* “We will work closely with our international partners to increase Iran’s isolation and the pressure on its government.”—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of a foiled Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. on American soil.
* “South Korea has 40 times the economy and twice the population of North Korea. Japan’s economy is almost as large as China’s. Why cannot these two powerful and prosperous nations provide the troops, planes, ships and missiles to defend themselves? We can sell them whatever they need. Why is their defense still our responsibility?”–Patrick Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.
* “In 1934, the government was us. We shared circumstances, shared risks and shared obligations. Today the government is the other–not an institution for the achievement of our common goals, but an alien presence that stands between us and the realization of individual ambitions. Programs of social insurance have become ‘entitlements,’ a word apparently meant to signify not a collectively provided and cherished basis for family-income security, but a sinister threat to our national well-being.”–Theodore R. Marmor, professor emeritus of public policy at Yale University and co-author of “America’s Misunderstood Welfare State.”
* “Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.”–Oliver Wendell Holmes.
* “One thing the Obama Administration could do now–probably with Republican support–would be to attack the oversupply of housing stock by allowing a tax write-off for investors who buy empty properties and rent them out.”–Peter Orszag, vice chairman of global banking at Citigroup Inc. and former director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama Administration.
* “The paucity of Obama’s audacity is striking.”–Thomas Friedman, New YorkTimes.
* “Labor costs will never be lower. Equipment costs will never be lower. The cost of capital will never be lower. Why wait?”–Robert Hockett,
professor of financial law at Cornell University and co-author of “The Way Forward,” explaining his rationale for government taking on a sustained infrastructure program, lasting from five to seven years, to create jobs and demand.
* “Congress is not the only place where we can see paralysis. The Federal Reserve recently reported that nonfinancial companies in the U.S. were holding more than $2 trillion in cash and other liquid assets–money that is earning next to nothing. … Loosening the pursestrings just a little could have big effects on the economy.”–Richard Thaler, professor of economics and behavior science at the University of Chicago.
* “Who’s really being un-American here? Not the (Occupy Wall Street) protesters, who are simply trying to get their voices heard. No, the real extremists here are America’s oligarchs, who want to suppress any criticism of the sources of their wealth.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.
* “The most radical people today are the ones who look the most boring. It’s not about declaring war on some nefarious elite. It’s about changing behavior from top to bottom. Let’s occupy ourselves.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “There’s a certain amount of pain you can inflict on customers without losing them, and the banks are doing careful calculations about what customers are willing to pay for.”--Mark Schwanhausser, senior analyst, Javelin Strategy and Research.
* “For Florida, these deals are absolutely vital.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on Congressional approval of trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and
South Korea.
* “Hillsborough County is often seen as the best predictor as to how Florida will vote at large. That’s because it’s got the three geographical categories that the candidates look for–rural, urban and suburban. Focus groups come a lot to Hillsborough.”–Susan MacManus, USF political science professor.
* “We are the only city in the United States where there has been no confrontation or arrest of an Occupy protestor. If you’re a peaceful protestor, our job is to make sure you have a safe environment so your voices can be heard.”–TPD spokeswoman Laura McElroy.
* “The opportunities are unbelievable.”–Assessment of downtown Tampa’s potential by Urban Land Institute expert Byron Koste, executive director emeritus of the University of Colorado’s School of Business.