Dana Gioia Quotes

I will run an open government that speaks with honesty, seeks opinion, listens to its citizens.

We must have government, but we must watch them like a hawk.

Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched,- criticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led, - this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society

It's my father's legacy. My father's view was that the public is the employer of these government employees and has the right to know what they're up to.

Ever since I arrived in Washington in April 2009, I have been fighting for more transparency and accountability in government.

Government must be a transparent garment which tightly clings to the people's body.

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.

All persons who take part in government are accountable for their actions.

Without criticism and reliable and intelligent reporting, the government cannot govern.

The only way we are held accountable is if people know what government is doing.

We were sent here to hold government accountable.

It's important to make sure that governments have some checks on what they do, that people can oversee what's being done so the government doesn't abuse it.

Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.

It is scrutiny by the general public that keeps the powerful honest.

It is only when there is the supervision and critical oversight from the people that the government will be in a position to do an even better job, and employees of government departments will be the true public servants of the people.

I feel an independent accountability commission should audit all government services.

Publicity is a great purifier because it sets in action the forces of public opinion, and in this country public opinion controls the courses of the nation.

Machiavelli's teaching would hardly have stood the test of Parliamentary government, for public discussion demands at least the profession of good faith.

There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency.

Good government only happens when the people working in it do their jobs, and do them well.

I am committed to working towards a more transparent, accountable, and ethical federal government worthy of the public's trust.

And one of the things I've tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians - reporters and members of the general public alike - a closer look at how their government works.

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.

The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold governments to account and frame the debate about how we are governed.

We need to ask our policy makers and those we elect to office who are supposed to make decisions to give us the evidence of the facts that are behind the decisions that we make. We should be skeptical.