Ed Rendell Quotations

I am a free spirit. I tell the truth, and I like to mix it up.

And the beautiful open spaces, the forests of Pennsylvania, the recreational uses that come from having these green open spaces and forests, they contribute dramatically to the level of our tourism, dramatically.

One of the things that people don't realize is that that natural beauty, those recreational forests, they have an economic development impact for the state as well.

I think if we're going to have to landfill trash, and I think we basically have to, we might as well get the upside for it and dedicate that upside to improving the environment in so many different ways.

I think politics today is all about false choices: You can have a robust energy economy and a challenged environment, or a great environment and no economy. That's a false choice. You can do both.

The Medicaid system currently steers people toward nursing home care. Far more people can be covered in community-based care programs for significantly less.

Natural gas is great for America in so many ways.

Tourism is our second biggest industry in terms of the people it employs.

There are a tremendous amount of environmental issues that are on the table.

Growing Greener doesn't produce money for farmland preservation or open space preservation.

Number one I think we should impose a fee or a tax on the transportation of trash per mile.

And preserving our open spaces or having them there for recreational purposes is one of the things that contributes to the high level of quality of life that we offer in Pennsylvania, and that also translates into economic benefits.

For my part, I make this pledge to all of you: The politics of division, of pitting east against west, urban versus rural, region against region, and people against people will have no place in my Administration.

I'm interested in giving business an opportunity by improving the tax environment to invest and grow with Pennsylvania, to expand and put more money in capital investment and creating jobs.

Most people are motivated by the economy. And if you've lost your job, lost your mortgage, lost your 401(k), you're angry. And if your brother-in-law has lost one of those you're angry still. And when you're angry you take it out on people who are in office. Which is natural.

We are the second oldest state in the Union because too many of our young people are leaving Pennsylvania. They are leaving Pennsylvania behind for opportunities elsewhere.

I've always sort of believed that the future takes care of itself.

If you have spent any time with Barack Obama, you know he's a funny guy. He's a good guy. He knows sports.

Look, natural gas, just like oil, is going to eventually go away. It's not renewable.

You know rule one for the vice president is make sure you never upstage the president, right? It's rule one.

I think a moratorium probably is legal, and we should probably for a short period of time impose a moratorium so that we don't permit any additional landfill permits for the time being, so we don't exacerbate the problem.

And secondly, I would impose a significant state landfill tipping fee and use that tipping fee to fund the billion dollar bond issue that I want to create to produce the funds for all of the environmental challenges that we just went over.

I think Barack Obama has brought a new level of ethical standards to Washington. Has he changed some basic hard-knuckle politics? No. You need hard-knuckle politics to succeed.

I think national issues play into gubernatorial races less than, obviously, in Senate and Congressional races. Much less. They tend to be more decided by personality, leadership qualities and by state or local issues. They still have some effect, no question about it, but not as much as Senate and Congressional races.

I think the president should be accessible, should answer questions that aren't pre-screened, but I think there should be a little bit of dignity to the presidency.

Well, the infrastructure part of the stimulus has worked. There's absolutely no question about it. We can demonstrate in Pennsylvania and other states around the union how it's produced good, paying jobs both on the construction sites and back in American factories. It has worked.

We believe we're ready for them, ... We wanted to make sure we were ready before anybody came. We want the people of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to welcome them as folks who have been through hell in the last week. We want to show them a little bit of Western Pennsylvania heaven when they get here.

Would I be happy just practicing law? No. Would I be happy just doing TV and speeches? No. I want to do all of these things and be as active as I can... but my main goal is to have some degree of influence on the public discussion.

We will not lose this election for lack of money.

But in the long run we're not going to be able to keep out of state trash away from Pennsylvania.

Growing Greener doesnt produce money for farmland preservation or open space preservation.

If I lose, I lose. Ill do it on my terms.

American Eagle can be a selling point for other young, cutting-edge companies to come to Pittsburgh

I think our forests should be preserved as much as humanly possible for recreation and just for enjoyment of the natural beauty of Pennsylvania.

I love the concept of community energy.

Is regulation per se bad? Is better regulation bad? I think better regulation is good for the business community, and I think that's something we should get together on.

The single most important thing you can do to get elected is to have street money!

I don't think anyone can calculate the effect of having a Jew on the ticket.

The I-95 bridges were built in the early 1960s and are now more than 50 years old. The same vintage as the I-35 bridge that collapsed in Minnesota back in 2007, killing 13 people and injuring 145. The antiquated Skagit River Bridge in Washington state that collapsed last May after a truck hit one of the trusses was even older. And it's not just bridges. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 32 percent of the major roads in America are now in poor condition and in need of major repairs.

I have said consistently both in my papers and in my speeches - which you heard in the primary campaign - that I will continue to phase out the Capital Stock and Franchise tax.

There are people on the left who think John Kerry's too conservative, as well as the Bush administration that's trying to paint him as a wild-spending liberal.

Secondly, quality of life is always very high on the list of criteria for why companies or people or families locate or relocated in an area.

since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 14,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members have left the comfort of their home to risk their lives for our security.

now the president is proposing to again double those increased co-pays.

