Patriots

Nearly all of the rise in borrowing over the past 15 years has been because of higher spending and not because of lower revenue. Now that we are through our most recent recession, spending is still higher than it used to be, and CBO’s projections show that rising deficits are from this spending growth. Revenue is growing, too, but spending is growing faster. Somewhere along the way, after the pandemic, we committed to higher spending without a real public debate about whether we wanted government to represent a higher share of the economy.--deRugy

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"...gambling is not dangerous the way smoking is: Cigarettes, the focus of a concerted public health campaign for six decades, are harmful when used as intended. For most who bet, their pastime is harmless, and we should not constrain a large majority to protect a relatively small minority from what is called a “disorder of impulse control.”--Will

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Penguins are 30th in the powerplay with 21 power-play goals, one more goal than Sam Reinhardt.

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Nkechi Diallo, formerly known as Rachel Dolezal, was fired by a Tucson, Ariz. school district after administrators learned of her OnlyFans account.
Diallo was the center of controversy in 2015. She identified as Black, despite being the daughter of two White parents. She later resigned as president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Wash. amid the scandal.

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Patriots

Everyone is suddenly worried about Biden's mental acuity. Why now?

Biden has never been a shining star. This man has had two--two--craniotomies when younger. He has a reputation as a loud, aggressive, shallow guy in the Senate. He has been found culpable for illegal behavior dating back into his time in the Senate. Over the last several years he has become increasingly vague, unable to express himself, and has been making contradictory--and frankly foolishly erroneous--comments about people and policy. Now there is a special council report saying he's too incompetent to convict.

At first, one would wonder how he gets support at all. That confusion would be understandable until the real objectives of the executive become clear. The point is not to do a good job, to help advance the ship of state in shark-filled waters. The project is to maintain hold on the tiller. To stay in control, regardless of the quality of work done. The executive class would support Himmler or Ronald McDonald as president--as long as they felt he could win the next election.

That they are beginning to turn against him is the result of one thing: they are beginning to think he might not be able to win.

Patriots.