* “We are not blind, and I don’t think we are stupid. I think we have a pretty strong sense of how to measure whether or not we are acting in the interests of our country and of the globe and particularly of our allies like Israel and Gulf States and others in the region.”–Secretary of State John Kerry in defending his negotiating strategy with Iran over its nuclear program.
* “There is a military coup in the country. I am the president of the republic, according to the constitution of the state, and I am forcibly detained.”–Mohammed Morsi, the overthrown president of Egypt.
* “It’s amazing how resilient the economy has been in the face of numerous shocks.”–Joe LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank.
* “When that note comes due–and this isn’t racist…but it’s going to be like slavery when that note is due. We are going to be beholden to a foreign master. Because there is no plan coming out of Washington, D.C. to stop the incurrence of debt.”–Sarah Palin.
* “Debt can indirectly make us poorer if deficits drive up interest rates and thereby discourage productivity investment. But that hasn’t been happening. Instead, investment is low because of the economy’s weakness. And one of the main things keeping the economy weak is the depressing effect of cutbacks in public spending–especially, by the way, cutbacks in public investment–all justified in the name of protecting the future from the wildly exaggerated threat of excessive debt.”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.
* “Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States; 80 percent of the world’s growth will happen outside the United States. The fastest-growing component of the middle class is happening in emerging markets, not here. So American companies that have an exportable service need to be thinking globally. That is my message to Florida, and that is my message to small-and medium-sized companies around the country.”–Tampa native Frank Sanchez, the former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.
* “I resent it. I’ve resented it from the beginning. People in this city got past it almost a year ago, as people got to know me and we started to relate as individuals.”–Detroit’s Mayor-elect Mike Duggan saying that too much has been made of the fact that he will be Detroit’s first white mayor in four decades.
* “In today’s world of punditry, some still research for hours, if not days, before posting an opinion. Others roll out of bed with an idea and hit ‘send’ before a brush meets their bed hair. In the eyes of too much of the public, we’re all one and the same.”–Connie Schultz, Creators Syndicate.
* “The Internet is the death of forgetting. You cannot reinvent yourself because it’s always there. You hit Google, and your cavalcade of misdeeds comes rolling back to the top of the page.”–Alec Baldwin.
* “If you want to measure change, don’t change the measure.”–Jack Buckley, National Center for Education Statistics commissioner.
* “No matter what they say, it is not a sin to reach across the aisle. It is your obligation to work together.”–Charlie Crist.
* “LeMieux is a skunk.”–Attorney John Morgan on Charlie Crist-criticism leveled by George LeMieux, Crist’s former political advisor, chief of staff and appointed U.S. senator.
* “We could not change this city without your help.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan who recently toured the federally-funded Encore housing project.
* “Today, the energy in our community is tangible. We’re thinking bigger, reaching higher and achieving more than ever before. … We think we are in a unique place at a unique time to make some big things happen.”–Rick Homans, chief executive of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
* “One of the concerns raised early on was to make sure that there was plenty of public input. There’s actually more opportunities here than we usually have.”–Bob McDonaugh, Tampa’s economic opportunity administrator, on the four public workshops designed to give input to the consulting firm hired to plan changes in Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
* “My (Pro Football Hall of Fame) bust may seem comfy in Canton, Ohio, but my heart and soul is here in Tampa Bay.”–Warren Sapp.