Matt Mead Quotes

Our democracy is predicated on the belief that our government should be accessible by the people. We cannot allow ourselves to give in to fear or shy away from interacting with the public.

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government, and if they are kept in the dark about what their government is doing, they cannot be in a position to make well-grounded decisions.

We believe open data helps citizens have a better understanding about Seoul's policies and motivates them to join the city government's efforts.

Access to presidential materials should be as wide as possible.

After all, I have spent the better part of my adult life insisting that government be open... that government be accessible... and that government be held accountable to people who voted us into office.

Why does the White House sometimes seem so determined to close the door on the people's right to know what their government is doing?

One of the greatest things that we provide in our democracy is the approachability of public officials.

The overarching purpose of access to information legislation … is to facilitate democracy. It does so in two related ways. It helps to ensure first, that citizens have the information required to participate meaningfully in the democratic process, and secondly, that politicians and bureaucrats remain accountable to the citizenry.

… a guarantee of public access to government information is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.... if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless.

As for transparency of our proceedings everyone is free to contact their government and find out what issues are being discussed.

Democracy is stronger, is better, is more robust when people participate. We should want to encourage that.

Where civil society thrives, governments operate with more transparency and accountability. This creates a tangible impact on the lives of everyday citizens.

Transparency in government, no less than transparency in choosing government, remains a vital national interest in a democracy.

A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency.

Open government is, within limits, an ideal that we all share. U.S. President Barack Obama endorsed it when he took office in January 2009.

Democracy is not just voting for your leaders; it's really premised upon ordinary citizens understanding the issues.

In the 21st century, the countries that thrive will be the ones where citizens know their voices will be heard because the institutions are transparent.

We need more transparency and accountability in government so that people know how their money is being spent. That means putting budgets online, putting legislation online.

We need to find a way to empower citizens to make governments take notice.

Senators will do what they think they need to do to represent their constituents.

You have citizens who don't understand how government works and they're kind of soured on it. All they do is criticize. They have no idea that they can make things happen.

Democracy has always been in crisis: democracy is all about practicing the art of bearable dissatisfaction. In democratic societies, people often complain about their leaders and their institutions. The gap between the ideal democracy and the existing one cannot be bridged.

If governments did not mislead their citizens so often, there would be less need for secrecy, and if leaders knew they could not rely on keeping the public in the dark about what they are doing, they would have a powerful incentive to behave better.

Democracy is more than a ballot box.

When I'm governor... I'll be the first governor with a listed telephone number.