Declarations

Proud, Not Embarrassed

“We are absolutely not embarrassed. In fact, we’re very proud of the success that Pinnacol has realized for the state of Colorado. We are very proud that we have a very viable, stable, competitive system in Colorado.”

—Ken Ross, CEO of Oregon’s state-backed workers compensation organization, Pinnacol, defending the fund against accusations of lavish spending, excess profits and injured worker complaints.

Lost Sleep

“One hour of lost sleep may not seem like a lot. But our findings suggest it could have an impact on people’s ability to stay alert on the job and prevent serious injuries.”

—Christopher Barnes, PhD. Barnes and David Wagner, PhD, co-authors from Michigan State University of a study reported in the Journal of Applied Psychology, that while most Americans welcome the switch to daylight saving time because of the longer days, losing just an hour of sleep could pose dangerous consequences for those in hazardous work environments.

Obama Signal

“I hope this signals a commitment to meaningful malpractice reform.”

—Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., responding to President Obama’s healthcare reform speech in which he said that while he doesn’t see malpractice changes as a “silver bullet,” he’s directing the Health and Human Services to fund pilot programs to test some alternatives to litigation.

Aging Workforce

“When it comes to work, this recession is having a differential impact by age. It’s keeping older adults in the work force longer, and younger adults out of the work force longer. Both of these trends pre-dated the current downturn, both have been intensified by it, and both are poised to outlast it.”

—Paul Taylor, Pew Social and Demographic Trends Project, on the graying labor market due to longer life spans, an aging baby boomer population and a souring economy that has made it harder to retire.

Wine Maker

“My hope is that the vineyard becomes a source of true, high-quality wine for this region. Because they are really not there yet. They are just struggling coming back from the war, they are still struggling with this whole idea of capitalism. If they become part of the European Union, their wine making is not going to compete unless they make a better class of wine. I want to show them.”

—AIG’s new CEO, Robert Benmosche, in an August interview with Reuters while on holiday at his villa in Croatia looking over the Adriatic.