Quoteworthy

  • “This is probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people. As a physician, I’ve been trained to withstand many things, but never anything like this.”—Bahamian Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, on the devastating impact of Hurricane Dorian on the Bahamas.
  • “Boris (Johnson) is exactly what the U.K. has been looking for and will prove to be ‘a great one!’ Love U.K.”—President Donald Trump.
  • “Under no circumstances should the G7 be held at Trump’s Doral resort, which would be one of the most egregious examples of corruption and self-dealing in a presidency replete with them.”—Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden.
  • “All Americans need to recognize that our democracy is an experiment—and one that can be reversed. We all know that we’re better than our current politics. Tribalism must not be allowed to destroy our experiment.”—Former Defense Secretary James Mattis.
  • “(Trump’s) like the last seasons of ‘House of Cards’—a riveting spectacle devolved into a repellent burlesque.”—Frank Bruni, New York Times.
  • “(It) highlights the Trump Administration’s complete contempt for our climate.”—Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, in response to government plans to ease requirements on oil and gas sites to monitor for methane leaks and plug them.
  • “We get the wrong kind of infrastructure. Projects that will be most attractive to Wall Street investors are those whose tolls and fees bring in the biggest bucks—giant mega-projects like major new throughways and new bridges. Not the thousands of smaller bridges, airports, pipes, and water treatment facilities most in need of repair.”—Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.
  • “Protectionism is bad; erratic protectionism, imposed by an unstable leader with an insecure ego, is worse. But that’s what we have as long as Trump remains in office.”—Paul Krugman, New York Times.
  • “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”—Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
  • “If you ask any restaurant now what’s keeping them up at night, it’s this. We do have a lot more diverse work force than most industries, and unfortunately many of them may be undocumented.”—New York employment lawyer Carolyn Richmond, on the specter of increased immigration enforcement.
  • “Higher tariffs are going to cause consumers to pull back for a time, especially on big-ticket items like cars and appliances.”—Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial.
  • “Our goal should be to tax the Scrooges so that the Tiny Tims can enjoy Medicare for All.”—Jeet Heer, the Nation.
  • “False, misleading and dangerous marketing campaigns” that had “caused exponentially increasing rates of addition and overdose deaths.”—Oklahoma District Judge Thad Balkman, in finding that Johnson & Johnson had intentionally played down the dangers and oversold the benefits of opioids and ordering it to pay the state $572 million. It was the first trial of a drug manufacturer for the destruction wrought by prescription painkillers. There are more than 2,000 opioid lawsuits pending across the country.
  • “This isn’t your mother’s marijuana.”—U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, in warning about marijuana use by adolescents and pregnant women.
  • “One of the most common storm-related scams we see is price gouging.”—Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
  • “We’re ready.”—Michael Peltier, spokesman for Citizens Property Insurance Co., the state-run insurance of last resort.
  • “At shelters, FEMA does not check citizen status.”—FEMA spokeswoman Alexandria Bruner.
  • “As the 2020 election approaches, stand up for teachers and public schools. Support only candidates who promise to stop the assault and micromanaging and become fighters for fully funding our public schools and paying our teachers a salary commensurate with their profession.”—Paula Dockery, former state Republican—now NPA—legislator.
  • “It’s just the right thing to do. … We are a city that recognizes and values the dignity of work. Hard work and diversity built this city, and we’re going to make sure that people are rewarded for it.”—Mayor Jane Castor, in announcing that starting Oct. 1, all new and existing city of Tampa employees will receive a minimum of $15 per hour.
  • “This is not NASCAR out there on the Howard Frankland Bridge.”—Sgt. Steve Gaskins, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, after a recent tailgating-and-passing incident resulted in a driver fatality.
  • “Anything brick and mortar, his fingerprints are on it.”—Former Mayor Bob Buckhorn, referring to Bob McDonaugh, who recently retired as Tampa’s top economic development official.

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