David Harsanyi Quotes

I leave it up to the government to make good decisions for Americans.

Most men, being the ruled, not the rulers, want good government. If, without constraint, they choose bad government, it is by mistake

We cannot long protect liberty if our leaders continue to act like mere bystanders in the work of government.

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.

We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.

Democratic elections alone do not remedy the crisis of confidence in government. Moreover, there is no viable justification for a democratic system in which public participation is limited to voting.

There is so much that can be done, you see, the assembly is about improving our democracy.

We, as citizens, are the true owners of government.

A government of, by and for the people is obligated to conduct the nation's business in a manner that respects dissent.

Public confidence in the elective process is the foundation of public confidence in government.

We are not the consumers of democracy, we are its proprietors.

The people made this government, and not the government the people. Destroy the intelligence of the people, and the government could not exist for a day; — destroy this government, and the people would create another, and yet another, of no less perfect symmetry.

Our form of government depends on a mutual bond of trust between the people and their government. But people have become cynical about their government.

Americans need to be engaged and invested in the legislative process that affects their daily lives, otherwise we are just democracy in name only.

The reality is that government is a participative process.

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

I think most people realize that our problems are our government, not me and you individually, except that we can - must have some sort of responsibility, because they're in there and they were elected, so we have to defend ourselves on those lines.

I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.

What kind of government is this? This is a human being. This is not right, and I'm telling everybody you better call your congressman, because they're going to run your life.

You're a sovereign as a citizen. If you're not involved in your government, you're not doing your job. In the long run that's very bad for the Republic.

I feel good because I believe I have made progress in rebuilding the people's trust in their government.

No matter where you stand politically - even if you're unsure of what your political ideology is - it is important to take part in the process of shaping our government.

I think for voters what matters is the values that drive the government.

It's really remarkable when you think about what we don't like about government, we, the people created. So if we created it, we can also fix it.

The American public should simply accept no distractions. In our democracy, it is our duty to hold our elected leaders accountable. We do it at the ballot box.