May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Secrecy and a free, democratic government don't mix.
Interpretation
Secrecy undermines the principles of transparency and accountability in a democratic government.
Harry S. Truman's quote highlights the fundamental conflict between secrecy and the ideals of a free and democratic government. In a democracy, transparency is vital for fostering trust between the government and its citizens, ensuring that officials are held accountable for their actions. Secrecy, on the other hand, can lead to abuses of power and erosion of the public's right to know, which is essential for a healthy democratic society.
In practice
During a town hall meeting discussing government transparency initiatives.
May the sun never set on American baseball.
Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
Citizens United said that transparency would be the disinfectant, but (c)(4)'s are warm, wet, moist incubators. There is no disinfectant.
It used to be said that when the U.S. sneezed, the world caught a cold. The opposite is equally true today.
The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels.
Well, we see an increasingly weaker labor movement as a result of the overall assault on the labor movement and as a result of the globalization of capital.
The right to vote is a consequence, not a primary cause, of a free social system - and its value depends on the constitutional structure implementing and strictly delimiting the voters' power; unlimited majority rule is an instance of the principle of tyranny.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence did not pledge their fortunes and sacred honor so the federal government could play 'helicopter parent' to a free people. They saw government as our shared project to secure liberty, doing a few big things and doing them well.
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