Clarence Thomas Quotes

We should distinguish carefully skepticism about Big Government from contempt for all government.

My role was to bring about fairness in the workplace. All I did was implement the laws that were currently on the books.

The need for a national Employment Non-Discrimination Act a critical part of the LGBT community's struggle for equality.

I believe that smaller government is better government. But I also believe that in the areas where government does play a legitimate role, we should demand that it is done better.

So, Mr. President, what is wrong with the fair employment practice bill?

Ensuring fairness in the American workplace should be a cornerstone of our economic policy.

Politicians are good at saying how Government must do more, but we must also think carefully about where Government should do less.

It is perfectly true that that government is best which governs least. It is equally true that that government is best which provides most.

Concerns about the size and role of government are what seem to leave reformers stammering and speechless in town-hall meetings. The right wants to have a debate over fundamental principles; elected Democrats seem incapable of giving it to them.

We have tried voluntary codes and we have tried free markets, but they have not worked, so we need to try something else. Legislation is not a panacea for all the inequalities in the workplace, but it will go a long way towards stopping them. Effective employment legislation is needed

What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government shall do everything and the idea that government shall do nothing.

Government service in all its branches, state and federal, would have to be thrown open to all on the basis solely of merit, and promotions made accordingly. It would probably be necessary to have drastic laws against manifestations of color prejudice and discrimination, just as we have legislated against kidnapping, arson and murder which are certainly no more serious from the viewpoint of national welfare.

The most basic building block of any successful government is, first and foremost, a moral authority over the people it leads.

We need to maintain law and order. We need to maintain peace in the world. We need to protect the environment. We need to have some degree of social justice, equality of opportunity. The markets are not designed to take care of those needs. That's a political process.

The question today is not whether the government is too small or too small, but whether or not it works

Contrary to the myth of untrammeled free enterprise, this expanding industry was fueled at every stage by government intervention..

American and world history show that if you want minimal government, you can have it—but only if you want almost everyone in your society also to be a dirt-poor, subsistence farmer. If you want a prosperous, growing modern economy, you need high specialization and a huge, complex, interdependent network of individuals, businesses, research centers and education. And only government has the authority or money to regulate that network and to regularly pump in the targeted funds needed to sustain and grow it.

Roosevelt's New Deal regulated business, protected social welfare and promoted national infrastructure on the principle that the role of government was not simply to protect the property of the wealthy, but rather was to promote equality of opportunity for all.

We must ensure not only that everyone receives equal pay for equal work, but that they have the opportunity to do equal work.

We should waive fees for those taking equal pay claims; they are our whistleblowers and should be encouraged.

By mandating equal pay, the government erases the competitive advantage of those people who are willing to take less pay. In addition, employers are less willing to hire employees who they believe could subject them to increased liability.

"Big" government? Who wants that? I just want effective government. That means America's government needs to be big in some places, small in others and non-existent in others.

We also need to find a language capable of defending government as an element of the common good, one that does not define itself as both a punishing and corporate state. This is not merely a matter of redefining sovereignty, but also rethinking what is distinctive about the social state, social responsibility, and the common good.

The US government should not be in the business of discrimination.

What do you think the appropriate role of government is in society? The way I look at this job is, you want me to do X? Well, is the private sector doing X with any kind of success? Because if they are, I'd rather have them do it than have us do it.