The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Short Cuts

Upright

“The true meaning of America, you ask? It’s in a Texas rodeo, in a policeman’s badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper… In all these things, and many more, you’ll find America. In all these things, you’ll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me.” —Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy

For the Record

“We now have incontrovertible evidence that after five years since they took effect, the Trump tax rate cuts of 2017 raised revenues over this time period. … The latest Congressional Budget Office report released earlier this month calculated that the federal government collected $4.9 trillion of federal revenue last year. This was up — ready for this? — almost $1.5 trillion since 2017, the year before the tax cuts became law. In other words, revenues were up 40% in five years. The evidence through the first three years of the tax cut finds that the share of taxes paid by the wealthiest 1% rose as well. So much for this being a tax giveaway for the rich. … An obvious question is, why are we running a $1.4 trillion deficit if we have an all-time high in tax payments? Because under Biden, federal spending has exploded to more than $6 trillion. Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a problem of runaway spending.” —Stephen Moore

“Some Biden officials and congressional Democrats are floating the idea of preventing a default crisis by minting a $1 trillion platinum coin. … Minting $1 trillion coins does not solve a debt crisis. And if it could, why not create 10 $1 trillion coins? Better yet, just mint 100 $1 trillion coins and cancel all income taxes! If it’s that easy to create money, then why is the government taking ours? This bizarre notion is behind the left’s latest crazy idea known as modern monetary theory. Unfortunately, it’s essentially what the left has been doing on a smaller scale with its massive COVID bailouts and big spending bills.” —Gary Bauer

“Texas has a $33 billion surplus. California has a $22.5 billion deficit. A perfect illustration of Red States vs. Blue States.” —Stephen Moore

Dezinformatsiya

“We need to remind people that America is the only country on Earth that people die by gun without even being in war.” —Today News Africa reporter Hariana Veras telling a question to Karine Jean-Pierre

Hot Air

“Every transportation decision in the 21st century is a climate decision whether we recognize it or not.” —Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

And Last…

“Seems like the DOJ should have thought about the precedent it was setting when raiding an ex-president’s house over a document dispute. Does everyone else function on the honor system?” —David Harsanyi