For most Americans Friday afternoons are filled with positive anticipation of the weekend. In Washington it's where government officials dump stories they want to bury. Good news gets dropped on Monday so bureaucrats can talk about it all week.

Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote.

The debt-ceiling vote isn't about what will be done in the future it is about the integrity of America's commitment to support the bonds we issue. Elected officials have an obligation to maintain that integrity regardless of whether they voted for the programs that required the borrowing in the first place.

More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.

We who officially value freedom of speech above life itself seem to have nothing to talk about but the weather.

We don't have an Official Secrets Act in the United States as other countries do. Under the First Amendment freedom of the press freedom of speech and freedom of association are more important than protecting secrets.

The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy. The problem comes when healthy criticism is replaced with more destructive intimidation and sanctions.

I am but one member of a vast team made up of many organizations officials thousands of scientists and millions of farmers - mostly small and humble - who for many years have been fighting a quiet oftentimes losing war on the food production front.

I also meet with city officials representatives from governors' offices really anyone in that sort of position who has shown an interest in youth fitness to let them know why this sort of program is so important. I give the same message when I speak at conferences.

I worked with a group of people who argued day and night - professors officials the Minister of Finance - but there were decisions that I had to make.