As they see it.

"It's like saying it's going to be cold this winter in Alaska."

--Representative Ed Mahern in the Indianapolis Star after an NCSL report released during the Annual Meeting named the Indiana House as one of the top 10 legislative battlegrounds in the country.

"The woods aren't any drier than they were four years ago, but a lot more people have matches."

--Director of Electionline.org Doug Chapin talking about election reforms.

"When you preserve dying industries, you end up with a dying economy."

--David Wyss, chief economist for Standard & Poor's in the Associated Press during a NCSL session on jobs and the economy.

"We ought to have respect for the system our founding fathers put in place. These are issues that have been left--as they ought to be--with the states."

--Current CNN commentator and former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr talking about gay marriage in the Salt Lake Tribune.

"When budgets started their downturn in 2001, state legislators knew they were in for a difficult run, but they didn't expect a marathon. Though we have seen some improvement in fiscal conditions, there's still a long way to go before we cross the finish line of this crisis."

--Utah House Speaker Marty Stephens at a news conference releasing NCSL's latest fiscal report.

"This is a war election. And we haven't had one of those...