The contrasts between what is spent today to educate a child in the poorest New York City neighborhoods where teacher salaries are often even lower than the city averages and spending levels in the wealthiest suburban areas are daunting challenges to any hope New Yorkers might retain that even semblances of fairness still prevail.

My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas with which I am unfamiliar. I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.

If you look at things that really affect people's lives - sport the arts charities - they were always at the back of the queue for government money - health social security defence pensions were all way ahead. And each of those areas - sports the arts the lottery - got relatively petty cash from the government.

When you're happy you find pure joy in your life. There are no regrets in this state of happiness - and that's a goal worth striving for in all areas of your life.

I believe that smaller government is better government. But I also believe that in the areas where government does play a legitimate role we should demand that it is done better.

Many health care providers particularly physicians in rural and urban areas are leaving the Government programs because of inadequate reimbursement rates.

In the rush to become all things to all people the federal government has lost sight of its core responsibilities. As a result we're stuck in this frustrating paradox where Washington actually neglects things it's clearly supposed to be doing while interfering in other areas where they are neither welcome nor authorized.

To have ego means to believe in your own strength. And to also be open to other people's views. It is to be open not closed. So yes my ego is big but it's also very small in some areas. My ego is responsible for my doing what I do - bad or good.

Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life - all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.

I came to live in Shepperton in 1960. I thought: the future isn't in the metropolitan areas of London. I want to go out to the new suburbs near the film studios. This was the England I wanted to write about because this was the new world that was emerging.