Quotes of the day

If God were knowable, why would we believe in him?--Anne Carson

Paul [Krugman] hasn’t liked any president or any Treasury secretary. He always gravitates to opposition and dramatic policy because it’s much more interesting than agreement when you’re involved in commenting on rather than making policy. He savaged the early Clinton administration from the right, blistering Laura Tyson and Bob Reich, and then moved to savage the more liberal Obama administration from the left. He liked the Bush administration least of all. The only politician I remember him praising in the last sixteen years is John Edwards.--Larry Summers

John Edwards, what a miss!--Cav

Chuck Schumer obviously has political reasons for trying to look like he's fighting to save jobs in New York -- although it's hard to square his recent "concern" with his support for the New-York-jobs-killing Dodd-Frank law, but I'll save that for another column.--Charlie Gasparino

It has occurred to me that Roger Goodell might about 20,000 leagues above his head. It has occurred to me that while Bud Selig is destined to be underestimated because of the way he carries himself, that Roger Goodell is destined to be overestimated for exactly the same reason. ... [Goodell's letter] screamed of desperation and, frankly, it felt a bit incompetent too. If Bud Selig ever wrote a letter like that, people would be pulling out their torches and pitchforks. Roger Goodell is undoubtedly a brilliant guy, and he has a strong history with the league, and he is trying to represent a a group of very different owners who probably resents they have to give ANY of their money for the players. But that’s the job of commissioner, and right now it looks like Goodell is flailing.--Joe Posnanski

Today, both people and institutions seem to bear no penalty for their actions. They are rewarded. Why does reputation no longer matter? The reason is unfortunate and partly attributable to why we got into the financial crisis. People simply don’t matter as much on Wall Street as they used to. Instead size and technology carry the day. ... In the absence of reputation, the government and regulators act as substitutes to ensure appropriate conduct. The government becomes the enforcer through civil and criminal actions for law-breaking. So what you get is more law to cover for lost reputation.--Steven Davidoff

The trial dragged on for two years -- marked by 46 days of hearings, 18 witnesses on the stand, and a hefty 89-page ruling by the judge. Mob crime of the century? Complex terror case? Nope. Just trying to get rid of a bad public-school teacher.--CARL CAMPANILE, REUVEN FENTON & YOAV GONEN

There are very strict rules in the existing contract that prohibit the city from deciding in this case whether these [criminals] should be in the classroom.--Mayor Bloomberg

[New airline regulations] add to the costs of airlines and to the costs of flying in the mistaken belief that most consumers are easily tricked by airlines. Beyond that, the regulators fail to see that competition is the most effective way to protect even ignorant consumers from the consequences of their ignorance. The competitiveness of the airline industry is evident from the many new airlines that have entered and existed this industry during the past 30 years, and from the low profits during the decades after deregulation. Encouraging competition in this and other industries is the only really effective way to help the great majority of consumers, including ignorant and easily fooled consumers.--Gary Becker

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