More wonderful (or outrageous) quotations, anecdotes, and aphorisms
🇺🇸 "Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country." —Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834)
🇺🇸 "If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth." —Ronald Reagan, 1964
🇺🇸 Norman Rockwell, painting, 🇺🇸
one of the Four Freedoms.
■ 'America's success': " ... We [the Washington Post newspaper] are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. ... a big part of America's success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity. ... I'm confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. ... " —Jeff Bezos, owner of the 'Washington Post' and founder of Amazon.com, February 26, 2025
Video: "The Great Train Robbery." —Silent Motion Picture, 12 minutes, Thomas A. Edison, 1903, Library of Congress
Video: "Donner Pass [Stacks in the High Sierras] Union Pacific trains." —7idea Productions
"Nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded." —Repeated by Yogi Berra
"Just because you believe in something does not mean that it is true." —Albert Einstein
"Cultivate friends you disagree with, as well as those with whom you agree, because together you'll locate the soft spot in your own thinking, and find common ground to build on." —Professor Robert P. George
"My history teacher was so old, he taught from memory." —Henny Youngman
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." —Edmund Burke
"A nation that forgets its past has no future." —Attributed to Winston Churchill
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." —George Santyana, 'The Life of Reason or the Phases of Human Progress', 1905
"If we open a quarrel between the past and the present we shall find that we have lost the future." —Winston Churchill, 'Finest Hour' speech, June 18, 1940
"We have but one sample of history." —Economist Paul Samuelson
"The future isn’t what it used to be." —Laura Riding and Robert Graves
"The American dream is rooted in the concept that any citizen can achieve prosperity, upward mobility, and economic security." —Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary, March 7, 2025
"Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, coined the term aphorism. He wrote a book called Aphorisms, which was full of short statements expressing medical truths." —Aphorisms
"A good aphorism is the wisdom of a whole book in a single sentence." —Theodor Fontane, 1819-1898
"An aphorism is the last link in a long chain of thought." —Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 1830-1916
"The only constant in life is change." —Heraclitus
"When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people." —Abraham Joshua Heschel
"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." —Anonymous
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." —Frank Lloyd Wright
"If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got." —Albert Einstein
"If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done." —Thomas Jefferson
"Smile oft. Speak gently. Be kind." —Edgar Cayce
"He who pays the piper calls the tune." —Aphorism
"Know which side your bread is buttered on." —Aphorism
"Don't judge a book by its cover." —Idiom
"All things come to those who wait [but he who hesitates is lost]." —Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie aka Violet Fane
"A penny saved is a penny earned." —Aphorism
"You can't fight city hall." —Aphorism
"The race isn't always to the swift, nor the fight to the strong, but that's the way to bet." —Hugh E. Keough
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating." —William Camden, 'Remaines of a Greater Worke Concerning Britaine', 1605
"The more things change, the more they stay the same." —Alphonse Karr, 1849
"Possession is nine-tenths of the law." —Aphorism
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery mediocrity can pay to genius." —'The Spectator' edited by Joseph Addison. 1714
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it." —Aphorism
"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." —Thomas Edison
"From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step." —Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, 1777
"Eat to live; don't live to eat." —Moliere
"East or west, home is best." —'The Literary Gazette' of London, 1848
"Doubt is the beginning, not the end, of wisdom." —George Iles
"Children should be seen and not heard." —15th century English proverb
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste." —Arthur Fletcher, Former Head of United Negro College Fund
"All that glisters/glitters/glistens is not gold." —William Shakespeare
"You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes you get what you need." —The Rolling Stones
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." —J.R.R. Tolkien, Gandalf, 'The Lord of the Rings'
"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his." —Oscar Wilde. 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
"A thousand words can’t make the mark a single deed will leave." —Henrik Ibsen, 'Brand'
"Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." —Aphorism
"Better safe than sorry." —Aphorism
"A rolling stone gathers no moss." —Aphorism
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." —Lao Tzu
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." —Evelyn Beatrice Hall
"I’d rather die on my feet, than live on my knees." —Emiliano Zapata
"Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind." —Bernard Baruch
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." —Lord Acton
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." —Kurt Vonnegut, 'Mother Night', 1961
"Your children need your presence more than your presents." —Jesse Jackson
"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." —Alice Walker
"An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." —H.L. Mencken
"The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight Club." —Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden, 'Fight Club'
"Fashions have done more harm than revolutions. " —Victor Hugo
"The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around. " —Thomas A. Edison
"No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. " —Abraham Lincoln
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." —Meister Eckhart
"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. " —Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The way to know life is to love many things. " —Vincent Van Gogh
"We are always the same age inside. " —Gertrude Stein
"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. " —Voltaire
"When God closes a door, [s]he opens a window." —Biblical
'Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence': "Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." —Calvin Coolidge
"There are no secrets that time does not reveal. " —Jean Racine
"The past cannot be cured. " —Elizabeth I
"Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. " —Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
"Time and tide wait for no man. " —Geoffrey Chaucer
"If you have one true friend you have more than your share. " —Thomas Fuller
"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief. " —Marcus Tullius Cicero
"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. " —George Washington
"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. " —Mark Twain
"Friends are the siblings God never gave us. " —Mencius
"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. " —Henry Ford
"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. " —Euripides
"True friends stab you in the front. " —Oscar Wilde
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. " —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met. " —William Butler Yeats
"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. " —Thomas Aquinas
"A loving heart is the truest wisdom. " —Charles Dickens
"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. " —Aristotle
"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. " —Alfred Lord Tennyson
"Beware the barrenness of a busy life. " —Socrates
"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale. " —Hans Christian Andersen
"Into each life some rain must fall. " —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. " —Friedrich Nietzsche
"We do not remember days, we remember moments. " —Cesare Pavese
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. " —Marie Curie
"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. " —Ella Wheeler
"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." —One of Sir John Templeton's 'Laws of Life'
"Please do not bite the newcomers." —Wikipedia, instructions to their editors
" ... the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." —U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, Democratic National Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City, August 12, 1980
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." —Maya Angelou
Artificial Intelligence: "It thinks, therefore it is." —Paraphrasing René Descartes [And what are the correct pronouns?]
Really??? How sure are you that there is no such emergent property (and how exactly can (some) brains think)?:
"Computers cannot think." —Nobel Prize Committee, 2024
["On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog (computer)."]
"Human brain power is about 20 Watts, while artificial intelligence large language model building requires more than 1 1/4 Gigawatts. [So after artificial intelligence is perfected, the next breakthrough in thought power efficiency will be the biological brain!]" —Paraphrasing Perplexity.AI
"Everyone is cheating their way through college with AI." —James Walsh
["So let me get this straight, using a car to get places, or using a computer to calculate, or using an iPhone to play music, or using machines instead of muscles to build things isn't cheating, but using the latest huge innovation to more easily find information and write about it is bad?" —Huh?]
"Stay hydrated; Don't sweat the small stuff." —jebmke
"Do transcontinental railroad enthusiasts have a one track mind?" —Anonymous
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know it when you find it." —Steve Jobs
'It's about discovering what gets you jumping out of bed each day, eager to make a difference': "Find something you would die for, and live for it." —Tom Bilyeu's father
"Write if you get work." —Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding
"Never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, you're a mile away and you've got their shoes." —Colin Corneau
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." —John Archibald Wheeler
"Happy Birthday Mr. President." —Sung by Marilyn Monroe to President John F. Kennedy
"When you're good to others, you're best to yourself." —Benjamin Franklin
"I wish the past would invite me back to rectify a thing or two." —'All creatures, great and small'
"Puppies are not Xmas presents – they are 15-year commitments." —Written on the back window of a car (photo)
"Eat drink and be married for tomorrow we diet." —Humorously misquoting the bible
"If you wish to converse with me, define your terms." —Attributed to Voltaire
"Humor makes all things tolerable." —Henry Ward Beecher
"When in doubt, throw it out." —Idiom
"Life is not a dress rehearsal." —Pastor Lawrence T. Holman
"Depth and maturity ... they are two of the most important things you could be in life and they are never mentioned." —Dennis Prager
"Be careful what you wish for. Your wish may be granted." —Aesop's Fables
"The easily embarrassed person does not learn." —Talmud
"Pride goeth before a fall." —Proverb
"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." —William Faulkner
"Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late." —Benjamin Franklin
"The simplest questions are the hardest to answer." —Northrop Frye
"Life is a tale told by an idiot – full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." —William Shakespeare, 'Macbeth'
"To err is human, to forgive divine." —Alexander Pope, 'An Essay on Criticism'
"To be great is to be misunderstood." —Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Self Reliance'
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." —Aphorism
"All is fair in love and war." —John Lyly, 1579
"A jack of all trades is master of none." —Charles Lucas, 'Pharmacomastix', 1785
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." —Old saying from Pembrokeshire, Wales, c. 1860's
"Better safe than sorry." —Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, Feburary 1859
"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." —R. Taverner, 'Proverbs or Adages out of Erasmus', 1539
"You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." —A San Francisco radio host
"It is better to be feared than loved." —Paraphrase of Niccolo Machiavelli, 'The Prince'
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." —'The Godfather II'
"Que sera sera. Whatever will be will be." —'The Man Who Knew Too Much'
"You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear." —See, B.E. Gent, 'A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew', 1699
" An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." —Benjamin Franklin
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." —Anonymous poem, 1602
"You need to take a bull by the horns, and a man by his word." —Idiom
"There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation." —W. C. Fields
"You made your bed, now lie in it." —15th century French proverb
"You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy." —Idiom
"You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea." —Medgar Evers
"If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas." —Attributed to Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack
"He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day." —Oliver Goldsmith
"Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself." —Charlotte Bronte
"Give him an inch and he'll take a mile." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." —Battle of Bunker Hill
"All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall." —Alexandre Dumas, 'The Three Musketeers'
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." —Attributed to Confucius
"If the shoe fits, wear it." —Idiom
"Don’t count your chickens before they hatch." —Attributed to Thomas Howell, 1570
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink." —Proverb
"Every cloud has a silver lining." —'The Dublin Magazine', 1840
"If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it." —Anonymous
"The food at this restaurant is awful ... and such small portions!" —Woody Allen
"Be so good they can't ignore you." —Steve Martin
"Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted." —Anonymous
"I put a dollar in one of those change machines. Nothing changed." —George Carlin
"Just sold my homing pigeon on eBay for the 22nd time." —We are getting older
Investing: "They were a people so primitive they did not know how to get money, except by working for it." —Joseph Addison
"Own everything and hold it forever." —Jack Bogle
"My retirement plan is to keep working." —Standard joke
"If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." —Warren Buffett
$$$: "99% of investors should dollar cost average into index funds and call it a day." —Brian Feroldi
"Buy-and-hold, long-term, all-market-index strategies, implemented at rock-bottom cost, are the surest of all routes to the accumulation of wealth." —John C. Bogle
"While experienced investment professionals may have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen in the market, we have no idea of when." —John C. Bogle, 'The Twelve Pillars of Wisdom', April 27, 2001
"Because of the stock market's upward tendency, lump sum investing beats dollar cost averaging 68% of the time, but dollar cost averaging beats cash about the same percentage of the time." —After Megan Finlay and Josef Zorn, Vanguard
"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity." —Gen. Douglas MacArthur
"Investing involves risk, including risk of loss." ... "Past performance is no guarantee of future results." —Disclaimer
Are Stocks a Sure Thing Over the Long Term? Not Necessarily: "Stocks don’t cease to be risky investments once they are held for decades." —Meir Statman, 'Wall Street Journal,' March 6, 2025
"Don't count your chickens until they hatch." —Old saying
Don't lock in your loss: "If you can't ignore a crash, then you cannot manage your investments." —WillRetire
'If': "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ... " [MORE] —Rudyard Kipling
"There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!" —'Men in Black'
"I’m the biggest worrier when times are good, and oddly calm during crises." —Annette Louisan
"An important key to investing is to remember that stocks are not lottery tickets." —Peter Lynch, manager (1977–1990) of Fidelity Magellan, 'the number one growth fund at the time, which compounded at 29% on his watch'
"Once bitten, twice shy." —Rachel Hunter, in 'Lady Maclairn, the victim of villany', 1806
"Don’t throw good money after bad." —Idiom
"Money will not make you happy. And happy will not make you money." —Groucho Marx
"Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It’s cheaper!” —Jack Bogle
Buy low, sell high: "Buy from the fearful and sell to the greedy.“ —Jason Katz, UBS, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager
"Retirement is best when you have a lot to live on, and a lot to live for." —AlwaysLearningMore
"Stocks let you eat well. | Fixed income lets you sleep well." —ROIGuy [Or at least you hope so! YMMV]
"Safely put all charges on your credit card, never on your debit card (to avoid unlimited liability).
Autopay the full credit card balance each month to avoid wasting money on exorbitant interest." —WiseOne
"Pay for toys with cash. No cash, no toy, that's how it works for adults. Real adults don't go into debt for toys." —123
"Half of used cars [for sale] ... have been in an accident." —Carfax
"Never invest in a business you cannot understand." —Warren Buffett
"The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." —Warren Buffet
"The market can remain irrational for longer than you can remain solvent." —John Maynard Keynes
"Learned from financial advisor:
1) Stock picking is a fools errand ('You have as much chance against the Wall Street traders as you would suiting up to play in an NFL game.')
2) Stay the course ('The hardest time to resist a trend is when it is at its very end.')
3) Earnings matter in the long run ('In the short term, the markets are a voting machine. In the long term, they are a weighing machine.')
4) Importance of being insulated from the market in retirement (A bond ladder covering residual living expenses for 7-10 years called a 'circuit breaker' or 'my moat'.)
5) Futility of picking market segments (i.e., the 'quilt chart')." —CuriousGeorgeTx
"You never know what you can do till you try." —William Cobbett
"The man who has missed the pleasure of a job well done has missed one of the great pleasures of life." —Attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes by Bill Bennett
"Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?" —Edgar Bergen
"No man is free who must work for a living." —Illya Kuryakin
"How not to have to dry the dishes. ... " [More] —Shel Silverstein
"Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist." —George Carlin
"I’ve been rich. I’ve been poor. Rich is better." —Mrs. George S. Kaufman
"Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they shall never sit in." —Paraphrasing Hyacinthe Loyson, Paris, France, 1866
"If your outgoes exceed your in goes, your upkeep will be your downfall." —Paraphrasing Paul Harvey
"The hardest time to resist a trend is when it is at its very end." —Anonymous
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play." —Arnold J. Toynbee
"Find something in life that you love doing. If you make a lot of money, that's a bonus, and if you don't, you still won't hate going to work." —Jeff Foxworthy
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat & drink beer all day." —George Carlin
"People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point." —George Carlin
TRIGGER WARNING: Meteorite trauma
Unlucky star! "Ann Elizabeth Hodges was struck by a meteorite [Click for photo of this unique injury] while inside her home in Sylacauga, Alabama in late 1954." —Russell Goldman, ABC News
Lucky star! "Sleeping woman avoids death by inches after meteorite crashes through roof of her home and lands right beside her on pillow" —Adam Manno, 'Daily Mail', October 10, 2021
Another meteorite: "Meteorite smashes through roof of New Jersey home, still warm to the touch ... found on the now-dented floor." —Sarah Do Couto, MSN, May 12, 2023
[The Great Comet, November 12, 1577, Prague (Engraving by Jiri Daschitzky, Right).]
"Real knowledge comes only from experience." —MikeG62
"Good judgement comes from experience and experience, ... well that comes from poor judgement. " —Anonymous
"It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one." —Anon.
• "Too soon old, too late smart."
• "So many books, so little time."
• "My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations."
• "Too much of a good thing is wonderful."
• "The hurrier I go the behinder I get."
—Needlepoint pillow homilies
"Things are more like they are now than they've ever been before." —Classified advertisement from Gordon Creamer Realtor, 'Amarillo [Texas] Daily News', October 21, 1948
"I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic." —Michael Benveniste
How sad: "[Disney owned] National Geographic [Magazine] lays off its last remaining staff writers. ... [and] the magazine has curtailed photo contracts that enabled photographers to spend months in the field producing the publication's iconic images." —Paul Farhi, June 28, 2023 ["Two funny fake rumors: Russian spy caught by being seen throwing National Geographic magazines into the trash, which an American would never do; and that continental drift and resulting earthquakes are caused by the ever increasing weight of National Geographic magazines piling up in homes along the west coast."]
Grateful to President Eisenhower for wonderful American highways: "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything." —Charles Kuralt
Try to tell an American he can't, and he will: "Man uses Barbie fishing rod to make record catch." —Los Angeles Times
"That reminds me about the guy who breaks a wrist and asks his doctor: 'Doctor, will I be able to play the piano after this heals?' The doctor replies 'Absolutely, no problem!' The man laughs, and points out that that's great, because he never could play the piano before!" —Ken Rockwell
"Homework! Oh, Homework! I hate you! You stink! ... " [More] —Jack Prelutsky
"Less work for mother." —Horn & Hardart Automat
%">"Do the best you can, and we'll love you just the same." —Mommy
"Believe in your dreams." —Taylor Swift
"I'd rather surprise people than pretend I'm better than I am." —Jeff K.
"It's good to go on vacation and it's good to come home." —Grandma R
"Mistakes are proof you were trying." —Pillow
Siderodromophobia: "Don't let fear stop you from doing the thing you love." —Sing 1
"If you believe it, you can achieve it." —My perfect Landing
"Believe you can and you're halfway there." —Theodore Roosevelt
"The grass is always greener over the septic tank." —Erma Bombeck
"If it's not fun, you're not doing it right." —Bob Basso
"The business of American business is business." —Calvin Coolidge
Golden age for a booming American economy: "If we get deregulation, tariff wins, and tax cuts, it’s off to the races." —Stuart Varney, May 6, 2025 [' ... a balanced budget, and a merit based society, not tolerating criminality would be good too!' —Fritz Cameron]
'The golden age of America begins right now': "In America, the impossible is what we do best." —Donald J. Trump, Presidential inaugural address, January 20, 2025
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." —Walt Disney
["Impossible doesn't actually mean difficult or improbable, impossible is defined as 'violating the laws of nature,' so things that are actually impossible can't ever happen."]
Click on red hilarious video links ...
▶ Baseball: "'Who's on first, What's on second, and I Don't Know's on third.' Why - Left fielder. Because - Center field. Tomorrow - Pitcher. Today - Catcher. I don't give a darn - Short xstop. ... " —Abbott and Costello
▶ The Komodo Dragon Expert: "The Komodo dragon is the world's largest living lizard. It's a ferocious carnivore. It's found on the steep-sloped island of Komodo in the lesser Sunda Chain of the Indonesian Archipelago and the nearby islands of Rinja, Padar, and Flores. ... Where do they come from? ... " —Bob and Ray
▶ Dead Parrot: "I wish to register a complaint. ... Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue ... What's wrong with it? ... I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it! ... " —Monty Python's Flying Circus
▶ "'Went With The Wind.' ... " —Carol Burnett
▶ 'Inflationary Language': " ... We have hidden numbers in the words like 'wonderful,' 'before,' 'create,' 'tenderly.' All these numbers can be inflated and meet the economy, you know, by rising to the occasion. I suggest we add one to each of these numbers to be prepared. For example 'wonderful; would be 'two-derful.' Before would be Be-five. Create, cre-nine. Tenderly should be eleven-derly. A Leiutenant would be a Leiut-eleven-ant. A sentence like, 'I ate a tenderloin with my fork' would be 'I nine an elevenderloin with my five-k.' And so on and so fifth. ... " [Complete transcript] —Victor Borge
▶ Olympia Restaurant: "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger! No Coke, Pepsi! Chips!" —'Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!,' 1978
>▶ "The Copper Clapper Caper" —Johnny Carson and Jack Webb, May 14, 1992
▶ "Two Monkeys Were Paid Unequally" —Excerpt from Frans de Waal's TED Talk
"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun." —Katharine Hepburn
"Dance as though no one is watching you; love as though you have never been hurt before, sing as though no one can hear you, live as though heaven is on earth." —Alfred Souza
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain." —Emily Dickinson
"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." —Bill Wilson
"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves." —Albert Einstein
🖖 "Live Long and Prosper. [Vulcan language phrase 'dif-tor heh smusma.']" —Star Trek Science Officer Mr. Spock
[The (lesser known) response is "Peace and long life."]
"There are 10 kinds of people, those who read binary and those who don't." —Unknown
"There's no place like 127.0.0.1 !!!" —robpoe
The smart, lazy kind: "Many years ago and far away, an employer wanted to compare VAX vs IBM run times. They developed some code to do a bunch of math and then printed out how long it took. IBM took 30 seconds; VAX took 0.001 seconds. They were astounded. Turns out, the compiler figured out that if you aren't going to use the result, it would optimize away the calculation." —TomatoTomahto
"If you want a much higher level computer programming language, try APL, by Kenneth E. Iverson, winner of the Turing Award in 1979." —Try using APL here (live software online) [Yes, it's worth the time to learn APL's powerful notation!]
"This computer screams." ——>Wow!
MacBook Pro 16": "Best speakers on a laptop. ... my favorite speakers on any laptop ... best-in-class speakers ... six-speaker sound system." —Tom's Hardware, 2023
["Amazing music stereo – best I've ever heard! Having an orchestra on your lap – can hear the distinct location of each note. Hate that the wildly overpriced soldered-in-place memory and (limited lifetime) internal SSD can't be upgraded, replaced, or swapped out. So backup procedures better be perfect, as all your data disappears completely forever whenever a motherboard repair becomes necessary, because it's no longer possible when a machine fails to swap the internal drive into a spare laptop to be back up and running in minutes. Boo!!! What were they thinking?? ... And why doesn't APFS verify data and correct errors automatically to prevent bit rot, like the ZFS that we were promised? Upset that Apple decided deliberately to have the file system not protect user data when they had the opportunity." —Cathy Fleming]
In other computer news ... The world has gone completely mad: "Had to download the iPhone app, make a Bluetooth connection, and install the revised firmware update to allow my wife to operate her new TOOTHBRUSH! (I kid you not!)" —Oral-B iO Series 7 Electric Toothbrush, $198.49 [Bet that her toothbrush has more computing power than the IBM 7074 that I used in college.]
"De gustibus non est disputandum ('There is no accounting for taste.')" —Unknown
"Middle age is when you can finally afford the things that a young man could truly enjoy." —Dave Kadolph
"People want the latest model even when the latest model is 65 years old." —Michael C. Johnston
"Ask the man who owns one." —Advertising slogan of Michigan car company, Packard (d. 1958)
"If you had all the money you spent on cameras, you'd spend it on cameras." —Jnny
"In terms of addiction, there is nothing more powerful than men's toys." —Sammy Davis Jr.
[No sexism intended: It's wrong to rewrite quotations of what others said or wrote (and possibly anachronistic), but please mentally substitute "person/people" or the like, whenever you read "man/men" meaning human/humans.]
It Might Not Even Matter How Much Something Costs: "The most expensive asset we own is one we don't use." —Albert Erickson
"Shop your closet first." —E-mail subject line
"One person's trash is another's treasure." —Idiom
"There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.' :'!':" —Greg Lamont
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." —Ferris Bueller
"Time is the ultimate currency." —Borqa45
"Time passes quickly when you're having fun and when you're older.” —Unknown
"Live now; always make now the most precious time. Now will never come again." —Captain Jean-Luc Picard
"At some point you are trading time you will never get back for money you will never spend.“ | “How do you want to spend the best remaining year of your life?" —Wannaretireearly
"Everything that exists in your life, does so because of two things: something you did or something you didn't do." —Albert Einstein
'Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart': "I wasted my life. I'm not kidding. I should have done something that simply earned money effectively, and then pursued my interests as hobbies on the side." —Michael C. Johnston
"So you're saying it's wrong to park on the driveway and drive on the parkway?" —marter
"Letting cooler heads prevail." —Idiom
"Doppelgangers don't just look alike, they act alike and share DNA." —Matt Growcoot, September 1, 2022
Online shopping: "They don't send you what you ordered, they send you what they have [in stock]." —Donna
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." —Abraham Lincoln
"I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me." —Joshua Graham
"I need someone who sees the fire in my eyes and wants to play with it." —Anonymous
"A government is like fire, a handy servant, but a dangerous master." —George Washington
"Tact is the art of building a fire under people without making their blood boil." —Franklin P. Jones
"You can observe a lot by just watching." —Yogi Berra
"I never said half the things I said." —Yogi Berra
"You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family." —NCIS S3:E14
"A dyslexic man walks into a bra." —from an acquaintance in Los Angeles
"A dyslexic who is extremely nervous should eat calm chowder." —Anonymous
"The man who can keep a secret may be wise, but he is not half as wise as the man who has no secrets to keep." —Edgar Watson Howe
"I'd hate for your ego to write a check your body can't cash." —Movie: 'Top Gun'
"[Caroline seeking confidential information ...] Marisa: Can you keep a secret?
Caroline: Yes of course.
