Once, during a heated debate in the legislature, a colleague who disagreed with my position pulled me aside. In what seemed like genuine confusion, he asked why I supported increasing government investment in an education program. “You didn’t have this stuff, and you’re doing well. Aren’t you proof that government should get out of the way? Let people do what your parents did.” After a beat, I responded, “Yes, I did fine, but most people don’t have Robert and Carolyn Abrams as their parents. My job is to look out for the rest of them.”
