Something To Think About Archive

“Shame on her,” says West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin. He’s referring to Kamala Harris’ recent support for eliminating the filibuster in the Senate. Manchin went on to note that “She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.” And, we would add, we all know how dysfunctional that elected body is.

“If you must wish…” advised writer W.W. Jacobs, “wish for something sensible.”

According to writer and artist Rosalyn Drexler, known as Juila Sorel, “If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances.”

It’s been said that “The trouble with self-made men is that they usually worship their creator.”

Doctor and philosopher William James believed that “The essence of brilliance is knowing what to overlook.”

The recent heated rhetoric by Senate Democrats threatening to change the Supreme Court’s makeup and structure has influenced physical threats against certain Supreme Court Justices and brings us this thought by one Supreme Court and Appellate litigator: “I believe that the criticism of the Court’s legitimacy are unfounded.” “But more than that” he went on to say, “I believe that the attacks on the Court’s legitimacy are dangerous – undermining the public’s confidence in the Court and imperiling the rule of law.”

The recent heated rhetoric by Senate Democrats threatening to change the Supreme Court’s makeup and structure has influenced physical threats against certain Supreme Court Justices and brings us this thought by one Supreme Court and Appellate litigator: “I believe that the criticism of the Court’s legitimacy are unfounded.” “But more than that” he went on to say, “I believe that the attacks on the Court’s legitimacy are dangerous – undermining the public’s confidence in the Court and imperiling the rule of law.”

Winston Churchill believed that “It is no use saying: “We are doing our best.” You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”

Playwright George Bernard Shaw said: “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.”

Some of the current crop of political candidates at the state and federal level must be taking Mark Twain’s advice to “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

Pastor and motivational speaker Robert Schuller asked us: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

Ronald Reagan believed that “We don’t have inflation because the people are living too well, we have inflation because the government is living too well.”

Gary Cohn, former chief economic advisor in Donald Trump’s first term, notes that tariffs should be placed only on goods that are made in America and that face unfair competition from goods imported from countries, like China, that subsidize their manufacturers to the point of unnaturally low prices. According to Cohn they do not belong on goods that are not made in America, like lightbulbs and smartphones, that Americans need. That is counter-productive and costs the American consumer unnecessarily.

Sir Barnett Cocks defined a “Committee” as “… a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.”

Babe Ruth advised us to “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”

Josh Billings claimed that “As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.”

According to Victorian Era Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: “When men are pure, laws are useless; when men are corrupt, laws are broken.”

Senator Eugene McCarthy once noted that “The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency.”

Uncle Sam’s interest-rate bill alone will exceed a trillion dollars next fiscal year– more than all discretionary, nondefense spending. And the latest report from the trustees of the Social Security fund calculates that monthly benefits will have to be reduced by 21% in nine years when the trust fund is depleted. Meanwhile, neither candidate for President has expressed any interest in fixing the looming fiscal debacle.

Groucho Marx defined “Politics” as “… the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy.”