What we see now in America is what happens when we fail to make generous investments in the next generation — I remember middle-class 1970s America. We were so optimistic then. And we had it so good, too. We made the best cars, TVs, and we had the best schools. The news was about bussing kids, not about school shootings. Our politics still talked about compromise. Our future was not decided…

Nobody thinks of you the way you do. — Long ago, I was just starting a new job. I was new to customer service and managing support requests. I was new to talking with customers on the phone as a front line employee. I was new to the paperless office. I can recall making what I thought was a…

…to people who can’t or won’t change anyway. — There was a time in my much younger life when I hated one or more persons. I think at one point, it was a sort of searing, visceral hate. There were things that I dreamed about doing to the other person, but could never bring myself to do him or…

Every headline about the war makes me wonder what they’re not telling us. — For weeks I thought it was all just posturing. For weeks, I figured that Biden would work out some sort of diplomatic solution. I could not help but think of every headline about the buildup of troops at the border of Ukraine as a way of making us feel more…

Apparently, Israel lacks a gene for freedom of speech. — One of the side stories that isn’t getting much press is this: Israel has an appetite for killing journalists. A trend has come to light since the start of the war in Israel and Palestine. …

Political discourse is not as simple as condemning someone for their views. — I’m really sick of condemnation politics. Biden condemns Hamas. He condemns Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. American policymakers want other countries to condemn Hamas and Russia. I see people on social media condemning each other for being, “wrong”, “anti-semitic”, a “closet terrorist”, or a “Putin poodle”. I have never…

Think of America’s military as the world’s largest wage and price control freak. — Every time I look at Israel and its war against Hamas or whatever enemy they choose to invent, I see oil. I see Israel as a state that was invented for the purpose of extending America’s military might in pursuit of price controls on oil. I see Israel as a…

Without an educated, skilled, and motivated middle class, it is impossible for America to continue its proxy war with Russia. — From the beginning, a disinterested third-party observer could plainly see that Ukraine wasn’t going to win the war with Russia. They’re not winning now. They’re not going to win. Their counteroffensive ended in spectacular failure. …

It’s very difficult to end a war in peace by picking a side. — Whenever there is a war going on, it’s easy to get caught up on a side. If you pick a side, you want one side to win. You want the other side to lose. You celebrate when the war is over but only if your side wins. If your side…