[Marisa declining to leak the secret ...] Marisa: Good. So can I." —Movie: 'Maid in Manhattan'
Know the Emergency Hand Signal asking for help: "Raised hand with palm forward and tuck thumb into palm, then curl four fingers around thumb." —signalforhelp.net
● Improved Health Savings Accounts with variable deductible resulting in an accelerating decline in health insurance premiums: "The fundamental idea is that the amount of the deductible of a linked health insurance policy varies and is equal to the current health savings account balance, with changing monthly insurance premiums automatically paid from the account. This self-insurance approach with linked major medical backup maximizes cost consciousness while providing 100% coverage. ... As account balances become larger, self-insurance increases, cost consciousness increases, health insurance premiums dramatically decrease, investment earnings cover the costs of medical care, and monthly contributions can decrease. ... " [MORE] —Solution to Health Care Reform
"Laissez Faire, laissez passer." —Francois Quesnay, French Physiocrat
"Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions." —John Locke
Freedom from Great Britain: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." —Resolution submitted by delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, adopted by the Continental Congress, July 2, 1776
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government ··· " —Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 [Attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine]
■ " ... We are a unique country in many ways and we are the only country – the only country in the world – not based, organized based on geography or ethnicity or religion or race or anything else, but based on an idea. The only country in the world based on an idea that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all women and men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Sounds corny but it's the truth of who we are. We've never lived up to it but we've never walked away from it. And the rest of the world looks to us because ... we lead not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example ... We are the essential nation ... the organizing principal around which the rest of the world is moving ... We are in the mist of a fight between democracies and oligarchs ... we are at an inflection point ... The question is who will prevail – are democracies going to prevail ... or autocracies going to prevail. That's what's at stake ... " —President Joe Biden, Rzeszow, Poland, March 25, 2022
"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; 
but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated." —Thomas Paine, 'The Crisis'
"Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: 'We the People.' 'We the People' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. 'We the People' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the People' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the People' are free."
—President Ronald Reagan's Farewell Address to the Nation, January 11, 1989, Washington D.C.
"The course of history shows that as government grows, liberty decreases." —Thomas Jefferson
🇺🇸 "Seven core principles of the nation:
● Individual Freedom
● Limited Government
● The Rule of Law
● Peace Through Strength
● Fiscal Responsibility
● Free Markets
● Human Dignity."
—Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. House of Representatives, Capitol Hill, January 3, 2025
Gadsden flag, 1775 – Most popular symbol of the American revolution:
"DONT TREAD ON ME" —Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army
"Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God." —George Washington
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." —John Adams, 2nd U.S. President
Enough is enough: "250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party!" —December 16, 1773 tax revolt·
🇺🇸 " ... O! say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave, | O'er the Land of the free and the home of the brave? ... " —'The Star-Spangled Banner' the national anthem of the United States, lyrics by Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814
🇺🇸 " ... God bless America, land that I love | Stand beside her and guide her | Through the night with the light from above ... " — Song lyrics by Irving Berlin, 1918, revised 1938
🇺🇸 "And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won't forget the men who died. Who gave that right to me. ... " —Lee Greenwood’s song 'God Bless the USA'
['Endowed by their Creator': "A wonderfully patriotic song, but a 50% tax rate is only half-free, and it's inconsistent with America's founding principles as expressed in the Declaration of Independence to imply that deceased soldiers 'gave' us our unalienable rights that they may have died defending." —Barbara Williams]
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." —Benjamin Franklin
"The main difference between liberty and freedom is that liberty is the state of being free from oppressive restrictions or control imposed by authority on one's way of life, behaviour, or political views, while freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants." —Hasa
Life, Liberty, and Property: "Every Man has a Property in his own Person. This no Body has any Right to but himself. The Labour of his Body, and the Work of his Hands, we may say, are properly his." —John Locke
"Property rights and personal rights are the same thing." —President Calvin Coolidge
"Government has no other end, but the preservation of property." —John Locke
"Now what liberty can there be where property is taken without consent?" —Samuel Adams, Founding Father and leader of the Boston Tea Party
Volition: "Property consists of one's life and all of its non-procreative derivatives. Freedom is the societal condition that exists when every individual has full (100%) control over his own property." —Andrew J. Galambos
"Independence now and forever!" —Daniel Webster
"Give me liberty or give me death." —Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." —President George Washington
Forced equality of outcome: "Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free." —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty." —Louis D. Brandeis
"Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself." —John Locke, 'Second Treatise of Government'
Separation of powers: "When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner." —Montesquieu
["In reaction to tyranny under monarchy, the U.S. Constitution brilliantly creates, as an agreement among the states, a new form of government ('we don't need a king') with limited enumerated powers and having separation of powers into eight parts, with a bicameral legislature, executive [elected by The Electoral College], and judiciary providing checks and balances among both federal and state levels, and to prevent a 'tyranny of the majority'." —Barbara Martin]
"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands ... may justly be the pronounced the very definition of tyranny." —James Madison
"Unless the people through unified action arise and take charge of their government, they will find that their government has taken charge of them." —Calvin Coolidge
Gratitude changes everything: "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
" ... The slings and arrows of outragious fortune ... " —William Shakespeare, ‘Hamlet’ soliloquy
Happiness: "Three things provide long-lasting satisfaction, as quantitatively measured by academic psychologists: autonomy, meaningful contact with others, and the development and exercise of competence." —William J. Bernstein, M.D., Ph.D.
[i.e., seek happiness in autonomy, connectedness, and competence ('internal rewards') in preference to the transient satisfaction of fame, fortune, and power ('external rewards').]
["So, this explains why socialism is so miserable because it usurps individual autonomy (both personal and financial), subsitutes government force for voluntary meaningful contacts with others, and largely regulates competence out of existence (because central planning eliminates the necessary knowledge of individual preferences, decisions, and skills that a market economy provides when people constantly interact while voting with their dollars)." —Fred Michaels]
"Happiness is a warm puppy." —Charles M. Schulz
["17,897 Peanuts comic strips were published over a half century, making it the longest story ever told by one human being."]
"Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product." —Eleanor Roosevelt
'Act happy!': "Happiness is a moral obligation. ... (or at least to act as happy as possible). ... Happineſs is a virtue, not just an emotion. ... The purſuit of happineſs is morally equivalent to the pursuit of goodness, kindness, and integrity. ... Gratitude is the mother of goodness and happiness. ... Your feelings are secondary to your behavior. ... There is almost no correlation between disposition and suffering. ... 'Happy wife, happy life.' ... 'Happy spouse, happy house.'" —Dennis Prager
Four Habits of the Happiest People: "1. Practice self-kindness; 2. Learn to be grateful; 3. Forgive others; and, 4. Slow things down (exercise patience)." —Marcel Schwantes, 'INC.'
"You can't be good, and you can't be happy if you're not grateful." —Dennis Prager
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." —Attributed to Abraham Lincoln
Joy — The power of enthusiasm: "If nothing is horrific, life is terrific." —Dennis Prager, 'Happiness'
"Fake it till you make it." —Wisdom from 12 step program
"All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain, but it's truer to say that complaining leads to people becoming unhappy." —Dennis Prager
Optimism or pessimism: "I have observed that not the man who hopes when others despair, but the man who despairs when others hope, is admired by a large class of persons as a sage." —John Stuart Mill, 1828
"Resentments are like drinking poison and hoping someone else dies." —Dennis Prager, quoting from 12 step program wisdom
"Don't wait for miracles, your whole life is a miracle." —Albert Einstein
Stuart Varney‘s flying rules:
"(1) Take the first flight out;
(2) Never check baggage; and,
(3) Make sure you get a direct flight."
"My best advice to young people is to travel while you can and make joyful memories that will last you a lifetime! (... and take a few terrific photos of where you've been, including your loved ones in the pictures*, to help you remember.)" —Dad
[*Mostly pictures without wearing sunglasses!]
"Remember to make memories with your loved ones – have stories to tell, not stuff to show." —Tammy Ely
"Most experiences are better imagined." —'Random Poster'
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ... " —Charles Dickens' novel, 'A Tale of Two Cities,' opening paragraph
"'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings' " —Lewis Carroll – The Walrus and The Carpenter in "Through the Looking-Glass"
"Photography is my one recreation and I think it should be done well." —Charles Lutwidge Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll
[For a beautiful book of Central Pacific Railroad stereographs, see 'Waiting for the Cars.']
'What's Your Photography Joy Point?': "I see five basic joy points in pursuing photography. By 'joy point' I mean the aspect that gives you the most satisfaction with being a hobbyist or professional involved in photography.
Buying/Collecting; Learning; Photographing; Post Processing; Presenting/Viewing." [MORE]
—Thom Hogan
"Pictures are not incidental frills to a text; they are essences of our distinctive way of knowing." —Stephen J. Gould
"The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words." —Elliott Erwitt
Always bring a camera: "Never say you’re going back—SHOOT IT NOW!" —Jay Maisel
The Leica Look: "A statistically unusually high number of the most famous images of the 20th century were taken with Leica M cameras." —Irakly Shanidze
'Time for my old Leica [M] joke':
Q: "How do the locals count to ten in the city of Wetzlar?"
A: "3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 4.2, 6, 7, 8, 8.2, 9, 240, 10." —Søren Engelbrecht
Photographic categories: "Advertising, Architecture, Close up/Macro, Concert, Event, Family/Friends, Fashion, Fine Art, Food, Glamour, Healthcare/Medical, Interiors, Landscape, Model, Myself/Self Portrait, Nature, Night, People, Party, Pets, Portrait, Press/Journalism, Sports, Still Life, Street/Urban, Studio, Travel, Underwater, Wedding, Wildlife" —Nikon
Keep shooting – your best photos are ahead: "The hallmark of a great photographer is one who never stops learning and experimenting. Re-ignite that creative spark with a new-to-you lens, challenge yourself with film photography, or read up on the latest tips and tricks on our blog. But whatever you do, just keep shooting." —KEH
"Owning more than one lens assures you that you will always have the wrong lens on the camera for any given picture." —Ted Orland, 'Photographic Truths'
"Never sell a good lens!" —Michael C. Johnston
'Lensoholic?': "Once you have more than about five lenses you are a collector." —Tom Caldwell
"I put my camera on in the morning and take it off in the evening, like my shirt." —David Vestal
"The best lenses on Earth are those closest to clear windows into the imagination ... " —Robert/MrHollywood
"The best lens is the one you have with you." —@LensFever
"You can't catch a fish without having your line in the water, and you won't take good pictures without your camera in your hand. Photography is comforting that way. Spend the time, and you’ll get results." —Key Thoughts and The Zen of Fishing
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but more than one photog has noticed perfectly corrected lenses producing perfectly boring photos." —Steve Huff
Q. "Where I live is relatively boring, so I'm not finding things to take photos of. What should I do?"
A. "Welcome to existentialism. You should be asking Kierkegaard, not me." —Thom Hogan, September 4, 2023
"I prefer and own Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses." —airfrogusmc
"Summilux f/1.4; Summicron f/2; Elmarit f/2.8; Telyt f/3.4 or f/4" —Leica lens terminology
'The most boring strategy': "Use my existing gear until it needs to be replaced." —JasonTheBirder
Overachiever: "Kathleen Mary Lindsay, who you've probably never heard of unless you enjoy The Guinness Book of World Records, wrote 904 books under 11 pseudonyms ['including Mary Faulkner, Margaret Cameron, Mary Richmond, Molly Waring, Betty Manvers, Elizabeth Fenton, Nigel Mackenzie and Hugh Desmond']." —Michael C. Johnston
"Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov ... owned six IBM Selectric electric typewriters, for redundancy ... . He wrote or edited more than 500 books in his lifetime, not to mention an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards." —Mike Johnston
"I would not join any club that would have someone like me for a member." —Julius 'Groucho' Marx
"Don't be so humble — you're not that great!" —Groucho Marx
• Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
• Selfish shellfish.
• Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
• She sells seashells by the seashore.
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
• Which witch is which?
• I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
• If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing.
“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.“ —Sir Winston Churchill
“If you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.” —Lady Nancy Astor
“If I were your husband, I'd drink it.” —Sir Winston Churchill
“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.“ —Billy Wilder
“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I’m afraid this wasn’t it.“ —Groucho Marx
“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?“ —Mark Twain
“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new place; bring a friend, if you have one.“ —George Bernard Shaw
“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ... if there is one.“ —Sir Winston Churchill
(Stuart Varney’s classic putdowns)
"Everything I write is a personal opinion. Even when I quote facts, they are the facts I personally choose to accept." —Mario Giannini
"When the facts change, I change my mind – what do you do, sir?" —John Maynard Keynes
"Nourish your enthusiasm." —Ansel Adams
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." —Allen Saunders, famously quoted by John Lennon
"We plan. G-d laughs." —an old Yiddish proverb
"You control the plan, not the outcome." —DireStraits
"A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused." —Shirley Maclaine
TRIGGER WARNING: Science, Theology, Cosmology
"The more I study science, the more I believe in God." —Albert Einstein E = mc2
"I believe in God, only I spell it Nature." —Frank Lloyd Wright
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." —Anonymous (Attributed to Albert Einstein in 1942 by geographer Gilbert Fowler White)
Is this what makes the creation of the universe possible?: "Negative gravitational energy exactly cancels the positive energy represented by the matter. So the total energy of the universe is zero." —Stephen Hawking, 'The Theory of Everything' [So actually, "Much Ado About Nothing." —William Shakespeare]
The universe ends by evaporating excruciatingly slowly???: "Black holes evaporate — now physicists think everything else does, too. Particle by particle, all matter may eventually disappear ... " —Adam Mann, 'Scientific American', June 22, 2023
What did Emmy Noether reveal about the Universe?: "Noether’s theorem states that every symmetry in the universe (like invariance to translation [conservation of momentum], rotation [angular momentum conservation], or change in time [conservation of energy (but only if the universe wasn’t expanding which is accelerating, so actually energy is not conserved because dark energy is being created by the expansion)], but not acceleration) implies a conservation law and every conservation law implies a symmetry. (For example, the wave function of an electron which includes an imaginary component that disappears when squared as happens when a measurement is taken, requires that there be photons, and weird internal electron angular symmetry implies conservation of electric charge.)" —Daniel and Kellys Extraordinary Universe
'Religiousness ... wonder and stand rapt in awe': "Behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly." —Albert Einstein, 'Mosaic'
'Why Does the Universe Exist'???: " ... the universe is fundamentally computational. ... just a representation of the (entangled and computationally irreducible) inevitable consequences of following all possible formal rules. ... the existence of the universe is ultimately a consequence of the fact that all possible formal systems exist as a matter of abstract necessity. ... " [More] —Stephen Wolfram, 2021
"The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." —Misattributed to Albert Einstein
"Coincidence is God‘s way of remaining anonymous." —Misattributed to Albert Einstein
Q. "Does a hard drive weigh more when it’s full?"
A. "[Yes, compared with an unformatted magnetic hard drive, with e=c2m by] approximately 10-14 g for a 1TB hard drive." —David Zaslavsky
Serendipity?: "I took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference." —Robert Frost
"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." —Brian Littrell
"For fast acting relief, try slowing down." —Lily Tomlin
"The wise make proverbs, and fools repeat them." —Isaac D'Israeli
"Who can explain it? Who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, wise men never try." —Rodgers & Hammerstein, 'South Pacific' (Lyrics to 'Some Enchanted Evening')
"At the time you were born, you were briefly the youngest person in the entire world." —BuzzFeed
["So you start with a world's record, and it goes downhill from there?"]
Eligible for Social Security at age 65?: "Barbara Millicent Roberts (b. March 9, 1959) is a doll." —Ruth Handler/Mattel
"I was born with nothing and I have most of it left." —Anonymous
Sillygism: "Stale crackers are better than nothing; Nothing is better than a meal at a fancy 5-star restaurant; Therefore, stale crackers are better than a meal at a fancy 5-star restaurant." —Bill Brassfield
Extremely Common Mistakes:
WRONG: "You have a large amount of friends." [Correction: Large NUMBER, not large AMOUNT.]
WRONG – illogical: "You're better at it than anyone I know." [Correction: Anyone ELSE.]
WRONG: "graduating high school" [Correction: graduating FROM high school.]
WRONG: "Most unique" [Unique means the only one.]
'DON'T BE A LOOSER': "'Loose' is the opposite of 'tight' and 'lose' is the opposite of 'win'."
—Pet peeves
"The best things in life are free." —Frank Sinatra
"'Tada hodo kowai mono wa nai' ('Nothing is more risky than something that is free.')" —Japanese saying
"Don't make the waffle batter until you have plugged in the waffle iron." —Donna
"Don't ever leave the kitchen while any burners on the stove are on." —Fire Department
"When making the Thanksgiving turkey, remember to turn on the same oven that the turkey is in." —Don't ask
"A new study suggests that consuming chocolate may increase your chances of grabbing the prestigious [Nobel] prize." —Cum hoc ergo propter hoc
TRIGGER WARNING: Dinosaurs
Dinosaur predecessors to birds:
Pterodactyl [The elongated finger makes this pterosaur's wing.]
Archaeopteryx [The arm and hand makes this pterosaur's wing.]
"There are 10,000 living species [of birds, but] only about 4,000 mammals, so [it is] still the age of dinosaurs." —Jacques Gauthier, Nova
??: "Mammoths went extinct 1,000 years after the Egyptians finished building the Great Pyramid." —BuzzFeed
Gooneybird: "While albatrosses may go years before returning to their island (usually to mate), they do touch and land on the water's surface out at sea." —Reuters Fact Check
Biomass: "Despite being vast, the oceans are home to just 1% of life – but the majority [78%] of animals [and only 0.2% of plants]. ... the viruses that live in the sea: while each one of them is tiny, if we placed all the viruses end-to-end they would stretch for 10 million light years. That is around 100 times the distance across our own galaxy." —Our World in Data
TRIGGER WARNING: Incomprehensibly large numbers
"20,000,000,000,000,000 [twenty quadrillion; 2 x 1016] ants are crawling around Earth, researchers find, weighing more in total than all [wild] birds and mammals combined." —Sophie Lewis, September 20, 2022
'Biden‘s big number': "Over a billion three hundred million trillion three hundred million dollars." —Joe Biden, Las Vegas, December 8, 2023 [ ... and lets not even mention the national debt!]
"A googol [10100] is a 1 with 100 zeros, and a googolplex [10^(10^(100))] is a 1 with a googol zeros [more than the number of fundamental particles in the visible universe]." —PrepScholar
"We have no paupers ... The great mass of our [United States] population is of laborers; our rich, who can live without labor, either manual or professional, being few, and of moderate wealth. Most of the laboring class possess property, cultivate their own lands, have families, and from the demand for their labor are enabled to exact from the rich and the competent such prices as enable them to be fed abundantly, clothed above mere decency, to labor moderately and raise their families. ... Can any condition of society be more desirable than this?" —Thomas Jefferson, 1814
"A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity." —George Bernard Shaw
'A billion daily just in the U.S.': "The world now contains more photographs than bricks." —John Szarkowski, Curator of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, 1976
"Every two minutes, we take more pictures than all of humanity did in the 19th century." —BuzzFeed, October 11, 2023
"Photographers fade faster than photographs." —Ted Orland, 'Photographic Truths'
How many places have you ever lived?: "I didn't deliberately collect pictures of all the places I lived as I moved through life ... I wish I'd been more careful and conscientious about documenting my own life and the people in it." —Michael C. Johnston
"The quickest way to make money at photography is to sell your camera." —Anonymous
"I've been called worse things by better people." —Pierre Trudeau
"I get no respect. The way my luck is running, if I was a politician I would be honest." —Rodney Dangerfield
"When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them." —Rodney Dangerfield
"When I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both ways." —Idiom
"The advice I would give to someone is to not take anyone's advice." —Eddie Murphy
"There is no art which one government sooner learns of another than that of draining money from the pockets of the people." —Adam Smith, 'Wealth of Nations,' 1776
"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." —Oscar Wilde, 'Lady Windermere's Fan' (1892) Act III
TRIGGER WARNING: Political
"The government does not add value to the economy. It removes value from the economy by imposing taxes on one citizen and providing cash to another." —Mark Levin
"In economics, the word 'waste' has a very precise meaning. It’s not in the eyes of the beholder. Instead, waste exists if there is a change that in principle could make everyone better off." —John Goodman
'Power's Playbook': "Cause the problem for which you are the solution." [More] —Max Borders
"It's the economy, stupid." —James Carville, strategist in Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign
'Perfecting the world': "I want the world to be better because I was here." —Will Smith
"He suggested that when you look at people who are good at what they do, they have an extraordinary sense of concentration while they're doing it." —David Hurn
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." —Leo Tolstoy
"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind." —Aristotle
"Who says nothing is impossible? I've been doing nothing for years." —Henny Youngman
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." —Bertrand Russell
Having a crummy day?: "Your entire experience of the world and your life is completely governed by your thoughts. So if you change your thoughts, everything else gets magically better ... come up with better thoughts that are actually believable. ... It's not worth ruining your day and getting your blood pressure up ... [but] easier said than done." —Wisdom
"Lost time is never found again." —Benjamin Franklin
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." —C. Northcote Parkinson
"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." —The Spectator, 1711
"Everytime I ask what time it is, I get a different answer." —Henny Youngman
"A prevalent Israeli joke is that it took the Hebrews no less than 40 years of wandering in the desert to find the only place in the Middle East without oil." —Yitzhak Shamir
"A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost." —Unknown
"When it comes to work, there are many who will stop at nothing." —Henny Youngman
"I wish my brother would learn a trade, so I would know what kind of work he's out of." —Henny Youngman
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." —Robert Frost
"Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence, neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish, it is an imponderably valuable gift." —Maya Angelou
"I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth." —Publius Ovidius Naso (The Roman poet 'Ovid', b. March 20, 43 BCE), 'Metamorphoses'
"While the moments do summersaults into eternity | Cling to their coattails and beg them to stay" —Townes Van Zandt
"If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go." —Mark Twain
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants." —Sir Isaac Newton in a letter to Robert Hooke, February 15, 1676
"Thoroughly conscious ignorance is the prelude to every real advance in science." —James Clerk Maxwell
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." —Albert Einstein
"Don't believe everything you think." —Unknown
'Your memory profoundly influences what you see': "Reality and imagination are completely intermixed in our brain which means that the separation between our inner world and the outside world is not as clear as we might like to think. If our imagination is vivid enough, we will think it is real and we use our imagination to create our perception of reality ... " —Nadine Dijkstra
["Our brain is creating the emergent property of consciousness by running in neural wetware, a constantly updating memory plus sensory driven predictive simulation of our environment including ourselves. [i.e., the 'story' of reality is constructed]" —J. Gаrrideb]
"What is written here is false." —Eubulides, 4th century BCE, Liar (pseudomenos) paradox
"What if there were no hypothetical questions?" —George Carlin
"I saw a lot of white men almost fight today.
I do not think this is good." —Hin-mah-too-yah-la-kekt (Thunder Rolling Down the Mountains), also known as Chief Joseph, of the Nez Perce Indian tribe, after impassively watching a football game between the Universities of Washington and Nebraska in Seattle in 1903
"When I feel like exercising I just lie down until the feeling goes away." —Robert Maynard Hutchins, who pulled the University of Chicago out of the Big Ten Conference and eliminated the school’s football program
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." —S.G. Tallentyre, The Friends of Voltaire
"Truth is treason in an empire of lies." —Ron Paul
Dental Advice: "When you get your first dental crown, make sure to pick the color carefully, as to how white you want your teeth to be (likely whiter than your unbleached teeth), as many thousands of dollars later, all of your teeth are eventually going to be matched to the color of that first crown." —Tooth Fairy
Did you know!: "By replacing your potato chips with grapefruit as a snack you can lose up to 90% of what little joy you still have left in your life." —Anonymous
Billion dollar idea: "A smoke detector that shuts off when you yell, 'I'm just cooking!'" —Anonymous
"When you're in a hole, stop digging." —Denis Healey
"The instructions tell you what to do." —At the front of the Scholastic Aptitude Test examination booklet
"A projected 857 percent [sic] reduction in energy used for U.S. residential lighting by 2040." —National Geographic innumerate environmental department of the impossible
"Never make forecasts, especially about the future." —Samuel Goldwyn
"The hell with the past — I'd like to put the future behind us." —New Yorker cartoon
🐕 "Military dogs always hold a higher rank than their handlers." —Eric Milzarski, February 12, 2018
"Edward Steichen owned a three legged dog, which he named Tripod." —Ted Orland
"If you want a better lens, get a tripod." —My mentor in college
"I think it is really a variable-weight tripod: the farther you carry it, the heavier it gets." —Stephen S. Mack
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." —Winston Churchill, November, 1942
"There is nothing that does so much harm as good intentions." —Milton Friedman
"The welfare state has always been judged by its good intentions, rather than its bad results." —Thomas Sowell
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." —aphorism
"Be kind, because everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." —Gloria Vanderbilt
"Vivian: The stores are not nice to people – I don't like it.
Edward: Stores are never nice to people. They're nice to credit cards." —'Pretty Woman' [movie]
"Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of." —William A. Arnett
"Film isn't dead. It just smells funny." —Lars Vinberg
"He's got a photographic mind. Too bad it never developed." —Leopold Fechtner
"May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live." —Irish Blessing
"Invest we must." —Jack Bogle, Founder of Vanguard Investments
"Stocks for the Long Run." —Jeremy Siegel, the Russell E. Palmer Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
They mocked our 1998 'Dow 36,000' book and prediction (that has proven to have been correct): "We said 'if you're in for the long-haul buy equities and it will work out OK.' And then people just went nuts! The reason is ... they're pushing a socialist agenda that is defeated if everybody participates in equity markets." —Kevin Hassett, Former Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers, September 10, 2021
Bear Market Musings: "Contrary to what most people believe, low prices create the expectation of higher future returns. Thus ... higher bond yields and lower stock prices make the return outlook ... more attractive than it was ... " —George Sista, October, 2022
"One of the funny things about the stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute." —William Feather
"The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up every morning and say, I can do whatever I want today. If there is a common denominator in happiness, a universal fuel of joy, it's that people want to control their lives. The ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, is priceless. It is the highest dividend money pays." —Morgan Housel, 'The Psychology of Money'
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." —Parable
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. ... " —Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Self-Reliance,' 1841
"I have always been of opinion that consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. ... " —Oscar Wilde, 'The Relation of Dress to Art: A Note in Black and White on Mr. Whistler's Lecture,' Pall Mall Gazette, February 28, 1885
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." —Mark Twain
"The road to success is always under construction." —Lily Tomlin
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. ... " —'Ode to a Mouse,' a famous poem from the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns ("The poem is about a farmer who inadvertently plows over the carefully constructed nest of a field mouse, destroying its home.")
