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…

Fantasies, hopes, wishes, and denial are no match for reality. — In the news, in our political discourse, and in social media, I often see people make claims that are predictions, not facts. A statement about the future of the war in Ukraine can often demonstrate wishful, magical thinking on a global scale. When cheerleaders of the Ukraine war effort tell…

Corruption is a substitution of deception of others for happiness, and it doesn’t really make anyone happy. — Freedom, desire, and control I have never liked telling other people what to do. I don’t like being told what to do myself. I don’t want any control over other people. I don’t want that much responsibility. I don’t want responsibility for their failures or their successes. …

The DNC doesn’t want a primary debate. — The House has started an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Even an unsuccessful impeachment could be enough to stop American support of the war in Ukraine. Then Biden couldn’t just gloss over the investigation about his son’s laptop and continue on as if nothing had happened. Even if it…

There’s nothing to fear but fear itself. — For much of my life, I’ve been told that communism is inferior to capitalism. I’ve been told that capitalism has lifted billions of people out of poverty more than communism has. I’ve been told that communism is a terrible form of governing an economy. I’ve been told that nothing good…

Win friends and supporters through dependence. It’s the American Way. — One thing I’ve noticed about abuse is that all acts of abuse foster dependence. The war in Ukraine is about abuse, and that abuse is about creating the dependence required to keep business profitable. …