The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Insight: “It may easily be foreseen that almost all the able and ambitious members of a democratic community will labor without ceasing to extend the powers of government, because they all hope at some time or other to wield those powers. … Centralization will be the natural government.” —Alexis de Tocqueville

Upright: “Boys are not lost because of toxic masculinity; they are lost because their fathers have been taken away from them and they cannot figure out how to fill that void with anything but rage and shame.” —Chad Felix Greene

Food for thought: “It’d be great if Trump just delivers the SOTU in written form, but there’s no way he’d agree to it after Pelosi suggested it. Maybe instead he can be convinced to give a short speech, 10 minutes or less, from the Oval Office. No pomp and circumstance. Great precedent to set.” —Matt Walsh

Non Compos Mentis I: “I think that’s the question of the moment: Does this still work? Can an empire like ours with military presence in over 170 countries around the globe, with trading relationships … and security agreements in every continent, can it still be managed by the same principles that were set down 230-plus years ago?” —Beto O'Rourke

Non Compos Mentis II: “[A border barrier] will ensure death. You and I, as Americans, have caused the deaths of others through these walls.” —O'Rourke

Apples and oranges: “If Republicans rebuked Steve King, they must challenge Donald Trump.” —Steve Israel in The Hill, where he bogusly claims, “As long as [Republicans] refuse to challenge the president when he gives comfort to neo-Nazi marchers, vilifies immigrants and mocks native Americans, spews decisive rhetoric, then, really, King is just a pawn.”

And last… “The Washington Post had one of their lead reporters do an entire investigation into the calorie count and cost of Trump serving fast food, yet they did little investigation into 30 congressional Democrats getting drunk on the beach with 109 lobbyists during a government shutdown.” —Charlie Kirk