But what I believe is that if a person's individual rights or right to be a part of our economic system is violated under statute, we aggressively go after it. But we don't issue mandates to businesses that you've got to do this and you've got to do that.

The truth of the matter is we have become more interested in designer jeans and break dancing than we are in obligations and responsibilities.

When you look at where the real problems are among minorities in our society, particularly blacks, it's at the bottom. It's the people who are in school systems that don't educate, neighborhoods where there is a lot of crime, drugs, the whole bit.

I'm not an Uncle Tom. . .. I'm going to be here for 40 years. For those who don't like it, get over it.

While the romanticized ideal of universal public education resonates with the cognoscenti who oppose vouchers, poor urban families just want the best education for their children, who will certainly need it to function in our high-tech and advanced society.

The thing that bothered me when I was in college was that I saw myself rejecting the way of life that got me to where I was.

I grew up in a religious environment, and I'm proud of it.