One of the reasons we don't have our deficit under control is because Republicans are wusses and won't tell their base a simple fact that everyone knows. We can't eliminate the deficit without raising some revenue... They're wusses.

If we do that, I think we'll find a lot more children, ... It's an idea whose time has come.

I am determined to start bringing our energy independence back,

But the FBI spokesman won't tell us anything else ... They won't tell the people of Philadelphia who in four weeks have to decide whether to re-elect a mayor or not,

Because this is an industry that is young, it has tremendous potential,

What we don't want to have happen is for people to come here and be warehoused,

Hurricane Katrina is having a serious impact on the lives of so many Americans and we want to do what we can to lessen its effect on people and families, especially our young people,

Joe Lieberman would be a bold and courageous choice,

It brings home the crushing reality of this war ... and the incredibly high price we pay for what we're trying to accomplish,

Pennsylvania is right now undergoing an assessment of water quality, but I think we also need to take a look at and assess of our water quantity.

Pennsylvania has a rich cultural heritage and we continue to build on that foundation, ... This year's talented and visionary awardees represent the significant contributions made to our Commonwealth by the members of Pennsylvania's cultural community.

That doesn't mean we are going to stand down,

Like working families all across the state, we must find a way to make government live within its means.

I think it will be an announcement that will spark a tremendous revitalization in downtown Pittsburgh,

We're exceptionally gratified, ... I think it's fair to say we're elated.

This special session will provide a focused way to deliver on that promise without the influence of other issues,

We've been working our tail off and lead by that example.

to be paid by every vet wishing to participate in the Veterans Administration health care program.

Unfortunately, government has become a spectator sport. You can't have a government interested in sitting on the sidelines. This administration has done a marvelous job of lowering people's expectations.

Under the law, the government, whether it's state, local or federal, cannot give the Catholic Church or any religious institution money directly.

Twenty to 25 years ago, Pennsylvania was the industrial giant of this country.

To have the 111th here at Willow Grove ... without planes is a bad result, ... Why would you, if you were the Secretary of Defense, pay for the salary of the 111th air wing unit without planes?

Bottled water was, at best, a temporary solution for this community,

brings home the crushing reality of this war.

During this time of war, it is absolutely the wrong time for our federal government to step back from any of its commitments to our veterans. To do so would be penny wise but pound foolish,

The whole process of TV commercials and direct mail is intended to inform the voters.

No question, but I would give priority-all else being equal-I would give the nod to preserving the beautiful forests of Pennsylvania for just public use and recreation.

Once these units return, it's important that they have the equipment to train and perform their vital military missions, ... The lack of equipment has not yet resulted in an inability to respond ... but it does not take much imagination to foresee a contingency where there could be negative impacts.

As everyone knows, the interstate commerce clause makes it impossible for us to pass a law forbidding out of state trash to come into Pennsylvania.

available to me as governor to perform state active-duty missions dealing with homeland security, natural disasters and other state missions.

America has lost one of the great civil rights activists of our time. ... She did it with dedication, class, grace and dignity,

There may well be some veterans who can afford to do so, but can all vets come up with an extra $250 a year to pay for health care? I doubt it.

It's like preparing for a party and learning only 1/10th of the guest are coming,

Creating new jobs for Pennsylvanians continues to be my highest priority throughout the Commonwealth.

then the FBI owes that explanation not only to the mayor, but to the people of Philadelphia.

I want to be governor because I can help change the face of Pennsylvania.

It used to be that Democrats and Republicans would disagree, but they could be social to each other. There were times during the year that we acted together in the good of the country.

They have to take someone immediately into the school, enroll them immediately, regardless of any requirements, if they are Katrina evacuees,

The landscape of this city would have been miserably different and decidedly poorer had Ed Bacon not chosen to be a Philadelphian,

The landscape of this city would have been measurably different and decidedly poorer had Ed Bacon not chosen to be a Philadelphian,

If legislation is enacted to do that, we would terminate the litigation,

If I were president, I am not sure that I would offer Ed Rendell the job of chief of staff.

I'm not sure there's any support for doing it in the Legislature because whoever handles the assessment problem, people get mad at them, no matter what the outcome is, and our Legislature generally doesn't like to have people mad at them,

If there was a way to discourage trash constitutionally, I would sure as heck take a hard look at it. I don't think there is. So I don't think there's a choice here.

How dare they say things like that when John Kerry supported them on a number of different things and a lot of Democratic senators didn't. If I were John Kerry, my head would be spinning.

How dare they say that John Kerry is liberal when they have run up the biggest deficit in the history of this country?

George W. Bush always said and did what he believed and he let it rip.

I do think this issue should be decided, but we're not looking to make law here. We're looking to preserve 1,023 jobs

Carpooling is slightly inconvenient, but it saves tremendously on transportation costs and fuel prices,

These funds will allow firefighters to concentrate more on public safety and training rather than having to concern themselves with constant fundraising to keep their local stations open,