Osborne, Perry Blankenship, Hansen, and Ringer

Nye County, Nevada, Manager Rick Osborne, telling the Los Angeles Times what he expects in terms of local help from the federal stimulus package: "I've been in state government for 36 years, and I've learned over time not to be too optimistic. I don't want to be disappointed. I drink enough scotch as is."

Gov. Rick Perry, talking to NFIB/Texas about the federal stimulus, quoted by the Austin American-Statesman: "We need the freedom to pick and choose. We need the freedom to say, 'no thanks' if they’re trying to stick a bill on the people of the State of Texas just to expand government."

Don Blankenship, a West Virginia coal mining exec whose $3 million in contributions have landed a state Supreme Court justice's refusal to recuse himself from the company's lawsuits in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, in The New York Times: "I've been around West Virginia long enough to know that politicians don't stay bought, particularly ones that are going to be in office for 12 years. So I would never go out and spend money to try to gain favor with a politician. Eliminating a bad politician makes sense. Electing somebody hoping he's going to be in your favor doesn't make any sense at all."

Justice of the Peace Jim Hansen of Lubbock, who's not a lawyer, quoted in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on legislation that would require JPs to be attorneys: "They're going to take some good justices of the peace and replace them with a bunch of lawyers just for the fun of it. That's what they're doing."

John Ringer of Texas City, interviewed by the Galveston Daily News during Mardi Gras because he was wearing a clown suit as a statement on hurricane relief: "I'm a FEMA clown. I should be passing out cards to everyone that say 'denied.'"