or disapproval of religion.”

Government Purpose Religious Existence Atheism Activity Messages Tests Mere Satisfied Submit Secular Requirements Inquiry Lemons Endorsements Disapproval

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“If we look around, then, at the crucial problem areas of our society - the areas of crisis and failure - we find in each and every case a “red thread” marking and uniting them all: the thread of government. In every one of these cases, government either has totally run or heavily influenced the activity.”

Ifs Looks Problem Government Running Cases Activity Red Areas Crisis Our Society Crucial Thread Uniting Red Thread

Book:For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto

Source: For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto

“all government, whatever its forms or pretenses, is a dead weight that paralyzes the free spirit and activities of the masses.”

Government Form Spirit Activity Mass Weight Pretense Free Spirit

Author:Emma Goldman

“The intelligence activities undertaken by the United States government are lawful, necessary and required to protect Americans from terrorist attacks.”

States Government United United States Activity Protect Terrorist Nsa State Government Terrorist Attacks United States Government

Author:Dana Perino