Declarations – West

Lost Cattle

“Before we found our cattle we said at least we’ve got our homes and are all safe. In truth, we would have rather lost everything here except our cattle.”

—Delores Kolka, who escaped the Ash Creek fire in Montana with her family. However, they lost an estimated 400 cows and calves in the 390-square-mile blaze.

Weighty Questions

“I would submit, we are the customer. We want to make this easy for people and less humiliating.”

—State Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, commenting on wellness questionnaire for Oregon state workers that has a weight-related question, as well as an alternative to instead share their waist size.

Solar Map

“Today’s announcement is a roadmap for solar development for decades to come and will help create an enduring and sustainable energy future for America.”

—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar the on Obama administration’s move to streamline the development of large-scale solar projects on public lands by approving 17 vast tracts across the West.

Ain’t it the Truth?

“People’s perception about how well they’re doing doesn’t match up with how they actually perform.”

—Zheng Wang, lead author of an Ohio State University study that shows people are overconfident about how well they can multitask.