We argued that until we were blue in the face.

That figure has not been scrutinized by anybody outside the company. A lot of the costs would have been there already without a storm -- like base salaries and routine repair and replacement of equipment.

Home ownership was the fig leaf for the rise in subprime lending. But that was really about cash-out refinancings, not buying homes.

I definitely think we should not serve alcoholic beverages at the lunch break.

I'd just like to take a moment here to say that I'm totally opposed to violence in the school system. I think that teachers are subjected to a lot of stuff that kids are... Children out there, if you feel so compelled to maim your teacher, I think that's okay, but to really get rough and snuff 'em out, that's tough.

The big banks advise cities about whether privatization is a wise choice. They also control the ability of states and cities to access the market for their financing needs.