To dream the possible dream,
To convince the implacable foe,
To serve in the public arena,
To defend every man’s right to know.
To choose, when the choices are tough,
To toil, through the catcalls and jeers,
To proceed, when proceeding is called for,
To succeed through the blood and the tears.
We work to hold trust; we stick to the facts,
Recommendations for spending; recommendations for tax.
To fight when we must; but much better to show
Through analysis based on the facts how decisions might go.
And we know if we only adhere
To objectives of worth,
That reforms, small and large as they come,
Can be nursed to their birth.
And the world will be better for this—
That we strove, both as peons and czars—
And moved with deliberate courage
To reach the reachable stars.