This I Believe

This I Believe

   “Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’ I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day....
Double Sevens

Double Sevens

  With a little luck I will turn double sevens in a few months. Seven is a magical number. The Catholic Church considers seven the age when a child’s capacity to reason is sufficient to allow that child to receive communion. For me it was a bit different. It was the...
State of the Union – Updated

State of the Union – Updated

  Tonight I will listen to the State of the Union Address (SOTU)  as I have done almost every year since the 1950s. George Washington gave the first such address on January 8, 1790. The U.S. Constitution requires that the President “from time to time”...
In A Way, Pangloss Was Right

In A Way, Pangloss Was Right

  “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others like!”  Candide Pangloss was the silly old philosopher (a stand in for Leibniz) that Voltaire poked fun at in his classic story Candide. I read Candide years ago and continue to learn from and enjoy it...
Here We Go Again

Here We Go Again

 Here we are once again up against the dreaded debt ceiling. What is it? It’s a self-imposed limit on the amount the U.S. government can borrow that allows politicians to play Russian roulette with the American people. It is a stupid idea because it prevents the...