Mishnah Quotes

It is time for us to insist that we are accountable for the money that we are spending.

The State should have made sure the money given to the NGOs was used according to a global plan for Haiti; not doing whatever they want. They should be supervised and have to report and make sure the money is being used properly. They are here, but we are seeing no results.

We need earmark reform, and when I'm President, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.

Three groups spend other people's money: children, thieves, politicians. All three need supervision.

Wisdom comes from experience. Handling the people's money is not a job for a politician. There's too much temptation. It might be good to let an elderly man handle your money. He's looking for the Golden Gate, not the Golden Calf.

The time is coming when all businesses will have to be done with glass pockets.

In general it can be said that any political or other social system that relies on secrecy does not work efficiently.

To the senate belongs, in the first place, the sole care and management of the public money. For all returns that are brought into the treasury, as well as all the payments that are issued from it, are directed by their orders. Nor is it allowed to the quaestors to apply any part of the revenue to particular occasions as they arise, without a decree of the senate

The problem comes from the lack of transparency and accountability of government.

From now on, the government has to make its accounts public on a quarterly basis.

We should never waive the checks on government spending that taxpayers deserve.

Institute a strict audit (of which no one need be ashamed) of the money given by us to the different workmen for the beautification of the City. See that we are receiving money's worth for the money spent. If there is embezzlement anywhere, cause the funds so embezzled to be disgorged. We expect the Romans to help from their own resources in this patriotic work, and certainly not to intercept our contributions for the purpose.

I am the only public servant and the only Mexican President ever who has made his finances public from before, during, and after public service.

The government of England is one of the wisest in Europe, because there is a body there that examines this government continually and that continually examines itself.

A dominion then, whose well-being depends on any man's good faith, and whose affairs cannot be properly administered, unless those who are engaged in them will act honestly, will be very unstable. On the contrary, to insure its permanence, its public affairs should be so ordered, that those who administer them, whether guided by reason or passion, cannot be led to act treacherously or basely.

Counter-corruption agencies cannot make a difference unless they are independent of the government actors they are supposed to monitor, restrain, and punish.

For democracy to triumph, the natural predatory tendencies of rulers must be restrained by rigorous rules and impartial institutions.

The corrupt are running out of places to hide.

This is the system that we have. I didn’t make the system. This is the system that we have.

To a great extent, it is our money that is funding some of the problems with which we must cope.

The separation of powers of the Constitution almost encourages leaks.

Quite as important as legislation is vigilant oversight of administration; and even more important than legislation is the instruction and guidance in political affairs which the people might receive from a body which kept all national concerns suffused in a broad daylight of discussion .... The informing functions of Congress should be preferred even to its legislative function. The argument is not only that a discussed and interrogated administration is the only pure and efficient administration, but, more than that, that the only really self-governing people is that people which discusses and interrogates its administration.

There are no checks and balances if the government is wrong, if a private entrepreneur makes a mistake, he goes bankrupt, the losses are cut, if he bets wrong, he loses, if the government bets wrong, they just get bigger, they just appropriate more money, it's a bottomless pit, because they either get it from the tax payers or run it off a printing press.

There will be scandals. There will be scandals. And then maybe we can reform again.

Make sure that everyone who should know what you are doing knows what you are doing.