* “Has never been this high.”–How the International Institute for Democratic and Electoral Assistance—in its annual report—referenced the number of countries experiencing democratic backsliding. The list includes the U.S., India and Brazil.
* Taiwan is well within China’s political, economic and cultural sphere of hegemony.”--Michael Warren Davis, The American Conservative.
* “A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”–George Bernard Shaw.
* “There is a very specific reason why we don’t see many instances of fraud, and that is because the system is designed to catch it, to flag it and then hold those people accountable.”–Amber McReynolds, founding CEO of the National Vote At Home Institute, which promotes mail voting.
* “Should the Republicans take the House in 2020. it will probably not be because of Tucker Carlson but because of gerrymandering.”–Brooklyn College political scientist Corey Robin.
* “Republicans, traditionally free-market dogmatists, are resorting to government force to steer the market and get climate outcomes they want.”--Branko Marceti, the Jacobin, in reference to how corporate America is trying to stop banks divesting from fossil fuel.
* “The invocation of the citizen’s arrest as an excuse for political violence is new. Former President Donald Trump set this table with his “lock her up” chants and accusations of treason against anyone who damages his fragile psyche.”–Mona Charen, The Bulwark.
* “Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they’ve stolen.”–The late political satirist Mort Sahl.
* “It’s devastating. … We can’t turn our stores into armed camps. We can’t put everything behind lock and key. Retail doesn’t work like that.”—Bob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, on the recent rise of flash-mob retail thefts.
* “We should think more creatively and expansively about how to secure and protect abortion access throughout the country, beginning with the question of why our abortion rights are at the mercy of the judiciary in the first place.”–Jenny Brown, Jacobin.
* “Words once came easily. Today I struggle with speech, but I have not lost my voice.”–Former Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who founded Giffords PAC, an anti gun violence nonprofit.
* “We have a human right to self defense. To say that you need permission from the government to do that is crazy. It’s un-American.”--Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry, a Milwaukee-based, gun-rights organization. Wisconsin is among several states currently considering permitless carry bills. To date, 21 states no longer require residents to hold a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
* “Demand for workers to staff giant warehouses is soaring, and the companies that dominate online markets can pay hourly wages that other businesses cannot afford.”–William A. Galston, Wall Street Journal.
* “From my understanding … (the Rays) want a community park, where it can be used for other events. Baseball’s one component of it. … We do not want to be the town that loses baseball.”–Andy Mayts, incoming chairman of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.
* “It graded out the highest on the longest list of other great locations.”–Larry Harding, founder and CEO of HSP Group, a global expansion services company that has picked Tampa for its new corporate headquarters.