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THE FOUNDATION

"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men." --John Adams

INSIGHT

"If an American is to amount to anything he must rely upon himself, and not upon the State; he must take pride in his own work, instead of sitting idle to envy the luck of others. He must face life with resolute courage, win victory if he can, and accept defeat if he must, without seeking to place on his fellow man a responsibility which is not theirs." --Theodore Roosevelt

"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that, too." --W. Somerset Maugham

"He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has." --Epictetus

UPRIGHT

"Now that distrust of markets is high, Americans are supposed to believe that the institution they trust least -- Congress -- will pony up $1 trillion and then passively recede, never putting its 10 thumbs, like a manic Jack Horner, into the pie? Surely Congress will direct the executive branch to show compassion for this, that and the other industry. And it will mandate 'socially responsible' spending -- an infinitely elastic term -- by the favored companies." --columnist George Will

"What we are watching is Carter-esque interference with the economy. President Bush's handling of this economic debacle will go down as the biggest black mark on his legacy. While supposedly touting the importance of capitalism, Bush has embraced the same Keynesian solutions that trashed the economy during the 1930s and 1970s. And both Republicans and Democrats go right along with him, psychotically citing the Great Depression while ignoring the basic fact that Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's tinkering made a depression into the Great Depression. The bailout is a disaster." --columnist Ben Shapiro

"Yes, letting GM go into bankruptcy would be scary. But a GM bailout merely kicks GM's problems down the road while spreading the fear about where Uncle Sam's big feet will land next. Besides, bankruptcy isn't the end of the world. It's the means by which bad companies restructure to fix themselves. Bailouts are the means by which governments subsidize bad companies." --National Review editor Jonah Goldberg

"As usual, government's stumbling, bureaucratic 'solutions' exacerbate problems that free people, allowed to pursue their own self-interest, would address on their own. We'd still suffer some tough times -- it's painful when bubbles pop -- but recovery comes sooner when businesses must quickly fix their own mistakes -- or die." --John Stossel, co-anchor of ABC News' "20/20"

"Part of the problem is that we have enjoyed such unparalleled freedoms and prosperity that we have been lulled into the false notion that they will continue in perpetuity, even as we betray, to ever-greater extremes, our founding principles. But traditionalists understand that there is a tipping point beyond which this incessant socialist piggybacking on our capitalistic economic system and these ever-deepening encroachments on our scheme of government (for example, through judicial activism) will finally bring us to our knees." --columnist David Limbaugh

EDITORIAL EXEGESIS

"Detroit is in nose dive, no doubt about that. So is a $50 billion government bailout the answer? President-elect Barack Obama thinks so, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi points in the same direction with her call for extending 'emergency and limited financial assistance' under the $700 billion bailout plan enacted last month. Democrats clearly want something big and something soon for the Big Three. We agree that the automakers can't go on much longer burning cash and piling up an Everest of debt. They're close to the breaking point. But there's a system in place for dealing with crises such as this, even at the scale of massive corporations. It's called bankruptcy, and it should not be written off as unthinkable. Filing for Chapter 11 protection under bankruptcy law is the normal way a company stays in business when facing an unmanageable financial situation. It keeps creditors at bay while the company reorganizes under court supervision and settles its debts. In recent years it has served as a refuge for major airlines (Delta and United) which, you may notice, continued to fly while in Chapter 11 and, post-bankruptcy, fly today. Bankruptcy protection also frees companies from union contracts. Could this be why it seems to have been taken off the table as an option, at least among Democrats? We can only surmise, but it's clear that a bankruptcy process would be rough going for the United Auto Workers." --Investor's Business Daily

DEZINFORMATSIA

Can't wait another minute: "[W]e should move the president's inauguration up to the first Tuesday in December, one month after the election. The new Congress should have its schedule moved from early January to early December. That would allow a few weeks before the holidays to get urgent business done. When the Constitution was framed, things moved more slowly. That may explain the March date. The January date was an improvement. But the time lag still is too long in these modern times when crises need the earliest possible attention. People who elect a new president are eager for the change to take place. The sooner the better." --USA Today founder Al Neuharth

Wipe the drool off your chin: "Is there -- is -- do you have this little bit of a sense, can there be -- can a guy who's cool be president of the United States?" --CBS's Harry Smith discussing Obama with GQ deputy editor Michael Hainey

Confessions: "I'll bet that most Post journalists voted for Obama. I did. There are centrists at The Post as well. But the conservatives I know here feel so outnumbered that they don't even want to be quoted by name in a memo." --Washington Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell

Obama sycophant attacks Clinton: "I don't understand it. Why would [Barack Obama] pick [Hillary Clinton for secretary of state]? I thought we were done with the Clintons. She'll just use it to build her power base. It's Machiavellian. And then we'll have Bill Clinton, too. I thought Obama didn't want drama. He's already got [chief of staff Rahm] Emanuel and [transition team leader John] Podesta. He'll have even more drama with her. She's just a soap opera. If he doesn't pick her, everyone will say she's been dissed again, we'll have to live through that again." --MSNBC's Chris Matthews

Fearmongering about so-called global warming: "The warnings are stark. A vortex of trash twice the size of Texas, toxins bleeding into the ocean, rivers that can not reach the sea, species lost forever. Clouds, rain, storm's fury borne of the ocean, slowly drown distant nations. Islands disappearing and in their wake, a new kind of refugee, so far away and so close to home. Throughout our planet and within our bodies, water flows. We cannot survive without it. Yet, 1 billion people don't have enough. Our new thirst may fuel wars. Is water the oil of tomorrow?" --NBC's Meredith Vieira kicking off NBC's annual "Green Week"

