Bruce Schneier Quotes

The intelligence community, for the most part, has no accountability at all; to the Congress, to us the American people, and so they feel that they above the law.

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

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.

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.

The problem is that the American public is suspicious of executive power shrouded in secrecy. In the absence of an official picture of what our government is doing, and by what authority, many in the public fill the void by envisioning the worst.

I know that for most people, seeing is believing when it comes to government efficiency.

One hallmark of our era is the collapse of public trust in government and experts of all kinds. But it’s hard to fault the public when so many experts and their policies have failed in such spectacular fashion. The inflation that progressives helped to cause, failed to anticipate, and then ignored is one more example of earned public distrust.

Government commissions are where accountability goes to die.

Since all human governments, like all human individuals, are subject to temptation, especially the temptation to use this God-given role for their own ends, there must be clear and wise critique, and holding to account.

We do not believe that if you cut back what government does you diminish its authority. On the contrary, a government that did less, and therefore did better, would strengthen its authority.

In America we believe there ought to be limits on government.

They need to review this secret world. We have an incredibly powerful government that gets on automatic pilot.

We repose an unwise confidence in any government, or in any men, when we invest them officially with too much, or an unnecessary quantity of, discretionary power.

Members of the public would be forgiven for thinking that it is MPs who are lazy and that it is parliament that is failing to provide good value for money.

I think the federal Liberals' micro-tinkering is not causing any kind of upsurge in public confidence. The challenge for Conservatives is how to not get caught in the same web. I mean, the public just discounts what political people and parties say.

When you start talking about government as 'we' instead of 'they,' you have been in office too long.

I think the American public has gone from really almost white-hot anger in 2010 to an anxiety knowing their government needs to work.

We make a great bad guy, and they all say they hate us. But at the end of every day, people want to trust us. Because we're their government. And people trust their government.

We should know at least the broad strokes of the powers that the government's claiming in our name, and using allegedly, on our behalf. And also against us as well.

As a conservative who believes in limited government, I believe the only check on government power in real time is a free and independent press. A free press ensures the flow of information to the public, and let me say, during a time when the role of government in our lives and in our enterprises seems to grow every day--both at home and abroad - ensuring the vitality of a free and independent press is more important than ever.

We Americans are the ultimate innocents. We are forever desperate to believe that this time the government is telling us the truth.

A government that understands the limits of power as well as its potential.

Some members of Congress will claim that the federal government needs the power to monitor Americans in order to allow the government to operate more efficiently. I would remind my colleagues that, in a constitutional republic, the people are never asked to sacrifice their liberties to make the jobs of government officials easier.

Americans can live with the fact that good people sometimes give their lives for this country, but what they can't take, what they can't live with is when their government is not square with them.

What I'm encouraging President Trump and the Cabinet and congressional leaders to do, is let's keep our promises. Let's do what we said we would do, and that's what each and every one of you can hold all of us accountable for.