Category Archives: Classic Quotes

Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, in response to a question at his January 22, 2015 press conference on the deflated footballs controversy. The question was, “Did you cheat?” The Barometer has learned, lo these many years of … Continue reading →

Cardale Jones. Ohio State quarterback, in 2012, on his Twitter account, following a sociology exam. Sadly, he is right about the college football culture, but wrong about the classes. For one thing, a good writing class could offer instruction on … Continue reading →

Owner of a Jeep SUV that is under a recall for fuel-tank fires. The recall was in 2013, and involves 1.6 million Jeep vehicles, but there has been a lack of parts and other problems that have resulted in only … Continue reading →

With a hat tip to ethics expert, Jane Antonio, for getting this breaking news to the Barometer, we can offer this classic from one of the vice presidents at DaVita Health Care Partners in response to now former employee, David … Continue reading →

A Federal Reserve regulator in a taped discussion of a deal Goldman Sachs was proposed. After the team sent questions to Goldman, the obsequious Federal Reserve staff added, “Don’t mistake our inquisitiveness, and our desire to understand more about the … Continue reading →

A sports reporter (Sports Illustrated, September 29, 2014) on Derek Jeter. There’s some chicken and egg here. Maybe if the clients just behaved like adults, they wouldn’t need the PR folks. And maybe the PR folks should understand that you … Continue reading →

Angelo Mozilo, the former CEO of Countrywide FInancial, a subprime mortgage company acquired by Bank of America, a bank that just paid $17 billion to settle claims related to the mortgages and related transactions that Countrywide entered into. Mr. Mozilo … Continue reading →

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on terrorist group, Boko Harem, the group responsible for kidnapping 300 young girls because, well, they went to school. Imagine! Terrorist groups without a health plan. On the list of the Barometer’s ethical concerns … Continue reading →

Ron Kaplan, CEO of Trex, as quoted in the New York Times, May 4, 2014, p. BU2.

E-mail exchange between PriceWaterhouseCoopers partner, Thomas E. Quinn, and PwC managing director, Steven R. Williams, on the tax strategy they had helped Caterpillar create. The strategy, which drew both IRS and congressional attention, involved shifting profits to Switzerland through transfer … Continue reading →

From a 2008 e-mail from Joel Sanders, the former CFO of Dewey & LeBoeuf, to Frank Canellas, the director of finance, about their plan to come up with $50 million in income to meet loan covenants. Mr. Sanders, Stephen DiCarmine … Continue reading →

Leigh Wilco, a parent at Grady High School, a football power house in Atlanta, where a recent investigation revealed that 14 of the 58 players on the school’s football team used fake addresses to be able to enroll at Grady. … Continue reading →

Bernie Madoff, according to testimony by his former secretary of 40 years, Annette Bongiorno, when she asked how Mr. Madoff was able to find a nursing home for her mother when she had tried for so long without success to … Continue reading →

Former New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, when he was told by the federal judge presiding over his corruption/bribery trial that he could stand down after testifying for two days. Taking the stand did not appear to have an impact. The … Continue reading →