Driver, Stock, Horn, Strama, Rawlins, Branch, Taylor, Sarukhan, Bersin, DeLay, and Wlodek
Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, on charges that he's been "double dipping" on campaign expenses, billing them both to his campaign and to the state, quoted by the Associated Press: "Now you're scaring the heck out of me. It pretty well screws my week."'
Immigration attorney Margaret Stock, on the repeal of the 14th Amendment, quoted in the Texas Tribune: “The debate is always about the theoretical … Whenever you talk about the practical aspects of it, there's silence. Because anybody who understands how citizenship is determined in the absence of the 14th Amendment quickly realizes that we have a huge mess on our hands. And it will cost billions of dollars if we change the amendment's current interpretation."
Denton County Judge Mary Horn, about lowering the standards for Texas jails in order to stretch her county's budget: "I've always stated that when our prisoners start living like our soldiers, I’ll start feeling sorry for them."
Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, to News 8 Austin on the only way to handle the upcoming budget crisis: "Given what we're being told for the next projections for the next 29 to 30 months, it's almost unimaginable not making more cuts."
V. Lane Rawlins, the interim president of the University of North Texas, quoted by the Texas Tribune on preparing for his first appearance before the Texas Legislature: “I’ve been doing this in various states for about 20 years, and every time I’ve had the chance to speak with the Legislature, my main point is that we need more money.”
At a legislative hearing, the first question from Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, to a panel of the presidents of the seven emerging research universities competing to be the next Tier One school: "Is everyone getting along?"
Candace Taylor, a former supporter of the late Republican candidate Tom Zachry, unsatisfied with his replacement, sued (and lost) for the right to run as a Democrat. Her lawyer, Stephen Drinnon, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "The Texas election code, quite frankly, just doesn't address such a situation as this."
Mexican Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan, on his keynote speech at a border security conference at the University of Texas at El Paso: "Giving is a speech is a lot like a Texas Longhorn. One point here, one point here and a lot of bull in the middle."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin, on the current state of U.S.-Mexico relations during the current immigration debate, to the Texas Tribune: "The story of the United States is the story of immigrants, of people taking risks and coming to improve the lives of their families. What’s unacceptable is that they cross in a way that violates our laws and remain here in a manner that violates our laws."
Former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, in a conference call with reporters after the Justice Department dropped its investigation of his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, quoted in the Houston Chronicle: “I know this is the price of leadership, but frankly it doesn't have to happen this way. I hope people will look at my case and decide the criminalization of politics and the politics of personal destruction is not beneficial to our country or our system.”
Juror Steve Wlodek, on the complexities of the case against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich trial, in The New York Times: "It was like, 'Here's a manual, go fly the space shuttle.'"