“We must take the viaduct down before Mother Nature beats us to the punch.”

– Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, outlining details of a proposal to replace Seattle’s earthquake-damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

“These may be worthwhile things like health care, technology and scientific research. But these are all things that require some long-term strategy. I question whether shoveling money out the door in a stimulus bill is the way to do it.”

– Executive Director Robert Bixby of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition, reacting to the $825 billion spending and tax-cut proposal unveiled Thursday by House Democrats.

“What we have done is kicked this can down the road. We are now at the end of the road and are not in a position to kick it any further.”

– President-elect Barack Obama, saying difficult decisions about Social Security and Medicare funding cannot be delayed any longer.

“I’m in there, and they can’t take it away.”

– Former Boston Red Sox star outfielder Jim Rice, after the Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected him for the Hall of Fame in his 15th and final year of eligibility.

“If she wouldn’t have pulled a knife on me and threatened me, I wouldn’t have clocked her.”

– Nevadan Edward Lee Halverson, at his sentencing hearing where he said he was only defending himself when he struck his wife, a disabled former Nevada state judge, in the head with a frying pan because he was afraid she would stab him.

“Every time we get in trouble, they bring up Uncle Blake. I think the Spokane police are preying on my family.”

– Nineteen-year-old Andrew Pirtle, one of several family members of convicted murderer Blake Pirtle with a criminal record.

“I’m talking to my constituents. I’ve not had any of them say to me, ‘Go down there and support gas tax and registration fees because the roads are falling apart.’ ”

– Idaho state Rep. Bob Nonini, resisting Gov. Butch Otter’s appeal to the Legislature to increase taxes and fees to pay for highway maintenance.

“It’s our duty to clean up the mess and stop the freak show that’s become Illinois government.”

– Illinois state Rep. Jack Franks, one of the legislators who voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, like Franks a Democrat, over his alleged attempt to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

“It’s almost as though you need someone younger than 20 to do that.”

– Spokesman Michael Hilborn of Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington, explaining a grant-funded program intended to help senior citizens acquire and hook up the converter boxes needed because of next month’s transition from analog to digital television signals.