I don't think child care is ever going to be much of a federal effort. Just like education. Six or 7 percent - that's all I want from the government. Pay that piece of it for poor or developmentally disabled children.

We have to stop harming children in child care. I'm trying to make us stop. I wouldn't know what to do otherwise.

Get kids out of poverty. Poverty is devastating.

I guess if you're doing God's work, whatever you do is in His name.

Kids do better, frankly [when the economy is strong]. Jobs make great years for kids.

I thought the whole idea of being a conservative was to keep the government from messing around in people's lives. And yet they say the government should be getting into people's families. That's messing pretty heavily where I come from.

I know all the problems of the schools. They're rigid, they're bureaucratic, they've got a lot of problems. But it's such an important institution, and holds such promise.