The Governor's Mansion is a beautiful home, a beautiful building - we're privileged to have a chance to live there. It certainly doesn't feel as comfortable as our home.

The decision to join or not join a service union, political party or other organization should be left up to the individual. No such organization has the right to take money out of the pockets of state workers without their proper consent.

The demands of the present must stand above the political habits of the past.

Child abuse and neglect offend the basic values of our state. We have a responsibility to provide safe settings for at-risk children and facilitate permanent placement for children who cannot return home.

As we continue to step up our investment in education, we must not sidestep our commitment to the principle of local control.

It feels important to go school; not necessarily to further my education, but more like a hobby.

The history of American higher education over the twentieth century is an extraordinary one, the story of the creation of a powerhouse set of institutions that are the envy of the civilized world. Once they were the province, both among the student and faculty bodies, of children of privilege, generally WASPs.

My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment.