* “It is paramount, essential, urgent that the Egyptian economy get stronger.”–U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
* “Drones kill fewer civilians, as a percentage of total fatalities, than any other military weapon. They’re the worst form of warfare in the history of the world, except for all the others.”–William Saletan, Slate.
* “When we debate health care policy, we seem to jump right to the issue of who should pay the bills, blowing past what should be the first question: Why exactly are the bills so high? … Why should a trip to the emergency room for chest pains that turn out to be indigestion bring a bill that can exceed the cost of a semester of college? … Why does simple lab work done during a few days in a hospital cost more than a car?”–Steven Brill, Time magazine.
* “We are the only developed economy that does not have a national rail plan.”–Adie Tomer, author and senior research associate, Brookings Institution.
* “What I can’t do is force Congress to do the right thing. The American people may have the capacity to do that.”–President Barack Obama.
* “The president understands that to get anything done, he needs a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. … If 2012 was a referendum on President Obama, then 2014 will be a referendum on the tea party Congress.”–Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.
* “The market psychology has clearly shifted. It’s no longer sell the rally; it’s buy the dips. The economic data continues to be strong.”–Dan Veru, chief investment officer, Palisade Capital Management.
* “Businesses and consumers have begun to look away from the histrionics and the battles going on in Washington. They’re beginning to realize that organic growth in the private economy is beginning to pick up speed.”–Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group.
* “It is time for Congress to pick a side, and I am hopeful that it can be on the side of law enforcement. We need to recognize that we can protect our Second Amendment rights without unnecessarily and unreasonably infringing on our free society’s right to public safety.”–Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
* “Reurbanization is here to stay. Young people are prepared to pay enormous rents in order to have a walkable community outside their door.”–Mark Toro, managing partner of Atlantic Station, a dense, mixed-use development in Atlanta.
* “We need to be one Yahoo, and that starts with physically being together.”–Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer in her ban on employees working from home.
* “I’m not an entertainer. Classical music is a science. … You’re dealing with pure sound.”–The late Van Cliburn.
* “The law is the law. A lot of my friends don’t want to believe that. They believe that they can nullify Obamacare or we can pretend that it didn’t pass … but we are a nation of laws, and not a nation that develops our public policy on the passion of the moment.”–Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
* “I don’t think what the governor’s done has harmed the state’s recovery, but the recovery has not outperformed to date the national recovery.”–Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida economist.
* “If we’re going to say ‘no’ to Medicaid expansion, let’s say ‘yes’ to something.”–Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
* “This is the best deal going in health care today.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, in urging Florida legislators to expand Medicaid.
* “This was a TECO electrical system failure. This was not a water system failure.”–Brad Baird, Tampa water department director, on the recent power failure at Tampa’s David L. Tripping Water Treatment facility.
* “To try to convince the big national retail companies that downtown is ready to have you, it’s a tough sell. But we’re certainly a lot closer. Five years ago, I couldn’t even get them to return my calls.”–Residential developer Ken Stoltenberg.
* “Everybody is replaceable. The cemetery is filled with people who thought they were indispensible, mayors included.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.