Insight: “The public good is in nothing more essentially interested, than in the protection of every individual’s private rights.” —Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780)

Editorial exegesis: “‘The government,’ wrote Frederic Bastiat, ‘is that great fiction by which everyone endeavors to live at the expense of everyone else.’ This incisive, tongue-in-cheek definition of the state, beloved by libertarians everywhere, is especially appropriate this week. Big COVID-era government, the data now demonstrate, has put millions of workers in a position in which their incentive is not to report to work and produce something of value in exchange for a wage, but rather to stay home and collect money from taxpayers for not working. In short, poor decisions by Democrats have created a larger-than-life version of what Bastiat described, at least for people at lower income levels.” —Washington Examiner

Tongue-in-cheek: “I just want to live in a country where Michell Obama, Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, and Meghan Markle are no longer oppressed.” —Matt Walsh

Grand delusions: “Nobody is quite sure what lies behind the April jobs miss.” —NY Times columnist Paul Krugman

The BIG Lie: “Most of these Republicans have stood in front of a Rotary Club or a Kiwanis Club and given a speech about how we need to fix our bridges, roads, our highways, our infrastructure. People stand up and give speeches all the time about how people should have affordable childcare. It’s basic, basic things that we’re putting forward. And, again, I think they should have bipartisan support.” —White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain

Leftist rule of men: “The CDC guidance across time will allow vaccinated people more and more privileges to take off that mask.” —White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients

Non compos mentis: “Tim Scott has to switch parties. Join the Democrats, senator. Why? The South Carolina Republican senator told the truth when he said America is not a racist country. And that truth requires him to say that if white supremacist thinking, as inspired by former President Trump, becomes any stronger in the GOP, we risk becoming a racist country. He can’t give it a free pass without facing the charge that he is being used to cover up racism in the party of Trump.” —Juan Williams

And last… “You can’t assume gender but all cops are racist murderers.” —Kevin Sorbo