Something To Think About Archive

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.

John Erskine “A leader is one who knows where he wants to go, and gets up, and goes.”

Robert Byrne — ‘The purpose of life is a life of purpose.’

Edward John Phelps, American lawyer and diplomat. “The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”

Liberty, when it begins to take root is a plant of rapid growth.

Thomas Edison “There is a better way to do it. Find it.”

During shutdowns of the Federal Government, of which there are far too many because of a lack of non-partisan adults in congress, essential or accepted employees like air traffic controllers, TSA agents, border patrol, active duty military, FBI agents and prison guards must keep working during the shut down. So does Congress and the President, even though the former periodically leave town during the shut down. The difference is employees don’t get paid until the shutdown is resolved then they receive back pay. Congress, as usual has a special deal. They, and the President who is already donating his salary to charity do receive their regular paychecks as someone once noted it is good to be king.