"If you can have any superpower, luck is the one you want." —Elon Musk, at his first SpaceX astronaut lauch
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." —Lucius Annaeus Seneca
"If you want your children to succeed, let them fail early and often." —Head of psychiatry at a children's hospital
Fuel for healthy souls: "We all need certain inputs if we're to be deeply healthy ... for children this is even more important ... Truth, goodness, beauty, wholeness and internal harmony, aliveness rather than mechanization, uniqueness not uniformity, completeness, simplicity, richness, playfulness, self-sufficiency, meaningfulness, human interaction." —Paul Rosenberg
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." —paraphrasing Clare Boothe Luce, and falsely attributed to Leonardo da Vinci
"From today, painting is dead." —Paul Delacroix, c. 1839, on seeing his first daguerreotype
"I suddenly understood that photography can fix eternity in a moment." —Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Momma don't take my Kodachrome away!" —Paul Simon
"There are more ways to screw up a large format [8" x 10" film camera] image than the average cell phone photographer can possibly conceive." —CopCarSS
"I once asked Ansel Adams what kind of camera he used, and he replied, 'the biggest one I can carry!' Which was his standard answer." —Michael C. Johnston
How to Choose a 4" x 5" film Camera: " ... And if you find you're not using it, then set it up in the corner of the living room as a conversation piece! Like a racehorse put out to pasture. They're pretty things, and exotic to normal citizens. Instead of actually using it, you can explain to your friends how to use it, and let them get under the dark cloth and look at the image on the ground glass. It's all good." —Michael C. Johnston
Wishing you: "Good light and good negs." —Photographer Brett Weston (1911–1993), used to sign his letters
"We have a mixed marriage. She has a Leica, and I a Nikon." —Compromise
"Not only is Reno, Nevada, west of Los Angeles, but so are six state capitols." —BuzzFeed
[ ... and Machu Picchu in Peru is east of Miami, Florida.]
Mulholland Drive, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California – Panorama of the San Fernando Valley, c. 1975
"There is no there there." —Gertrude Stein
"Buying a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer. It makes you a Nikon owner!" —M. David Farrell, Jr.
Camera brand agnosticism: "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter." —David Hume Kennerly, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist and former White House photographer for President Gerald R. Ford, in the early 1980's, when Michael C. Johnston asked him what camera he used
"A camera is a tool, not a jewel." —Anonymous
"Buy the best camera you can afford and will carry. Buy only the lenses you will carry and use most of the time. Use this kit as long as possible." —Thom Hogan after Michael C. Johnston
"Modern cameras are recording the randomness of photons quite well, and randomness of photons is by far the primary source of noise in an image when you look closely. ... What's limiting image sensors today is essentially quantum efficiency. ... collect light over the same area (sensor size) and output the result to the same area (print size) and the differences between two cameras (almost completely) disappear." —Thom Hogan, January 24, 2022
"For those who already have an interchangeable lens camera system: don't switch brands. Seriously." —Thom Hogan
"Last Camera Syndrome refers to a user who is satisfied with their current camera and not likely to buy another body. Unless their current camera breaks, they aren't in the buying market any more." —Thom Hogan
"Alternately, wait for The Perfect Camera to be announced. That way, you have the cost savings of never buying anything." —justmeMN
"This summer I decided to be honest with myself and recognise that I was simply no longer using my DSLR and lenses. ... they never left the hotel room; I used the iPhone instead. So during the summer I sold all my photo equipment ... " —Tom Burke
"iPhone is the most advanced consumer product ever created in all of humanity's history, replacing and improving on innumerable things like cameras, telephones, record players, wristwatch chronometers, printed books, road maps and atlases, clocks, CD [Compact Disks] and SACD [Super Audio Compact Disc] players, AM, FM and shortwave radios, GPS navigation systems, flashlights, thermometers, calendars, bibles, cassette recorders, barometers and weather stations, stopwatches, camcorders, and, well, you get the idea." —Ken Rockwell
"Better to be a nerd than one of the herd." —Michael C. Johnston
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." —Robert Capa, photojournalist
... "but [Capa] also died [from] being too close [to] a landmine. So please be careful." —Pascal Méheut
Oculus Dei "Eye of God": "If a camera has a soul, you will find it in the lens." —PaulC
"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants." —Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography." —George Eastman
"My first thought is always of light." —Galen Rowell
Q. "Where do bad rainbows go?"
A. "To prism. It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect." —Joke
"Only Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun." —Rudyard Kipling
"I'm waiting for the day when my children ask 'What did you do in the analog-digital war, Daddy?'" —Colin B
"There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant." —Emerson
"A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it." —Albert Einstein
"The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"It's not really a problem if you have the money to fix it." —vg55’s beloved father in law
"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are." —Niccolò Machiavelli, 'The Prince'
"Act in haste, repent at leisure." —Proverb
"In-laws and outlaws." —FreddieFIRE
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." —United States Postal Service creed
"Fool Me Once, Shame On You; Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me." —Proverb
"In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Software and cathedrals are much the same – first we build them, then we pray." —Sam Redwine
"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." —Weinberg's Second Law
"I don't want to buy any more things that I have to learn." —Ilene Wexler
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." —Salvador Dalí
Design heuristics: "An error message indicates a flawed design. Improve and simplify the design so that the error cannot ever occur. Every possible action should yield a meaningful result. Complexity provides a combinatoric nightmare of opportunities for coding errors to be hidden in obscurity. With sufficient simplification, every possible action and all of the limited number of software pathways will get used often enough that all the possible bugs will get quickly revealed, and can be eliminated. The designer must take responsibility because users commonly blame themselves for what is actually bad design, and so fail to report problems." —DrDr
"Complexity is easy. Simplicity is hard." —Edmund Kean
"Simple almost always beats complex." —Morgan Housel
"There are two methods in software design. One is to make the program so simple, there are obviously no errors. The other is to make it so complicated, there are no obvious errors." —Tony Hoare
Q. "When did the Internet become available to the public?"
A. "April 30, 1993." —Varney & Co. Trivia
"The Sound of dial-up Internet." [Click] —YouTube
World wide web inventor, "Sir Tim Berners-Lee['s] ... parents ... met while building the Ferranti Mk 1, the world's first commercially available computer ... " —Iain Thomson
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." —John Ruskin
"News is what hardly ever happens. If it happened often, it wouldn't be news." —Anonymous
[Exception: Murder and mayhem on the nightly local 6 & 11 o'clock TV news.]
National defense: "F-16 fighter pilot recalls [her] suicide mission on 9/11 to stop hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 from crashing into the terrorists' target, the White House or Congress [by means of an intentional midair collision between her unarmed fighter jet and the Boeing 757-222 with 44 passengers and crew]." —Amazing heroism of U.S. Air Force Lieutenant (later Major) Heather 'Lucky' Penney, subsequently Director of US Air Force Systems at Lockheed Martin, born on an Air Force base [ ... and she didn't know whether or not her father was the pilot of UA93 that day!]
"We can do Good, Quick and Cheap work. You can have any two but not all three." —Anonymous
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society. ... There is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. ··· " —President John F. Kennedy, April 27, 1961
"A good photograph is one that makes the viewer so aware of the subject that they are unaware of the print." —Kodak
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." —Agent K
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." —Henri Cartier-Bresson
"LIGHTS ALL ASKEW IN THE HEAVENS. Men of Science More or Less Agog Over Results of Eclipse Observations. EINSTEIN THEORY TRIUMPHS." —'The New York Times', Monday, November 10, 1919, headline about Sir Arthur Eddington's experimental confirmation of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity
Einstein's theory of General Relativity
General relativity equation: "Matter tells space-time how to curve (math on the left) and space-time tells matter how to move (physics on the right)." —Robbert Dukgraaf, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ
Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921, F. Schmutzer
"I don't teach my students, I provide the circumstances in which they can learn." —Albert Einstein
Advertisement for tutoring by Albert Einstein
Maxwell's Equations
(Laws of Electromagnetism)
"From a long view of the history of mankind – seen from, say ten thousand years from now – there can be little doubt that the most significant event of the 19th century will be judged as [James Clerk] Maxwell's discovery of the laws of electrodynamics. The American Civil War will pale into provincial insignificance in comparison with this important scientific event of the same decade." —Nobel laureate, Richard Feynman, 'Lectures on Physics', 1963
"The precise formulation of the time-space laws of those [electro-magnetic] fields was the work of [James Clerk] Maxwell. Imagine his feelings when the differential equations he had formulated proved to him that electromagnetic fields spread in the form of polarized waves and with the speed of light! To few men in the world has such an experience been vouchsafed ... it took physicists some decades to grasp the full significance of Maxwell's discovery, so bold was the leap that his genius forced upon the conceptions of his fellow-workers." —Albert Einstein, 1954
"I stand not on the shoulders of Newton, but on the shoulders of James Clerk Maxwell." —Albert Einstein
[Also, your digital camera uses the same three color filter method of color photography invented by James Clerk Maxwell.]
" ... The only desire which I can have is ... to serve my own generation by the will of God, and then fall asleep." —James Clerk Maxwell, in his final days, confiding in a friend and colleague from Cambridge
"Auto-exposure cameras were invented by Albert Einstein, literally. He and his friend Gustav Bucky received the patent in 1936. ['Kodak's first production version worked fundamentally differently'] Practical invention was a hobby for Einstein ... [who had] worked as a patent examiner in Switzerland ... " —Joseph Kashi
"All these fifty years of conscious brooding have brought me no nearer to the answer to the question, 'What are light quanta?' Nowadays every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks he knows it, but he is mistaken." —Albert Einstein, 1954
"It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge of what energy is." —Richard Feynman, 'The Feynman Lectures on Physics', Lecture 4, 1964
"Anyone who claims to understand quantum theory is either lying or crazy." —Attributed to Richard Feynman
"Shall I refuse my dinner because I do not fully understand the process of digestion?" —Oliver Heaviside
The fine-structure constant, α: "There is a most profound and beautiful question associated with the observed coupling constant, e – the amplitude for a real electron to emit or absorb a real photon. 
It is a simple number that has been experimentally determined to be close to 0.08542455. (My physicist friends won't recognize this number, because they like to remember it as the inverse of its square: about 137.03597 with an uncertainty of about 2 in the last decimal place. [But a 'constant' that significantly decreases at higher energy.] It has been a mystery ever since it was discovered more than fifty years ago, and all good theoretical physicists put this number up on their wall and worry about it.) Immediately you would like to know where this number for a coupling comes from: is it related to pi or perhaps to the base of natural logarithms? Nobody knows. It's one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics: a magic number that comes to us with no understanding by humans. You might say the 'hand of God' wrote that number, and 'we don't know how He pushed His pencil.' We know what kind of a dance to do experimentally to measure this number very accurately, but we don't know what kind of dance to do on the computer to make this number come out – without putting it in secretly!" —Richard P. Feynman, 'QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter', 1985
[Coupling Constants:
Strong, αs = 1; Electromagnetic, α = 1/137; Weak, αw = 10-6; Gravity, αg = 10-39.]
"How long is a nanosecond? [Her answer: 11.8 inches at the speed of light in a vacuum, illustrated by handing out pieces of wire of that length.]" [More] —Commodore Grace Hopper, United States Navy
Here's some information that will surely come in handy: "The metal ... experiences alpha decay at such a minute rate that its half-life is more than a billion times the estimated age of the universe." —Bismuth is radioactive!
'How Far Do We Travel in Our Lives?': "Your total absolute lifetime motion through the universe is about 1.5 trillion km through space and about 750 trillion km through time." —Paraphrasing Paul M. Sutter, PhD
"People who can't explain the difference between distance, velocity, and acceleration don't understand the world." —Calculus [Or the difference between the price level, and the inflation rates.]
'Physics ... is for girls?': "Contrary to modern stereotypes, the laws of the natural world used to be considered a fundamental part of young women's education." —Joanna Behrman
Recommended math: "Anyone wanting to be able to have facility in handling any technical subject, whether it be physics or any of the other sciences, engineering, or economics, etc., should try to become sufficiently knowledgeable in math through multiple college level courses, at least to the level of the following courses:
Derivatives of multivariable functions (Kahn Academy) and
Multivariable Calculus (MIT).
These are only examples of courses at this elevated (and difficult) level, but since there are a multitude of courses now available online without charge, anyone with an internet connection with sufficient aptitude and motivation has the opportunity to become highly educated, regardless of their wealth. —Sarah Wilson
["Proficiency with Fourier analysis, convolution, differential equations, matrices, linear algebra, statistics, etc. is incredibly helpful in so many different technical fields."]
Anticipating an educational future with the benefit of AI tutoring: "Average students who were individually tutored [by a human tutor] performed two standard deviations better than they would have in a classroom. That's enough to raise a person’s test scores from the 50th percentile to the 98th." —Klinton Bicknell, et. al., February 5, 2023
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." —Albert Einstein
Q. "What is the difference between a scientist and engineer?"
A. "A scientist has to convince others that he is right; an engineer has to be right." —Len
"When I was a student, I was no Einstein." —Attributed to Albert Einstein
Ten Plagues of Egypt:
" 1. Turning water to blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice or gnats
4. Wild animals or flies
5. Pestilence of livestock
6. Boils
7. Thunderstorm of hail and fire
8. Locusts
9. Three days of darkness
10. Death of the firstborn son"
—Book of Exodus
Ten Commandments:
" 1. I am the LORD thy GOD, who have brought thee out of the land of Mizrayim [Egypt], out of the house of bondage.
2. Thou shalt have no other gods beside me. Thou shalt not make for thyself any carved idol, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy GOD am a jealous GOD, punishing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate me; but showing mercy to thousands of generations of those that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD thy GOD: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day: therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long in the land which the LORD thy GOD gives thee.
6. Thou shalt not murder.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s."
—Jerusalem Bible, Koren Publishers, Jerusalem
"The five ascending levels of intellect are: smart, intelligent, brilliant, genius, simple." —Albert Einstein
"Well, I'm sick and tired of smart guys." —Angry Joe Biden, Luzerne, County, PA, October 24, 2020
"I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone. ... Someone once said that Thomas Jefferson was a gentleman of 32 who could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, and dance the minuet." —President John F. Kennedy at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize winners of the Western Hemisphere
"Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad." —Henry Kissinger
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. " —James Madison
"Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians." —Chester Bowles
"Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny." —Edmund Burke
"Strict law is often great injustice." —Cicero
"Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made." —John Godfrey Saxe, 1869
'Why health policy problems rarely get solved': "All government regulations face a persistent problem. By their very nature they are trying to keep people from acting in their own self-interest. Either they try to keep people from doing what they want to do, or force them to do something they don’t want to do. In a complex system populated by people who are highly entrepreneurial, it won’t be long before you get unanticipated private sector activity that partially undermines the original goal of the regulation. As time passes there will predictably be even more undermining. If the regulation never changes, eventually the private sector may innovate around it completely ... " —John C. Goodman
'Have no plans to change': "I just like to challenge consensus, question my own convictions and stress test my philosophies ... that is what helps me grow ..." —BizarroJerry
"Study Finds ... The Biden adminstration's regulatory burdens have cost almost $10,000 for each American household." —Casey B. Mulligan
"The deadweight cost of government is total spending plus total regulatory burden. That needs to come down." —Grover Norquest, President, Americans for Tax Reform, January 2, 2025
Q. "What's the most terrifying word in nuclear physics?
A. "Oops."
Manhattan Project's first atomic bomb 'Trinity Test' at Los Alamos, New Mexico, 5:29 a.m. MWT on July 16, 1945:
"Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds." —Immediate reaction of lead scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting god Vishnu from Hindu scripture
And who thought that building nuclear reactors without a containment vessel was a good idea?: "The Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded because rules to keep the reactor safe were ignored. Why? Because under communism, the Soviet Union had regulations for everything. But, when everything is endlessly regulated, in order for people to function, they must ignore regulations, but don't know which regulations not to ignore." —Vladimir Agapov
"Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind." —General Douglas MacArthur
Cultural differences: "There can't be a speed limit on the Autobahn because Germans would obey the speed limit, unlike Americans." —Anonymous
"Enforcing bad laws poorly is better than enforcing bad laws uniformly." —Alex Nowrasteh
"All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states, the states created the federal government." —President Ronald Reagan, first inaugural address
'Who Wants to Control Others?': "From plastic straws to the thermostat in your own home, some people want to control every aspect of your life. America was founded to combat this dark side of human nature that seeks power over others, including what you're allowed to say, do, and even think. But liberty is a value, not an instinct. If we don’t continue to uphold our American ideal of freedom, we may end up losing it." —Dennis Prager, Video
'Devastating decision' for overreaching authoritarians: "A clear statement is necessary for a court to conclude that Congress intended to delegate authority 'of this breadth to regulate a fundamental sector of the economy.' ...
the Government must point to 'clear congressional authorization' to regulate ... " —Supreme Court of the United States, West Virginia et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency et al., No. 20–1530, June 30, 2022
["This is about maintaining the separation of powers, not climate change ... And we're not done. My office will continue to fight ... when those in Washington try to go too far in asserting broad powers without the people's support." —West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R)]
'Supreme Court strikes down Chevron [deference], curtailing power of federal agencies': It "remains the responsibility of the court to decide whether the law means what the agency says." —Chief Justice John Roberts, in Loper Bright Enterprises et al. v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, et al., June 28, 2024
"People crushed by laws, have no hope but to evade power. If the laws are their enemies, they will be enemies to the law; and those who have most to hope and nothing to lose will always be dangerous." —Edmund Burke
"It's as though someone, whose tastes you don't share, has come into your home and re-arranged all the furniture." —Review of Microsoft Word 6 menus compared to Word 5.1
Sony A6600 camera menus: "As far as the menus are concerned, if you don't think they're a Gothic horror it means you haven't delved into them far enough. Keep on menu-diving. It's like being lost in an endless and terrifying cave." —Michael C. Johnston
"It is a poor workman who blames his tools." —Proverb
"Maybe one day I'll take a decent picture. In the meantime, I'll blame the equipment." —Joo
"If you don't know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere." —Henry Kissinger
"I feel, therefore I photograph." —grahamp
TRIGGER WARNING: Economics, Taxation
Stolen property: "If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless you return it to its rightful owner in the same year." —IRS Publication 17, §8, Page 76
["The Federal Government could prosecute each professional serial shoplifter, etc., that is ruining their community, but whom local Soros prosecutors refuse to charge, with such an Al Capone tax evasion case." —Frank Wilson]
"My friend told me her and her husband take half of their kids' [Halloween] candy every year.
She said it's never too early to teach them about taxes." —Marisa Varallo
"A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right." —Peter Roberts
"The trick is to stop thinking of it as your money." —IRS auditor
✓ "I want to end the income tax – and replace it with ... nothing." —Sharon Harris
[Repeal the 16th amendment.]
"To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race." —President Calvin Coolidge
"If politicians stopped meddling with things they don't understand, there would be a more drastic reduction in the size of government than anyone in either party advocates." —Thomas Sowell
'Drain the swamp': "Fire the civil servants, sell the buildings, starve them of funds, honor the 10th amendment. Transfer power of healthcare, family policy, education, everything not in the constitution to the states respectively or to the people, as the constitution requires. Close down the unconstitutional federal departments, agencies, and bureaucracies with their armies of interferers and armfuls of regulations. Yes, close it all down, everything except Defense, State, Treasury, and Justice. Abolish the federal income tax, abolish all federal taxes, replace them with an annual levy from each state on the basis of population. Do you think that sounds over-the-top? No! What's extreme is what we've got now, the insane centralization ... " —Steve Hilton, August 21, 2022
✓ "It would be a great improvement if terminating employees included arranging for a replacement job, so the termination notice would include a number of job offers. (And taking into account constraints like where the employee currently lives and whether a need to relocate would split up their family ... ) That sounds like a feasible AI project." —Victor Mann
Following the Supreme Court’s guidance, we’ll reverse a decades long executive power grab: "Most legal edicts aren’t laws enacted by Congress but 'rules and regulations' promulgated by unelected bureaucrats — tens of thousands of them each year. Most government enforcement decisions and discretionary expenditures aren’t made by the democratically elected president or even his political appointees but by millions of unelected, unappointed civil servants within government agencies who view themselves as immune from firing thanks to civil-service protections." —Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, 'The DOGE Plan to Reform Government' WSJ, November 20, 2024
■ The White House ‘Campaign to Cut Waste’: "Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions. And that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about. But what should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody. Waste we should be getting rid of even if we didn't have a deficit. ... We need to go after every dime. We need to make government work for you. ... a renewed effort to hunt down misspent tax dollars in every agency and department of this government. ... " —President Barack Obama, 2011
"We have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." —Thomas Jefferson, 1824
■ "There is an enormous amount of waste, and fraud and abuse in this government." —Senator Bernie Sanders, 2008
■ "If we’re going to eliminate the waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare it does mean that we are going to cut some of that out. We want to cut the bad stuff and keep the good stuff." —Senator Chuck Schumer, 2010
■ "We simply must make the cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare ... We owe it to our country." —Nancy Pelosi, 2010
"In New Zealand, the government was reduced dramatically during the economic reforms of the 1980's and 1990's. The civil service was cut by 66%, with some agencies shrinking by as much as 90-100% after privatizations and restructuring. In Canada, significant reductions occurred in the 1990's under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Finance Minister Paul Martin. ... " —Perplexity.AI
✓ "What if each federal law to be valid had to cite which of the 18 enumerated powers is being exercised; and that each regulation had to cite what federal law and specifically which provision thereof authorizes that regulation?" —Victor Mann
✓ "How about a constitutional amendment that prohibits government from performing any function that can be carried out by the private sector?" —Victor Mann
✓ "How about a procedure whereby private industry could quickly void regulations with a showing that they have a better way of doing things?" —Victor Mann
Why Are People Poor? – The pathologies of the Western underclass: "Why does poverty still exist when the world is richer than ever? ... it's not because of exploitation or 'racism.' ... bad values and a lack of agency is locking people into a self-destructive 'Life at the Bottom: The Worldview that Makes the Underclass.'" —Charlie Kirk
Perverse incentives: "One in four low-wage workers face marginal net tax rates above 70 percent, effectively locking them into poverty. Over half face remaining lifetime marginal net tax rates above 45 percent." ... "Since 1967, average inflation-adjusted transfer payments to low-income households—the bottom 20%—have grown from $9,677 to $45,389. During that same period, the percentage of prime working-age adults in the bottom 20% of income earners who actually worked collapsed from 68% to 36%." ... "among the four million able-bodied adults without dependents on food stamps, three in four don’t work at all. Fewer than 3% work full-time." ... "Higher-income couples marry and lower-income couples don’t." —Charity Without the Welfare State, June 1, 2023
"Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man." —Walter E. Williams
"Capitalism is the best system known to man to lift all of us up from poverty ... That is what American exceptionalism is founded on." —Vivek Ramaswamy, c. September 27, 2023
'A Moral Case for Capitalism ... No other economic system rests on voluntary exchange – Every other system requires coercion': "What is the only economic system that values freedom, lifts people out of poverty, disdains distinctions of race and creed, and draws us into productive networks of mutual dependency? Hint: it’s not a system of ever-increasing government control." —Daniel Hannan, March 4, 2024
Pay it forward: "Money saved, that you will never get around to spending during your lifetime, is the most valuable surplus investment capital that will, over time, enable the free market and innovation to eliminate poverty and continuously elevate the standard of living." —J. Gаrrideb
Incentive prizes: "Innovation — No buck$, no Buck Rogers." —Abundance
"The day before something is truly a breakthrough, it's a crazy idea." —Peter H. Diamandis
Millennia before investing in total market index funds could create global economic growth that is rapidly eliminating world poverty: "You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. ... tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. ... Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship ... Then you and your household shall ... eat it there ... At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it [one-tenth on the third and sixth years of the seven year cycle (10% x 2/7 = 2.86%); NOT a ten percent annual tax!] to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. ... At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money. ... There should be no poor among you ... Release ... Hebrew slaves ... in the seventh year ... " —Deuteronomy 14:22
Q. "When you see around the globe the maldistribution of wealth, the desperate plight of millions of people in underdeveloped countries, when you see so few haves and so many have-nots, when you see the greed and the concentration of power – did you ever have a moment of doubt about capitalism and whether greed's a good idea to run on?" —Talk-show host, Phil Donahue
A. "Is there some society you know that doesn't run on greed? You think Russia doesn't run on greed? You think China doesn't run on greed? What is greed? Of course, none of us are greedy; it's only the other fellow who's greedy. The world runs on individuals pursuing their separate interests. The great achievements of civilizations have not come from government bureaus. Einstein didn't construct his theory under order from a bureaucrat. Henry Ford didn't revolutionize the automobile industry that way. In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you're talking about – the only cases in recorded history – are where they have had capitalism and largely free trade." —Nobel laureate, Milton Friedman, Video, 1979
"I have never understood why it is 'greed' to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money." —Thomas Sowell, 'Barbarians inside the Gates and Other Controversial Essays'
"The world is not driven by greed, it's driven by envy." —Charlie Munger
'Class Envy': "Rather than aspiring to be rich, young Americans are taught to view the wealthy as selfish oppressors. Entrepreneurs who paved the way for the economic prosperity we enjoy today are vilified as 'robber barons.' The stories told of these people is often taught in a one-sided manner without any consideration for their contributions to improving the lives of everyday Americans." —Connor Boyack
"The government has never shown much aptitude for real business. The Congress will not permit it to be conducted by a competent executive, but constantly intervenes. The most free ... method ever devised for the equitable distribution of property is to permit the people to care for themselves by conducting their own business. [The people] have more wisdom than any government." —President Calvin Coolidge
"Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong, but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists." —Anonymous, as quoted by Thomas Friedman
"Only in America, the land of opportunity, could being without a job and broke be a great opportunity. In 1978, my partners and I built four hardware stores, and this small business grew and is known as The Home Depot. We could only have done this in America because of America’s system of free enterprise and pro-jobs growth government policies. The state of America today, especially record inflation, government over-regulation, and the problems of the last three years, would prevent my partners and I from succeeding as we have." —Bernie Marcus, billionaire founder of Home Depot, September 11, 2023, at age 94
Economic Growth eliminates poverty, Charity doesn’t, Government spending doesn’t.
