The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition is so powerful that it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations.” —Adam Smith (1723-1790)

For the record: “Law and order, a return to a strong, confident approach to threats, a complete dismissal of the dictates of political correctness — the good news is these are all elements of the Trump campaign. If he wasn’t an incoherent populist authoritarian demagogue, it would be a lot easier to jump on the bandwagon. The problem is that Trump is such a crass, deliberately-obnoxious, incendiary, policy-detail-ignorant, thin-skinned, women-repellent misogynist that he’s going to taint these positions by associating himself with them.” —Jim Geraghty

Upright: “The same First Amendment that gives Little Sisters of the Poor the right to object to this health coverage is the same First Amendment that gives photographer Elaine Huguenin the right to walk away from a same-sex wedding job. To ‘get over’ that, as Governor John Kasich (R-Ohio) has suggested, is to get over what it means to be American!” —Tony Perkins

Non Compos Mentis: “[P]eople ought to be able to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. That’s been our position. It’s still our position.” —Rep. Steny Hoyer

Alpha Jackass: “I’m not endorsing Ted Cruz. I hate Ted Cruz. And I think I’ll take cyanide if he got the nomination.” —Rep. Peter King

So low-tax advocates are just like the Nazis? “[Levying more taxes on hedge funds] is like us liberating death camps. The truth of the matter is, there’s no justification for a hedge fund paying at 15-17%. There’s just no justification.” —Joe Biden

And last… “So someone said New York values are horrible and then New Yorkers voted overwhelmingly for Hillary and Trump?” —Frank Fleming