Napolitano Quotes & Sayings

But my view is that you need a system at the border. You need some fencing but you need technology. You need boots on the ground. And then you need to have interior enforcement of our nation's immigration laws inside the country. And that means dealing with the employers who still consistently hire illegal labor. — Janet Napolitano

It would be unwise to say the least, irresponsible of us at the TSA, at the Homeland Security Department not to evolve our technology to match the changing threat environment that we inhabit. — Janet Napolitano

I believe that Streamline should be part of our toolbox of things that we use at the border. And there needs to be a variety of things that we use at the border to get the most effective enforcement strategy. And so really it's a resource issue more than anything else. — Janet Napolitano

A Congressional Budget Office report released as recent as June 2004 says the system will be able to pay full benefits until 2052, and 80 percent after that. — Grace Napolitano

Both parties promote "changing Washington," but in reality they like Washington just the way it is: little gets done that they don't like, and none of our officials are truly held accountable. — Andrew P. Napolitano

It is fair to say there are individuals in the United States who ascribe to al-Qaeda-type beliefs. — Janet Napolitano

God is not here to be demanded of, begged from, or criticized. He hands out burdens to those who are strong enough to carry them, and I feel profoundly uncomfortable with the idea of lining up with the other invalids and asking for mine to be alleviated. — Ann Napolitano

Almost half of all Latinas currently on Social Security rely exclusively on their benefit check in retirement. — Grace Napolitano

Our political leaders must be honest and forthcoming with data that will allow citizens to use facts and figures to judge for themselves what state Social Security is in. — Grace Napolitano

No part of Italian society should see itself as exempt from the effort to save Italy from collapse. — Giorgio Napolitano

I don't need a reason to wine. — Len Napolitano

You can't imagine a world, quite frankly, without a safe and secure aviation system. And so our job is to really focus on that, and what we need to do to keep it safe and secure. — Janet Napolitano

Now, a lot of what we are doing right now, quite frankly, is because of what happened on Christmas. Many of the things were kind of in the works. We were already planning, for example, the purchase and deployment of advanced imaging technology. You call them body scanners. We call them AITs (Advanced Imaging Technologies). — Janet Napolitano

Life is beautiful, and terrible, and strange. — Johnette Napolitano

The other General Welfare Clause is in the first of the authorities given to the Congress and it's not a grant, it's a restriction. By which I mean it doesn't say Congress can legislate for the general welfare, it means that everything Congress must do has to enhance the general welfare of the United States of America. It can't grant things to individuals, it can only legislate for the government. — Andrew Napolitano

Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. — Andrew Napolitano

The unfortunate and inescapable historical truth is that those in government - from both parties and with a few courageous exceptions - do not feel constrained by the Constitution. They think they can do whatever they want. — Andrew Napolitano

The last thing the Department of Homeland Security is about is infringing on anybody's constitutionally protected rights. — Janet Napolitano

What is it about the government and its agents and employees that they can lie to us with impunity, but we risk being sent to jail if we lie to them? — Andrew Napolitano

We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left. — Giorgio Napolitano

Well, you know, I think in conversations with members of the Senate and others, they all recognize that the issue of immigration is important. It's important to our nation, it's important to our public safety, it's important to our security, it's important to our economic well-being moving forward. And it's not something that's going to go away. — Janet Napolitano

The principal of unity and indivisibility of the republic are the essential reference points. — Giorgio Napolitano

Today in America, we are trying to prepare students for a high tech world of constant change, but we are doing so by putting them through a school system designed in the early 20th Century that has not seen substantial change in 30 years. — Janet Napolitano

Freedom is the default position. Everything the government does takes away some of our freedom ... That's why we have a constitution, to restrain the government. — Andrew Napolitano

Each and every one of the security measures we implement serves an important goal: providing safe and efficient air travel for the millions of people who rely on our aviation system every day. — Janet Napolitano

We have at least 125 communities in Arizona at risk from wildfire, not because of review processes or litigation delays but because of a lack of federal funding on the ground to actually begin the projects. — Janet Napolitano

The federal government views the Constitution as its enemy. — Andrew Napolitano

If American schooling is inadequate now, just imagine how much more obsolete it will be when today's kindergarten students graduate from high school in just 12 years. — Janet Napolitano

It's hard to be objective about your own work. — Johnette Napolitano

We are still waiting for the president to introduce a concrete plan. He has just hinted at what he is thinking about doing, but no one has seen a proposal. — Grace Napolitano

I'm angry that the private sector, which is supposed to be in charge of running gasoline into the Valley, doesn't have its act together to deal with a critical situation, so now the public sector has to step in. — Janet Napolitano

It makes me happy to hear good music before I go on. — Johnette Napolitano

She had been so fiercely alive. She had spoken honestly, and lived with an honesty that few could claim to match. She had made the most of every minute she was given. She bargained and rationed and managed the seconds. She burned up the days. — Ann Napolitano

