Declarations

Community Fixture

“He’s sort of a fixture for our community. I wish there were more like him.”

—Hal Reese, a Calhoun City insurance agent who’s known Mississippi Judge Henry Lackey since childhood. Outside Mississippi’s 3rd Judicial District, Henry Lackey is best known as the judge whose integrity and intrepidness led to the downfall of famed trial lawyer Dickie Scruggs and several colleagues. Lackey, 75, is not running for re-election as circuit judge.

Targeted Teens

“Research indicates that teenagers respond best to peer group messages. No one likes to be lectured to or told that their behavior is unsatisfactory; any age dismisses that immediately. In order to convey information, it has to be in the vernacular of the target age group.”

—P.K. Khoury, of MotionMasters in Charleston, West Virginia, working with local high schoolers on a film on the dangers of distracted driving.

Public Funding

“The goal is to relieve judges from the burden of political fundraising and to reduce the potential for appearance of bias as a result of campaign donations.”

—West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin in calling for public financing for the two state Supreme Court elections in 2012, addressing fears that West Virginia justices can be bought by wealthy campaign donors.

Crop Cuts

“These are pretty dramatic cuts based on little or no supporting research and data. The industry supports thinking about change, but it has to make sense for the government, industry and producers.”

—Bob Parkerson, president, National Crop Insurance Services, which represents the 15 private insurers in the federal crop insurance program, blasting a proposed restructuring he said would cut $4 billion — or $800 million a year — over the next five years. The proposal, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Risk Management Agency, is included in a draft of the 2011 Standard Reinsurance Agreement under which the private carriers deliver crop insurance to farm producers. The SRA was last negotiated for 2005.

Buckled Up

“If AIG collapsed, it would have buckled our financial system and wrought economic havoc on the lives of millions of our citizens.”

—Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson defending the decision to rescue troubled insurer American International Group Inc. in 2008.