Category: Values
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A note on populism and civility
For more than 30 years I’ve been an active consumer advocate for health care reform. My message has been the same over the years. We are on an unsustainable path that is increasingly hurting ordinary Americans. The solutions are available but we lack the leadership to implement them. Over my career I’ve helped more than…
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The most powerful speech of the 21st century
George W. Bush delivered this speech on Oct. 19, 2017 at the at the “Spirit of Liberty: At Home, In The World” event hosted by the George W. Bush Institute in New York City. It is simply the best speech from a national leader that I’ve heard in my adult lifetime. He addresses how to…
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Spelling matters
I am surprised at how many people argue that spelling and language skills in general do not matter as long as the message is communicated. Words do matter. Language matters. Etymology matters. Spelling matters. I’ve put out thousands of pieces of public writing over a career that began with a newspaper column in the early…
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How to establish a ‘No hate’ policy for your organization or small businesses
updated July 19, 2017 We’ve reached a point in our national discourse when it has become clear that even small organizations and business owners may need to establish clear anti-hate policies for employees, customers and visitors. While there are no standardized procedures for this process, this blog post suggests a few points to get started.…
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Are you a financial revolutionist?
A revolutionist is someone who wants to change the world — not just sitting around talking about it, but actually doing something to bring about change. If that describes your approach to personal financial management, then I’d love to have a conversation about what you are doing now and what else can be done to improve…
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Add impact to ‘Not My President’s Day’
Resolve today to take a strong personal stance to avoid paying federal income taxes. Just make sure to do it safely and legally! On this historic “Not My President’s Day” I am reminded that civil protest has its limitations. Don’t get me wrong; I strongly support and encourage civil protest. Consider the old folk song “Charlie…
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The Attack on Truth
“Harvard’s motto is simple. It is just a single word: Veritas. Truth. We have seen disturbing signs that the Administration will suppress open thought and debate, silencing scientists and withdrawing their funding, attacking journalists and declaring them the “opposition party,” repeating falsehoods big and small. Truth. It is the guiding value of your alma mater;…
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Terrorist vs. muslim refugee
Republicans: The first photo is a real domestic terrorist. The second photo is a muslim refugee who desperately needs our assistance right now. The nation demands that you take off your political blindfold, use common sense, and learn to recognize the basic factual differences between the two. A logical person can easily apply analysis of…
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Pocahontas empowered
Senator Elizabeth Warren solidified her leadership position of the nation’s political opposition force this week. Even the president acknowledged that in one of his insult-hurling tweets “Pocahontas is now the face of your party”. Warren, like me, says that has voted Republican for most of her life before assuming positions of Democratic party leadership. Yet she…
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Dealing with opposing values in business
I briefly considered working with a business adviser who impresses me as brilliant. Yet business brilliance and social leadership do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. I realized that his values are exactly opposite mine as expressed in this social media post. Separately, I’ve also taken steps recently to distance my business from customers and vendors who do…