Heard during the legislative Summit in Atlanta in August.

• Position: AS THEY SEE IT

"Washington, D.C., is broken. That's why Americans are depending on state legislators."

--David Gergen, former adviser to four presidents, and political analyst for CNN.

"After my two terms in the Georgia state Senate, I went on to a couple of lesser offices."

--Former President Jimmy Carter to legislative leaders visiting the Carter Center.

"The first, and most important, thing state legislators can do about the retirement crisis is to recognize that there needs to be a holistic solution ... they have to figure out what the next plan is going to be."

--Roger Ferguson, chief executive officer, TIAA-CREF

"Hunger is an urban issue, a suburban issue and a rural issue. This is an issue that affects everyone in every community."

--Representative Dwight Evans (D), Pennsylvania, co-chair of the NCSL Hunger Partnership.

"I...