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Rights Quotes

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Rights Quotes

“The founders understood that democracy would inevitably evolve into a system of legalized plunder unless the plundered were given numerous escape routes and constitutional protections such as the separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, election of senators by state legislators, the electoral college, no income taxation, most governmental functions performed at the state and local levels, and myriad other constitutional limitations on the powers of the central government.”

“One cannot have a trade union or a democratic election without freedom of speech, freedom of association and assembly. Without a democratic election, whereby people choose and remove their rulers, there is no method of securing human rights against the state. No democracy without human rights, no human rights without democracy, and no trade union rights without either. That is our belief; that is our creed.”

“The democratic ideal springs from the ideas of liberty, equality, majority rule through free elections, protection of the rights of minorities, and freedom to subscribe to multiple loyalties in matters of religion, economics, and politics rather than to a total loyalty to the state. The spirit of democracy is the idea of importance and worth in the individual, and faith in the kind of world where the individual can achieve as much of his potential as possible.”

Source: Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

“Millions like me in Russia want a free press, the rule of law, social justice, and free and fair elections. My new job is to fight for those people and to fight for these fundamental rights.”

People Want Jobs Law Fighting Social Justice Millions Rights Fairs Election Social Justice Fundamentals Presses Russia Like Me Rule Of Law New Job Free Press Fundamental Rights

Author:Garry Kasparov

“You may twist the word freedom as long as you please, but at last it comes to quiet enjoyment of your own property, or it comes to nothing. Why do men want any of those things that are called political rights and privileges? Why do they, for instance, want to vote at elections for members of parliament? Oh! Because they shall then have an influence over the conduct of those members. And of what use is that? Oh! Then they will prevent the members from doing wrong.”

Source: A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland

“A share in the sovereignty of the state, which is exercised by the citizens at large, in voting at elections is one of the most important rights of the subject, and in a republic ought to stand foremost in the estimation of the law...That portion of the sovereignty, to which each individual is entitled, can never be too highly prized. It is that for which we have fought and bled.”

Important States Law Individual Rights Share Subjects Ought Citizens Election Voting Republic Portions Entitled Sovereignty Estimation Elections And Voting

Author:Alexander Hamilton

“Racial discrimination in elections in Texas is no mere historical artifact. To the contrary, Texas has been found in violation of the Voting Rights Act in every redistricting cycle from and after 1970.”

“I spent many years working for voting rights, but we still see sophisticated efforts, led by white officials, to disenfranchise black voters in local and national elections.”

Years Stills Black White Effort Rights Election Locals Officials Voting Voters Sophisticated Right To Vote

Author:Edward Brooke

“We may say with truth and meaning, that governments are more or less republican, as they have more or less of the element of popular election and control in their composition; and believing as I do, that the mass of the citizens is the safest depository of their own rights and especially that the evils flowing from the duperies of the people are less injurious than those from the egoism of their agents, I am a friend to that composition of government which has in it the most of this ingredient.”

People Believe May Government Evil Rights Citizens Republican Elements Mass Election Agents Ingredients Composition Egoism

Book:The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private

Source: The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private

“We Americans think we enjoy self-government. We have all the trappings of self-government, like elections. But in reality, we have gradually lost many of our rights to govern ourselves. We have the form of self-government, but only some of the substance. We are, in a sense, a nation run by a handful of judges who often enforce, not the law, but their personal opinions.”

Thinking Self Reality Government Running Form Law Lost Nations Enjoy Opinion Rights Judging Election Substance Handful Self-government Personal Opinions

Author:Charles Colson

“All men are NOT created equal before God; the facts of heaven and hell, election and reprobation make clear that they are not equal. Moreover, an employer has aproperty rights to prefer whom he will in terms of "color" creed, race or national origin.”

Men Facts Heaven Term Race Hell Clear Rights Color Equal Election Creeds Employers Heaven And Hell

Author:R.J. Rushdoony

“Putting measures like gay marriage on ballots for elections only hurts the gay rights cause and elects more conservative politicians.”

Causes Hurt Rights Politician Gay Election Conservative Gay Marriage Gay Rights Ballots

Author:Roseanne Barr

“From my admittedly cranky perspective, Bush/Cheney are lousy on the Bill of Rights, Clinton/Gore were lousy on the Bill of Rights, and everyone within bribing distance of the 2008 election (Hillary, McCain, Giuliani) are lousy on the Bill of Rights, too.”

Rights Perspective Election Bills Distance Clinton Gore Mccain Bill Of Rights Cranky

Author:Matt Welch