Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.

You on the cutting edge of technology have already made yesterday's impossibilities the commonplace realities of today.

And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

Everyone is a liberal until they have something to conserve. Then they become a conservative.

I've always thought New Year's Day was an especially American tradition, full of the optimism and hope we're famous for in our daily lives -- an energy and confidence we call the American spirit. Perhaps because we know we control our own destiny, we believe deep down inside that working together we can make each new year better than the old.

Some years ago, the federal government declared war on poverty, and poverty won.