Cornel West Quotes

I think right now the focus of people involved in food issues have to be legislative resolution at the county, city, state, and national level. I just don't think we can run away from it anymore.

When you talk about Social Security, it's not just enough to say, we're looking at you, this really matters. It's the fact that a million Americans think it matters. Oh, wait, it's 2 million Americans think it matters. No, it's 4 million Americans. It's 6 million, wait, it's 10 million, it's 50 million Americans who care about this. That's how we're going to make change.

We should be worried about protecting the homeland. I think that policy is changing, should change and will change.

Americans are hungry for a discussion on policy solutions to the problems in their communities that work.

Journalists have to be optimists. When you interview somebody on Social Security reform, you have got to believe that Social Security can be reformed.

Changing social policy is just dogged hard work.

Public policies in our democracy are eventually a reflection of public opinion," so public opinion must be reshaped if we are to avoid disaster.

I prefer to work at the policy level, on trying to fix flawed government policies.

It's a significant contribution if we can get immigration reform done.

Part of the reason why I wanted to be involved in politics was to create and be a part of policy changes.

People don't appreciate the extent to which we've set in motion a substantial and long-overdue change to U.S. immigration policy, simply by directing the DHS to use existing laws and authorities.

Education reforms must be the priority for governments.

Protest is, at its core, designed to move policy.

Americans never would alter the way entitlement programs are funded or education administered without serious study and widespread debate.

I thought I could make change by just working at ground level, but to change a community, you have to change policies.

The mistake you make, don't you see,is in thinking one can live in a corrupt society without being corrupt oneself. After all, what do you achieve by refusing to make money? You're trying to behave as though one could stand right outside our economic system. But one can't. One's got to change the system, or one changes nothing. One can't put things right in a hole-and-corner way, if you take my meaning.

I'd like to promote lots of things. I'd like to promote elimination of drug prohibition. I'd like to promote parental choice in education through vouchers. Those are two things I think are very urgent and important. They're both more important than the harm which Social Security will do.

I think I have this old-fashioned idea that when you are asking people to vote for you, it is kind of like a big job interview, and you oughta tell people what you think you can do for them. I think we can create more economic opportunity. I think we can improve education, make college affordable, deal with the myriad of issues that we confront.

There's no question that public opinion is changing, and if you're a person of the left, your goal is presumably to try to mobilize public opinion to affect elite policy; and I think now there are unusual, unprecedented opportunities to do so.

I think what I'm trying to do, reform-wise, is completely consistent with conservative philosophy. It may not be consistent with some so-called conservatives who live in Washington and make their living like I used to.

As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws

Obviously I think politics is interesting and important and educational.

If I was president, I would definitely stop war, put more money toward health insurance and my community. Especially, last but not least, the most important one -education. I just think education comes before anything because in order for you to know about everything, you have to go to school, and you have to learn.

Some people seem to believe that for each problem there is a solution readily available - a solution that can be promptly achieved by passing a law and voting some money. I think of this as the vending machine concept of social change. Put a coin in the machine and out comes a piece of candy. If there is a social problem, pass a law and out comes a solution.

Political questions are far too serious to be left to the politicians.