Newspulper Headlines:

It's Always in the Last Place You Look: "Ancient Pyramid Found in Egypt" --Press Association (England)

An Amazing Display of Self-Control: "Edwards Avoids Affair in First Speech Since Scandal" --FoxNews.com

Human Rights Groups Are Still Executing People?: "Taliban Calls on Human Rights Groups to Stop Executions" --Daily Telegraph (London)

We Hope It Still Pays Off Next Season When We Get Around to It: "This Season, Procrastination May Pay Off" --The New York Times

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control: "Climate Change Threatening Lemmings" --Christian Science Monitor Web site ++ "Hillary Clinton Eyed for Secretary of State" --Associated Press

News You Can Use: "Texting While Driving Is Bad, Doctors Agree" --Reuters

Bottom Stories of the Day: "Additional Votes Have No Effect on Harris Co. Election Results" --Houston Chronicle

(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto)

THE DEMO-GOGUES

Same old refrain: "The consensus is this, that we have to do whatever it takes to get this economy moving again, that ... we're going to have to spend money now to stimulate the economy." --Barack Obama **How come our household economies don't improve when we spend money we don't have?

And one more time: "Most of these are going to be deficit spending, which economists will tell you, in times of recession, you have to do." --Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on how he would pay for new programs in his state

"[W]e already have too much union-busting and too much [inaudible] for the [inaudible] worker in this country for us to now say by the way, if you're a company and you haven't been able to totally get rid of the unions, then go bankrupt and rewrite, write down the contracts." --Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) on why GM can't go bankrupt

Saving the day: "The adoption of a robust recovery package should be the top priority of the upcoming lame duck session. That is why I intend to seek consent on a bill to create jobs, prevent large tax increases and cuts in state services, strengthen our nation's manufacturing sector, and assist those struggling to find a job." --Senate Demo Leader Harry Reid D-NV) regurgitating the political lie that a Senate bill can "create jobs"

Ain't gonna happen: "The challenges before us are formidable. Some can be solved immediately; others will take more time. To solve all of them, we must govern from the middle -- reaching across the aisle to work in a bipartisan way and build consensus. We will work together with greatest civility." --House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

VILLAGE IDIOTS

Postcards from the fringe: "Again, I don't defend the route we went and I really urge people to participate in resistance, non-violent direct action to these wars. I don't urge violence at all. But, let's admit that we live, often, in a sewer of violence and opposing that violence is key." --unrepentant terrorist and Obama ally Bill Ayers coming out of the sewer post-election

Hope and change: "I think the world is about to change for the better. Bush ruined it and now people have no choice but to try to put it back together. He's like Humpty Dumpty." --"comedienne" Roseanne Barr

Someone with other issues: "[President] Bush has openly mocked law and proclaimed a certain pleasure in sadism and exulted in holding prisoners and mistreating and torturing them, really. Of course this affects one emotionally: my emotional life has been very strongly affected by the fact that Bush was president and my writing life is affected by my emotional life." --actor and playwright Wallace Shawn

"I just think that Sarah [Palin] and a lot of other people are misguided in terms of some very serious issues. I don't think she is in any manner, shape, or form suited to be the vice president of the United States. And particularly not suited to be the vice president of a president who is in his 70s." --Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner (age 82) with some post-election analysis

SHORT CUTS

"The original $700 billion bailout is TARP, for Troubled Asset Recovery Program. We should call the handout frenzy the Capital Assets Recovery Program. CRAP, for short." --Wesley Pruden, editor emeritus of The Washington Times

"The United Auto Workers said Saturday they won't make any concessions on wages or benefits to help the Big Three. First things first. Investors are just starting to realize that General Motors is a health care provider that makes cars on the side." --comedian Argus Hamilton

"If you're a good enough organizer, panderer, and BS artist, you can get elected against a truth teller. No one wants to believe reality when they can look forward to 'hope' and 'change' especially 'change' that will energize 'hope' and 'hope' that'll bring about 'change.' Wow! I feel like dancing amongst the daffodils, don't you?" --comedian Dave Weinbaum

"We've managed to pick 42 Presidents before (43 if you count Grover Cleveland twice) without declaring any holidays before they even took office. Let's calm down." --columnist Michael Graham

"Barack Obama said that since he won the election he has slept in his own bed every night. After hearing this, Bill Clinton said, 'Man, this guy has a lot to learn'." --comedian Conan O'Brien

Jay Leno: According to CNN, Barack Obama's popularity going into office is higher than Clinton's, Reagan's, or either of the President Bushes when they entered office. On Fox News, he's somewhere between Attila the Hun and lead poisoning.

The latest rumor is that Barack Obama has offered the job of secretary of state to Hillary Clinton. That's kind of sad considering how close Hillary came to being the first female president. Imagine after that -- her next job offer? Secretary.

Hillary Clinton might make a very good secretary of state -- she can cackle in seven different languages.

Actually this works out great for the Clintons. While Hillary is concentrating on foreign affairs, Bill can get back to concentrating on domestic affairs.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called for emergency assistance for the auto industry. She said it was an absolute emergency. But since it was Nancy Pelosi, no one could tell from her facial expression that it was an emergency.

*****

Veritas vos Liberabit -- Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot's editors and staff.

(Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)