Good day, Informed Voter! It's time to really get to know your lawmakers again! Here are some unique quotes, analogies, and actions by your elected officials and parties that we have come across in various media outlets in the last several months.

From Alabama:

The Calhoun County GOP awarded State Senator Charles Biship (R) a trophy for punching State Senator Lowell Barron (D) in the face on the Senate floor after Barron called Lowell a "son of a ...'. According to the Associated Press, the GOP group gave Bishop the trophy for his 'defending of womankind.' (Source: Stateline.org "Worth Noting: Students Get an Eyeful" October 5, 2007)

From Illinois:

Commenting on the bickering on the budget in Sprinfield last fall, State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) made this comparison: "There is more consensus and there is more working together in the Middle East than there is beneath the dome of the General Assembly." (Source: Chicago Tribune "Senate Restores Sliver of Governor's Budget Cuts" October 11, 2007)

From Illinois:

Responding to frustrations from some state senators about his decision to allow a vote on only a few of the items vetoed from the budget by the Governor, Senate President Emile Jones stated "I'll be damned if I'm going to be dictated by anyone in this chamber, anyone [in the governor's office], or anyone in the other chamber." (Source: The State Journal Register "Senate Votes to Keep Governor's Budget Cuts" October12, 2007)

From South Carolina:

Governor Mark Sanford has resisted efforts to spend $5 million for safety measures at the State House. According to the Greenville News on October 9, 2007, he told his Cabinet that he doubted the Capitol would be a terrorist target, "though sometimes I would like it to be."

From the U.S. Congress

New York U.S. Representative Thomas Reynolds commented that he didn't think the second Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) bill did enough to address the concerns that caused the first bill to die. As he put it, "The new bill puts lipstick on a sow." (Source: New York Times "House Defies Bush and Passes Insurance Bill" October 26,2007

From the U.S. Congress:

During discussion about a bill making changes to mining royalties and costs of purchasing land for mining, U.S. Representative Nick Rahall from West Virginia said "At $2.50 an acre, these valuable Federal lands are being transferred out of public ownership for fast-food hamburger prices."

From the U.S. Congress:

Commenting on HR 6, the energy bill, Representative George P. Radanovich of California had this to say: "The static electricity created by my shoes rubbing across this carpet creates more energy than the Democrats' energy bill."

From the U.S. Congress:

Comparing the total dollar amount of the earmarks in the consolidated spending bill (HR 2764) this year to the earmarks two years ago, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia said that this year's total was 43 percent lower, commenting that "That ain't chicken feed."

From Florida:

Following a vote to adopt a constitutional amendment on homestead, State Senator Alex Villalobos stated that his chamber's plan was "bull...." because it "screws" South Florida seniors. (Source: Miami Herald "Homestead Amendment Squeaks Through Florida Senate" October 18, 2007)

From South Carolina:

"That's like trying to get a cheeseburger classified as a health food to get it on school lunch menus." -State Representative Paul Agnew (D-Abbeville), on a committee vote to define "nuclear energy" as "renewable energy." (Source: The State "Schmoozing: Where and When Lawmakers Can Eat and Drink for Free Today" January 30, 2008)

From the U.S. Congress:

"It's like you're opposed to stealing bu not quite sure that bank robber would qualify." -U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) discussing Attorney General Mukasey's refusal to say that he believes waterboarding is illegal. (Source: CNN "Attorney General Dances Around Waterboarding Issue" January 30, 2008)

From South Carolina:

"If you can take a shot on the battlefield, you ought to be able to take a shot in a bar." -State Representative Fletcher Smith (D-Greenville) on a bill to allow military personnel aged 18-20 to have alcoholic beverages.

From Florida:

"I'm sorry if I've taken a dollar that you would have otherwise stuck in someone's garter." -State Representative Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg) on a bill to place a one dollar admittance tax on strip clubs. The tax would be used to increase the Medicaid monthly stipend for nursing home residents from $35 to $70.

From Indiana:

"Gaming in this state is the crack cocaine of public policy. We started and we can't get enough." -State House Minority Leader Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) (Source: Indianapolis Star "Debate Over Expanded Gambling Never-Ending in Legislature" February 11, 2008)

From South Dakota:

"It is only a matter of time before somebody is eaten in South Dakota." -State Representative Betty Olson (R-Prairie City) on a bill to classify mountain lions found outside the Black Hills as varmints, which would allow people with varmint licenses to shoot them. (Source: Sioux Falls Argus Leader "Mountain Lion Bill is Rejected" February 12, 2008)

From Tennessee and Georgia:

"[My constituents] don't think this is an appropriate action for the Georgia Legislature to take even if it is in jest." -Tennessee State Senator Andy Berke (D-Chattanooga).

"The boundary of the state is the boundary of the state and can only be changed by acts of the Tennessee and Georgia legislatures and of the U.S. Congress. It cannot be changed by a mathematician with a faulty compass." -Georgia State Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth).

"Certainly it puts us in a difficult position." -Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle.

The Georgia legislature is considering action to challenge the location of the state's northern border. Georgia claims that a marker was incorrectly placed to indicate the border ni 1818 and that the border should be a mile north of its marked location. This would give Georgia access to water in the Tennessee River.

From Georgia:

The Georgia Senate unanimously approved a resolution to move the marked border between Georgia and Tennessee a mile north, but not before breaking into a rendition of "This Land is My Land" during the debate. (Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution "Ga.'s Quest to Move Tenn. Border Advances" February 20, 2008)