William Weld
Do we believe that there is equal economic opportunity out there in the real world, right now, for each and every one of these groups? If we believed in the tooth fairy, if we believed in the Easter Bunny, we might well believe that.Collection: Easter
Micro managing anything is not a great role for government.Collection: Government
I think government has a major role to play in helping us with the pursuit of happiness.
The courts are truly the least dangerous of the three branches of our government.
My slogan when I ran was that there is no such thing as government money, there is only taxpayer's money, and that cut pretty deep.
Much is forgiven anyone who relieves the desperate boredom of the working press.
I have come to realize that Jesse Helms stands for everything in politics that is anathema to me.
I dare say that a majority of the American people think that having a fair hearing on an issue of importance in our relations with Mexico is extremely important to our national interest, as well as theirs.
If we have major geographic areas within our continent that have a tremendous lack of economic opportunity, we found that that is going to produce instability _ economic, political and social.
Liberals often don't see the problems, and conservatives don't see the promise, of government.
So government acts as a safeguard of our property.
Government has a role as well in what is referred to as redistributive justice.
The system that had grown up in most states is that wealthy districts with an affluent population can afford to spend a lot more on their public school systems than the poorer districts.
One of the functions of government is to act as a safeguard not just of property but of our liberties.
Government is never so noble as when it is addressing wrongs.
In the nineteenth century, slavery was the greatest wrong, and government never stood so tall as when it was redressing that wrong.
There are several such issues where I have departed radically from the Republican orthodoxy.
Natural resources are so vast that no single individual or business is going to protect them; they don't have an incentive to.
We absolutely have to restrain concentrations of wealth in industry from spoiling the situation for everybody.
It's healthy for government to be a kind of moral catalyst, using the bully pulpit of high office.
Government can contribute to a shared sense of purpose on the part of the citizenry; that's its highest and best application.
I think coercive taxation is theft, and government has a moral duty to keep it to a minimum.
Before my tenure, people didn't seem to think that citizens had a right to limit the size of their government.
I don't understand the Democrats' approach to Social Security in this country, and I'm not alone.
It's not good for government to tell people that the world owes them a living and that things are free.
I think transportation and corrections are not the first two areas that I would go looking for massive change.
Managing people's sex lives is something that I don't think is a good role for government.
I extend that to the abortion issue, I extend that to the so-called gay rights issue, I think this is a freedom principle and consistent with the analysis in the economic area as well.
Opposing the free flow of goods or people is a bad idea.
We need a complete ban on soft money, which is sort of an enveloping problem, and a ceiling on the amount of money that can be spent on a given race.
I suggest to you that increasing the size of America's economic pie - which can be achieved only if everybody has a seat at the table - is the most important challenge facing our country today.
The unemployment rate is still twice as high for blacks as for whites.
Speaking of tax fairness, it was Senator Kerry who voted to increase the income tax on senior citizens on Social Security, earning as little as $32,000 a year.
People aren't stupid. I mean, people remember in 1990, the unemployment rate was 10 percent. Now it's 4 _ percent. We've got 1/4 million jobs that we've created.
The best preparation for work is not thinking about work, talking about work, or studying for work: it is work.Collection: Thinking
I think Gary Johnson is just in the wrong place trying to be President of the United States. And that`s not a secret. I do not view those other two candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton the same way. I think very highly of Mrs. Clinton. I think she is very well qualified.Collection: Thinking
We're getting to the point where we're impinging on democratic institutions in this country and I think, you know, it takes a certain - not a suspension of disbelief - but willingness to go along with other people to get the ship of state going forward. I'm not sure that happens in a [Donald] Trump presidency, frankly.Collection: Country
[Donald Trump] doesn't deal well with criticism and blame and I don't think he could competently manage the office of the presidency given the criticism and challenge that you face every single day as the President of the United States.Collection: Thinking
I`m a member of Societies of Former World Leaders. And I`ve always been sort of in favor of constructive engagement around the world. And Gary Johnson has influenced me on criminal justice reform. I think I had some influence in discussions with him about the approach to international affairs.Collection: Thinking
I have a lot to say about Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton that has not been said by others recently and that I think needs to be said. I mean I've known her for 40 years. I worked with her, I know her well professionally. I know her well personally. I know her to be a person of high moral character. A reliable person and an honest person, however Mr. [Donald] Trump may rant and rave to the contrary. So I'm happy to say that. People can make their own choices.Collection: Character
I believe in the platform of the Libertarian party, which is different from that of the other two parties and I believe that it would be good for the country if the Libertarians were - had a seat at the table to speak truth to power of the other two parties, which now have this monopoly in Washington. Having said that, I'm not taking back anything I said about the massive difference between the two establishment party candidates.Collection: Country
[James Comey] should have gone to the Public Integrity section and said 'What do you folks think.' It's a little bit of an odd situation because he's a former deputy attorney general as well as head of the FBI so he may have trouble keeping on only the investigator hat forgetting that he's a former deputy attorney general. So it's not a good thing, it's a distraction so I think we should just ignore it because there's nothing there so get on with the business of last week of the election.Collection: Integrity
I`m an old duck hunter. I like to go hunting where the ducks are. We`re looking for votes. I think maybe poaching some of those soft Donald Trump Republican votes would be the place to go.Collection: Thinking
It's completely idiot proof." I told them they've got it all wrong. I want a machine that is "idiot friendly.Collection: Gambling
I think Hillary Clinton deserves to have people vouch for her other than members of the Democratic National Committee.Collection: Thinking
We are making our case that we're fiscally responsible and socially inclusive and welcoming. And we think we've got on the merits the best ticket of the three parties, if you will, and so, you know, we'd like to get there.Collection: Party
We thought for the longest time we might have a chance to run the table because we're such nice guys and centrist party, etcetera, but not getting into the debates really sort of foreclosed that option.Collection: Running
We speak for all citizens of the Commonwealth when we say that society can draw great hope for the future because of the example which these young people are giving by their creative and constructive responses to the challenges which confront our communities and dedication to help those most in need.Collection: Dedication
I think the dignity of Congress and the dignity of the country demands something more than merely censure here.Collection: Country
[Donald Trump] just would not be in his element and I think he would wobble off course and I think the country just can't have that.Collection: Country