Something To Think About Archive

It’s been said that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So if you want to receive a great deal you have to give a great deal.

Congratulations to the Tuolumne County D.A.’s office and all public safety agencies for their aggressive and successful work on DUI prosecutions keeping roads, drivers and pedestrians safer.

Marie Curie said: “I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”

In August 2023, Zohran Mamdani, the new Mayor-elect of New York City delivered a keynote speech at the Democratic Socialists of America’s national convention in Chicago claiming that “Our fight is to end capitalist exploitation… and the parasitic death-drive of capitalism.” Let’s be clear about what the DSA platform calls for: the nationalization of railroads, utilities, critical manufacturing, technology companies, institutions of monetary policy and financial services, as well as public ownership of hospitals and other healthcare providers. It also urges government control of food production with a call to “socialize the agricultural system.” Finally, it calls for “social ownership” of the media and internet providers. It demands that the U.S. work toward collapsing the criminal justice system by defunding the police; the demilitarization of the border and ICE; and finally, the DSA calls for dramatic cuts in U.S. military spending, an immediate withdrawal from NATO, cutting off Israel while normalizing relations with Cuba, Iran, Venezuela. In other words: No more America as we know it. We wish the peoples of New York good luck for a bleak future.

According to social entrepreneur William Drayton, “Change starts when someone sees the next step.”

Boxing champion Evander Holyfield believed that “A setback only paves the way for a comeback.”

According to the late Johnny Carson, the last great late night TV host, “If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.”

Greek historian Polybius said: “Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others obtain victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous effort than before.”

Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda once noted that “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.”

It’s almost comical to watch Letitia James, among others, decry their recent legal troubles with Justice Department as lawfare and she in particular likening it to the struggles of slavery. Not hardly. And we would point out that James got elected to her post as New York Attorney General on the promise to go after President Trump and bring criminal charges against him for anything, anything she could, no matter how contrived. And she did claiming that he defrauded banks in applying for loans, loans that the banks themselves said were not fraudulent and were paid back in full. But going after John Bolton in particular and even James Comey makes us say “enough is enough of these antics from both sides.”

Ben Franklin said: “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

Sportscaster Red Barber once noted that “Tradition is very often an excuse word for people who don’t want to change.”

Thomas Jefferson claimed that “He who knows most knows best how little he knows.”

Writer, artist and critic John Ruskin said: “You cannot manufacture great men any more than you can manufacture gold.”

According to the Tao Te Ching: “Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom.”

Kudos to President Trump and the Administration for ending the catastrophic war in Gaza and getting the remining living hostages home to Israel. We’re not naïve enough to believe that this ends the strife in the Mideast, but getting the cooperation of other Arab States to support the agreement is critical. We view this as an extension of the work done in the first Trump Administration with the Abraham Accords. Now, if he continues his current support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, we may be able to get back to some semblance of peace in the world.

According to Lee Iacoca, “You can do the work of two people but you can’t be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line to get him to inspire his people.”

Catherine the Great — “Praise loudly. Blame softly.”

Vance Packard “Leadership appears to be the art of getting others to want to do something you are convinced should be done.”

The developing world, primarily China, India, and Africa creates 87% of global CO2 emissions. The developed world the U.S., Canada, Europe, etc. only 13% if we, the developed world, were to go to net zero emissions as has been targeted it would have an impact on global temperatures of .1 degree Celsius. Since 1992’s Rio Earth Summit the renewable share of global energy has risen just 2 percentage points from 13% to 14% despite the world spending $14 trillion mostly in subsidies in the U.S.