Studies have shown that since women have had access to the pill and family planning measures, they have made huge gains in both wages and in careers that were dominated by men.

When I was fresh out of law school, I had a burning desire to do something important, to have an impact in some way, but I didn't know what it was.

The most powerful recent innovation in government is when states aggressively use community colleges for retraining. In Michigan, where large numbers of workers were displaced from the manufacturing industry, we created a wildly successful program: No Worker Left Behind.

Obviously we want to keep the jobs we've got.

Songwriting I think, or any art form, the inspiration comes from your personal life or it can be from politics or region you live in.

I trust the regulatory mechanism; it is a fair and independent mechanism, and the politicians and government do not interfere with the regulators.

I love politics. It could be that, or it could be that my dad was always really big on, 'This is your job. You are going to work...' You know, it's really funny cause he was such a cowboy, and he doesn't like the concept of guys coming in like cowboys - unshaved and wearing flip flops - and stuff like that would eat him alive.

Politics are close to me, but there are different ways of participating in politics.