The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.” —Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

Observations: “To undo the supposed evils of Capitalism, intellectualism, and creative economic destruction would be to undo the entire network of interactions that currently feeds and educates [seven billion people]. This would leave Pope Francis with the choice of having about ½ of that world die, or having about 1/3 of it enslaved and utterly despoiled to feed the rest. Is this a Hobson’s choice that any believing Christian would feel good about making? In essence, Pope Francis’ theology is the theology of failure. It fails to make the vital distinction between humility in lifestyle and degradation of being.” —RedState’s RepairManJack

Alpha Jackass: “Here in the United States, we cherish religious liberty. … [W]e stand with you in defense of religious freedom.” —Barack Obama to the pope, the leader of the church he persecutes via ObamaCare mandates

Non Compos Mentis: “Well, there’s nothing in the [Bible] that says anything about abortion. Let’s make sure of that. The Ten Commandments are the Ten Commandments. There’s only ten.” —Whoopi Goldberg (“One might argue she forgot the Sixth Commandment: ‘Thou shall not kill.’” —Newsbusters’ Scott Whitlock)

Unprincipled stand: “I’m prepared to accept that at the moment of conception there’s human life and being, but I’m not prepared to say that to other God-fearing [or] non-God-fearing people that have a different view.” —Joe Biden

Village Idiots: “I would call on [GOP] candidates to stop this descent into the kind of hateful mean-spirited divisive rhetoric that we have seen too much of in the last few months.” —Hillary Clinton, who knows well that the foundation of Democrat politics is “hateful mean-spirited divisive rhetoric”

Dezinformatsia: “To describe those who don’t accept climate science or dispute the world is warming from man-made forces, use climate change doubters or those who reject mainstream climate science. Avoid use of skeptics or deniers.” —Associated Press guideline revision

Late-night humor: “All the presidential candidates are trying to woo millennials. I’m not sure college kids can identify with 22 people desperately fighting for one job.” —Stephen Colbert