Political Quotes

“I wish to take a few moments today to speak about Federal workers in general and some of the people at the National Institutes of Health in particular. Government workers guard our borders, protect us from terrorists, treat our wounded veterans, dispense Social Security checks to our retirees, find cures for diseases, guide the Nation's air traffic, explore the tiniest particles and the vast expanse of outer space, ensure our air is safe to breathe, our water is safe to drink, our food is safe to eat, support our service men and women in harm's way, and promote our interests and ideals abroad. For whom does the government work? Government works for America. The Washington Post recently reported that since reliable data first became available shortly before World War II, the percentage of all employed people working for the Federal Government hit an all-time low in December. Fewer than 2 percent of the total U.S. workforce is employed by the Federal Government. Over nearly the past half century, from 1966 to 2012--the most recent year for which comparable data is available--the number of Federal workers in the executive branch dropped by 83,000. During that time, the U.S. population increased from under 200 million to over 300 million people and the gross domestic product nearly quadrupled. We can argue over whether we want bigger government or smaller government, but we should all agree we want better government.…”