Policy Manipulation Quotes

Politicians pay more attention to interest groups than to the public interest.

America's corporate and political elites now form a regime of their own and they're privatizing democracy. All the benefits - the tax cuts, policies and rewards flow in one direction: up.

For a free country to continue thriving, there have to be regular reforms, because any society, any economy that stays in place, you're going to see repeated attempts to exploit the openings for twisting policy to the advantage of those who already have wealth and power.

The food industry, its trade associations, and research foundations, is well financed and highly organized to pressure the FDA.

Politics has become a game of meaningless, mindless battles, conducted by unscrupulous methods and people, designed to transform even the most serious policy debates into sport.

For me, the most serious problem is how America became so vulnerable to the assertion of blatant falsehoods that drive policy and are not corrected by the so-called immune system of democracy, a free press and a free democratic discourse.

Foreign policy helps incumbents.

Lobbyists can pay consultants to do studies that say anything.

Understanding government can be a complex business. The stated reason for a policy and the real reason for it are rarely the same.

Most people seem unaware that corporate influence and wealth has taken over public policy, such that government policy now favors the wealthy few at the expense of the people.

The CBO is part of an intricate web that has been woven that is designed to be an obstacle to Republican ideas and greased lightning for Democrat ideas, while everybody claims it's nonpartisan. But that's not possible. It simply isn't nonpartisan, and it can't be.

While everyone is focused on security and civil liberties, Trump's Cabinet of billionaires will try to quietly push through even more extreme measures to enrich themselves and their class, like dismantling Social Security or auctioning off major pieces of government for profit.

Presidents tend to tinker, you know, and mess everything up.

I think there is a good reason why the propaganda system works that way. It recognizes that the public will not support the actual policies. Therefore it is important to prevent any knowledge or understanding of them.

There is a movement to make Washington an evidence-free zone …. There are major forces working to undermine science in our country.

What the press never does say is who the leaker is and why he wants the story leaked. Yet, more often than not, this is the more important story: What policy wins if the one being disclosed loses?

The Clintons have sold everything about America and its policy and its future for their own personal gain in terms of amassing incredible wealth.

Stephen Colbert's recent comment is apropos: When the Republican legislature of North Carolina responded to a scientific study predicting a threatening rise in sea level by barring state and local agencies from developing regulations or planning documents to address the problem, Colbert responded: "This is a brilliant solution. If your science gives you a result that you don't like, pass a law saying the result is illegal. Problem solved."