"it paints a vision of our future that is deeply pessimistic... it says that if our roads crumble and our bridges collapse, we don't have enough money to fix them... if there are bright you Americans that have the drive and the will to go to college but can't afford it, we can't afford to send them... if you go to China, you'll see companies opening up science labs and research facilities... South Korean children are outpacing our kids in math and science, they're trying to figure out how to put more money in schools... Brazil is investing billions in new infrastructure, and can run half their cars not on high-priced gasoline, but on bio-fuels... and yet we are presented with a vision that says the US can't afford any of this"

"in the last decade, the average income of the bottom 90% of all working Americans actually declined... meanwhile, the average income of the top 1% saw their income rise by an average of more than a quarter million dollars each... that's who deserves less taxes?... they want to give people like me a 200,000 dollar tax cut that's paid for by asking 33 seniors each to pay 6000 dollars more in health costs... it's not right and it's not going to happen as long as I'm president"

"I will preserve these healthcare programs as a promise we make to each other in this society... I will not allow Medicare to become a voucher system that puts seniors at the mercy of the health insurance system... with a shrinking benefit to pay for rising costs... we will not tell families with children with disabilities that they must fend for themselves... we will reform these programs, but will not abandon the fundamental commitement this country has kept for generations."

"In December I agreed to extend the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans because it's the only way I could prevent a tax hike on middle class Americans... but we cannot afford one trillion dollars worth of tax cuts for every millionaire and billionaire in our society... and we will not renew them again"

"there will be those who vigorously disagree with his approach... some will argue that we should never consider tax hikes on anyone, including the wealthy... it's just an article of faith to them... but when the tax burden on the wealthy is at its lowest level in a half a century... the most fortunate among us can afford to pay a little more... they don't need another tax cut, not if we have to pay for it by making seniors pay more for Medicare, or cutting kids from Head Start, or by taking away college scholarships that he would not be here without"

"we will invest in medical research, clean energy technology, new roads and airports and broadband access... we will invest in education and in job training"