Something To Think About Archive

According to the late Ted Turner “When you do something that’s never been done before, sail on uncharted waters and don’t know where you’re going, you’re not sure what you’re going to find when you get there, but at least you’re going somewhere.”

“Poor eyes limit your sight; poor vision limits your deeds.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Richard Rubin reports that total U.S. government debt, all $31 plus trillion of it, now eclipses the size of the entire U.S. economy. “Don’t worry,” says Rubin, “you don’t need to be an economist to understand the math. It’s bad. Real bad.” Over the past several decades, leaders and lawmakers from both parties have aggressively added to the deficit by spending much more money than they have brought in through taxes. The deficit in 2026 is projected to add another $1.9 trillion to it. The government can only sustain this by borrowing more money and it has to pay interest to borrow that money, at a current cost of $1 trillion a year. Roughly $1 out of every $7 spent by the government this year is going toward interest on the debt. And no, you can’t raise enough money taxing billionaires to cover it…

It’s been said that “If you set the right example, you won’t have to worry about the rules.”

Its’ been said that “There is more to life than simply crossing things off our “To-Do” list.”

Howard Tucker was the “World’s Oldest Doctor” until he died in December at age 103. His three rules for a long and healthy life? Keep your mind engaged, Don’t carry hatred and, Enjoy everything in moderation

Columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan recently noted that: “Political assassination… is an attempt to kill democracy itself. The people elect their representatives, but the assassin says no, only my vote counts.”

At 89 cents a gallon, California has the highest total state and federal gas tax in the nation, 75% higher than the national average of 51 cents and more than 300% higher than the lowest, which is Alaska at 27 cents.

The cost of California’s high-speed rail project has surged to $231 billion, up from an original $33 billion estimate, earning it the distinction of the “most wasteful government project in probably world history,” according to one lawmaker. The project, first funded in 2008, was supposed to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2020. Its scope has since been scaled back to a 171-mile Central Valley corridor between Merced and Bakersfield, not exactly hot spots of travel. Expected ticket prices have nearly doubled while ridership projections have fallen by two-thirds, and that’s probably optimistic. GOP state Sen. Tony Strickland and Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley are among those calling for the project to be scrapped entirely. We can only hope that the next governor will abandon it completely given California’s ongoing budget deficits.

Napolean said: “A leader is a dealer in hope.”

A leader is anyone people emulate.

It’s been noted that “A committee is a group of important individuals who singly can do nothing but who together can agree that nothing can be done.”

The poorly thought-out Ranked Choice voting could potentially reduce Californian’s choice of candidates and platforms by limiting the general election to two candidates from the same party. Not exactly a choice come election day no matter which is your favored Party.

The threat of a proposed Billionaire Tax has already motivated wealthy individuals worth a combined $1 trillion to relocate out of the state, turning California’s steady trickle of wealthy individuals leaving for Texas and Florida into a flood and, by one estimate, ultimately costing the state $4.5 billion in annual tax revenue.

The only ones that benefit from the polarization in the country are the politicians as they individually strive for more power within their respective parties. The voters, however, do not like the partisanship or the politicians. Just 10% of Americans approve of Congress overall, according to a new Gallup poll, near an all-time low. This is sharply down from March 2025, when 31% of Americans approved of Congress. Over 50% of voters have an unfavorable view of each party. Roughly 25% dislike both and the majority of those polled say both parties are too extreme and not trustworthy. Still, we vote for one party or the either and the politicians never pay the price for their poor performance.

“Do something you really love;” advises designer Vera Winag. “When you love something, every day goes by in 10 minutes.”

As retired General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell notes, “Being responsible sometimes means ticking people off.”

If you don’t like what you’re getting out of life, take a look at what you’re putting in.

Let’s be clear that none of us like war, and who knows what the end result will be of this one, but where was the hyperventilation of Schumer and Jefferies and their caucus when Bill Clinton went to war in Serbia and Barack Obama went into Libya and deposed Mommar Khadafi? Neither of those actions were with Congress’ approval. And let’s not forget that a non-nuclear Iran has been the goal of every recent Presidency.

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us that “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.”