Stephen Breyer Quotes

We live in a time where people are losing confidence in the ability of Government to solve problems.

Erosion of faith and trust in government - that is the real problem that confronts us.

Only one in 10 Americans trusts the federal government to do the right thing most or all of the time. Approval of state and local government is even less in many parts of the country.

It's not a secret that we have a crisis in confidence in public institutions in our country.

The fundamental challenge is that people like me simply do not trust the federal government any longer.

People don't like politicians.

I think people are rapidly losing confidence in the political class, and I don't blame them.

You see that's what I think is such a terrible, terrible betrayal, the trust that people have in government.

You can't believe the government - on anything. And you especially can't believe them when they're talking about important stuff.

Washington concentrates on the ends of government and not the means. But the people are so disgusted by the means, that that is what they now are worried about.

People have completely lost confidence in our public officials in Jefferson City.

People hate politicians. And I can understand why.

Public trust in both government and corporations is low, and deservedly so.

Is there any wonder why we are in such big trouble? Any question why the people don't trust their government anymore, and demand a change?

As a Coalition Government, we inherited a legacy of lack of trust and confidence in political system.

Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country-and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians.

Frankly, I'm fed up with politicians in Washington lecturing the rest of us about family values. Our families have values. But our government doesn’t.

I've always had a kind of knee-jerk trust in my Government's basic integrity, whatever political blunders it may make. But I've come to realize that in Washington, deceiving and manipulating the public are viewed by some as the natural prerogatives of office.

All you have to do is look at Congress’s approval ratings. It’s normal that it’s low. It’s not normal that it is 9 percent or 11 percent or 13 percent. We’ve given up our legitimacy. Legitimacy is about being honest on the issues, not being partisan.

Historically our government—the FBI for example—has not always earned that trust.

I think Congress can pass a bill when the American people start regaining trust in the administration to actually do their job and enforce the laws that are already on the books.

People don't trust party leaders.

The overwhelming message I was getting is that people were sick of politicians fighting amongst themselves and sick of the perception that politicians were in it for themselves and not the community.

I think we've now gotten to this point where we're growing more and more distrustful of our institutions, be they government or corporations or otherwise.

I tend to be naive and gullible, I guess, but I try to believe that governments believe what they say.