QUOTES: Selected quotes of the day:

“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” —Thomas Jefferson

“The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” —Herbert Spencer

“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” —Barry Goldwater

“I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth.” —William F. Buckley

“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain

“Financial institutions are not being bailed out as a favor to them or their stockholders. In fact, stockholders have come out worse off after some bailouts. The real point is to avoid a major contraction of credit that could cause major downturns in output and employment, ruining millions of people, far beyond the financial institutions involved. If it was just a question of the financial institutions themselves, they could be left to sink or swim. But it is not.” —Thomas Sowell

“The credit crunch and foreclosure problems are failures of government policy. In fact, what we see now is a market correction to foolhardy government policy. Congress’ move to bail out lenders and borrowers who made poor decisions will simply create incentives for people to make unwise decisions in the future.” —Walter Williams

“[A]s lawmakers debate buying up hundreds of billions in assets, they should realize that the government’s aggressive meddling in financial decision-making is what got our economy into this mess in the first place. The long-term answer isn’t more federal control, it’s a return to free-market principles.” —Ed Feulner

“Crisis is the friend of the State. The politicians are desperate to be seen as ‘showing leadership,’ so we’re surely in for a new round of government interventions.” —John Stossel

“When the Forbidden Fruit was handed to Adam and Eve, they were allowed the moral choice to accept or decline. I know people who have refused to feast on the money tree. They live simply, within their means, and seem far more content than those who are trying to horde their wealth while clinging to the ladder of ‘success,’ terrified to let go. That isn’t real living. The Puritans rightly saw that as covetousness.” —Cal Thomas

“Joe Biden isn’t backing down from his startling claim last week that raising taxes on the rich is the ‘patriotic’ thing to do. [In fact,] he upped the ante, thundering that he also has Jesus in his corner. ‘Catholic social doctrine as I was taught it is, you take care of people who need the help the most,’ Mr. Biden preached to a group of union supporters... We won’t get into a theological debate with Mr. Biden, except to say that Biblical tax rates tended to run around 10%, not the 39.6%-plus that Barack Obama’s tax plan calls for. As for patriotism, maybe the young Joe Biden missed school the day the Boston Tea Party was being taught. There’s also the point that if you want to finance a war, you need a strong enough economy to throw off the tax revenues to pay for it. As we learned in the 1980s under Reagan, lower taxes that help an economy grow can finance a defense buildup that helps win the Cold War. By that standard, cuts in marginal income tax rates deserve to be called patriotic. Regarding taxes and social justice, the issue is whether the high taxes that Mr. Biden favors promote economic growth and prosperity, not least for America’s poorest citizens. There he doesn’t have evidence on his side. Studies from around the world, including the annual Wall Street Journal-Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom, conclusively indicate that countries that keep taxes low tend to have the least amount of poverty. As for fairness, we’d note that today the top 1% of taxpayers pay twice as large a share of income taxes (39%) at a 35% rate than they did in 1980, when they were taxed at a rate of 70% yet paid only 19% of income taxes. In that sense, the tax code is more ‘progressive’ now. By the way, Mr. Biden and his wife recently released their tax returns, and they reported an average of $380, or 0.2% of their income, in annual charitable contributions over a 10-year period. The national average was about 2% of income.” —The Wall Street Journal

Beneficiary of capitalism knocks capitalism: “I certainly don’t fault Sen. McCain for these problems [on Wall Street], but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to.” —Barack Obama

Historical revisionism: “When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on television...” —Joe Biden **Uh, Joe, Roosevelt wasn’t president in 1929 and TV’s weren’t commercially available until the late 1930s.

Keep talking, Joe: “I am so sick and tired of this phoniness. The truth of the matter is that we are in trouble, and the people who do not need new tax cuts should be willing as patriotic Americans to understand the way to get this economy back up on their feet is to give middle class taxpayers a break.” —Joe Biden, defending his “patriotic” tax remarks from last week

Bipartisan man: “I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.” —Barack Obama

Just another gun owner?: “I guarantee you Barack Obama ain’t taking my shotguns, so don’t buy that malarkey... If he tries to fool with my Beretta, he’s got a problem.” —Joe Biden on Obama, who recently said, “Even if I want to take them away, I don’t have the votes in Congress.” **No need to worry then, Joe. He doesn’t have the votes.

Classic Demo playbook: “I think it’s pretty clear that Senator McCain is a little panicked right now. At this point he seems to be willing to say anything, or do anything, or change any position, or violate any principle to try and win this election.” —Barack Obama, projecting his own faults onto his opponent

Endorsements you don’t want: “I come from Arkansas, I get why [Palin’s] hot out there, why she’s doing well.” —Bill Clinton on Palin

Foot in mouth: “You got to be kind to the disabled... There’s no question about it politically [that she’s disabled].” —Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) on Palin

Give us a break: “Relating to the fears of the average American is one of [Joe] Biden’s strong suits.” —CBS’s Katie Couric setting up for a tough interview with Biden

Because Americans are starting to see the truth: “Why aren’t you way ahead right now?” —ABC’s Kate Snow to Joe Biden

Don’t cast your pearls before swine: “Senator Biden, Senator Obama’s running mate, has done 84 interviews and news conferences by our count, and Governor Palin has done two. And I wonder why that is. There’s a perception that you might be nervous about what she might say, that you’re not putting her in front of reporters.” —CBS’s Scott Pelley to John McCain