"What causes poverty? Nothing. It's the original state, the default and starting point. The real question is, What causes prosperity?" —Per Bylund
■ "We don't dispute that the free market is the greatest producer of wealth in history — it has lifted billions of people out of poverty. We believe in property rights, rule of law, so forth." —President Barack Obama
'That's capitalism' ... 'Adam Smith's Solution to Poverty ... that only economic growth would improve living standards': "People living in absolute poverty, which is defined as earning less than two dollars a day, was 42.7% of the world's population in 1980. By the year 2000 that had fallen to 27.8%, and today [2023] it is less than 9%. ... Adam Smith ['The Founder of Free Market Capitalism'] argued that only an expansion of free markets and free trade could lead to increased prosperity." —Larry Kudlow, June 16, 2023
Maimonides' highest of eight levels of Charity: "The greatest level, above which there is no greater ... [includes] entering into a partnership with him, or finding employment for him, in order to strengthen his hand until he need no longer be dependent upon others ... " —Moses ben Maimon (1135-1204)
If Charity is the Goal, Hoard the Wealth: "If their true desire is to help their fellow man, they should hoard every penny of their significant wealth. ... to monetize their wealth in order to support charities is ... to oversee the conversion of production goods to consumption goods. ... the removal of limited capital from the productive parts of the economy will ultimately reduce our standard of living ... When individuals save, they're by definition providing capital to entrepreneurs, and the capital formation that results from saving naturally stimulates job creation. Considered in this light, savers and investors are conferring the ultimate benefit on others by virtue of their financial means supporting individuals eager to work. ... wealth creation. So when the rich maintain their money and investments, their increased net worth redounds to wages and job opportunities. ... Considering innovation, most everything that we enjoy today results from individuals saving, as opposed to giving away their money. ... " —John Tamny, 'Forbes', June 17, 2010
["Such ongoing saving and investment, conferring the ultimate benefit on others, is precisely the highest ... level of Maimonides' ladder of charity: ... whatever ... it takes to enable the disadvantaged to become self-reliant." —Chris Mitchell]
["Don't get confused about consumption (using up a fortune by buying things that do not retain their value) which is very hard to accomplish with vast sums of money. What can you sensibly buy that costs all that much compared with a vast fortune, or even to the income from investing a vast fortune? (Buying valuable things that retain their value does not count as it is not using up the savings. So for example, when J. Paul Getty collected art masterpieces, he was not reducing his wealth.)" —Frank Wilson]
Perfecting the world: "Almost nobody understands the concept that by over-saving (accumulating and investing more savings than you will spend during your lifetime) you are paying it forward — accelerating the advance of civilization by the elimination of poverty and causing the rising standard of living to happen faster. The over-saving pays for more rapid innovation and production, while compounding infrastructure and wealth. This is how the free market creates abundance." —Elizabeth Anderson
" ... deployment of savings by citizens is required to propel an ever-growing societal output of desired goods and services. This system is called capitalism. It has its faults and abuses ... but it also can work wonders unmatched by other economic systems. America is Exhibit A. Our country’s progress over its mere 235 years of existence could not have been imagined by even the most optimistic colonists in 1789, when the Constitution was adopted and the country’s energies were unleashed. ... we needed many Americans to consistently save and then needed those savers or other Americans to wisely deploy the capital thus made available. ... the savings of Americans has delivered a quantity and quality of output beyond the dreams of any colonist." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Report, 2024
"If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" —Unknown
Amazing free market progress: "Absolute poverty is defined as living on less than $1.25/day. Over the last 30 years, the share of the global population living in absolute poverty has declined from 53% to under 17%." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., February, 2012, June 27, 2016 ["What greater act of charity could there possibly be than free market economic progress lifting 2.5 billion people out of absolute poverty in only 30 years?" —Mark Harris]
[The Great Enrichment: Professor Deirdre McCloskey explains that the explosion of material wealth (by thirty times, 3,000%, uniquely since about 1800) is due to discovery (innovation) under conditions of liberty (equality of permission), property rights, respect for entrepreneurship, mobility, and creativity, while minimizing coercion/regulation by aristocracy, and peace.]
"Extreme poverty (~$2/day) plummeted from 42% in 1980 to <10% today." —Alex Epstein, May 4, 2023
["Capitalism has done more to spark human productivity than any other economic system, yet it’s constantly under attack by the economically illiterate." —Libertas Institute]
"Child mortality in developing countries [has] halved in the last 20 years — a monumental achievement! But only 39% of people are aware ... " —Peter Diamandis, M.D., October 17, 2024
Increasing standard of living > Click for graphic data!
Americans living paycheck to paycheck:
"44% of those making over $100k; 78% of those making under $50k." —Lendingclub
"61% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck." —Jessica Dickler, 'CNBC', August 12, 2023
"In 2023, Americans spent an estimated $12.2 billion on Halloween. This included $3.6 billion on candy, $4.1 billion on costumes, and $3.9 billion on decorations." —Perplexity.AI
First world problem: "A staggering $490 million [about a half billion dollars] is spent annually in the U.S. on Halloween costumes for pets." —Julie Hartman
Total amount spent on Easter: "$23.6 Billion in 2025 (Food $7.4B; Gifts $3.8B; Clothing $3.5B; Candy $3.3B; Flowers $1.9B); $22.4 Billion in 2024; $189 average per person in 2025." —NRF Easter Spending Survey
'Football Super Bowl total spending, 2025': "$18.6 billion." —National Retail Federation
"Total value of unspent gift cards in the US: $23 billion." —Bankrate, July 2023
"The welfare state doesn't eliminate poverty — it institutionalizes it. ... It creates a system where dependency is rewarded and personal effort is punished. One where hard work doesn’t pay off like it should, and where people are kept just comfortable enough to stay put, but not free enough to rise. ... Economic liberty, not government dependency, is the path to prosperity. " —Connor Boyack
'What’s Wrong with the U.S. Welfare State?': "The bottom fifth of households in 2017 had an average (after tax and after entitlement spending) income of $33,653 per person. Almost all of this
'income' is in the form of noncash welfare benefits. If all those benefits were converted into cash, a family of four in the bottom fifth of the (earned) income distribution would have $134,652 a year to spend, after taxes! The bottom fifth also had more per capita 'income' than the next fifth and the middle fifth. ...
if we took all of the money we are currently spending on anti-poverty programs and gave it in cash to poor families, there would be no problem of poverty in this country." —John Goodman, March 7, 2024
■ Guaranteed basic income: "There is no reason why, in a society that has reached the general level of wealth ours has attained, the first kind of security should not be guaranteed to all – some minimum of food, shelter, and clothing sufficient to preserve health and the capacity to work." —Friedrich Hayek, April, 1945
Conjecture: "If you permanently eliminated every welfare benefit and welfare program of every kind, and substituted each of the several states paying every American the amount of the poverty limit, thereby with certainty eliminating all poverty, while taxing back any amount of that poverty payment from each individual's income in excess of the poverty limit, wouldn't you find that you had instantly entirely eliminated all poverty with extremely low overhead costs, no need to qualify for payments, no welfare bureaucracy, with greatly reduced perverse incentives, and with a total cost to completely and permanently eliminate all poverty considerably lower than what is currently wasted fighting poverty? Since poverty has been rapidly declining due to rising incomes, the cost of a subsidy to eliminate residual poverty should also rapidly decline. This approach avoids distorting prices, and the information they convey, so that the poor would retain their full ability to vote with their purchases to direct the economy according to their preferences. Is a welfare reform style work or education requirement needed to make this function properly? Wouldn't it also feel dramatically more secure for everyone to have eliminated the fear of poverty by making poverty impossible, and having empowered everyone to undertake risks to improve their lot in life, knowing that falling into destitution was no longer possible? [This could be administered like Social Security, with direct deposit, and using a guardian to receive payment for individuals, such as minors and spendthrifts, not able to manage their own finances. It might help individuals who have difficulty managing money, to have the funds made available by using a debit card with a calculated spending limit that continuously increases (minute by minute) over each poverty payment period, so that there is never a weekly or monthly lump sum payment that can be impulsively wasted.]" —K. Evаns
"What if everyone qualified for welfare benefits?" —VOX
"Basic income project shows signs of success." —Timothy Pratt, August 13, 2023
"There's lots of ways to be, as a person. And some people express their deep appreciation in different ways. But one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there. ... " —Steve Jobs, 2007
'By its nature, great wealth mostly benefits others.'
"If you owned all of Burger King, how many hamburgers would you eat?
If you owned an entire railroad or airline, how many seats would you occupy? All the time?
If you owned all of Apple, how many Macintosh computers would you want,
and how many iPhones would you use, and how many Apple watches would you wear?
If you owned all of Toyota, how many cars would you drive?
If you owned all of Uber, how many rides would you take?
If you owned all of Verizon, how many phone numbers would you want?
If you owned all of Comcast, how many televisions would you watch?
If you owned all of Hilton Hotels, how many hotel rooms would you occupy? For how many days?
If you owned a million acres of land, and built on that land and farmed, how many rooms could you live in,
and how much of your wheat and corn would you like to have delivered to your front door?
If you owned all of Exxon, how much gasoline would you put in your car?
If you owned great wealth, consisting of (which is now very easy to do)
owning and/or funding, in part, most of the companies in the world, would that change your answers?
Get the picture???" —Mary Edwards
● Understanding wealth: [Which contradicts the myth of the Robber Barron.]
💰💰💰"Adam Smith wrote in 1776 that the extremely wealthy 'only select from the heap what is most precious and agreeable. They consume little more than the poor, and in spite of their natural selfishness and rapacity, though they mean only ... the gratification of their own vain and insatiable desires, they [inevitably] divide with the poor the produce of all their improvements. They are [thus] led by an invisible hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life [as] ... had the earth been divided into equal portions.' – or as Neil Simon put it, 'Money brings some happiness. But after a certain point, it just brings more money.'● Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime [i.e. the gift of self sufficiency]:
So, disliking the ultra-rich for their wealth shows profound ignorance about both money and history, because all the money in excess of whatever limited amount they can quickly spend for their personal use, however ostentatious (but often not), has to be put somewhere – and as a result, rich people are essentially forced by the nature of wealth to either permanently give their wealth away to others (charity/gifts/spending), or (if they wish to remain rich) to temporarily give their wealth away as loans to others who need it most (as debt such as bonds, loans, mortgages, etc.), or (as equity investments such as company stock, real estate, or mutual funds) to put their wealth in the hands of others who can benefit because they know how to use the capital most productively – so, whatever their intentions, the 'rich' have little choice but to give away their 'excess' wealth (temporarily or permanently) and thus MUST use their wealth principally to the benefit of others. ... So it is extremely foolish to resent that 'rich people' typically have just some pieces of paper (such as stock certificates, bonds, or deeds), or increasingly commonly only have account data on computers (mostly not 'excess' wealth held as tangible things in their possession), while in reality their 'wealth' is actually almost entirely in the hands of and benefiting everyone else, you included (such as companies, factories, and stores creating, manufacturing, and making available to you all the things you want to buy to sustain an ever improving standard of living, mortgaged or rented homes, and the employment and profits to pay for it all) ... And 'you can't take it with you!'" Thus, a parable of choices,▶ Abundance: By saving and investing, providing the capital for compounding economic growth, perpetually improving the world's standard of living, energy abundance, health, and longevity, according to the preferences that people vote for with their purchases, perfecting the future world, making everyone ever wealthier through innovation under conditions of freedom, with capital investments and advancing and disseminating knowledge that makes food abundant, the environment cleaner, life safer and more comfortable, and workers more productive so their real wages rise, while lifting the masses out of poverty, misery, and starvation, with luxuries undreamt of by royalty of earlier generations, such as indoor plumbing, machine power enabled by fossil fuel and electricity, factory and farm automation, leisure time, extended childhood, retirement, entertainment, plastic, steel, aluminum, float glass, transistors, integrated circuits, lasers, television, computers, cellphones, wrist radios, digital imaging and video, internet, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, vaccines, surgery with anesthesia, dentistry, automobiles, airplane flights, microwave ovens, heating, air conditioning, lighting, etc., an amazing accumulation of knowledge, technology, and steadily rising standard of living for which we should all be grateful.● Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day:▶ By charity which is mostly once and done, so the money, however well spent, is all gone, without lasting benefit. Or,● Waste a fish and you get a rotting pile of garbage:▶ By a century of coercive taxing and misguided spending, with central planning and regulation, that not only enslaves, but mostly squanders individuals' money, efforts, knowledge, and time while ignoring their preferences, stifling freedom, growth, and innovation, destroying wealth, making everyone worse off than what could have been, but also debasing the currency and borrowing from future generations to further compound the reduction of standard of living over time. —Mark Harris
More Personal Finance quotations: [YMMV]
"Thrift is a wonderful virtue, especially in an ancestor." —Mark Twain
'Efficient-market hypothesis': "This theory suggests that stock prices reflect all available information, similar to how point spreads in sports betting incorporate all known data about teams. Therefore, picking a 'better' company or team doesn't guarantee success because the market [prices] or betting odds already account for this information. This analogy highlights the challenge of consistently outperforming the market or winning bets based on perceived advantages." —Perplexity.AI
["So avoid speculating, except in those incredibly rare instances where your expertise tells you, for sure, that what 'everyone knows' is incorrect." —Mark Harris]
Intentionally spending down retirement savings, with the goal of dying broke is largely a myth: "Retirees prefer to keep their assets untouched. Very few want to tap into their savings to finance their spending in retirement, especially those with high levels of assets who are very content to leave all or a significant amount of savings unspent." —Blackrock
["This supports the understanding that excess savings, while providing extra financial security against less likely events, mostly benefits others, is commonplace, and is a form of paying it forward." —Mark Harris]
"If there's a will, prosperity can't be far behind." —W. C. Fields
'You can’t take it with you': "Yet, shockingly, 60%-70% of Americans don’t have a Will at all!" —PragerU
["A significant advantage of a living trust over having only a will, is that a trust can make provision for who will manage your assets while you are alive, should you become disabled and unable to manage them yourself, and also may avoid probate." —William]
Best advice you have received: "Successful investing involves doing just a few things right, and avoiding serious mistakes." —John Bogle
"Just buy the whole market and wait fifty years." —Jack Bogle
" ... instead listen to financial morons in the break room ... [NOT!]" —Flashes1
"Stupidity well packaged can sound like wisdom." —Burton G. Malkiel, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Princeton University, 'A Random Walk Down Wall Street'
"Doing well with money has little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave." —Morgan Housel
"The best financial advice there is in nine words: Make money, spend less, invest simply, and wait longer." —Brian Feroldi
'Always be buying': "I wished I had started investing when I was young." —AAII
The best defense against financial risk is to over-save: "Keep working and saving until you have over twice what you need to retire." —Paul Merriman
"The closer you come to holding the entire market portfolio, the higher the expected return for the risk you take." —Nobel Laureate, William Sharpe
"The beauty of owning the market is that you eliminate individual stock risk, you eliminate market sector risk, and you eliminate manager risk. – In my view, owning the market and holding it forever is the ultimate strategy for winners." —Jack Bogle
The Fundamental Attribution Error of Finance: "Smart people do not always have smart ideas." —William J. Bernstein
"It's in the interest of many financial services companies to make you think that investing is difficult - it's really quite simple." — Former Vanguard CEO Jack Brennan
Stay the course: "The cardinal investment sin: Selling your winners too soon." —John Lim
Stock market panics: "If you don't sell, you don't lose." —Peter Navarro, April 11, 2025
"Don't sign anything you don't understand." —Mr. Rumples
"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done." —Lyrics from the song 'The Gambler' by Don Schlitz
"Staying the course means going against your own emotions at times. Staying the course means thinking and acting for the long term even when it doesn’t feel right in the short-term. Staying the course means preparing not predicting. Staying the course means doing nothing when that's what your plan calls for." —Ben Carlson
"If you don’t learn to control your limbic system, you will die poor." —William Bernstein, MD
"Do nothing is almost always the right move." —Brian Feroldi
'Stupid slogans' while freaking out as markets fluctuate: "You don't lose money until you sell. Losses are temporary unless you sell. You lock in losses when you sell. Why stop playing when you're losing the game? The IRS doesn't let me realize a loss unless I sell." —'Stay the course'
The Luckiest Generation: "Baby boomers are by far one of the wealthiest generations the world has ever seen. ... total returns ... since 1983: Stocks +7,930%; Bonds +1,060%; Housing +515% ... annual returns of 11.4%, 6.2% and 4.6%, respectively. ... arguably the greatest 40-something-year period in the history of financial markets ... The long-term return for U.S. stocks over the past 100 years or so was 9.7% per year." —Ben Carlson, August 25, 2023
"The older I get, the more I realize that investing success is more about psychology than anything else, and that a 'suboptimal' allocation that lets you sleep at night is better than an 'optimal' one that wakes you up at 3 AM in a cold sweat." —Bill Bernstein
"Investing is simple [keep buying and hold forever low cost capitalization weighted passive total market index mutual funds], but it's not easy [inability to 'stay the course']." —Warren Buffett
"Yes, investing is simple. But it is not easy, for it requires discipline, patience, steadfastness, and that most uncommon of all gifts, common sense." —Jack Bogle
"Stay the course. No matter what happens stick to your program. I've said 'stay the course' a thousand times and I meant it every time. It is the most important single piece of investment wisdom I can give to you." —Jack Bogle
"Times of market duress are almost always terrible times to change investment strategies." —John C. Bogle, 'The Twelve Pillars of Wisdom', April 27, 2001
Tracking the market: "Companies keep changing ... and how great is it that index funds automatically track the changes! What Index Funds accomplish for you, just by their design, with minimal cost, thought, and effort is astounding."
—Watch this animation ('Top 10 S&P 500 companies, 1980-2020')
[Additional animations: Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap (1979-2021); Top 10 Countries by GDP (1896-2022).]
[Don't expect that a company's exponential growth will go on forever]: "Trees don't grow to the sky." —Proverb
Where are they now?: "In 1896, the original companies of the DOW were: American Cotton Oil, American Sugar, American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, Distilling & Cattle Feeding, General Electric, Laclede Gas, National Lead, North American, Tennessee Coal and Iron, U.S. Leather, and U.S. Rubber." —Mr. Rumples
'Financial Order of Operations ... where the next dollar should go ... to grow your money':
"1. Deductibles Covered; 2. Employer Match; 3. High-Interest Debt; 4. Emergency Reserves; 5. Roth & HSA; 6. Max-Out Retirement; 7. Hyper-Accumulation; 8. Prepaid Future Expenses; 9. Low-Interest Debt." —moneyguy.com
[Also see 'Prioritizing Investments.']
"Retirement plans (traditional or Roth) both get (the equivalent of) tax-free growth." —Bogleheads
The best way "to get what you want, is to deserve it ... You want to deliver to the world what you would buy if you were on the other end ... " —Charlie Munger
"We have seen much more money made and kept by 'ordinary people' who were temperamentally well suited for the investment process than by those who lacked this quality." —Ben Graham
"Know what you own, and know why you own it." —Peter Lynch
"We assume that markets are efficient, that prices are right." —Eugene Fama
"When real estate in Amsterdam crashed in the late 1700's [▼80%] it did not recover for over a century." —nisiprius
Verify all wire transfer instructions [by talking to the intended recipient by your calling their verified telephone number], and don't believe any e-mails or incoming phone calls you receive:
"A third of all 2020 real estate transactions included some sort of wire fraud attempt ... " —Aly J. Yale, July 2, 2021
"Risk mitigation doesn't always work the way you expect." —Portfolio Charts, Tyler9000 ["The results of including small cap value, long term bonds, and gold in an investment portfolio can be counterintuitive!"]
"By far, the best hedge against inflation is a house with a big [low fixed rate] mortgage." —Small Savanna
Why Bonds?: "That's why I've said for a long time that equities were the place to be. I mean, there's been no comparison. To me, it's just been absurd to see pension funds and those people, in the early teens of this century, saying, 'We ought to have 30 or 40% in bonds.' There's no comparison. A bond that pays you 2% is selling at 50 times earnings, and the earnings can't go up. And the government has told you, 'We'd like to take that 2% away from you by decreasing the value of money.' I mean, that's absurd to own something like that. You may have to own it for legal reasons or something of the sort, but to make that as a voluntary choice in the last ten years, against owning assets, has struck me as absolutely foolish." —Warren Buffett, 2018 video at 30:00
Bonds + taxes + rising inflation, rising interest rates, or negative interest rates: "Government bonds are certificates of guaranteed confiscation." —Dr. Franz Pick
"Eventually, one runs out of greater fools." —Burton Malkiel
"The purpose of investing is not to simply optimize returns and make yourself rich. The purpose is not to die poor. " —William Bernstein
"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful — that's what matters to me." —Steve Jobs
"My father said he would get a hearse with a luggage rack. Taking it all with him." —Chardo
"Few understand that by dying rich, your investments can continue compounding to pay it forward by increasing future abundance and standard of living." —J. Gаrrideb
"A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money." —W. C. Fields
"Ninety-nine percent of personal finance can be summarized in nine words: Work a lot, spend a little, invest the difference." —Morgan Housel
"The two greatest enemies of the equity fund investor are expenses and emotions." —John C. Bogle
"Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy." —John C. Bogle
"Save like a pessimist, invest like an optimist." —Morgan Housel
"Pick a bushel, save a peck!" —'Grandpa'
'A huge factor in creating long term wealth': "Don't try to keep up with Joneses." —alwayshedge
"Dividends are not free money. They are more like a forced sale." —adave
"Minimize expenses and emotions, maximize diversification and discipline." —Allan Roth
"Hard sell = hard no!" —RunMarkRun
"The drag on performance caused by the advisor AUM fees ['Assets Under Management'] and high cost investments is the most expensive thing you will buy in your lifetime." —Cyath
Excessive Fees – Stopping the silent killer of investment returns: "I don’t think most people appreciate that
fees of 'as little as 1% a year' amount to giving away more than a quarter of your wealth over 30 years."
—John Ameriks, October 28, 2011
Retirement savings disaster – Costly advisor fee of 1% AUM (‘Assets Under Management’) + costly 1% expense ratio funds = 2% expenses: "If a reasonable annual withdrawal rate is 4%/year, likely 1/2 is going to the advisor." ... "Most people lack the interest/confidence/competence to go it alone and allow their friendly neighborhood advisor to take them to the cleaners." —HomeStretch, et al ["A fool and his money are good for business."]
" ... through this world I've wandered | I've seen lots of funny men | Some will rob you with a six-gun | And some with a fountain pen." —Woody Guthrie song 'Pretty Boy Floyd'
Numerous insights from Professor Itzhak Ben-David:
• Appallingly, hedge fund investors lose about 65% of profits to supposed “2/20” management fees.
• Performance chasing (stupidly buying what went up in price, and selling what went down) is a losers’ game that explains why most investors do much worse than what they invest in. (Just the opposite of 'buy low, sell high.')
• Momentum was mostly due to investor performance chasing based on Morningstar star ratings until 2002, when momentum disappeared because Morningstar changed from all fund star ratings to star ratings within each of the 9 style boxes.
• The 80% confidence interval for prediction of the following year’s stock market performance is +/–20% (almost 3 times wider than what people expect).
"It is a fact that 90% of all people who play the commodities game get burned. I submit that you have now read all you ever need to read about commodities." —Andrew Tobias, c. 1978
Set It and Forget It: "Automation is the key to a successful savings and investing plan." —Rick Ferri
"Approximately 99% of the time, the single most important thing investors should do is absolutely nothing." —Jason Zweig
"The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets." —Attributed to Baron Rothschild, 1871
Investor sentiment: "Markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria." —Sir John Templeton
"Far more money has been lost by investors in preparing for corrections, or anticipating corrections, than has been lost in the corrections themselves." —Peter Lynch
'Handy-dandy maxims to provide confirmation bias of whatever you've already decided to do:' —nisiprius
● The market is down and you want to buy?:
"Buy low, sell high.";
"Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.";
"Buy when there's blood in the street."
