Village Academies

“I knew that Joe would always be the education president, because he knows that … the success of our nation starts with you, the educators who shape our students’ lives.” —Jill Biden (“The Nation’s Report Card, released at the end of June, showed 'historic’ declines in math and reading scores among U.S. teens. Math scores for 13-year-olds fell 9 points from the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 school years, the National Assessment of Education Progress data showed, while reading scores dropped 4 points.” —Leah Barkoukis)

The BIG Lies

“I’m not here to declare victory on the economy. I’m here to say we have a plan that’s turning things around quickly.” —Joe Biden

“I cut the deficit $1.7 trillion in two years. Nobody’s ever done that.” —Joe Biden

“The pay for low-wage workers has grown at the fastest pace in two decades.” —Joe Biden

“Jobs are up. Incomes are up. Economic growth is up. Energy costs are down. Healthcare costs are down. And the inflation that has impacted every country around the world due to COVID and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is down.” —Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates

Village Idiots

“This July 4th, we must remember that we stand on stolen land toiled by enslaved Africans and recommit ourselves to the fight for freedom, equality, & justice so that these ideals are accessible to everyone, not just a privileged few. We are not free until everyone is truly free.” —Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY)

“I did not go out on July 4th and would not. The idea of going to a mass gathering, a parade, or a big fireworks thing outside seems insane to me, to be blunt, in America, because America is awash with guns.” —MSNBC’s Joy Reid

“Seeing the erosion of our freedoms makes it hard to celebrate this Fourth of July.” —MSNBC op-ed by Jill Lawrence

“Oh say, can you see, by the blood in the streets / That this place doesn’t smile on you, colored child / Whose blood built this land / With sweat and their hands / But you’ll die in this place, and your memory erased / Oh say does this truth hold any weight / This is not the land of the free / But the home of the slaves.” —R&B singer Jill Scott (“For reference, Jill Scott’s net worth is estimated to be $12 MILLION and is likely much higher. In what way is she oppressed?” —Lavern Spicer)

Observations

“An important point overlooked by those panting for raw majority rule is that the United States of America is not merely a country; it is also a federation — a voluntary aggregation of independent states that have ceded only certain limited powers to the federal government. Constitutional structures that give less populated states legitimate impact in all three branches of the federal government were necessary to bring the nation into existence in the first place. Without a real voice in governance, why become — or remain — part of the United States at all?” —Laura Hollis

“Conservatives are disappointed with man’s sinfulness, but proud of the founders’ ideals; many liberals are disappointed with the founders’ ideals, and proud of man’s sinfulness.” —Ben Shapiro

“All the fallout from last week’s big cases highlighted the Democratic playbook: Don’t argue against what the opinion actually says, argue against what you want people to think it says. The media are going to get it wrong quite often, and regular people busy with their everyday lives aren’t going to take time to read the opinions, so let ‘er rip. And with that, America becomes just a bit more misinformed.” —Christian Schneider

“The message from our schools and universities, media and political organizations, and even a startling number of hospitals and churches is that life is mostly about feeling good in the quickest and easiest way possible. If there are personal consequences from living like this … the task of society is to alleviate such self-inflicted harm, through body-positive propaganda, 'safe’ injection sites and criminal-justice reform. If Americans are lonely or sad, there’s a pill or a porn site for them. Nobody will judge.” —Daniel McCarthy

And Last…

“I am really impressed by the media’s efforts to normalize coke in the White House.” —Tom Bevan