washington business
“You slink off at the end and
everyone is mad at you. That’s why
it’s nice to be here and see so many
people smiling at me. It’s a joy.”
— State Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, comparing
his job a legislator to his other job as a high school
basketball referee. Upthegrove made the remarks as
he was accepting the Washington Conservation Voters’
Legislator of the Year award. (6)
“In 1916, before we entered World
War I and federal spending exploded,
the richest man in America, John
D. Rockefeller, could have written
a personal check and retired our
national debt. Today, the richest
man in America, Bill Gates, could
write a personal check for his entire
net worth and not pay two month’s
interest on the national debt.”
— Political commentator and columnist George Will,
responding to comments by investor Warren Buffet about
taxing the “super rich.” (7)
“A lot of lotteries have this. They call them
lotto-mobiles or lucky vans.”
— Lottery Director Bill Hanson, commenting on the Lottery Commission’s
new $49,000 Mercedes van that they hoped to spend another $26,000 to
customize as a mobile lottery station. The governor ordered the commission
to return the van. (8)
Sources: (1) The Seattle Times’ blog, “Politics Northwest,” Oct. 5, 2011;
(2) The Spokesman-Review blog, “Spin Control,” Sept. 26, 2011; (3) The Seattle
Times, Aug. 24, 2011; (4) TVW, Sept. 15, 2011; (5) The Daily Caller, Sept. 9, 2011;
(6) Publicola’s blog, “Morning Fizz,” Oct. 7, 2011; (7) ABC’s This Week with
Christiane Amanpour, Oct. 3, 2011; (8) The Olympian, Sept. 30, 2011.
fall 2011
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