● The market is down and you want to sell?:
"Cut your losses and let your profits run.";
"Don't try to catch a falling knife.";
"Don't fight the dominant trend of the market.";
"Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful."
● The market is up and you want to sell?:
"Buy low, sell high.";
"Nobody ever went broke taking a profit.";
"Bulls make money and bears make money but pigs get slaughtered."
● The market is up and you want to buy?:
"The trend is your friend.";
"Cut your losses and let your profits run.";
"You're playing with house money, now."
[ ... "There are a variety of slogans people choose from to justify whatever action they are taking based on gut feeling. ... None of them are valid general rules.”]
"Reaching for yield is really stupid, but it’s very human." —Warren Buffett, CNBC interview, 2020
"More money has been lost reaching for yield than at the point of a gun." —Raymond DeVoe, Jr., 1995
"The safe assumption for an investor is that over the next hundred years, the currency is going to zero." —Charlie Munger
"Minimize your maximum regret." —My old MBA teacher
"You pays your money and you takes your chances [and you makes your choice]." —Idiom
"Retirement planning is not about maximizing the chance of dying rich, but minimizing the chance of living broke." —adage
"I don't view it as saving. I think of it as 'buying' freedom and independence. Honestly, I can't think of many things I want to buy more." —Trebor
"The best investing advice is to live below your means." —J.Brennen
Obvious stuff that people commonly get wrong: "Never buy something as an investment that you cannot sell in the future for more money. (Or an investment where you can't immediately get back all of your money.)" —Ralph Fischer
["A depreciating asset may be fun to have, but is likely not actually a good investment. (When the prices of things you own are going up, make sure that you know if you are getting richer (after taxes), or actually are getting poorer while being fooled by inflation.) Some examples of investments to avoid where you start out by automatically losing money on day one: Diamonds, load funds (with sales charges), 'permanent' insurance (with hidden sales charges), annuities (especially with surrender charges or withdrawal restrictions), etc." —Ralph Fischer]
Start saving from your first paycheck!: "Saving part of every paycheck is your most important habit. ... For young investors, savings rate is more important than all the other investing advice ... " —Rick Van Ness
["The first decade of saving is as important as the entire rest of your career, because compounding needs 40-50 years to make you quite wealthy. Reinvest interest, dividend, and capital gain distributions. Contribute the maximum allowed amounts to tax advantaged retirement accounts. Make sure to take full advantage of any employer match offered in a retirement plan at work, as it would be really foolish to turn down free money!" —Mary Thomas]
'Reinvest': " ... shareholders have participated in the American miracle by foregoing dividends, thereby electing to reinvest rather than consume. Originally, this reinvestment was tiny, almost meaningless, but over time, it mushroomed, reflecting the mixture of a sustained culture of savings, combined with the magic of long-term compounding." —Warren E. Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Report, 2024
"The US household saving rate has dropped significantly: from 17.0% in the 1950's to just 4.1% in the last decade. Foreign investment has been replacing US saving. In the 2000's, foreigners invested more than $2 in the US for every dollar invested by Americans. In the last decade, they invested roughly $2 for every $3 invested by Americans." —John C. Goodman, September 8, 2023
"A $5 million retirement nest egg puts you in the top 0.1% of households. [While 49% have saved $0 for retirement.]" —Veronica Dagher and Anne Tergesen, 'Wall Street Journal', August 11, 2023
"The median savings in a 401(k) plan for people aged 55 to 64 is currently just $15,000." —National Institute on Retirement Security, a nonprofit
"Two-thirds of Americans don’t contribute any money to a 401(k) or other retirement account." —Census Bureau researchers
"[Capitalization-weighted] portfolios, under the assumptions of an efficient market, give investors the 'best' trade-off between risk and return. This means that for any given risk level, these capitalization-weighted portfolios give the highest returns; and for any given return, these portfolios give the lowest risk. This property is called mean-variance efficiency." —Jeremy Siegel, 'Stocks for the Long Run'
"I should have computed the historical co-variances of the asset classes and drawn an efficient frontier. Instead, I visualized my grief if the stock market went way up and I wasn’t in it–or if it went way down and I was completely in it. My intention was to minimize my future regret. So I split my contributions 50/50 between bonds and equities." —Harry Markowitz
"There are an infinite number of strategies worse than this one: Commit, over a period of a few years, half of your assets to a stock index fund and half to a bond index fund. Ignore interim fluctuations in their net asset values. Hold your positions for as long as you live, subject only to infrequent and marginal adjustments as your circumstances change. When there are multiple solutions to a problem, choose the simplest one." —John C. Bogle
"In life there are no solutions, just tradeoffs." —Thomas Sowell
" ... in the very long term, long bonds are more risky than stocks due to their exposure to future inflation." —William Bernstein
Bond interest rates: "Investors are usually rewarded when the duration premium is greater than 20 basis points [0.20%] per year of maturity." —The Larry Swedroe rule of thumb
'Skimming interest off of cash and money market funds': "Schwab skims $10 billion a year out of the pockets of its customers just from cash." —billaster
"In any given year a person is more likely to divorce than to change their primary bank." —alex_686
'Large financial institutions' ['Too big to fail'???]: " ... the 'Big 4' brokerages firms are Schwab, Vanguard, Fidelity, and JP Morgan. Morgan Stanley/E-Trade and Bank of America/Merrill are also pretty high up there. ... Schwab, JP Morgan [Chase], E-Trade, BofA are banks. Fidelity and Vanguard are not." —isira
"The best way to eliminate income tax is to eliminate income." —popoki
"There are fixed income investments where one does get decent returns but doesn't accept the interest rate risk of [typically recommended] total bond funds with a rolling 6-7 year duration. They would be Series I Savings Bonds, 1, 2, 3 year U.S. government bonds [held to maturity], the federal employees' Thrift Savings Plan's G fund, stable value funds [such as the liquid version of TIAA Traditional], Certificates of Deposits (CD's), Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGA's), or Money Market Funds." —Parkinglotracer
Long Treasuries down almost 50%. Time to bottom fish?: " ... recent 60-year period (1962 through 2021) reported by the Fed, 10-year Treasuries have had a yield greater than 6% in 19 years (32% of the time); so, for this period, a yield above 6% is only a 68th percentile occurrence, not a 90th percentile occurrence. Based on this recent 60-year period, a 90th percentile occurrence would correspond to a yield on the 10-year Treasury [bond] of above 10%, as occurred in the 6 years from 1980-1985. A similar situation applies to the 30-year Treasury. In the 45-year period (1977 through 2021) reported by the Fed, 30-year Treasuries have had a yield greater than 6% in 21 years (47% of the time); so, for this period, a yield above 6% is only a 53th percentile occurrence. Based on this recent 45-year period, a 90th percentile occurrence would correspond to a yield on the 30-year Treasury of above 11%, as occurred in the 5 years from 1980-1984." —Trurl Klapaucius, October 28, 2022,
Has the U.S. Government Ever 'Defaulted'?: "The failure of the Treasury to pay interest on its securities due to Boston banks in 1814 represents an unambiguous default event." —Congressional Research Service, December 8, 2016
Debt limit – U.S. Government has previously defaulted – Treasury securities are not risk-free: "On 26 April 1979, the U.S. Treasury defaulted on $41 million of maturing Treasury bills. They were paid 20 days late on Thursday 17 May 1979 after the Government found some money. Then again on 3 May 1979, Treasury defaulted on another $40 million. These were also paid 14 days late. Then again on 10 May 1979, Treasury defaulted on yet another $40 million of maturing T-bills. These were also paid on 17 May. Treasury refused investors' demands to reimburse the ... lost interest on the late days ... " —Ashley Owen, October 4, 2013
Bank of America: "Merrill Lynch to pay $415 million for misusing customer cash and putting customer securities at risk." —U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, June 23, 2016 ["But why does the fine go to the government, not to the victims?" —Patricia Harrison]
"TD Bank hit with record $3 billion fine over drug cartel money laundering." —Jordan Valinsky and Matt Egan, CNN, October 10, 2024
"The rich aren't like you and me. They have many more ways to lose money." —Bill Bernstein
Five types of wealth: "1. Time wealth: Control over your calendar and priorities; 2. Social wealth: Deep, meaningful connections with others; 3. Mental wealth: Curiosity, purpose, and personal growth; 4. Physical wealth: Health and vitality; and, 5. Financial wealth: Traditional money and assets." —Sahil Bloom
"If you can't pay for it in cash you don't need it." —Anonymous
"The rich man buys once, the poor man buys twice." —Anonymous
"Buy the best. ... If you buy the best you only have to buy it once." —Michael C. Johnston's investment banker grandfather
["But, unfortunately, this sage advice may not apply if the technology is rapidly improving."]
"I'm a strong believer in buying quality in the first place. If you can't afford quality, don't buy until you can afford it." —Thom Hogan
"It costs more to be poor." ... "The reality of having no money is that it costs more." —Michael C. Johnston
"The trouble with being poor, is that it takes up all your time." —Willem de Kooning
For security, freeze your credit report, and use credit cards to make payments, but don't have debit cards. —Frank Abagnale, 'Catch Me If You Can' Talk at Google
['Also use unique strong passwords and turn on second factor authentication on all your financial accounts.']
Retirement expenses: "Many of us do not include money being saved for retirement as an expense. But retirement savings contributions and taxes can be a big factor between salary while working and income needed in retirement." —Katietsu
"If you're saving 15% of income [while working], that's a 15% raise [when retired]. Not too shabby." —sureshoe
" ... expense that ... goes away is commuting expense and dress clothes for work." —JazzTime
"Once you are no longer drawing wages, payroll taxes (FICA, Medicare) of 7.65% go away. That's quite a savings!" —Church Lady
Being elderly: "Every time you blink it's time for breakfast again." —Youngblood
"Time goes by faster [in retirement] than when working." —nagaf
"I've got a confession to make: I'm getting really sloooooow. I used to be fast. ... I'm doing the best I can. I'm just plain slowing down. It takes me longer to think of words now ... Feels like time is speeding up, but it's not. I'm just slowing down." —Michael C. Johnston
"You can't help the poor by being one of them." —Unknown
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help little men by tearing down big men. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence." —Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, 'The Ten Cannots'
Q. “How did you go bankrupt?"
A. "Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” —Cocoa Beach Bum
"The reason Silicon Valley Bank imploded is that they had a great automatic wire interface and $42 Billion got wired out on the day before seizure, the biggest bank run in history." —bople
China's empty cities — China Evergrande Bank property developer default/collapse, debt crisis, most indebted company in the world, $305 billion: "World's biggest asset bubble, housing in China, 30% of Chinese GDP, and represents over 70% of household wealth in China. That's the property housing market. ... One of the biggest companies in the world, number 125 on the Fortune 500, on the brink of collapse." —Jonathan D.T. Ward, September 24, 2021
'The enormity of the Chinese debt': "The Chinese measurement reached ... 50 times what [the debt] was in 2007. ... The Chinese century is over. Facing upside-down demographic and economic trends, China is heading off the cliff. ... Every age-related trend in China is going in the wrong direction. ... fertility rates in Beijing and Shanghai have fallen to an astonishing 0.7, the lowest in the world. ... now, imagine that vast nation with barely one-third of the population it has today ... at the end of the century ... " —Joe Tauke, July 30, 2023
"[Artificial intelligence and graphics chipmaker] Nvidia is now worth as much as the entire Chinese stock market." —MarketWatch, February 9, 2024
■ "In a few days, China — the world's most powerful authoritarian state — will begin hosting the Winter Olympics, and, like Germany in 1936, it will attempt to use the spectacle to score a propaganda victory for its system of strict controls. ... [Deng Xiaoping] invited foreigners to invest in China, and this led to four decades of miraculous growth that continued even after [Chinese President Xi Jinping] came to power in 2013. ... Xi has done his best to dismantle Deng's achievements. He brought the private companies established under Deng under the control of the [Communist Party of China] and undermined the dynamism that used to characterise them. Rather than letting private enterprise blossom, Xi introduced his own 'China Dream,' which can be summed up in two words: total control. That has had disastrous consequences. In contrast to Deng, Xi is a true believer in Communism. ... It is to be hoped that Xi may be replaced by someone less repressive at home and more peaceful abroad. ... " [More] —George Soros, January 31, 2022
'I can't get my money out': "Billionaire [veteran emerging markets] investor Mark Mobius says China is restricting flows of capital out of the country." —Carla Mozée, March 3, 2023
China’s new 'company law': "There is no such thing as a private company in China. I caution all Americans conducting business in China – the Chinese Communist Party will settle for nothing less than complete control at your expense. ‘Worker representatives’ are a blatant attempt by the CCP to embed Party officials in U.S. companies." —Rep. John Moolenaar, Chairman. House Select Committee on the CCP
Kissinger sees war over Taiwan: "On the current trajectory of relations, I think some military conflict is probable." —Henry Kissinger, interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait, June 15, 2023
Taiwan: "We do not support independence." —Joe Biden, January 13, 2024
'China's economy is in trouble': " ... following the lifting of Covid lockdowns, growth is stalling. Consumer prices are falling, a real estate crisis is deepening and exports are in a slump. Unemployment among youth has gotten so bad the government has stopped publishing the data." —Laura He, CNN, August 23, 2023
"The Soviet Union ... collapsed. China is in trouble because now they're trying to replace the market." —Steve Forbes, August 30, 2023
"Consistently avoiding ruin is the most underrated financial skill." —Brian Feroldi
Collapse of Civilization: "A human lifetime is approximately 80 years and the average civilization lasts something like about 500 years (big error bars on that obviously), so the chance of some significant collapse of the civilization one lives in during one's lifetime is something like 1/6 (this is a HUGE risk ... )." —DonIce
The Magnificent Seven: "The $13.1 trillion value of Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Nvidia (NVDA), Meta Platforms [Facebook] (META) and Tesla (TSLA) are so big, ... put together ... they are worth as much as all the stocks in Japan, France and the U.K. ... combined." —Steve Goldstein, Morningstar/Dow Jones, February 13, 2024
"'It's different this time' are the most expensive words in the English language." ... "When people say things are different, 20 percent of the time they are right." —Sir John Templeton
"You make most of your money [by continuing to invest] in a bear market, you just don't realize it at the time." —Shelby Davis
"You shouldn't buy [a total market] index fund because you think it's a hot performer. Buy it because you're going to hold it forever." —John Bogle
"Buy low and hold it for 50 years. ... add to our portfolio of index funds and then possibly hold them for the next 50 years." —Larry Kudlow, April 4, 2025
"Act as if every broker, insurance salesman, mutual fund salesman and financial advisor you encounter is a hardened criminal." —William J. Bernstein
["They'll take their experience and your money and turn it into their money and your experience."]
Paradox: "Once one is educated enough to figure out if one has a good advisor ... one no longer needs an advisor." —dbr x
Brokerage account, etc.: "Update your profile to indicate 'self-directed account, no solicitations.'" —bonesly
"We turn your money and our experience into our money and your experience." —Investment 'advisors'
["They are salesmen. Steer clear." —windaar]
Anti-mutual fund Sales Pitch to ignore: "If you have more than a half million dollars in investable assets there’s always better options than mutual funds." ... "Investors with portfolios of $500,000 or more may have outgrown [sic] a [mutual] fund-heavy approach. ... You May Need A New Approach ... Perhaps it's time to graduate to a better strategy." —
Ken Fisher / Fisher Investments, '6 Pitfalls of Funds'
"On balance, the financial system subtracts value from our society." —Jack Bogle
"You can't cheat an honest man!" ... "Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump!" ... "It's morally wrong to allow a sucker to keep his money." 😀 —W. C. Fields
"Ah, the patter of little feet around the house. There's nothing like having a midget for a butler." —W. C. Fields
"If you're happy with every part of your portfolio you're not diversified enough." —ekid
"Diversification means always having to say you're sorry." —Brian Portnoy
"The ultimate beauty of index funds is that they get you utterly out of the business of guessing what will happen next. They enable you to say seven magic words: ‘I don't know, and I don't care.’ ... With an index fund, you're on permanent auto-pilot: you will always get what the market is willing to give, no more and no less." —Jason Zweig
"The winning strategy is to build a globally diversified portfolio of passively managed funds that reflects your ability, willingness and need to take risk, and then having the discipline to stay the course." —Larry Swedroe
Negative tail risk of a single stock: "From 1980 to 2014, 40% of all the companies in the Russell 3000 index lost at least 70% of their value and never recovered." —Taylor Schulte
[But with diversification: 'While over those years, the entire same index multiplied wealth by +4,700% (nominal wealth, multiplied by 47 times; or real wealth, multiplied by about 11 times, when adjusted for inflation)!']
"Your money is like a bar of soap – the more you handle it, the less you'll have." —Eugene Fama
"Investors who can watch their portfolio drop without reacting are destined to build incredible amounts of wealth." —Brian Feroldi
'Managing the world's largest mutual fund': "Why passive is anything but, when running ... [1.3] trillion-dollar behemoth ... Vanguard's Total Stock Market Index Fund. ... Gerry O'Reilly, the fund's principal portfolio manager ... reveals the active management required ... to match the CRSP U.S. Total Market Index. [Multiple daily company changes require a 10% annual portfolio turnover.]" —Consuelo Mack, Wealthtrack podcast, July 21, 2023
"[Most investors would] be better off in an index fund." —Peter Lynch, famous stock picker, 'Barron's', p. 15, April 2, 1990
" ... the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund ... " —Warren E. Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., 1996, Shareholder Letter, 1997
"Most of the mutual fund investments I have are index funds, approximately 75%." —Charles R. Schwab, 2000, 'Guide to Financial Independence', p. 90, by the founder of the pioneering discount brokerage firm that bears his name
"An index fund ... is 'self-cleansing.' The failures fall away and the winners can grow endlessly." —J.L. Collins
"Put 10% of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. (I suggest Vanguard's.)." —Investment instructions in Warren Buffett's will (written at age 83 years with a net worth of $66 billion)
"When you buy high and sell low, it is very hard to make money, even if you do it with great enthusiasm." —David Swenson
"Never confuse the likely with the certain or the unlikely with the impossible." —Larry Swedroe
"It is always better to err on the side of safety." —Harry Browne
"The Permanent Portfolio is a simple 4-slice portfolio created by [Libertarian Party presidential candidate in both 1996 and 2000 and] investment advisor Harry Browne in the 1980's and presented in his book Fail-Safe Investing in 2001. It looks like this: 25% Total US Stock Market – for economic expansion; 25% Long-Term Bonds – for deflation; 25% Cash – for economic recession; and, 25% Gold – for inflation." —Harry Browne
"Murphy's law holds true. Whatever can happen, will happen. Give it enough time, the US stocks will crash. Every great empire rises and falls. Every single one in the history of mankind. We just don't live long enough to witness it in person." —H-Town
"If you want to lower the volatility of your investment portfolio, don't look at it so often." —Rick Ferri
Volatility≠Risk: "Stock prices will always be far more volatile than cash-equivalent holdings. Over the long term, however, currency-denominated instruments are riskier investments - far riskier investments - than widely-diversified stock portfolios that are bought over time and that are owned in a manner invoking only token fees and commissions. That lesson has not customarily been taught in business schools, where volatility is almost universally used as a proxy for risk. Though this pedagogic assumption makes for easy teaching, it is dead wrong: Volatility is far from synonymous with risk. Popular formulas that equate the two terms lead students, investors and CEOs astray." —Berkshire Hathaway 2014 Annual Report
"In investing, logic is turned on its head; bad companies are 'good' companies, buying low and selling high is not a workable strategy, selling when you double your money is a stupid move, economic growth isn't related to stock growth save tangentially, time does not diversify risk, diversification across stocks provides a greater than the sum of parts benefit, stocks are safer (less damaging vis-a-vi inflation) than savings after a while and so on, there's a million examples. There is hardly anything intuitive about this, it's the opposite of common sense." —nisiprius
"Living below your means is the ultimate financial strategy." —Jack Brennan
"The great industrialist Andrew Carnegie long ago observed that 'The man who dies rich, dies disgraced.' Carnegie was wrong. The man who dies rich dies a hero for his delayed consumption driving innovation and job creation on the way to even greater wealth. To save and invest is to expand capital, while selling assets in order to consume wealth is to destroy limited capital." —John Tamny, 'Forbes', June 17, 2010
The concept that ongoing investment does vastly more to rapidly eliminate poverty and create abundance than does charity has been overlooked in typical religious traditions that mostly were established long before the rise of modern free market economies and the resulting dramatic reduction in extreme poverty:
"Having, first, gained all you can, and, secondly saved all you can, then give all you can." —John Wesley
[In the last quarter century 1.1 billion people, about one-seventh of the world’s population, have been lifted out of extreme poverty. —Lant Pritchett, 'Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth', Oxford University, February 2, 2020]
["As an egregious example of problematic charity, woke corporations took $82.9 billion of shareholder's money without permission, removed this vast sum from the productive economy, that (contrary to the values of many shareholders) they donated to the 'Black Lives Matter' organization, for which they got 574 riots, burning cities and attacking American businesses that hurt blacks, BLM scapegoating of Israel for Hamas' terrorist massacre that killed more than 1,400 innocents, and a scandal of BLM embezzlement of donated funds." —Bill Moore]
"We need to deliver economic growth in this country, unlock American energy, drill, frack, burn coal, embrace nuclear energy, stabilize the US dollar itself, and rescind a majority of those unconstitutional regulations that are hampering our economy." —Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican Presidential Debate, September 27, 2023
'Joint Letter to Biden on American Energy Innovation': "As governors, we are extremely concerned with the impacts [of] your energy policies ... The inefficient and often unworkable mandates your administration continues to push ... your most recent rules and regulations in the energy space are part of a larger unchecked rulemaking effort that is projected to cost American taxpayers $1.37 trillion." —Republican Governors Association, June 3, 2024
"... don't speak too soon; For the wheel's still in spin; And there's no tellin' who; That it's namin'; For the loser now; Will be later to win; For the times they are a-changin'" —Bob Dylan
"I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam." —Popeye
"TEOTWAWKI" —The end of the world as we know it.
"TANSTAAFL" —There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.
(From 'Economics in Eight Words', by Walter Morrow, 'El Paso Herald-Post', 1938)
"POSSLQ" —United States Census Bureau speak
"Only invest what you can afford to lose – as in, if the investment goes to zero." —Anonymous
"[Investors need to understand about risk] the importance of being balanced across asset classes and diversified within them. ... 'You're not really diversified unless you own something you're uncomfortable with.'" —Peter L. Bernstein
The internet is replete with humorous errors [especially homophonic gaffes] and ad homonym attacks:
"Stock investor wrote that he was '100% inequity', when he meant '100% in equity'."
"Homonyms are a reel waist of thyme." —Homonym Jokes
["Japanese has far more frequent homonyms than English, so much of phonetic typewriting with a word processor in Japanese is choosing which homonym is intended."]
Recently approved diabetes/anti-obesity drugs: "Semaglutide [Wegovy, Ozempic] could cut the obesity prevalence in the United States by about 46% and prevent more than 1.5 million cardiovascular disease events over 10 years when given to eligible patients with overweight or obesity." —Andrew Rhoades, August 30, 2023
'Be Thankful for High Drug Prices – If Americans weren’t overcharged, we wouldn’t have innovative treatments': "America’s gross domestic product per capita is 65% higher than Britain’s, 57% higher than Germany’s and 87% higher than France’s." —David R. Henderson and Charles L. Hooper, February 4, 2024
Pet peeves: "That Macintosh application menus no longer include all of the commands; ambiguous medical abbreviations [Does MI mean myocardial infarction or mitral insufficiency?, Does MS mean mitral stenosis or multiple sclerosis?]; 'new' genus names for bacteria [Pasturella —> Yersinia], altered radiation dose units [with four different redundant Absorbed Dose units for energy per unit mass, really?], and renamed lab tests [SGOT/AST, SGPT/ALT]; having not one, but TWO ridiculous error prone names for every drug; and revising the controls on new cameras, made so complicated that a thousand+ page manual is needed." —'Don't move the cheese'
Drug name suffixes are used to identify specific drug classes and their therapeutic actions:
-pril: ACE inhibitors (e.g., lisinopril) for hypertension and heart failure
-sartan: ARBs (e.g., losartan) for hypertension
-olol: Beta blockers (e.g., metoprolol) for hypertension and arrhythmias
-dipine: Calcium channel blockers (e.g., amlodipine) for hypertension
-statin: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (e.g., atorvastatin) for high cholesterol
-cillin: Penicillin antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin)
-floxacin: Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (e.g., ciprofloxacin)
-azole: Antifungals (e.g., fluconazole)
-afil: PDE5 inhibitors (e.g., sildenafil) for erectile dysfunction
-mab: Monoclonal antibodies (e.g., infliximab) for autoimmune diseases
-caine: Local anesthetics
-tadine: Antihistamines (e.g., loratadine) or antivirals for influenza (e.g., amantadine)
-triptan: 5-HT receptor agonists for migraines (e.g., sumatriptan)
-tyline: Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline)
-vir: Antivirals (e.g., acyclovir for herpes or tenofovir for HIV)
-thiazide: Diuretics (e.g., hydrochlorothiazide) for hypertension
-trel: Female hormones (progestins) (e.g., levonorgestrel)
-tretin: Retinoids, forms of vitamin A (e.g., isotretinoin)
-platin: Platinum-based chemotherapy agents (e.g., cisplatin)
-poside: Topoisomerase inhibitors for cancer (e.g., etoposide)
-quine: Antimalarial drugs (e.g., chloroquine)
-rubicin: Anthracycline antibiotics for cancer (e.g., doxorubicin)
-azepam/-zolam: Benzodiazepines for anxiety (e.g., diazepam, alprazolam)
-azine: Phenothiazines for psychosis (e.g., chlorpromazine)
-nib: small-molecule inhibitors, typically targeting kinase enzymes; block specific proteins involved in cell signaling, often used in cancer treatment. Subcategories include,
-tinib: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g., imatinib) for leukemia and other cancers
-rafenib: RAF kinase inhibitors (e.g., vemurafenib) for melanoma
-anib: Angiogenesis inhibitors (e.g., axitinib) to block blood vessel growth in tumors
"It takes about six months of learning and daily use for a professional to be able to use any camera in real-world competition conditions." —Go Tokura-san, Canon General Manager
["What ever happened to just aperture, shutter speed, ASA/ISO, focal length, focus, and an exposure button (only now with the ability to choose which you set and which the camera sets automatically)? ... and maybe a self-timer."]