The country will also need 'new forms of social welfare' instead of its current system which is excessively centred on pensions. — Giorgio Napolitano

The Constitution simply does not authorize the federal government to own any of this land (in the Western states). — Andrew Napolitano

This unprecedented crisis, which is without doubt the worst since the second world war, is not over. — Giorgio Napolitano

Even without reforms, the Social Security fund will be able to meet 100 percent of its obligations until 2042. — Grace Napolitano

What we're doing is making sure that we have a safe and secure border region from San Diego all the way to Brownsville. And that means manpower, it means technology, it means infrastructure, it means interior enforcement. All, you know, kind of layered in appropriate ways, and making sure, like I said before, the border is safe and secure. — Janet Napolitano

We must explain the truth: There is no free lunch. — Grace Napolitano

President Bush has consistently used rhetoric, and that is not convincing given his past record. — Grace Napolitano

I enjoyed recording at home. I had the luxury of being able to re-record things. — Johnette Napolitano

To allow all U.S. workers to put part of their earnings into private investment accounts would definitely erode the Social Security system and cause uncertainty for new investors. — Grace Napolitano

We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not - nor will we ever - monitor ideology or political beliefs. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the civil rights and liberties of the American people, including subjecting our activities to rigorous oversight from numerous internal and external sources. — Janet Napolitano

Thanks to Progressives such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, we are now living under a system where the president is forced to step in to stop a regulatory agency from promulgating regulations that Congress refused to enact. — Andrew P. Napolitano

I've had opportunities before to run for office - the Republicans recruited me when I was surgeon general, to run for Congress, to run against Gov. Napolitano. But I didn't feel it was my calling ... I felt, 'Well, I'm flattered, but I really would rather stay and be the doctor of the nation and stay as surgeon general.' — Richard Carmona

The great thing about this town hall format is that it allows us to hear what's on the minds of Americans. Tonight, it was clear - voters have quite a few questions about the direction in which the current administration is headed. — Janet Napolitano

It takes a lot of effort to win back credibility after having lost it so heavily. — Giorgio Napolitano

It's hard for me to believe that World Trade Center building 7 came down by itself twenty years from now, people will look at 911 the way we look at the assassination of JFK today. It couldn't possibly have been done the way the government told us. — Andrew Napolitano

We have to continue our efforts with determination. — Giorgio Napolitano

We owe it to our children to give them a dignified and hopeful future. — Giorgio Napolitano

It's not just we Italians who are caught up in the difficulty. — Giorgio Napolitano

The institutions of the European Union, and the states that belong to this union, each and every one, are paying the price of our failures, hesitations and contradictions. We should each ask ourselves how personally responsible we are. — Giorgio Napolitano

The United States and Arizona are both losing jobs to offshore locations. — Janet Napolitano

No one, no social group, can today avoid the commitment to contribute to the clean up of public finances in order to prevent the financial collapse of Italy. The sacrifices will not be in vain, especially if the economy begins to grow again. — Giorgio Napolitano

We've probably gotten 500 calls from people saying what the heck is going on with gas, and I gotta say I agree with you. What the heck is going on with gas? — Janet Napolitano

We must level with the people and explain to them that Social Security will first face funding problems in 2042 that can be fixed now with changes that do not undermine and ultimately drain from the entire program. — Grace Napolitano

If exercising the right to vote were truly effective, the government would not be so eager to promote it. — Andrew P. Napolitano

Unlike what happened after Pearl Harbor, however, the Bush administration would not order a "review of how they could have been so badly surprised" because the results would have shown "a colossal bureaucratic failure, combined with inattention and a lack of political will at the top. — Andrew P. Napolitano

And we ask the American people to play an important part of our layered defense. We ask for cooperation, patience and a commitment to vigilance in the face of a determined enemy. — Janet Napolitano

I am not criticizing investing in the stock market; I am an investor. — Grace Napolitano

The redistribution of wealth creates dependence on the people to whom it is redistributed, it doesn't incentivize them to create their own wealth. — Andrew Napolitano

There is a need for Social Security reform to ensure its stability, and Congress must act. — Grace Napolitano

Hope may have a positive reputation, but it has a vicious downside. If you have hope, you can be crushed. — Ann Napolitano

Well, you know, the violence is mostly in Mexico itself, at least the violence that people are worried about. And so we want to make sure that violence does not spill over into our communities that are along the border. — Janet Napolitano

University of California students can look forward to the same authoritarian management style Secretary Napolitano brought to the Department of Homeland Security, hardly a bastion of free speech and open government. — Doug LaMalfa

As part of our layered approach, we have expedited the deployment of new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) units to help detect concealed metallic and non-metallic threats on passengers. These machines are now in use at airports nationwide, and the vast majority of travelers say they prefer this technology to alternative screening measures. — Janet Napolitano

Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there. — Janet Napolitano

Whenever we are attacked, people are willing to give up someone else's liberties for their own security. — Andrew P. Napolitano

Assaults by fanatics on our safety... does not justify assaults by the government on our freedom! — Andrew P. Napolitano

I enjoy being on my own. I feel like I have more room to stretch. I have to go with the flow. — Johnette Napolitano

Latinas' life expectancies are relatively long. When a current retiree hits 65 and begins receiving her benefit check, she can expect to live another 22 years. That life expectancy is higher than white women or men. — Grace Napolitano

God knows I'm a workaholic. — Johnette Napolitano

We must take the time to do what needs to be done now, what is right, instead of passing a bad bill. — Grace Napolitano

Smart businesses do not look at labor costs alone anymore. They do look at market access, transportation, telecommunications infrastructure and the education and skill level of the workforce, the development of capital and the regulatory market. — Janet Napolitano

Let me be very clear: We monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence. — Janet Napolitano

Why are liberals who want the government to regulate their health care upset that the government wants to regulate their internet? — Andrew Napolitano

Because of my own experience with market fluctuation, I recognize the great risks one takes on investments. This converts the Social Security safety net into a risky proposition many cannot afford to take. — Grace Napolitano

I'd like something that faces reality. We have 12 million people in this country that are undocumented - that's a reality. It's not going to be like they're all going to leave. One of the reasons I'm holding this hearing in the morning is to hear from somebody who actually understands what's involved here - Janet Napolitano - and I hope that from what she says and what we hear from her, we can start building some consensus. — Patrick Leahy

Social Security has been effective for 70 years; prior predictions of its demise have been totally overstated. — Grace Napolitano

For people who have for been putting their hard-earned money into the system for years, the president's idea would replace their safety net with a risky gamble with no assurance of a stable return of investment. — Grace Napolitano

Our Hispanic community needs to understand how important the Social Security system is for not only its retired citizens, but also its disabled workers. — Grace Napolitano

If Congress doesn't raise taxes, you cannot get a private investment account without forgoing a portion, possibly all, of your guaranteed benefit check. — Grace Napolitano

Because Social Security is specifically designed to boost the retirement income of low earners with a progressive benefit formula, the program has played an enormous and necessary role in keeping Latinas out of poverty. — Grace Napolitano

Public schools were designed as the great equalizers of our society - the place where all children could have access to educational opportunities to make something of themselves in adulthood. — Janet Napolitano

So not only do we need to deal with threats as they emerge, we have to be thinking in anticipation of future threats, and the things we do have to be things that enable the system to continue to work. — Janet Napolitano

I've appointed a task force to take a fresh look at the color-code system and whether we should retain it, change it or scrap it. — Janet Napolitano

Because of their low earnings and family obligations, Latinas would not be putting much money into private investment accounts. An average Latina could wind up losing thousands of dollars under this proposal. — Grace Napolitano

The worst thing you can do is to try to cling to something that's gone, or to recreate it. — Johnette Napolitano

It is a responsibility we perceive from the entire international community to protect the stability of the single currency as well as the European frame work. — Giorgio Napolitano

Now is the time to show maximum responsibility. It is not the time to pay off old scores nor for sterile partisan recriminations. It is time to re-establish a climate of calmness and mutual respect. — Giorgio Napolitano

We must work to stabilize Social Security. We must not gamble with our nation's social insurance program, one of our most popular and effective federal programs that has remained dependable and stable for the past 70 years. — Grace Napolitano

The president's claim that Social Security is going broke is misleading at best. The sky is not falling, although there is no doubt that the system needs to be strengthened. — Grace Napolitano

Speaking from my experience as a person involved for a long time in building the European Union, it is important to have patience and efforts to build a community of nations. — Giorgio Napolitano

All presidents but Jefferson have argued that their first job was to keep us safe. All presidents but Jefferson were wrong. If you read the Constitution, you will see that the President's first job - as Jefferson understood well - is to keep us free. — Andrew Napolitano

I feel naked when I'm by myself on stage. I feel as honest as I can. — Johnette Napolitano

If the constitutional process is not brought to a successful conclusion before the European elections, then the whole process might run out of steam. — Giorgio Napolitano

Things get better everyday you stay alive
then I'm amazed
every day
that the sun decides to rise
every minute, every hour, is another
chance to change
life is beautiful & terrible & strange. — Johnette Napolitano

I have long been a proponent of a guest-worker program between the United States and Mexico, and in particular I have proposed that Arizona would be an ideal location for a pilot project. — Janet Napolitano

Latinos are disproportionately more likely to be injured on the job than other ethnic groups. — Grace Napolitano

All images generated by imaging technology are viewed in a walled-off location not visible to the public. The officer assisting the passenger never sees the image, and the officer viewing the image never interacts with the passenger. The imaging technology that we use cannot store, export, print or transmit images. — Janet Napolitano