Quoteworthy

* “There are two kinds of states in the Middle East: ‘real countries’ with long histories in their territory and strong national identities (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Iran); and those that might be called ‘tribes with flags,’ or more artificial states with boundaries drawn in sharp straight lines by pens of colonial powers that have trapped inside their borders myriad tribes and sects who not only never volunteered to live together but have never fully melded into a unified family of citizens. They are Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “The four states with the country’s largest Hispanic population–California, Florida, New York and Texas–will account for 143 electoral votes for the next 10 years. That’s more than half of the electoral votes a candidate needs to be elected president.”–Chris Cillizza, Washington Post.

* “Even as we embrace the possibility of reform overseas, we neglect civics as the core of democracy here at home. We are in desperate need…of a Presidential Civics Commission. Such a body would be charged with confronting the problem few want to talk about: the alarming ignorance of millions of Americans about politics and government.”–Rick Shenkman, author and associate professor of history at George Mason University.

* “It’s hard sometimes to remember what it was like back then (1984) when Gerry (Geraldine Ferraro) broke the (presidential ticket) barrier. Time has made it hard. Progress has made it hard. Sarah Palin has made it hard.”–Ellen Goodman, former Washington Post columnist.

* “It is time to call this ‘birther’ nonsense what it is–not just claptrap, but profoundly racist claptrap. … Frankly, I wish (Donald) Trump and his fellow ‘birthers’ would just go ahead and call Obama an N-word. Yes, it would be reprehensible and offensive. But it would be a damn sight more honest, too.”–Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald.

* “TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) is the best large federal program to be despised by the public.”–Douglas Elliott, Brookings Institute.

* “The more I study the data, the more I honestly believe that you can make all the small cars you want, but you won’t affect consumer behavior until you have $4-a-gallon gasoline for two years.”–John Sternal, vice president/marketing communications, LeaseTrader.com.

* “Republicans are now the only major political party in the world that still rejects mainstream climate science.”–Mark Hertsgaard, author of “Hot: Living Throught The Next Fifty Years On Earth.”

* “The salary structure for athletics administrators and coaches at major institutions is an embarrassment to the American academy. The weight on coaches to win and pack the arenas is borne upon the shoulders of the young men and women who compete. If salaries matter so much to coaches, then let them move to the pros.”–John A. Roush, president of Centre (Ky.) College.

* “An important export, one very important to the state of Florida, is higher education–bringing international students to study at Florida colleges and universities. … Florida ranks sixth in the country in the number of international students enrolled in the state, with nearly 30,000 students from all over the world. These students leave an $827 million economic impact.”–Tampa native Frank Sanchez, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

* “They (Republicans) were given a mandate to fix the economy and create jobs and not turn the state upside down. The pendulum will swing back. It always does.”–Florida Senate Democratic leader Nan Rich of Weston.

* “I hope this Legislature will pause, reassess the consequences of its decisions on the future of Florida, reject extremist ideologies, and recommit to Florida’s heritage of commonsense values.”–Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham.

* “There is a sense around the world that America is for sale. They’re buying up everything.”–John Stone, managing director at Colliers International Tampa Bay, on foreign–notably Latin American–interest in Florida real estate.

* “We’re going to be back in the Wild West days.”–Hillsborough County Clerk of the Second Court Pat Frank on potential effects of proposed budget cuts.

* “This is a non-partisan job. They elect you to be practical, not partisan.”–Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

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