'SAA': "Struggled for the longest time, trying unsuccessfully to guess what the medical intern could possibly mean when he wrote the medical diagnosis using his made up abbreviation, 'SAA'." —Answer
"Every man should make up his mind that if he expects to succeed, he must give an honest return for the other man’s dollar." —Edward H. Harriman
"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." —Bill Gates
"Success is defined as the ability to move from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." —Winston Churchill
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get!" —Dale Carnegie
"Knowing and not doing is equivalent to not knowing at all." —Anonymous
"In financial markets things always take longer to happen than you would expect, but once they happen, events unfold faster than you expect." —Rudi Dornbusch
Pricing: "What everyone knows is not worth knowing." —Anonymous
["What everyone knows that is true is already priced in, so is of no help. But, if you are sure that 'what everyone knows' is wrong, and you are prepared to be very patient, only then might you have the ability to purchase at an amazing bargain price. For example, everyone 'knew' that Apple (at $0.40/share! adjusted for stock splits) had no technological advantage over competitors, and that the leading biotechnology companies (down 90%) would never be able to create new drugs."]
"I don't know anyone who can time the market, and I don't know anyone who knows anyone that can time the market." —John Bogle
"We don't know how to beat the market on a risk-adjusted basis, and we don't know anyone that does know either." —Larry Swedroe
"One way to deal with uncertainty is to accumulate more capital than the anticipated need might call for." —Phineas J. Whoopee
"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." —Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, three days before the 1929 stock market crash
"Those with enterprise haven't the money, and those with money haven't the enterprise, to buy stocks when they are cheap." —Benjamin Graham, 'Forbes', 1932
"If real yields were positive, I would be all over TIPS like polka dots on a bikini." —nedsaid, November 12, 2021
"Cryptocurrency has 'no intrinsic value' and investors could 'lose all your money.'" —Andrew Bailey, Bank Of England
"It's much more profitable to sell investing advice than to follow it." —Malcolm Forbes
"If stock market experts were so expert, they would be buying stocks, not selling advice." —Norman R. Augustine
"Investing in stocks is short-term risky. Not investing in stocks is long-term risky." —Brian Feroldi
"The future isn’t scary, not investing in it is." —NASDAQ advertisement
"Sell down to your sleeping point." —John Pierpont Morgan, Sr.
"The key [in retirement] is matching your spending to your income. You will be fine as long as your cash flow from interest, dividends, pensions, Social Security, and other income is higher than your spending. Then you have nothing to fear from [a] bear market." —Rick Ferri
'Two fund portfolio': "Deep down, I remain absolutely confident that the vast majority of American families will be well served by owning their equity holding in an all-U.S. stock-market index portfolio and holding their bonds in an all-U.S. bond-market index portfolio." —Jack Bogle
'Two fund portfolio': "My advice could not be more simple: Put 10% of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. (I suggest Vanguard's.) I believe the trust's long-term results from this policy will be superior to those attained by most investors – whether pension funds, institutions or individuals – who employ high-fee managers." —Warren Buffett's estate plan
"The Three-Fund Portfolio will help you to develop a sound asset allocation strategy, make smart investment selections, and guide the implementation of your plan." – "The beauty of owning the market is that you eliminate individual stock risk, you eliminate market sector risk, and you eliminate manager risk." – "The odds of outpacing an all-market index fund are, well, terrible." —Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." —Jack Bogle
The Boglehead Philosophy: "1. Develop a workable plan; 2. Invest early and often; 3. Never bear too much or too little risk; 4. Diversify; 5. Never try to time the market; 6. Use index funds when possible; 7. Keep costs low; 8. Minimize taxes; 9. Invest with simplicity; 10. Stay the course." —Taylor Larimore
"Keep your investment strategy simple and steer clear of complicated vehicles that are designed to benefit the people selling them." —Eric McWhinnie
"If you can't understand an investment product in five minutes, walk away." —William McNabb, Vanguard CEO
"If you spend more than fifteen minutes a year worrying about the market, you've wasted twelve minutes." —Peter Lynch
"Making fewer decisions usually leads to better results than making more decisions." —'The Finance Buff'
"Perhaps the most amazing insight I got out of this review of the investment habits of Nobel laureates is the simplicity of their investing strategies." —Paul Farrell
"After doing it all, I now feel I've come around in a complete circle, ending up with this: The more I learn, the less I really need to know." —Paul Crafter
"The more complex an investment is, the less likely it is to be profitable. At best they are costly. At worst they are a cesspool of swindlers." —J.L. Collins
"The problem with so much personal financial advice is that it's unnecessarily complicated, often with the goal of selling you something you don't need." —Jean Chatzky
"To invest successfully, you need not understand beta, efficient markets, modern portfolio theory, option pricing or emerging markets. You may, in fact, be better off knowing nothing of these." —Warren Buffet
"The master key to wealth can be summed up in just one word: Simplicity." —Michael LeBoeuf, Ph.D.
[See the bogleheads.org Three-fund portfolio and Lazy portfolios.]
"All of us would be better investors if we just made fewer decisions." —Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Laureate
"A fool and his money are some party." —Paraphrase of an old proverb
"To the extent that a fool knows his foolishness, he may be deemed wise. A fool who considers himself wise is indeed a fool." —Buddha
"If we want a world in which all 8 billion of us have the opportunity to flourish — to live long, healthy, prosperous, fulfilling lives — we need to use more, not less, fossil fuel going forward." —Alex Epstein, August 31, 2022
'No science' backs ending fossil fuels: "There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what's going to achieve 1.5°C. ... Please help me, show me the roadmap for a phase-out of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socioeconomic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves. ... Show me the solutions. Stop the pointing of fingers. Stop it. ... The world will continue to need energy sources ... [A spokesperson for Cop28 said: 'The IEA and IPCC 1.5°C scenarios clearly state that fossil fuels will have to play a role in the future energy system, albeit a smaller one. The Cop president was quoting the science, and leading climate experts.']" —United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, November 21, 2023
"Make memories! – Stop and smell the roses!" —Anonymous
"People sometimes fail to live because they are always preparing to live." —Alan Watts
"Every journey into the past is complicated by delusions, false memories, false naming of real events." —Adrienne Rich
"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." —Douglas Adams
Procrastination: "The best way to get something done is to begin." —Unknown
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." —William Morris
"The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert." —Anon.
"No one spends someone else's money as wisely as he spends his own." —Dick Armey
"Biden says 'Amazon here we come' as he sides with the union movement. ... Biden's comments on Amazon are more than just empty rhetoric ... meaning that when Biden tells Amazon to watch out, 'it can carry weight.'" —Colin Lodewick, April 7, 2022
TRIGGER WARNING: ☭ Communism, Socialism, Leftism
"Fight evil." —Julie R. Hartman
'Wisdom': "The most important thing people can possess. Without wisdom people cannot be good. Good intentions do not produce good people or good actions. In fact, without wisdom, good intentions are worse than worthless, they often produce evil." —Dennis Prager
"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." —Frederick Douglass
■ "Communism is a failed system, a universally failed system, and I don't see Socialism as a very useful substitute ... " —President Joe Biden, The White House, July 15, 2021
'Communism is pure undiluted evil': "Every time it has been enacted by a state, it resulted in vast torture, deprivation of elementary human rights. and mass murder. Why doesn't anybody going to almost any American college know this? Because the left is still protecting communism." —Dennis Prager
" ... Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate. [Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.]" —Dante's 'Inferno', inscription above the gate of Hell
"Hell is other people." —Jean-Paul Sartre
"Why do people commit evil acts, and why do so many support and submit to some of the worst people the world has ever known? Historically, the villains have mastered the art of manipulation — manipulating public opinion, spreading fear, or even promising an impossible utopia — to gain control. This is often achieved through cultivating a climate of groupthink, where dissent is drowned, and people are afraid to speak out or, worse, don't even realize they should." —Connor Boyack
☭ "We can't expect the American people to jump from capitalism to communism but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of socialism until one day they will awaken to find they have communism." —Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Union, Premier, quoted by Ronald Reagan, 1961"
"We must prove ... whether this nation, conceived as it is with its freedom of choice, its breadth of opportunity, its range of alternatives, can compete with the single-minded advance of the Communist system. Can a nation organized and governed such as ours endure? That is the real question." —John F. Kennedy, Democratic National Convention Nomination Acceptance Address, 'The New Frontier', July 15, 1960, Los Angeles
'Not top down, but inside out, and up yours!'
'Bidenomics is a disaster': "Mr. Biden doesn't believe in free enterprise." —Larry Kudlow, July 20, 2021
"We are very proud of Bidenomics ... Bidenomics is working." —Kamala Harris, Washington, August 4, 2023
■ AOC contradicts 'Bidenomics': "Our whole economy is in a special kind of crisis." —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), September 25, 2023
"The White House claims borrowing $16 trillion over the next decade is fiscally responsible. If you can’t even get close to balancing the budget when unemployment is low, tax revenues are near record highs, and the economy is booming, when can you do it?" —Eric Boehm, ‘Reason’, March 12, 2024
"It is almost laughable to say that this has been a successful [Biden] presidency. We are borrowing almost $4 billion a day!. And they are considering this a success.” —Stephen Moore, January 15, 2024
'Bidenomics, January 2021 to November 2023': "Real disposable income ▼7.5%; home ownership affordability ▼37.3%; credit card debt ▲36.2% monthly savings ▼81.4%. Federal government has added over $9 trillion in debt, a record rate of spending causing inflationary pressures that eat away at the fruit of our labor and threaten our economic stability. US credit rating downgraded." —Heritage Foundation, November 25, 2023
'The Trump Economic Miracle': "Under Trump, the poverty rate reached record lows and incomes hit new highs for blacks and Hispanics. Under Biden, the official poverty rate has risen for minorities and their incomes have shrunk." —Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore, July 4, 2024
Corporate tax revenues surge post-Trump tax cuts: "Fiscal year 2017 revenue: $297 billion; Fiscal year 2024 projected revenue: $569 billion, a 92% increase." —Bureau of Economic Analysis
America has succeeded in allowing large numbers of people to become wealthy: "Over a million multi-millionaires trust Schwab. ... [25 million clients trust Schwab with $10 trillion in assets.]" —TV Advertisement, November 28, 2024
"On March 4, 2021, [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] cast the TIE-BREAKING vote on the $1.9 Trillion 'American Rescue Plan'. Democrat economists warned her it would cause inflation. And it did." ... “It caused 20+% inflation. It created a cost-of-living crisis. It crushed hardworking Americans." ... "Kamala [Harris] broke our economy." —Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), October 1, 2024 [A common source of confusion: 20% was the rise in consumer prices, not the annual inflation rate (which is the yearly rate of change in prices).]
'Is this the government cheating Social Security recipients on cost of living adjustments, and cheating owners of Treasury Inflation Protected Securities ("TIPS") and "I" Savings Bonds?': "If Carter-era methods were applied ... inflation under Biden would appear significantly higher—estimated at 16.4% versus the official 8.2% in 2022." —Perplexity.AI
Democrats 'are shaking in their boots': Republicans " ... have a record to run on ... It’s not promises of the future. It’s the fact that we brought more money to black colleges than any other president. It’s the fact that we cut taxes for a single parent by 70%. It’s good news. We have a record to run on ... " —Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) responds to far-left MSNBC guest's attacks, June 7, 2024
Average monthly payment on new home: "December 2020 $1,746; today $3,322." —'US mortgage payments soar under Biden', CBRE (Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis), December 28, 2023
Thirty–year fixed mortgage rate: "Biden takes office 2.73%; today, 6.67%." —'US mortgage rates soar under Biden', Freddie Mac, December 28, 2023
Explaining socialism: "It's turned away from, 'I would love to have a car like Larry's' to 'I want Larry's car.'" —Dana Perino, quoting her husband
☭ "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." —Karl Marx, 1875
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." —Margaret Thatcher
"Exactly. Eventually, they run out of other people's money and then they come for you." —Elon Musk, Tweet, October 25, 2021 [World's richest person, personally owning ~$300 billion in Tesla stock as Telsa hits $1 trillion in market capitalization (not including his holdings of private company SpaceX stock, so he could become the first trillionaire).]
"Remember that socialism is theft ... enemies of free enterprise." —Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives
"With all due respect to Margaret Thatcher, the final act in socialism isn't running out of other people's money, but bloodshed in the streets." —Charles Payne
Marxists: "Rest in Power Fidel Castro." —'Black Lives Matter' organization, Twitter, November 20, 2016
■ "The Cuban [economic] model doesn't even work for us anymore." —Fidel Castro, Sept. 2010
"We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us. —A cynical commentary on communism by 'the workers'
'Progressively Worse': " ... socialism is a wonderful idea. It is only as a reality that is has been disastrous." —Thomas Sowell
☭ "Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, kill your parents, that's where it's really at." —Bill Ayers (communist domestic terrorist [with wife Bernardine Dohrn] in whose living room Barack Obama began his political campaign)
["I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough." —Bill Ayers to 'The New York Times', 2001]
Save America from Washington Elites: "If socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be socialists." —Friedrich August von Hayek, Nobel Prize winner in Economics
"Everyone knows that Scandinavian countries are not socialist. ... All of these countries, with no exception, became rich after they made free market reforms in the late 19th century and early 20th century. ... Sweden, for instance, had the 5th highest per capita income in the world until the 1950's, without a welfare state, though it was never a socialist country, but after the 1950's it created a welfare state, and it had dramatic effects on the quality of life of people, so per capita income fell ... to 14th position, income inequality increased, and the work ethic was seriously damaged, and in the early 1990’s Sweden went bankrupt because government was so big, and they had to reform the state. So it is completely absurd to suggest that these were socialist countries." —Axel Kaiser, Director, Friedrich Hayek Chair, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile
Obama to Russia: "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." —President Obama, on hot microphone in Seoul, South Korea, March 26, 2012
"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir [Putin], and I stand with you." —Russian President Medvedev
"There's plenty of money in this world. There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands." —New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
"Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it." —Anonymous
"It is easy to despise what you cannot get." —Aesop
■ Warning to Obama that Socialism Does Not Work: "In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state's role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated." —Vladamir Putin, 2009 [... and Russia did not celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.]
"Vote early and often." —William Hale Thompson, Chicago Mayor from 1915-1923, also attributed to gangster Al Capone, and Mayor Richard J. Daley
'The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse': "You cannot post 'Thou shalt not steal,' 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and 'Thou shalt not lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment." —George Carlin
"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." —George Orwell
Journalism: "The first rough draft of history." —Alan Barth, 1943
"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." —Alexis de Tocqueville, 1848
'Spread American values to the next generation!': "64% of Americans cannot pass a multiple-choice U.S. citizenship test. 60% of Americans do not know who America fought in WWII. 1 in 4 Americans do not know that freedom of speech is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment." —PragerU, 2024
"I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the telephone directory than by the Harvard University faculty." —William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Oxford University is older than the Aztec empire." —BuzzFeed
'One Ringy Dingy. Two Ringy Dingy ... ': "If you know that 'Wolley Segap' spells Yellow Pages backwards, you're getting old. You also remember copper land lines, telephone booths, pay phones, rotary dial telephones, long distance, and person-to-person calls." —"Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"
"Preserving debt affordability at levels consistent with [U.S. Treasury bond] AAA ratings will invariably require adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion." —Moody's Investors Services, Inc., 3/16/2010
"Amdahl's Law implies that higher IQ only improves the parts of the problem which are dependent on IQ in the first place." —shess
Ring, ring: "Congratulations on winning the sweepstakes." —Boo: My landline telephone answering machine mostly talks to criminals [Not a joke, just the actual daily experience, what happened today, on December 1, 2021.]
"What is it that you need?" —How to get a phone caller to get to the point [Otherwise, "Please place me on your do not call list."]
Yes?: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." —Betteridge's law of headlines?
"Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things." —Issac Newton
"It's hard to accept the truth when the lies were exactly what you wanted to hear." —Caroline Mitchell
"Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the Earth was made round so that we would not see too far down the road." —Isak Dinesen, 'Out of Africa'
Syphilis: "It's as common as sin." —Davy Morgan, M.D., our old medical school professor of pathology, who was gassed in World War I
"Sick as hell anemia; Fireballs in the uticus; Screaming holy Jesus; Very close veins; Prostrate exam." —Heard in the ER
"What you do will not matter, but it is very important that you do it." —Attributed to Gandi
"You never know when you'll see or experience something for the last time." —Sean
"As long as there's one person on earth who remembers you, it isn't over." —From Oscar Hammerstein's libretto of the musical 'Carousel'
"When an elder dies, a library is lost." —African proverb
"To be, or not to be, that is the question ... " —William Shakespeare, ‘Hamlet’ soliloquy
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." —John Donne
"The news of my death is greatly exaggerated." —W. C. Fields
"All I want to do is have some fun until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard." —Sheryl Crow
"If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter." —Thomas Jefferson
"I don't have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They're upstairs in my socks." —Groucho Marx
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." —Mark Twain
"Dance with who brung ya." —Old American rural country saying
"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable." —U.S. President James A. Garfield
"May you live in interesting times." —Sir Austen Chamberlain quoting a non-existent 'Chinese' curse
"Big things happen fast." —Vesta Mason Clement
"The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan." —Von Clausewitz
"Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none." —Benjamin Franklin
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." —Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, the Arthashastra, c. 4th century BC
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." —Napoleon Bonaparte
"I never hold a grudge. As soon as I get even with the son-of-a bitch, I forget it." —W. C. Fields
"I have never yet seen any plan which has not been mended by the observations of those who were much inferior in understanding to the person who took the lead in the business." —Edmund Burke
" ... trash talk ... Washington floats on a river of aspersion." —David Brooks
"A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.' " —International Pun Contest: "The ability to make and understand puns is considered to be the highest level of language development."
"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence." —Oscar Wilde
Q. "Where do pencils go on vacation?
A. "Pennsylvania." —Advertisement
After theoretical scientist, Dr. Mental, divorced her husband, Perry, what was she called?
"Don't anthropomorphize digital cameras. They don't like it." —Carlos Echenique
"Re-verify our range to target ... one ping only." —'Hunt for Red October'
"Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end." —Stephen Hawking [also attributed to Woody Allen]
Failure to observe extraterrestrials: "But where is everybody?" —Fermi paradox
"The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is ... 42." —Douglas Adams, 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', 1979
"The present is the only point where time touches eternity." —C.S. Lewis
"Forever is composed of nows." —Emily Dickinson
"Time makes more converts than reason." —Thomas Paine, 'Common Sense'
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” —Albert Einstein
"There was a young lady called Bright; Who could travel much faster than light [sic]. She set out one day; In a relative way; And returned on the previous night." —Arthur Buller, Punch, Dec. 19, 1923
Spacetime: "If you're stationary, time passes at the speed of light; slower if you are in motion." —Einstein's Special Relativity, 1905
["Objects in spacetime all move at constant speed c in spacetime." When you go into motion, you are simply rotating the 4D velocity vector of constant length, c, away from the time axis. But rotating a full 90 degrees away from the time axis is impossible, because reaching the speed of light spatially with time stopped would take infinite energy, as mass increases with speed.]
Q. "What moves faster than the speed of light?"
A. "Nothing (except Cosmic Inflation of the Universe during the Big Bang)." —Amazing!
["The Universe grew by a factor of 1016 in less than 10-30 seconds." (Like the graviational collapse forming a colossally supermassive black hole but with time reversed.) But that was space expanding, not something moving through space. ... A difference between the universe and a black hole reversed in time is that the universe is an expansion of space-time, whereas a black hole is a contraction in space-time.]
Remarkable photograph: The physicists who discovered quantum mechanics.
Solvay Conference, Brussels, Belgium, 1927
[Identify all the Nobel Prize winners!]
At a cosmology conference, at the Vatican: "He [The Pope] told us that it was fine to study the universe after the Big Bang, but that we should not inquire into the Big Bang itself, because that was the moment of creation and the work of God." —Stephen Hawking
"You don't take a photograph – you ask to quietly borrow it." —Debbi, Texas
Priorities in upgrading photographic quality: First improve the photographer's skills, camera/lens support (tripod, etc.), lens, and camera body last. —Thom Hogan
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." — Albert Einstein
"In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind." —Louis Pasteur
"When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better." —Mae West
"The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." —George Carlin
"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a moiré." —Jeff
"A man's soul can be judged by the way he treats his dog." —Charles Doran
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man." —Mark Twain
"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am." —Paul Dunn
"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." —Misattributed to President Harry S Truman
"Where the Amish go on holiday." —Dina Litovsky, photographer (BBC Video)
"[The telephone] has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. This device is inherently of no value to us." —William Orton, President of Western Union, 1876
"That's as crazy as Dick Tracy's two-way wrist-radio. It'll never work." :-)
"Using radio wave interference to give each cellphone its own cell, so everyone gets full bandwidth performance." —Steve Perlman's Artemis pCell technology
"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value." —Marshal Ferdinand, 1911 (later, Commander of French Military Forces in World War I)
World War II Luftwaffe: "Of the 28,000 German pilots who served in the war, only 1,200 survived." —Mike Johnston
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." —Ecclesiastes 1:9
Time to close the Patent Office?: "Everything that can be invented has been invented." —Joke from an 1899 edition of 'Punch' magazine, mistakenly attributed to Charles Holland Duell, Commissioner of the United States Patent Office, at the time
[What Patent Commissioner Duell actually said was: "In my opinion, all previous advances in the various lines of invention will appear totally insignificant when compared with those which the present century will witness. I almost wish that I might live my life over again to see the wonders which are at the threshold."]
"There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home." —Ken Olsen, Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation ('DEC'), 1977
Antimissile defense: "With lasers, if you can see it, you can kill it." —Robert Afzal, Lockheed Martin
"Americans saving $758 million per day by working from home ... according to research from freelancing platform Upwork [$90 billion since the onset of COVID-19]." —CNN Newswire, December 1, 2020
Covid haircut: "Here is a ruler, cut off two inches." —Spouse
"I am always learning." —Michelangelo
"Don't go for the geniuses. They never want to sleep." —First lady, Abigail Bartlett, M.D., played by Stockard Channing on "The West Wing"
"Social Conservatives hate big government; they want it just small enough so it can fit into our bedrooms ... " —paraphrasing Josh Lyman on "The West Wing"
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." —Thomas Jefferson
'Why big government leads to big problems – too big to fix?': "For the past fifty years, the government has dramatically increased spending on education, healthcare, and welfare programs. But have these billions of dollars really made Americans smarter, healthier, and more prosperous?" —Joshua Rauh, Professor of Finance, Stanford University, and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
"A genuine leader is not a seeker of consensus, but a builder of consensus." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
" ... we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people." —President Donald J. Trump, Inaugural Speech, January 20, 2017
"No good deed goes unpunished." —Walter Map, 12th century
"Invest in the innovators of the NASDAQ 100 and become an agent of innovation." —Invesco QQQ (Exchange Traded Fund Advertisement) [In contrast, see: 'Biden's profound misunderstanding of innovation.']
["Bernie Madoff was an American fraudster and financier who ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth about $64.8 billion. He was formerly chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange." —James J. O'Brien]
"I am just a poor boy / Though my story's seldom told / I have squandered my resistance / For a pocketful of mumbles / Such are promises / All lies and jest / Still, a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest." —Paul Simon
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket." —Idiom
"Stop undercutting America's innovators." —AEP
GIGO: "Garbage in, garbage out." —Idiom
Proposed IBM System/360 Computer Instructions:
BH — Branch and Hang—Apocryphal opcode mnemonics, c. 1969-70, posted on a wall near a computer at JPL.
IIB — Ignore Inquiry and Branch
TDB — Transfer and Drop Bits
DO — Divide and Overflow
SRZ — Subtract and Reset to Zero
PI — Punch Invalid
SSJ — Select Stacker and Jam
FSRA — Forms Skip and Run Away
RASC — Read and Shred Card
SRSD — Seek Record and Scar Disc
BST — Backspace and Stretch Tape
RIRG — Read Inter-Record Gap
UER — Update and Erase Record
EM — Emulate 407
SPSW — Scramble Program Status Word
EIOC — Execute Invalid Op Code
EROS — Erase Read-Only Storage
PBC — Print and Break Chain
CM — Circulate Memory
MLR — Move and Lose Record
CRN — Convert to Roman Numerals
DMPK — Destroy Memory Protect Key
DC — Divide and Conquer
EPI — Execute Programmer Immediate
LCC — Load and Clear Core
HCF — Halt and Catch Fire
Courtesy of A.T. Young, Astronomy Department, San Diego State University.