“We have to talk about Palin. Let me just say, I don’t want to go this far in talking about her. She is a farce. This nomination, the nomination of this person to be potentially President of the United States next January... is a joke. It is absurd! It is something that should be dismissed out of hand as the most irresponsible act any candidate has ever made, ever!” —Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic

“Palin’s evangelical rigidity on social issues puts her out of step with the modern woman. She is said to be more reactionary than McCain—if that’s possible. Is it any wonder that the activist feminist organizations have come out in support of Obama?” —White House Press Corps member Helen Thomas

Uh, no it’s not: “Race is arguably the biggest issue in this election, and it’s one that nobody’s talking about. The differences between Barack Obama and John McCain couldn’t be more well defined. Obama wants to change Washington. McCain is a part of Washington and a part of the Bush legacy. Yet the polls remain close. Doesn’t make sense... unless it’s race.” —CNN’s Jack Cafferty “I know, for a fact, that there are a lot of people out there, there are a lot of people right here in Elko, who won’t vote for you because you’re black. I mean, there’s not much you can do. But how do you deal with it? I mean, are there ways that, from a political point of view, that you can deal with it? And how do you fight that?” —CBS’s Steve Kroft to Obama

Newspulper Headlines: In Chicago They Vote, Too: “Members of the Dead to Play Fundraiser for Obama” —Associated Press

Good News for Cindy and Michelle: “McCain, Obama Avoid Same-Sex Marriage” —PlanetOut

‘Bill Clinton’s Office, How May I Direct Your Call?’: “NJ Callers Dialing Dems Get Sex Chat Offer Instead” —Associated Press

We Blame Global Warming: “NYC Trade Center Dig Exposes Ice Age Landscape” —Associated Press

If Your Parents Didn’t Have Children, Chances Are You Won’t Either: “Pass It On: Sons of Infertile Men May Be Next” —MSNBC.com

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control: “Liquor License Suspended After Topless ‘Midget Wrestling”’ —Peoria (IL) Journal Star

News of the Tautological: “Voters Side With Winners in Sparsely Attended Primary” —Marblehead (MA) Reporter

Bottom Stories of the Day: “Biden ‘Sick and Tired’ of Republican ‘Garbage”’ —FoxNews.com (Thanks to The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto)

Glitterati for Obama: “I will look at this [Emmy] for the rest of my life and think of the great experience I had making John Adams, and it will give me a reason to stop and pause, and be so grateful and thankful for the community organizers that helped form our country.” —actress Laura Linney, who won an Emmy for her role as Abigail Adams in HBO’s mini-series “John Adams”

Left-theology talking point: “Jesus was a community organizer; Pontius Pilate was a governor, and perhaps they should understand the role of a community organizer to help people in distress.” —CNN’s Donna Brazile And again: “Jesus was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.” —actress Susan Sarandon

Class acts: “I can’t stand her. She can suck it.” —actress Pamela Anderson on Sarah Palin “I really cannot bite my tongue anymore when it comes to Sarah Palin. I couldn’t be more supportive of a woman in office, but let’s face it, it comes down to the person, and their beliefs, male or female. I would have liked to have remained impartial, however I am afraid that the ‘lipstick on a pig’ comments will overshadow the issues and the fact that I believe Barack Obama is the best choice, in this election, for president.” —actress Lindsay Lohan

Another Obamaphile: “It would be a disgrace and a humiliation if Barack Obama does not win. It would be a very, very terrible thing for the United States in many, many ways.” —director Woody Allen

“[B]ailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.” —Thomas Sowell

“[T]he federal government announced a massive plan to bail out a number of banking institutions. One expert said it might cost Americans more than a trillion dollars... Where they’ll get this money and how it’s going to be handed out still isn’t clear. All we know for sure is that it’s a trillion dollars and it’s going to be hosted by Howie Mandel.” —Jimmy Kimmel

“Joe Biden says the Wall Street crisis is the result of George W. Bush’s tax cuts, which makes as much sense as blaming the rising price of fairy dust. But as a wise man once asked, Who gives a rat’s patoot what Joe Biden thinks?” —Jonah Goldberg

“Barclays Bank in England purchased bankrupt Lehman Brothers Tuesday along with its Manhattan tower, saving nine thousand jobs. It’s humiliating. The United States of America is 232 years old and we’re having to go to mom for money.” —Argus Hamilton

Jay Leno: Hillary Clinton canceled an appearance at [a] rally [this] week in New York after learning that Sarah Palin would be there. And ironically, Bill Clinton had previously canceled after finding out Hillary would be there. ... The stock market was up 400 points [the other day], or as the Democrats call it, terrible news. ... Financial experts are saying we are entering a new chapter in the American economy. I believe it’s Chapter 11. ... To give you an idea how bad the American economy is, Mexico is now calling for a fence along the border. ... I went to my ATM machine today; it gave me an IOU. ... President Bush had a press conference outside the Oval Office to talk about the economy. He would have had it inside, but the bank has foreclosed on it. ... Barack Obama continues to criticize John McCain’s economic plan. McCain would like to criticize Obama’s plan, but nobody knows what it is yet. ... Barack Obama said again that he wants to raise taxes on the rich—that’s provided by November anyone is still rich. ... That seems to be the theme: Joe Biden said that paying higher taxes is patriotic. The Republican strategy on Joe Biden? Let him keep talking.