Republic Rules - The U.S.A. is a great representative republic.

All too often, people look at a problem and try to propose a perfect solution.  While that is a good goal, it is most frequently an unrealistic goal.  Most solutions are just practical ones… the best option given the circumstances at the time.  Sometimes, it is close to a perfect solution but other times it […]

Read the rest of Perfect Versus Practical

With gas prices so high, there has been a new wave of conservation-oriented discussions… including debate of mandates in Congress.  But I don’t see very much ACTION.  Any actual progress made toward using our resources more effectively have been, I am sure, due to individuals making small changes in the way they do things.
First, let […]

Read the rest of Paper Or Plastic

In life, there are people who will tell you the truth… and those who will tell you what you want to hear.
Which should you listen to?
Which DO you listen to?
If it’s an inconsequential situation, it really doesn’t matter:

Honey, do you like my dress?
Isn’t my new car a beauty?
Mom, did you like my solo at the […]

Read the rest of Don’t Be Fooled

Or maybe I should say:  misery loves company.
It is the nature of many, if not most, things to have a cycle.  The economy expands and the economy contracts. Global temperatures go up and global temperatures go down.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Nature at work.  That’s just the way it is.
Anyone who expects the economy to […]

Read the rest of Group Hysteria

It seems some people are just looking for a fight these days.  They’ll take statements out of context, distort something that was said, or just hear words without thinking of their true meaning.  Here’s a current example:
A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.
County commissioners were discussing problems with […]

Read the rest of Looking For A Fight

We’ve all heard the very old saying:  “waste not, want not”.  (There’s actually a follow-on sentence to it:  “The less we waste, the less we lack in the future.”)  The point, obviously, is that you should use the resources you have efficiently.
It was an article about wasting food in Britain that made me think of […]

Read the rest of Waste Not

An old Chinese philosophy describes well the give and take, the ebb and flow, the constant change yet mutual interaction of many aspects of our lives, our environment, our universe.  It has a symbol we’ve all seen:

I was reminded of this by an article of Starbucks and their recent announcement about closing many stores.  Starbucks […]

Read the rest of Yin and Yang

Continuing the discussion of yesterday…
 Just as an amalgam of metals becomes a stronger combined material than any of the individual components (which surrender some of their own unique chemical properties in the process),  the collective PEOPLE of our country… the “melting pot”… is stronger by becoming “one”.  It should be obvious, then, that WE cannot […]

Read the rest of The Melting Pot

Without getting into whether the time, money, and expense of the project are justified, the World Values Survey results were just released and indicate WE are pretty happy… 16th out of 80 countries… and are happier now than 25 years ago.  According to the director of the study:
“The country is not only prosperous; it ranks […]

Read the rest of The Pursuit of Happiness

… the sincerest form of flattery?
NO.
Imitation is the lack of originality!

Would you rather own a classical piece of art or a print of it?
Would you rather introduce a successful new product to market or make a knock-off later?
Would you rather have attended a Beatles concert or watch a tribute band?
Would you rather eat a home-cooked […]

Read the rest of Imitation Is