Quotes About Government

A democracy is a government in the hands of men of low birth, no property, and vulgar employments.

If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.

The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control, and outnumbers both of the other classes.

The best political community is formed by citizens of the middle class.

The most perfect political community must be amongst those who are in the middle rank, and those states are best instituted wherein these are a larger and more respectable part, if possible, than both the other; or, if that cannot be, at least than either of them separate.

It is easier to get one or a few of good sense, and of ability to legislate and adjudge, than to get many.

In the work of government, reason is the architect; it is the part of reason to command, and the duty of weakness and of passion to obey.

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.

Government and subjection, then, are things useful and necessary; they prevail everywhere, in animated as well as in brute matter; from their first origin, some natures are formed to command, and others to obey; the kinds of government and subjection varying with the differences of their objects, but all equally useful for their respective ends.

It is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal.

It is clearly better that property should be private, but the use of it common and the special business of the legislator is to create in men this benevolent disposition.

Different men seek after happiness in different ways and by different means, and so make for themselves different modes of life and forms of government.

The state comes into existence for the sake of life and continues to exist for the sake of good life.

Paraphrased for brevity: Those who think a HERILE government is the same as a regal government or that of a large family or of a city are mistaken.

The fundamental purpose of government is to protect its citizens.

People in government and public life are being kicked around at a high rate of speed.

I am very much opposed to abortion personally. But I don't think it is the government's rule.

Tea Party adherents seemed to arrive at their dislike of the federal government via three routes--through their religious faith (the government curtailed the church, they felt), through hatred of taxes (which they saw as too high and too progressive), and through its impact on their loss of honor.

Virtually every Tea Party advocate I interviewed for this book has personally benefited from a major government service or has close family who have.

As one man explains, "A lot of us have done okay, but we don't want to lose what we've got, see it given away." When I ask him what he saw as being "given away," it was not public waters given to dumpers, or clean air give to smoke stacks. It was not health or years of life. It was not lost public sector jobs. What he felt was being given away was tax money to support non-working people and non-deserving people--and not just tax money, but honor too.

Local waterways had long been contaminated from many sources. But in 1987, the state at last issued a seafood advisory for Bayou d'Inde, the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and the estuary to the Gulf of Mexico. ... From net to plate—fishermen, grocery stores, trucking companies, and restaurant workers—all were furious at the government officials who had declared the seafood advisory.

They had children to take care of and felt wary of supporting any environmental movement or federal government action that might jeopardize them.

But how, I wondered, did that work—putting care for the environment together with the Tea Party call to defund—if not abolish—the EPA, along with other agencies of government? Mike's answer was the free market. "Follow the money," he said. "Make it in the financial interest of everyone to do the right thing.

Companies made money and were beholden to stockholders; it was understandable if they tried to "cover their ass," people told me. But the government was paid to protect people, so one could expect much more of them.