• Who can run the risk of running up a billion dollar tab that you have to pay?
• Source: Governing   |   Nation   |   March 21, 2013
• San Jose, Calif., Mayor Chuck Reed, explaining why his city could not afford to host the Olympics. Among American cities, only one -- Los Angeles -- appears interested in a possible 2024 bid.

• What this legislation does is limit information, and by doing so it limits access.
• Source: The Boston Globe   |   Nation   |   March 20, 2013
• Steve Gunderson, of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, on why the group opposes legislation in Congress that would restrict federal funding of for-profit colleges. Fourteen state attorneys general are pushing for the legislation.

• I think the worst thing that could happen is to have the police come in force and arrest workers who are simply trying to get a contract.
• Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Philadelphia   |   March 19, 2013
• Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, explaining why he chose to declare a recess during Mayor Michael Nutter's annual budget address. The mayor's speech was drowned out by the shouts and whistles of municipal union workers angry over contract negotiations.
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• If you cannot find competent people in a city of two million, there are a lot of things wrong with your city.
• Source: Governing   |   Nation   |   March 18, 2013
• David Morris, of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, on why cities should not worry about finding the "best and brightest," if they impose a residency requirement on public workers.

• If you want to go eat 20 Big Macs, you can eat 20 Big Macs.
• Source: The New York Times   |   Mississippi   |   March 15, 2013
• Mississippi legislator Greg Holloway, advocating for a the so-called "Anti-Bloomberg" bill that bars cities and counties from enacting dietary restrictions in the state.
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• I bet you he spends more time filling out his March Madness brackets than he does writing a budget.
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   March 14, 2013
• House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, referring to President Barack Obama.
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• All the second-guessing and Monday-morning quarterbacking are just making the job more difficult.
• Source: Governing   |   California   |   March 13, 2013
• California Gov. Jerry Brown, on why he feels federal oversight of the state's prison system is wasteful and should be ended.

• It stereotypes that kid when he was just playing with his food.
• Source: Politico   |   Maryland   |   March 12, 2013
• Maryland state Sen. J. B. Jennings, explaining why he introduced the Reasonable School Discipline Act, after a second-grader was suspended for chewing his food into the shape of a gun.
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• Every time this type of proposal surfaces, it's like a ... body blow.
• Source: McClatchy/Governing   |   Illinois   |   March 11, 2013
• Larry Frang, the executive director of the Illinois Municipal League, referring to Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed budget, which would reduce the share of the state income tax that goes to cities.

• People see a dead animal on the side of the road and think it’s not much to look at ... but it’s worth quite a bit of money.
• Source: Bloomberg   |   Montana   |   March 8, 2013
• Matt Kenna, an attorney in Colorado who has brought roadkill home to his family to eat for 15 years. Nearby Montana may soon become the latest state to allow roadkill to be served in restaurants.

• This, to me, is the horror villian we can't get rid of, essentially the specter of Jim Crow returns.
• Source: YouTube   |   North Carolina   |   March 7, 2013
• North Carolina state Democratic Chairman Randy Voller, attacking Republicans in the state House for reintroducing a voter identification bill that failed to pass last year.

• They’re concerned about what kind of hot water you’re in and whether you’re going to come to them with a bailout.
• Source: Governing   |   March 6, 2013
• Jeannine Markoe Raymond, of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, on why Congress is considering legislation that would govern how states and localities calculate their unfunded pension liabilities.

• We're going to chase their little asses down as hard as possible!
• Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer   |   March 5, 2013
• Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, talking about his plan to crack down on property-tax delinquents, who collectively owe the city $8 million in back taxes.

• There’s this idea floating around Washington that … I should somehow do a Jedi mind-meld with these folks and convince them to do what’s right.
• Source: Governing   |   Nation   |   March 4, 2013
• President Barack Obama, referring to Congressional leaders, after negotiations to avoid the start of sequestration failed.

• I don’t believe in this eco-McCarthyism view that if you work for coal, you can’t do anything good in the world.
• Source: Governing   |   Washington   |   March 1, 2013
• Bruce Gryniewski, former director of the Washington Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, whose public relations firm is now working with the coal industry.