"The only constant in life is change." —Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus
'The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." —Steve Jobs – 1955-2011 R.I.P.
"If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased." —Maya Angelou
"When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is, and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life. Have fun. Save a little money. ... That's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that people can use. Once you learn that you'll never be the same again." —Steve Jobs
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" —Robert Browning
'Abundance is our future': "Optimists get rich while pessimists get left behind." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
"I'd rather be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right." —Elon Musk
"Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow." —Seth Godin
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." —Michelangelo
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." —Winston Churchill
"I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity." —John D. Rockefeller
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't — you're right." —Henry Ford
"We always may be what we might have been." —Adelaide Anne Procter
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." —Likely misattributed to George Eliot
"I could have been a contender." —Marlon Brando, 'On the Waterfront'
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." —Leon C. Megginson
"The most dangerous phrase in our language is We've always done it this way." —Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, Ph.D., U.S. Navy
"If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will." —Steve Jobs
"Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive." —Intel Corporation former CEO, Andy Grove
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk ... In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." —Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg
"The only way you survive is by continuously transforming into something else. It’s the idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company." —IBM Corp. Former CEO, Ginni Rometty
"If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you're going to double your inventiveness." —Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos
"The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday's logic." —Peter Drucker
"Companies fail because they continue to do what made them successful in the past." —Clayton M. Christensen
♦ We are probably discarding 99% of the great and useful new ideas: "The patent process, legal profession, and venture capital companies are an insurmountable nightmare for most people and their ideas. It should be much easier to record new ideas and inventions, to not get them stolen, and to start up a technology or other company or venture, or to get existing companies to adopt the new concept. It should not be necessary for the innovator to also have the time, financial resources, wish to discard their current occupation, people skills, social skills, business skills, organizational skills, legal skills, and skills at obtaining patents and fund raising. Most innovators are not suitable to become company founders or leaders, the people around them may not be supportive, or they may, given their current circumstances, just not think it worth the effort, yet their valuable innovations should be preserved and not be discarded, and lost to civilization. We should have trustworthy venture-capital companies that take good ideas and create the teams, organizations, and leaders to bring innovations to market, or introduce the innovation to existing enterprises and facilitate its development and adoption, to everyone's benefit. That the innovator can explain their breakthrough and what is needed for the next step should be all that is necessary for a new technology to bloom. It needs to be much easier than it is now, for innovators to benefit the world and get rewarded." —Judy Davis
"Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine." —Attributed to Alan Turing [Turing machine; Electronic stored program computing machine; Turing test for artificial intelligence; Cracking encryption of German Enigma machine to win WW II.]
Insanely Great – Macintosh 40th birthday: "Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer on January 24, 1984. The most humane computer ever created, it was designed with strict adherence to the original Human Interface Guidelines that today’s Apple under Tim Cook all too commonly disrespects and ignores. The Computer History Museum is celebrating the Mac’s 40th birthday ... with some of the brilliant team members who created this computer revolution, inspired and led by the late Jef Raskin and Steve Jobs, whom we sorely miss." —MacInTouch, January 24, 2024
"[Steve] Jobs was a genius. What he did, particularly when he came back to Apple ... his ability to pick people, his taste in people, even for skill sets that he didn't have himself ... it's truly phenomenal. And there's no chance in hell it happens without him. ... So that period between when he goes back to Apple and when he sadly dies quite young, no one else can do what he did there. I couldn't have done that. I don't know anyone who could have." —Bill Gates
In 2009, "Steve Jobs, the inventive and often strong-willed co-founder of Apple, warned ... [President] Obama that the United States needed to become more business-friendly if it did not want to lose its edge. He talked about how much easier it was to build a factory in China than in the U.S., where there were too many regulations and needless costs. And he complained about the U.S. education system, saying unions protected bad teachers and kept principals from hiring good ones."
"When I resigned [from my faculty appointment at the University of California, San Diego] I got into a hot air balloon in the middle of Revelle Plaza and flew over the Chancellor's residence playing my sopranino recorder so that he would hear the sound. He came out and I yelled down that I was resigning and floated off. I was an art professor at the time and it seemed arty to leave that way." —Jef Raskin, who went on to join Apple Computer, Inc. as its 31st employee, later fathering the Apple Macintosh computer, and at Information Appliance, Inc., the Canon CAT
Apple Macintosh: "What I proposed was a computer that would be easy to use, mix text and graphics, and sell for about $1,000. Steve Jobs said that it was a crazy idea, that it would never sell, and we didn't want anything like it. He tried to shoot the project down." —Jef Raskin
"There's no doubt that Jef [Raskin (1943-2005)] was the creator of the Macintosh project at Apple, and that his articulate vision of an exceptionally easy to use, low cost, high volume appliance computer got the ball rolling, and remained near the heart of the project long after Jef left the company. He also deserves ample credit for putting together the extraordinary initial team that created the computer, recruiting former student Bill Atkinson to Apple and then hiring amazing individuals like Burrell Smith, Bud Tribble, Joanna Hoffman and Brian Howard for the Macintosh team." —Andy Herzfeld
[Apple recognized Jef Raskin as father of the Macintosh by gifting him the millionth Macintosh manufactured with an attached engraved brass plaque.]
"While Mr. [Steve] Jobs' stated positions on management techniques are all quite noble and worthy, in practice he is a dreadful manager. It is an unfortunate case of mouthing the right ideas but not believing in or executing them when it comes time to do something. ... Jobs regularly misses appointments. He does not give credit where due. Jobs also has favorites, who can do no wrong — and others who can do no right. He interrupts and doesn't listen. He doesn't keep promises. He is a prime example of a manager who takes the credit for his optimistic schedules and then blames the workers when deadlines are not met." ... "Steve Jobs would have made an excellent King of France." —Father of the Macintosh, Jef Raskin
Apple's current approach to its customers: "There's a fundamental disconnect between making products that are supposed to be friendly and easy to use while simultaneously forcing customers to dig deeply through hidden and confusing settings and details and changes to figure out what in the world is happening to them." —Ric Ford, 2015
"If I had not studied music, there would be no Macintosh computers today." —Jef Raskin
[Jef's mountaintop home, (past the vinyards and the peacocks on the road) overlooking Silicon Valley, (with ripe chestnuts on his trees), had a fabulous auditorium music room (but sleeping on the floor there in a down sleeping bag with the heat off at 45°F indoors pitch black at night was fairly miserable), and a model airplane landing strip, marked with an 'X' indicating that it was closed, to prevent airplane pilots from mistakenly attempting an emergency landing on the miniature runway. His beautiful but inexpensive formerly owned Rolls Royce (which cost him only $17,000) did impress the venture capitalists, and it was great fun being picked up at the San Jose airport by Jef driving his Rolls!]
"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music." —Albert Einstein
Recommended first exposure to classical music ("necessary to listen at least 3 times"):
Handel's Messiah (Hallelujah Chorus);
Bethoven's 5th Symphony; and,
Vivaldi's Four Seasons. —Dennis Prager
[Also: Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos; Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture; Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite; and, Jerusalem.]
Designed by morons: "Apple has been working up to this level of malpractice for years now, making ill-conceived workflow-destroying changes ... This is scary incompetence taken to putrid new Apple Core Rot levels. ... worrisome decline of OS X quality and integrity. ... The risks in upgrading OS X have become unacceptable due to software testing incompetence, half-assed design practices, arbitrary changes that leave users hung out to dry, and overall juvenile judgment at Apple ... which has infected both OS X and iOS and is metastasizing. Your goose is Cooked if you trust Apple as a professional: it is part of the logical progression from the first warning shot with Apple’s Final Cut fiasco some years back." —Lloyd Chambers, 2015
"Apple hardware usually rocks, the software is usually rocks." —Lloyd Chambers, 2020
False alarm: "The iPhone 14's new Crash Detection feature, which is supposed to alert authorities when it detects you've been in a car accident, has an unexpected side effect: it dials 911 on rollercoasters [also while skiing and during enthusiastic dancing]." —Probably the longest lasting non-stop 'crash' ever [hint for a fix]
"Sony cameras are mostly just hard to hold, because they aren't really designed for human hands in the first place." —Sauseschritt
Law Of Unintended Consequences: "The price of features is trouble." —Anonymous
"The cussedness of inanimate objects." —Idiom
"It Doesn't Suck." —Registered trademark of Bare Bones Software, Inc.
Lets negotiate: "Have your people call my people." —Idiom
Tit for Tat: "A set of rules specifying either a cooperative (C) or a non-cooperative/defecting (D) pure strategy on each repetition ... Cooperates on the first round and then, on every subsequent round, copies the co-player’s choice from the previous round." —Axelrod's Theory of Cooperation, 1984 (Game Theory - Best Strategy for Negotiation)
"Since each recent major release of OS X further degrades the user interface and offers little new functionality of value to me, I have been induced to delay upgrading a stable version until there is a pressing reason." —Dan Y
Apple Software Quality: "There is a loyal Apple OS user base that sees Apple as a tool maker, not a fashion house. Quality control and an intuitive interface would be a good start." —a MacInTouch reader, 2015
"I've never let schooling interfere with my education." —Grant Allen
"You may be a redneck if ... you have spent more on your pickup truck than on your education." —Jeff Foxworthy
"Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles." —Frank Lloyd Wright
Obama budget with nearly $1.5 trillion in deficit spending fails to get a single Democratic vote ... again: "President Obama's $3.6 trillion [2013] budget ... was unanimously defeated, 414-0." —United States House of Representatives, March 28, 2012 [Similarly unanimously defeated 97-0 in the Democrat-controlled Senate in May 2011.]
"When the heavy hand of government replaces the invisible hand of the market, economic freedom is the inevitable victim." —Mitt Romney
FEMA response to Hurricane Sandy:
"Those who know the least always seem to know it the loudest." —Andy Capp
"If you argue with an idiot, there are two idiots." —Robert Kiyosaki
"We live in a society where if you don't have a job, you are left to die." —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
"Never underestimate the stupidity of the general public." —Scott Adams
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." —George Carlin
"Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed." —Albert Einstein
"One thing that humbles me deeply is to see that human genius has its limits while human stupidity does not." —Alexandre Dumas
"One cannot enlighten the unconscious." —TimeRunner
TRIGGER WARNING: Apocalyptic Environmentalism
'The IPCC's perversion of science': "The IPCC's Synthesis Report severely distorts science to advance a corrupt political agenda. ... a common-sense reading reveals that it's total garbage. ... a blatantly biased view of exaggerated negative impacts, with no mention of positives like global greening thanks to CO2 fertilization of the atmosphere or decreasing cold-related deaths. ... Instead of accounting for our climate mastery ability, the IPCC ... ignores our ability to neutralize negative climate impacts, despite the fact that we've driven climate disaster deaths down by 98% over the last century! ... All experts in the field should unequivocally condemn this dangerous piece of garbage and the process that produced it. ... the IPCC severely distorts the present state of climate danger." —Alex Epstein, May 4, 2023
"The long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible." —United Nations IPCC 2007 and 2018 reports
Global warming decreases temperature caused mortality: "In a study of 13 countries, more temperature-attributable deaths were caused by cold
(7.29%) than by heat (0.42%), with extreme cold and hot temperatures being responsible for 0.86% of total mortality." ... "Although heat-related deaths constituted about 1% of global deaths (about 0.5 million deaths annually, increasing from 0.91% to 1.04% in the 2016–2019 period), cold-related deaths affected about nine times as many people." —Sam Gutterman
"The 1800's were a very cold time (Little Ice Age) and the 1°C warming since then has coincided with the greatest improvement in human life in history – in large part due to fossil fuels. ... When people talk about 1.5°C of warming as catastrophic, it's even more absurd than it sounds because it's not 1.5°C warming starting now, it's 1.5°C total since the 1800's. Which means 0.5°C warmer than now – in a world where far more people die of cold than of heat." —Alex Epstein "Crisis is the rallying cry of the tyrant." —James Madison
An apocalyptic cult: " "Climate change fanatics want to bankrupt the entire world for little or no reward." —Bjorn Lomborg, 'New York Post', January 19, 2025
' ... It Must Be Climate Change!': "Extreme weather, turbulence, and even economic costs from disasters have NOT increased in the way we’re being told. ... Hard Facts: Extreme weather events, loss of life, and economic costs have not shown the dramatic increases that alarmists would have us believe." —Matthew Wielicki, Ph.D., '5-Minute Video,' January 20, 2025
"When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything." —Attributed to G.K. Chesterton
'Weather zealots': "Did you know that the word 'gullible' has been removed from the dictionary?" —April Fools If you believe that: "There is a bridge that I'd like to sell you." —George C. Parker "I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the man who sold it." —Will Rogers
'Scams – don’t fall for it': "You'll never meet a scam artist you don't like!" —Caution
Sea level: "120,000 years ago, the last time the Earth was hot, sea levels were 20 feet above today’s waterline ... At the opposite extreme, at the peak of the ice age, the water dropped 400 feet." —'National Geographic Wild,' Everglades, S1:E2
"The McMurdo Dry Valleys, located in Antarctica's Victoria Land near McMurdo Sound, are the continent's largest ice-free region, covering approximately 4,800 square kilometers (1,850 square miles). Despite being surrounded by glaciers, high mountains block ice flow into the valleys, and strong katabatic winds cause sublimation of snow and ice. The valleys are a cold desert with extremely low humidity and precipitation averaging only about 100 millimeters annually, mostly as snow. While the region is largely free of ice on the surface, it contains features like frozen saline lakes and buried glacial ice." —Perplexity.AI "Stopping payment on a check does not prevent you from being charged twice!" —'Holder in due course'
"It's 'woe' is me, not 'whoa' is me." —Cheez-It Guy
Survey of 10,000 age 16 to 25: [Our kids are being totally misled; no wonder they are depressed.] "75% think the future is frightening [WRONG!]; 56% think that humanity is coming to an end [WRONG!]; 39% hesitant to have children because the future is so bleak. [WRONG!]" —Marian Tupy
"Having children is saving the world." —Elon Musk, September 25, 2023
"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled." —@Joreth crediting Mark Twain
"How funny would it be if global warming due to burning fossil fuels is what prevents the onset of the next ice age?" —Amateur Climatologist
Didn't happen: "If current trends are unchanged,’ temperatures would rise 2° to 4° in the first decade of the 2000's." —Attributed to James Hansen, NASA, Climate Scientist
" ... the next 18 months will decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels ... " —HRH Prince Charles, July 10, 2019 [Oops! Too late! We're all going to die! (NOT)]
" ... civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind." —Biologist George Wald, Harvard University, April 19, 1970
"[By 1995] somewhere between 75 and 85 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct." —Sen. Gaylord Nelson, quoting Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, Look magazine, April 1970
Brrr: "[The world will be] eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age." —Kenneth Watt, speaking at Swarthmore College, April 19, 1970
"We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation." —Biologist Barry Commoner, University of Washington, writing in the journal Environment, April 1970
"Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from the intolerable deteriorations and possible extinction." —The New York Times editorial, April 20, 1970
"By 1985, air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half ... " —Life magazine, January 1970
"Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make." —Paul Ehrlich, interview in Mademoiselle magazine, April 1970
" ... air pollution ... is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone." —Paul Ehrlich, interview in Mademoiselle magazine, April 1970 [Ehrlich also predicted that in 1973, 200,000 Americans would die from air pollution, and that by 1980 the life expectancy of Americans would be 42 years.]
"It is already too late to avoid mass starvation." —Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes, The Living Wilderness, Spring 1970
'Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend': "Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970. Seven years later, police raided his closet and found the 'composted' body of his ex-girlfriend inside a trunk. ... After his arrest, Einhorn jumped bail and spent decades evading authorities ... He was convicted of murdering [his ex-girlfriend, Helen 'Holly'] Maddux and is currently serving a life sentence." —NBC News, April 21, 2011
"By the year 2000...the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America and Australia, will be in famine." —Peter Gunter, North Texas State University, The Living Wilderness, Spring 1970
"A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years." —Greta Thunberg, Twitter, June, 21 2018
"We must realize that unless we are extremely lucky, everybody will disappear in a cloud of blue steam in 20 years." —Paul Ehrlich, The New York Times, 1969
"Air polution may obliterate the sun and cause a new ice age in the first third of the next century." —The Boston Globe, 1970
"Deep concern with the future of the world ... fall within the rank of proesses wich produced the last ice age." —Brown Univerity Geological Sciences Department letter to the White House, 1972
"Spy satellites show new ice age is coming fast." —The Guardian, 1974
"Snow is starting to disappear from our lives ... Children just aren’t going to know what snow is." —Dr. David Viner, University of East Anglia, The Independent, 2000
"University of California physicist John Holdren has said, it is possible that carbon dioxide climate-induced famines could kill as many as a billion people before the year 2020." —Paul Ehrlich, 1986
"Entire nations could be wiped off the face of the earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by the year 2000." —United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 1989
"... most of the beaches on the East Coast of the United States ... gone in 25 years." —'New York Times', Sepatember 18, 1995
"The Department of Interior warned that climate change could lead one day to the Statue of Liberty being 'underwater' due to sea level rise and storm surges." —Washington Examiner, October 6, 2016
"Britain will be Siberian in less than 20 years." —The Guardian, 2004
A World without Fossil Fuels: "Climate activist Greta Thunberg deleted a tweet from 2018 warning that humanity would be wiped out 'unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years.' Here we are, five years later, and the world didn't end. If the 'experts' were wrong about climate change, what else are they wrong about, and why are we still listening to them?" —Dennis Prager
"I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself." —Oscar Wilde
"The energy industry is the industry that powers every other industry." —Alex Epstein, June 21, 2022
'Califailure – Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst-Run State': "[California] Bordering always on the Pacific and sometimes on the ridiculous." —George Carlin
'California is a suicide, not a murder': "1) Policies [such as energy 'net zero'] that create scarcity and high prices are by design, and only benefit crony capitalists, 2) public education at all grade levels in California is failing, and 3) punishing crime deters crime ... if criminal penalties were enhanced instead of being scrapped as per the progressive agenda, crime would be deterred." —Edward Ring "August 25, 2022 California announces gasoline car ban; August 31, 2022 California tells citizens not to charge their electric vehicles." —Energy Talking Points
"New poll shows nearly two-thirds of Californians thinking about leaving the state. ... Issues leading to dissatisfaction included economic uncertainty, expensive housing and living costs, public safety, political polarization, and the state's education system ... " —Travis Gillmore, June 23, 2023
'The West Intends Energy Suicide: Will It Succeed?': "The University of California has made the decision to remove all companies that own fossil fuel reserves from the UC Retirement Savings Program (RSP) fund offering. On June 30, 2022, we will sell existing holdings from RSP core funds and will no longer invest in fossil fuel companies. UC Investments defines these holdings as publicly traded companies that own any amount of fossil fuel reserves in thermal coal (not metallurgical coal), oil and gas. UC Investments believes that the fossil fuel industry faces considerable long term financial risk ... " —University of California Retirement Savings Program, 2022
"Let's be clear about what happened: "If you really wanted to destroy the U.S., then ... It would be hard to imagine any planned agenda to destroy America that would have been as injurious as what we already suffered ... " [More] —Victor Davis Hanson, December 1, 2022
'Utopian energy dreams are doing great economic and security damage': "Soaring oil and natural gas prices. Electricity grids on the brink of failure. Energy shortages ... worse to come. ... costly consequences of misguided climate regulation, subsidies and mandates ... the West's utopian dream to punish fossil fuels and sprint to a world driven solely by renewable energy. ... manifest debacle ... short of a technological breakthrough, the world will need an ample supply of carbon fuel for decades to remain prosperous and free. ... climate monomania is endangering living standards ... Historian Arnold Toynbee argued that civilizations die from suicide, not murder. The West's climate self-destruction may prove him right." —Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, July 17, 2022
We are safer from the climate than ever: "For every million people on earth, annual deaths from climate-related causes (extreme temperature, drought, flood, storms, wildfires) declined 98% – from an average of 247 per year during the 1920's to 2.5 per year during the 2010's. ... The planet is becoming more liveable, not less. ... Any credible prediction of climate catastrophe must ... acknowledge that we are currently safer from climate than humans have ever been [and] the failed history of climate catastrophe predictions." —Alex Epstein
[The reality of the past was disgusting, like the streets of San Francisco now, but indoors too.] The good old days, boy were they terrible: "Louis XIV’s (maybe the richest man on earth at the time) magnificent palace of Versailles, built in 1631, had no proper waste facilities. People relieved themselves where they stood in hallways, curtains, and in the gardens. Once contemporary observer noted, 'Versailles was the receptacle of all of humanity's horrors – the passageways, corridors, and courtyards are filled with urine, and fecal matter.'" —Marian Tupy
Abundance – The Future is Better Than You Think: "Over the last 50 years, the percent of our disposable income spent on food has dropped by more than 50 percent, from 14% to less than 6%." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., June 27, 2016
"After all is said and done, a lot more has been said than done." —Aesop
TRIGGER WARNING: Disease, Illness
STAY ALIVE = GET VACCINATED! [Find COVID-19 Vaccines and
Tests near you]
[The industrial revolution which vastly improved living conditions, nutrition, health, safety, longevity, wealth, etc., occured when fossil fuel powered machines could be substituted for human and animal muscle power.]
The world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change." —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) NY, January 21, 2019
[Conjecture: "Is it possible to pump enough sea water (desalinated if necessary) through a heated pipeline into the McMurdo Dry Valleys to make artificial glaciers thick enough on land to counteract sea level rise from global warming?" — ]
"[Because of increased dust, cloud cover and water vapor] the planet will cool, the water vapor will fall and freeze, and a new Ice Age will be born." —Newsweek magazine, January 26, 1970
Also see, Fixing California: The Electric Age; The Transportation Revolution; Affordable Market Housing; Forest Management; Prosperity Economy.
1. Biden destroyed America's oil/gas industry and made us dependent on OPEC again.
2. Biden begged OPEC to produce more oil.
3. OPEC is doing the opposite—cutting output by 2 million barrels a day.
Total failure. OPEC is laughing at him." —Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), October 5, 2022
"Getting Covid is about 50,000 times more dangerous than getting the vaccine." —Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
[Exclusion of therapeutics: "Biden Administration actively preventing monoclonal antibody treatments. —Florida Surgeon General, Joseph A. Ladapo, M.D., Ph.D.
[However the Omicron variant produces breakthrough infections, with the vaccines continuing to limit serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.]
"1 in 306 Americans has died of Covid (1,100,000+ dead) and 7+ million worldwide."
—Pandemic, after three years [More Covid-19 deaths in 2021 than in 2020.]
["3 1/2 years after the start of the Covid epidemic, if Americans keep dying at the current rate (1,100/week) , there will be more than an additional half-million deaths from Covid-19 over the next decade." —June, 2023]
["More than 6 million children have tested positive for Covid since the beginning of the pandemic." —NBC News, October 14, 2021; But zero deaths? "Since January 2020, fewer than 450 children between the ages of 5 and 18 have died of COVID-19, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The American Academy of Pediatrics says that, in the 45 states with data current as of October 18, childhood COVID-19 cases resulted in deaths in between 0% and .03% of infected children." —Emily Zanotti, Daily Wire, October 20, 2021]
[CDC reports a continuing U.S. Covid-19 death toll of over 1,100 deaths/week in May, 2023.]
[CRITICAL INFORMATION: Wear an N95 mask (without an exhalation valve) because they can reduce spread of airborne virus. Get vaccinated because, once infected, Covid, Influenza, and RSV vaccination can prevent hospitalization and death of vulnerable individuals due to systemic immunity, but due to lack of adequate mucosal immunity, vaccination alone does NOT effectively prevent disease spread of predominantly mucosal respiratory viruses. (As of 2025, unfortunately, there are no vaccines available for any respiratory viruses that can also create adequate mucosal immunity.)]
And don't let your child suffer or tragically die from a preventable illness by failing to get all the available childhood immunizations.
"There is no vaccine against stupidity." —Albert Einstein [But ignoring natural immunity following infection also makes no sense.]
[Dying from a, now treatable {PAXLOVID; monoclonal antibodies} and almost fully preventable disease is incredibly dumb. Period. No exceptions.]
• Note, however, that the original Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against the later Omicron variants, especially regarding preventing transmission;
9/2022 Second generation mRNA vaccine boosters that include Omicron antigen are being introduced, but are as yet untested.
'Looking at a winter of severe illness and death': " ... the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated." —Joe Biden, July 22, 2021
[By way of perspective, Tobacco kills more people than Covid-19. (The correct takeaway is to save your own life by getting vaccinated, social distancing, and N95 masking and also stop smoking!)]
Vaccine 'refuseniks': "If you're not vaccinated right now, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were. ... We have a pandemic because the unvaccinated are sowing enormous confusion." —Joe Biden, July 27, 2021
Breakthrough infections: "This is not an epidemic of the unvaccinated. I'm very disappointed when I hear those statements. Clearly many many people that are getting infected today have been what CDC calls 'fully vaccinated' and some of them have been boosted." —Robert R. Redfield Jr., M.D., Former CDC Director, January 8, 2022
"Death rates are up 40 percent over what they were pre-pandemic [among OneAmerica's group life insurance policy holders, working aged people between the ages of 18 and 64]" —Scott Davison, CEO of insurance company OneAmerica, January 7, 2022
Covid Testing Shortfall: "We can't just give out tests willy-nilly. We're going to have to strategically provide [at home Covid tests] to the elderly and those with comorbid conditions so if they get sick they can test immediately and get on those oral drugs from Merck or Pfizer, or potentially get a monoclonal antibody. That's what we need to do, and there's just a lack of leadership and complete confusion. I'm very disappointed. ... We're in a bad situation. We need to use the tests to keep people out of the hospital and keep them from dying. Not just put them on the internet first come first serve." —Admiral Brett Giroir, Former White House Covid Task Force Member and Testing Czar
False/Utter Nonsense: "We have over 100,000 children, which we've never had before, in serious condition and many on ventilators." —U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, January 7, 2022 [The correct number is about 3,500, mostly mild cases, almost none on ventilators, including many children hospitalized for other conditions testing positive.]
