“Someone held up as a hero all over the world, then in his declining years can’t get medical coverage. … No one should have to go through that.”

— Marilyn Fletcher, friend of Vernon Baker, the 84-year-old World War II veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient from St. Maries, Idaho, who underwent surgery last year for a brain tumor and incurred thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

“We often wished we had more views rather than fewer.”

— Former Spokane County Planning Commission member Tom Hargreaves, speaking against a proposal by the Spokane County Board of Commissioners to reduce the planning body from seven members to five.

“We’re confident in the overall accuracy of the list, but it won’t be a surprise if there are some errors.”

—Washington state Republican Party spokeswoman Mary Lane, commenting on a roster of 1,100 names of people the GOP says are felons who voted illegally in the 2004 election.

“They’re losing everything, including their minds.”

— A teen who identified herself as Windy Dean, one of a group of self-described “punks” who demonstrated in downtown Spokane against methamphetamine because of the damage it has done to some of their friends and others.

“Don’t try for purity.”

— Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, suggesting that shifting the nation from an income tax to a national sales tax would promote economic growth, but a blended system might be politically necessary because of the opposition that would arise over taxing food and other necessities.

“They should start identifying who in their union should be let go first,”

— Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke, responding to county union leaders who had complained about the 9.3 percent pay raise just awarded to Mielke and other county commissioners, compared with about 2 percent being received by county workers.

“To do nothing is more dangerous than passing this bill and giving our senior citizens like my mom a break.”

— Washington state Rep. Sherry Appleton, Poulsbo Democrat who sponsored a bill that would help Washington residents buy prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.

“(Social Security) will be bust in 10 years unless there are some changes. The ideal solution would be for Social Security to be made sound and people given the chance to invest the money the way they feel.”

— President Bush, quoted in the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram 27 years ago, as reported in a recent New York Times article.

“They’ll talk to a deputy doing cell checks and 10 minutes later they’re hanging.”

— Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ben Wolfinger, saying even periodic checks can’t prevent inmate suicides such as the one that occurred a week ago in the Kootenai County Jail.