The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

The Gipper: “Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, ‘What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.’ But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.”

Blame game: “I’m tired of funerals of babies, while [the] NRA, manufacturers, and [gun stores], run to the bank making profits from death. … At the end of the day you can argue with us [and] you can call us names, but you got to deal with God. And the blood of our children is on your hands. And you will pay for the murder of our children.” —Chicago “Reverend” and Obama buddy Michael Pfleger, who did not blame gang culture or the ones actually pulling the trigger

Village Idiots: “[The EPA] will stick with the [oil] industry till all our water is contaminated, our air polluted and climate change has made our planet unlivable. … What the EPA presented to the public [about fracking being harmless for drinking water] was PR, not science and proof of the widespread, systemic contamination of our regulatory bodies by the oil and gas industry.” —documentarian Josh Fox, who thinks the EPA isn’t ecofascist enough

Braying Jackass: “We have a democracy problem in this country. We have declining voter turnout. Secretary Clinton put forward [the] notion [that] we need a national strategy to energize voting again, to get people involved. Obviously, to address the many efforts made by Republicans to repress voter involvement. … Let’s face it, a lot of the people in the political class have tried to discourage voter involvement and a lot of incumbents prefer a very small electorate.” —New York Mayor Bill de Blasio

Friendly fire: “I think [the reason Hillary Clinton] is running so aggressively on policy is because she can’t really run on character.” —The Atlantic’s Molly Ball

“A new poll shows that 53% of Democrats think illegal immigrants should be allowed to vote. I’m guessing the other 47% think it should be a requirement.” —Fred Thompson