Blagojevich, Faithfull, Garrison-Tate, Patterson, Wentworth, Ogden, Houghton, and Goolsby

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the day before he was arrested on corruption charges: "I should say if anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead. I can tell you whatever I say is always lawful."

Mary Faithfull, executive director of Advocacy Inc., quoted in the San Antonio Express-News: "The days of rampant abuse and neglect of state school residents, poor medical care, unnecessary use of restraint and poor behavioral services must end before any other residents are harmed or die."

Jeff Garrison-Tate with Community Now, which supports community-based care for people with disabilities, in The Dallas Morning News: "Who's standing up for these people? If 53 dogs died, people would be marching in the streets."

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, quoted by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on his opposition to transferring the Christmas Mountains to the National Park Service: "I said, 'No guns, no hunting, no deal.' Now we have the Department of Interior doing the right thing. The question remains: Will the [new] president leave that in place? Before we make any moves on this positive development, we're going to have to see how that plays out."

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, talking to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal about making concealed handguns legal on college campuses in Texas, after shooting sprees at other American universities: "I want to introduce this bill because I want the students to have a chance to live if something like that happens again. Right now, they are sitting ducks."

Senate Finance Chair Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, talking to Texas Monthly about efforts to rebuild the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston after Hurricane Ike: "UT has a weakness in that their primary goal is prestige. Their attitude is, 'If it's prestigious and we can make a lot of money, we're for it, and if it's not, we're against it.' Public service is way down on their priority list."

State Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton, quoted in The Dallas Morning News: "If they are going to hand out this kind of money, we are sure not going to walk away from it. Not if 49 other states are lining up for the money... Whether it's the right thing to do, that is an entirely different question."

Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, on the $140,000 renovation of the House members' lounge in the state Capitol: "You will have to agree — whether you like it or not — that we have done a great job here."