Grusendorf, McCown, DeLay, Bell, Saenz, Bush, Ellis, and KaczynskiHouse Public Education Chairman Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington, telling a committee witness that the $3 billion in new money in his bill is the best deal available: "Would you rather take $3 billion up front, or take table scraps at the end of the session? Is $3 billion better than zero?" Scott McCown, the director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities and, in his previous job, a state district judge who decided several school finance cases, on the latest fix offered by House leaders: "Just as there is no such thing as 'separate but equal,' there is no such thing as 'unequal but adequate.'" U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, reacting in the Houston Chronicle to questions about the campaign finance trial in Austin:
"That's a group of losers that are trying to get rich quick and using the Texas legal system for their own political purposes. They have decided to use the court system to override the will of the people of Texas." Houston Democrat Chris Bell, known for hitting U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay with ethics charges, speaking at a stop in ihis exploratory run for governor: "Some people have called me a 'reform candidate.' I guess I can't blame them. You file one little ethics complaint, and suddenly you have a reputation." Luis Saenz, campaign manager for Gov. Rick Perry, reacting to reports that Chad Wilbanks, a campaign consultant to U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, phoned into a Dallas radio program under a different name to promote Hutchison: "We're proud of who we work for and we're willing to admit it." President George W. Bush, touting his experience: "My six years as governor of Texas have been invaluable to me as I carry out my duties as the presidency." Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the death penalty for juveniles: "For too long, the Texas criminal justice system has tilted toward the 'hang 'em high' mentality. This will take a little of the wild out of the wild, wild West." David Kaczynski, executive director of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty, and the brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, quoted by the Associated Press: "When you're talking about life and death, in a sense, you are trying to create a government program that you hope will work flawlessly."