As they see it.

• Position: Quotation

"I'm a conservative, but I'm not mad about it."

--Indiana Congressman Mike Pence to NCSL Spring Forum participants about the difference between him and Rush Limbaugh.

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"There are so many earmarks in the bill there's not a pig left in Colorado."

--Colorado House Minority Leader Mike May, during debate on a bill that would eliminate a 6 percent cap on the state's general fund growth, in The Denver Post.

"This money isn't manna from heaven. It comes with a price."

--Indiana Senator Jim Buck, to USA Today. He worries that the federal money will leave states under greater federal control and burden future generations with debt.

"This is our community. We want underclassmen to have the same opportunities that we had through our four years of high school. They should have everything we had. We're supposed to live better from generation to generation."

--Idaho high school senior Ariel James, who organized a protest against school budget cuts, in The Spokesman-Review.

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"I'm the only state senator who will put his name on a beer tax bill. it may not happen this time ... but it is going to happen during my lifetime. Watch it."

--82-year-old Senate...