Biden Mocks Americans' Freedom: "I have the freedom to kill you with my Covid, I mean come on, freedom." —Joe Biden, October 22, 2021
"We have won many battles but unvaccinated America is choosing to let COVID win the war. " —Thanh Neville, M.D., M.S.H.S., ICU Physician at UCLA [But distinguish dying with Covid-19 vs. dying from Covid-19?]
"I should have gotten the damn vaccine" —Michael Freedy, text message to his family from unvaccinated father of 5 children, just before his untimely death from Covid-19 at age 39
Covid-19 Mutation Variants: "By failing to contain the virus through vaccination, wearing masks and avoiding crowds, people are allowing the coronavirus to morph into increasingly dangerous forms." —William A. Haseltine, PhD., former Harvard Medical School Professor
"Biden administration turned down public health expert plan in late October that called for manufacturing and sending over 700 million rapid COVID-19 tests to Americans ... " —Azmi Haroun, 'Business Insider', December 24, 2021
5 day quarantine & return to work masked without testing: "The CDC just United the country ... into not trusting them. Congratulations on getting Americans to agree on something. #CDCsays [trending on twitter, December 29, 2021] #COVID19" —LWArtwork
Covid deaths among fully vaccinated Americans: "Between Oct. 11 and Oct. 18 [2021], the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's cumulative count for breakthrough deaths jumped by 51% from 7,178 to 10,857." —CDC [Thereafter CDC ceased reporting breakthrough deaths, and removed this data from their website.]
"number needed to vaccinate to avoid one COVID-19 death in participants aged younger than 65 years exceeds 100,000; number needed to vaccinate to prevent medically attended symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections ... ranging from 40 to 105" —Caitlyn Stulpin, September 7, 2023
COVID-19 lockdowns caused more deaths instead of reducing them: "Following the implementation of [Covid-19 lockdown] policies, excess mortality increases." —Virat Agrawal, Jonathan H. Cantor, Neeraj Sood, and Christopher M. Whaley, 'The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Policy Responses on Excess Mortality', Working Paper 28930, National Bureau of Economic Research, June 2021
Effects of Lockdowns on COVID-19 Mortality: " ... Lockdowns have had little to no public health effects ... Lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument." —Jonas Herby, et. al., Johns Hopkins University
"Maintaining relative humidity in the 40%-60% range in indoor spaces could help slow the spread of the coronavirus." —Healthy Buildings program at Harvard
"Increased cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were reported in the United States after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination." —CDC
"The association of increased risk of COVID-19 with higher numbers of prior vaccine doses in our study, was unexpected." —Cleveland Clinic
'How far New York City is from coming back full-time': "Only 8% of office workers are in their jobs five days a week in New York City at this moment. ... almost deserted 10 days before Christmas." —Stuart Varney, December 15, 2021
"4 million Americans sidelined from jobs [2.5% of workforce job loss] due to Long Covid [aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome]." —The Census Bureau, The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and The Lancet, August 1, 2022
My get up and go, got up and went: "People living with long COVID can experience wide-ranging and debilitating symptoms. They can have trouble working, sleeping, taking care of their families and doing even basic physical activity, among other issues ... Our goal ... is to figure out why and how some people experience these long-lasting symptoms, and to identify treatments that could help." —Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, NIH Acting director
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: "United States, 2021–2022 ... 1.3% of adults [3.3 million Americans] had myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) ... characterized by activity-limiting fatigue, worsening of symptoms after activity ... ['Symptoms are extreme exhaustion after physical exercise and mental effort, unrefreshing sleep, trouble with memory, weight changes, extreme emotional stress, headaches and muscle pain']" —CDC, December 2023
["The latest data from the CDC revealed that an estimated 6.9% of adults and 1.3% of children in the United States have experienced long COVID, a condition in which COVID-19-related symptoms linger beyond 3 weeks, after the acute phase of the infection has passed."]
"SARS-CoV-2 disrupts mitochondria – suggests a cause for long Covid." —Elizabeth Cooney, August 8, 2023
"The pandemic is over. ... no one's wearing masks." [sic] —Joe Biden, 'CBS 60 Minutes', September 18, 2022 [But "White House won’t relinquish emergency powers."]
■ "None of the predominantly mucosal respiratory viruses [such as SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and RSV] have ever been effectively controlled by vaccines. ... Durably protective vaccines against non-systemic mucosal respiratory viruses with high mortality rates have thus far eluded vaccine development efforts." —David M. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger, and Anthony S. Fauci, January 11, 2023
'Healthy living is the best revenge': "How to increase your life expectancy by 12 to 14-years. [Non-smoking, not physically inactive, not obese, limited alcohol intake, high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains, with low meat consumption and limited processed food.]" —Michael Greger M.D.
"Save your own life, as you age, by getting screened for colon cancer, and breast cancer or prostate cancer; and if you smoked, for lung cancer." —Barbara Taylor
"Experts warn against offers for costly full-body scans ... a terrible idea. ... scans may harm patients since they would be undergoing unnecessary testing. ... Most of the stuff that they identify is clinically unimportant, but will still result in extensive follow-up testing, interventions, biopsies, procedures, and operations to manage things that never would have harmed the patient in the first place." —Matthew Davenport, M.D., Professor of Radiology and Urology at the University of Michigan and American College of Radiology Vice Chair for its Quality and Safety Commission, August 11, 2023
How to Slow Cancer Growth: "At this very moment, many of us have tumors growing inside our bodies, so we cannot wait to start eating and living more healthfully. [A whole food plant based diet inhibits cancer growth, while eating animal protein promotes cancer growth via IGF-1.]" [VIDEO] —Michael Greger, M.D., May 14, 2025
"Experts agree ... I suggest we listen to Nobel Laureates ... :" —Taylor Larimore
"Asked what he’ll do with his share of the prize money, Diamond said he’ll probably put it in a total market index fund." —Douglas Diamond
"Whether you decide to tilt toward value depends on whether you are willing to bear the associated risk ... The market portfolio is always efficient ... For most people, the market portfolio is the most sensible decision." —Eugene Fama
"Investors shouldn't delude themselves about beating the market. They're just not going to do it. It's just not going to happen." —Daniel Kahneman
"A foolish attempt to beat the market and get rich quickly will make one's broker rich and oneself much less so." —Harry Markowitz
"Most people might just as well buy a share of the whole market, which pools all the information, than delude themselves into thinking they know something the market doesn't." —Merton Miller
"The most efficient way to diversify a stock portfolio is with a low-fee index fund. Statistically, a broadly based stock index fund will outperform most actively managed equity portfolios." —Paul Samuelson
"You may think your opinion is superior, but it pays to be humble, investing in the market rather than trying to beat it." —William Sharpe
"A portfolio approximating the market may be the most important portfolio." —Robert Shiller
"Diversification is a safety factor that is essential because we should be humble enough to admit we can be wrong." —Sir John Templeton (1912-2008)
Words of Wisdom: "'Deep down, I remain absolutely confident that the vast majority of American families would be well served by owning their equity holding in a Standard & Poor's 500 Index fund (or a total stock market index fund)." —Jack Bogle
"People who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was." —Joseph Heller
"Reward work, not wealth." —Joe Biden, November 3, 2020
["So, instead of saving and investing, take a pile of rocks and a sledge hammer, and get to work to be rewarded. (This idiocy is an especially damaging version of the long discredited 'labor theory of value' which is the central error in Marxist theory, because value is actually instead peoples' subjective opinions of what things are worth to them. ['Value is in the eye of the beholder!']) Central planning must always fail for lack of required information, precisely because it neglects indivdual choices which express those subjective valuations. Note that phrasing this as 'not ... reward ... wealth' is dishonest, because what Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren are actually advocating is confiscating your wealth." —Christopher Anderson]
"No one cares how hard you worked." —Ctein
America is still the land of opportunity: "There is alot of income mobility ... Nearly 70% of Americans will spend at least some time in the top quintile, the highest group of income earners." —James Freeman, Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Assistant Editor
'Chasing away entrepreneurial capital': "There are 'go-to' states and there's 'no-go' states. And 'no-go' states right now are New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, [and] California. You cannot invest in those places. They are no longer investable." —Kevin O'Leary, February 24, 2023
The zero-interest-rate policy of the Fed: " ... a disguised tax ... It takes income from savers and hands it as a subsidy to borrowers. It also facilitates and funds the fiscal deficit policies of central government. Such a well disguised tax is a boon for governments. The cruelest tax of all is this 100 percent tax on interest income." —Sarel Oberholster, November 26, 2009
"Biden has declared war on American small business." —Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House minority leader, 'NY Post', September 28, 2021
"Don't mention the war." —'Fawlty Towers'
"Sixty percent of the people in the top one percent are successful small business owners." —Steve Moore, May 16, 2022
Looks like it was designed by Beijing and Moscow: "Wall Street didn't build this country, the middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class. ... but it's time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1% of Americans to just begin to pay their fair share, just their fair share .... We're going to reward work, not just wealth. ... It's time to remember that 'we the people' are the government [sic]." —President Joseph Biden, April 28, 2021
Real wages falling in America: "DOWN ▼2.7% under Biden ['Real weekly earnings fall for 26th straight month']; UP ▲7.3% under Trump." —Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 9, 2023
False: "Anybody making less than $400,000 a year will not pay a single penny in taxes. [sic]" —Joe Biden, May 3, 2021
Percent of Americans who will pay more in taxes under the $3.5 trillion[sic: actually $5.1 trillion] Democrat's ['class warfare'] budget 'reconciliation' bill: "37% of Americans making less than $100,000, 35% making between $100,000 and $200,000, and 59% making between $200,000 and $500,000" —Joint Committee on Taxation, September 22, 2021
"You know sometimes the big spenders in Congress talk as if all that money they spend just kind of magically appears on their doorstep, a gift from the Internal Revenue Service. They talk as if spending were all giving a no taking. Well, there is no magic money machine." —President Ronald Reagan, April 24, 1985
Actually a $6 trillion increase in the national debt: "As a matter of fact, my first two years in office I've lowered the deficit by a record $1.7 trillion. Lowered the deficit — the debt. [sic]" —President Biden, remarks at the North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference, April 25, 2023
Biden's misleading deficit claim earns him a 'Washington Post' Bottomless Pinocchio: "President Biden's claims that his policies have resulted in a $1.7 trillion reduction in the deficit are misleading at best. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)" —Glenn Kessler, The Fact Checker, 'Washington Post,' April 28, 2023
"United States Federal Deficit (Trump vs. Biden/Harris):
2017 -$665,450,000
2018 -$779,074,000
2019 -$983,588,000
versus [omitting the Covid shutdown years]
2022 -$1,375,920,000
2023 -$1,693,725,000" —U.S. Office of Management and Budget
2024 -$1,833,000,000
'Misdirection': "You want to bring down inflation? Let's make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share. [sic]" —Joe Biden, May 13, 2022
'Think the rich don't pay their fair share? Think again': "Despite the well-worn political rhetoric about fair share, the tax burden on the wealthy continues to climb ... In 2020, the top 1% of taxpayers earned 22% of all adjusted gross income; their 42.3% share of the income taxes is nearly twice their share of the nation's income. The opposite is true for the bottom 90%. They earned more than half, 50.5%, of the nation's income but paid 26.3% of the taxes — roughly half of their share of the nation's income." —Scott Hodge, CNN Opinion, April 21, 2023
"There are two distinct classes of men in the nation, those who pay taxes, and those who receive and live upon the taxes." —Thomas Paine
Pick a law you want to repeal: "The 16th Amendment. The income tax is immoral and should not exist. Ultimately, government should operate based off of a user fee model where people pay for the services they need, want, or use." —Connor Boyack
"The newly created Disinformation Board should review this tweet, or maybe they need to form a new Non Sequitur Board instead. Raising corp taxes [sic] is fine to discuss. Taming inflation is critical to discuss. Mushing them together is just misdirection." —Jeff Bezos, May 13, 2022,
■ "In fact, the administration tried hard to inject even more stimulus into an already over-heated, inflationary economy and only Manchin saved them from themselves. Inflation is a regressive tax that most hurts the least affluent. Misdirection doesn't help the country." —Jeff Bezos, Tweet, Amazon.com founder, owner of 'The Washington Post', and world's second richest person, May 15, 2022
"You're living in a country that is borrowing $63,000 a second." —Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), member of the House Ways and Means Committee, August 7, 2023
Only Government Creates Inflation: "Inflation is made in Washington because only Washington can create money. ... What produces it is too much government spending and too much government creation of money and nothing else." —Milton Friedman
"There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion." —Ludwig von Mises
"Look, a squirrel! This is the White House's statement about my recent tweets. They understandably want to muddy the topic. They know inflation hurts the neediest the most. But unions aren't causing inflation [sic] and neither are wealthy people. Remember the Administration tried their best to add another $3.5 TRILLION to federal spending. They failed, but if they had succeeded, inflation would be even higher than it is today, and inflation today is at a 40 year high." —Jeff Bezos, May 16, 2022
Pick a law you want to repeal: "The Federal Reserve Act of 1913—the sinister creation of a central bank (the 'Creature from Jekyll Island') in the USA that created a money printing machine so politicians can grow the government, finance wars, and inflate the debt away by creating more money again and again. The Fed causes inflation, which is basically stealing value from your hard-earned money so that politicians can use the newly made money. It weakens society by creating economic instability and enticing families to spend their money now (while it still has value) instead of saving it for the future. Ultimately we should have a free market for money, where there is competition of currencies and the interest rate isn't decided by some secret committee of bankers, but by the market itself—the aggregate transactions of millions of people. For me, the Fed is a root of evil that we need to strike at." —Connor Boyack
"The average rent in New York City is now over $5,000 a month. Rents are rising at the highest rate since the 1980's. ... Home buyers press pause: 7 out of 10 people who were planning to buy a house this year are reconsidering or putting their plans on hold." —Stuart Varney, July 14, 2022
"The rent is too damn high." —Jimmy McMillan, III
Another whopper from the Pinocchio-in-Chief: "I give you my word as a Biden: If you make under $400,000 a year, I'll never raise your taxes one cent. [sic] But, I'm going to make those at the top start to pay their fair share in taxes. It's only fair. [sic]" —Joe Biden, Tweet, September 26, 2021
"YAWN (yet another wearisome narrative)." —Thom Hogan
☭ "Loot the looters." —Vladimir I. Lenin, 'Pravda', No. 18, February 6, 1918, p. 3
"Ephesians ... seized the jewelry of the rich women of Ephesus and used it to retire government debts." —Aristotle
Income Taxes: "The rich [already] pay twice their fair share." —Larry Kudlow, September 27, 2021
"The top 1% of income earners — those who earned more than $540,000 — earned 21% of all U.S. income while paying 40% of all federal income taxes. The top 10% earned 48% of the income and paid 71% of federal income taxes." —Heritage Foundation, March 3, 2021
"Since this is an era when many people are concerned about 'fairness' and 'social justice,' what is your 'fair share' of what someone else has worked for?" —Thomas Sowell
Federal Income Taxes: "Too High 50% ... Too Low 4%." —Gallup Poll, sample of 961 Adults, April, 2021
[While Democrats propose massive tax increases!]
Attitudes on taxes: "55% say their taxes are too high; 81% say they can’t afford higher taxes." —Cato poll, c. April, 2025
"Government spending is taxation." —Art Laffer, March 11, 2025
How do you feel about the amount you pay in taxes?: "Satisfied 27%; Dissatisfied 68%." —Gallup Poll, January 2–22, 2024
Taxes in New York City: "Just saying, 65,000 out of 8 million [less than 1%] pay half [51% of income taxes] so it's not like we don't 'tax the rich.' ... Let's not lie, the rich pay alot of taxes." —Bill Maher, September 17, 2021
Taxes in New Jersey: "If tax rate is your issue... either a family or a business... we're probably not your state." —New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D), October, 2021
Illegal immigration crisis: "Every day, 10,000 illegal immigrants flood into our country, costing taxpayers a staggering $451 BILLION each year." —Heritage Foundation, December 11, 2023
Foreign born vs native born employment (August 2023 – August 2024):
"Born outside U.S.: Employment ▲1.27 million; Born in U.S.: Employment ▼1.2 million." —Bureau of Labor Statistics
"The average rent in New York City is $5,588 ... the city will have to spend more than $12 billion to manage the migrant crisis. Where's that money coming from? [$383 daily per family, $9.8 million per day]" —Stuart Varney, August 10, 2023
The opposite of the truth [BS doesn't stand for 'Border Security']: " ... the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends." —Joe Biden, February 6, 2023
"I’m not gonna vote for a [border] wall under any circumstances." —Kamala Harris, CNN, Des Moines, Iowa, January 28, 2019
"But let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?" —Walter E. Williams, 'All It Takes Is Guts: A Minority View'
'87,000 IRS agents': "Why would they do that? ... Because you're not going to be able to contend with the audit. So they're going to crush a lot of people by doing that. ... And I think of all the things that have come out of Washington that have been outrageous, this has got to be pretty close to the top ... And I think it was basically just a middle finger to the American public that this is what they think of you. ... Fortunately, that's one of the reasons we [Florida] don't have an income tax, because if you don't have an income tax, you don't empower revenue agents ... " —Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, August 18, 2022
"Corporations don't pay taxes, they collect them." —Rep. Kevin Brady (R), Texas
■ "Our true choice is not between tax reduction, on the one hand, and the avoidance of large federal deficits on the other. It is increasingly clear that no matter what party is in power, so long as our national security needs keep rising, an economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget – just as it will never produce enough jobs or enough profits. ... In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now." —President John F. Kennedy, address to the Economic Club of New York, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City, December 14, 1962
"Bobby Kennedy ["RFK"] totally supported his brother JFK's tax cuts ... He wanted to keep the tax cuts ... [Robert F. Kennedy, Sr.] also ran against the Great Society welfare state, because he said they were going to be too dependent on the government ... " —Larry Kudlow, July 14, 2023
"Republicans can kiss their house majority goodbye if they delay Trump‘s tax cuts." —Grover Norquist, 'Daily Caller', December 13, 2024
■ Fairness: "Well, as you know, there are many things in life that are not fair, that wealthy people can afford and poor people can't. But I don’t believe that the federal government should take action to try to make these opportunities exactly equal, particularly when there is a moral factor involved." —President Jimmy Carter, July 13, 1977
"Federal, State, and Local government spending is now 44% of GDP. (Federal spending about 24% of GDP this year.)" —Larry Kudlow, January 25, 2023
✓ 'Fair share'? — You've got to be kidding!: "Progressive income taxes (the second plank of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' 1848 Communist Manifesto) are doubly unfair, and were unconstitutional until the 16th amendment was unwisely passed in 1913 (by mistake) after a dishonest campaign claiming that only the extremely wealthy would be taxed (sound familiar?). By way of comparison, Mcdonald's 'taxes' fairly for hamburgers because the food purchases are voluntary (not theft like government taxes) and the price is equal. The price of a hamburger is the same for everyone, rich or poor, man or woman, and regardless of race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, etc., so people are treated equally. That's fair. Rich people are not overcharged for a hamburger, but they can pay double if they want to buy two hamburgers. Income taxes are more than unfair because, you are forced to buy what you do not want, much of your money is wasted, and the involuntary price is unequal, i.e., discriminatory. Simple 'flat tax' unfairness (proportionally unfair, like property taxes) would overcharge a rich person with ten times as much money 'only' ten times as much for the same hamburger. Progressive income taxes (what we have now) are doubly unfair (disproportionally) because they force a rich person with ten times as much money to pay much more than ten times as much for the same hamburger. What could be more unfair than to be wildly overcharged for what you don't want to buy (and which you may oppose as wrong, harmful, wasteful, destructive, or immoral)? And the overcharge will be stolen from you at gunpoint by government agents if you refuse to pay, and you will be locked up. It actually gets worse, because in America, approximately half of the population pays infinitely more income tax than the other half that pays zero income tax! And just when you thought it couldn't get even worse, you discover that not only does inflation tax away the value of your dollars (by more than 99% as the gold in a $20 gold piece came to cost more than $2,000!), but to add insult to injury, you are forced to pay income tax on the fake supposed 'income' from investments and savings that is not real but is only due to inflation." —Erica Marshall
'Armed IRS agents wanted': "Major Duties ... Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary." —jobs.irs.gov, August, 2022
"Teach your kids about taxes by eating 30% of their ice cream." —Anonymous
'Sense And Nonsense About Taxes': "The United States has the most progressive tax system in the world. We tax the rich proportionally more than any other country." —John Goodman, October 7, 2024
"No matter how worthy the cause, it is robbery, theft, and injustice to confiscate the property of one person and give it to another to whom it does not belong." —Walter E. Williams
"You cannot tax your way into prosperity. You can try, but you can’t do it. It’s been tried for hundreds of years and it has failed." —Larry Kudlow
"Inflation is the tax collector for the liberal world order." —Rep. Thomas Massie
🇺🇸 Happy Anniversary: "250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party·" —December 16, 1773
"When I say cut taxes, I don't mean fiddle with the [internal revenue] code. I mean abolish the income tax and the IRS, and replace them with nothing." —Ron Paul
'The Billionaire and the Socialist': "Let's change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else. [Elon Musk was named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year', 2021]" —Senator Elizabeth Warren, December 13, 2021
'Pocahontas': 
"Stop projecting! (Elizabeth Warren is a fraud – Her lies about being Native American disqualify her from presidency, Senate) ... You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend’s angry Mom would just randomly yell at everyone for no reason ... Please don't call the manager on me, Senator Karen." —Elon Musk
'Most innovative entrepreneur of his generation': "And if you opened your eyes for 2 seconds, you would realize I will pay more taxes than any [other] American in history [$11 billion] this year ... Don’t spend it all at once ... oh wait you did already." —Elon Musk, also 'Financial Times' Person of the Year, 2021, also richest person on earth
[Paypal, Tesla, OpenAI, SpaceX, Neuralink, Twitter/X]
"Strange as it may seem, the Sixteenth Amendment (which gave the American people the affliction of confiscatory income taxes) was never supposed to have passed. It was introduced by the Republicans as part of a political scheme to trick the Democrats, but it backfired. The Founding Fathers had rejected income taxes ... " —W. Cleon Skousen
'President Biden is sleepwalking our country into a totalitarian nightmare': "He plans to create a centralized digital dollar [CBDC], which would give him [unparalleled surveillance and individualized] unprecedented control over the American people. If we don’t stop him, the federal government could soon track where, when, and how you spend your dollars." —Heritage Foundation, June 13, 2024
BIG BROTHER — Let the IRS surveil your bank account:
"It would ask just for two pieces of information from the banks of these folks. The amounts that come into their bank accounts and what amounts go out of their bank accounts. ... I'm not out to punish anyone, I am a capitalist. [sic] ... All I'm asking is you pay your fair share. [sic*]" —Joe Biden, September 16, 2021
*["In 2018 the top 10% of income earners paid 71% of all federal income tax. The top 1% paid 40%." —Varney & Co., September 17, 2021]
Ω
'COME BACK WITH A WARRANT.' 4th amendment doormat
Courtesy of Amazon.com
TRIGGER WARNING: More politics
>>>>> Click to SKIP AHEAD on this web page, if you prefer, past lots of Biden era politics ...
"The Pretense of Knowledge." —Friedrich Hayek
'The Left’s metamorphosis into a bastardized, racialized Marxism': "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." —Barack Obama, University of Missouri at Columbia, Missouri, October 30, 2008
Finally making sense out of what is happening to America: "Sixty years ago, two Ivy League professors laid out a plan for permanent left-wing rule in America: Flood the country with migrants, bankrupt the government with debt and welfare programs, and spark crisis after crisis until the system collapses. Gee, sound familiar?" —The Charlie Kirk Show: The 'Cloward-Piven Strategy' To Destroy America, March 15, 2024
'Truth Matters': "There is a beautiful part of the liturgy in the Jewish tradition for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, and the congregation goes through the various sins and commandments and then one is added that I find so fascinating:
'we have been zealots for bad causes'." —Robert P. George
A disruptive revolutionary strategy intended to force the elimination of poverty has been adopted by radical Democrat leftists to 'fundamentally transform America' by Marxist revolution: "The Cloward–Piven strategy is a political strategy outlined in 1966 by American [Columbia University faculty] sociologists and political activists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. It is the strategy of forcing political change to societal collapse through orchestrated crises. The ‘Cloward-Piven Strategy’ seeks to hasten the fall of capitalism [aka communist revolution (but with American Marxism substituting race for class, also emanating from Columbia University)] by overloading the government bureaucracy with a flood of impossible demands, amassing massive unpayable national debt, and other methods such as unfettered immigration, thus pushing society into crisis and economic collapse." —Wikipedia
"We are going to have to change our conversation; we're going to have to change our traditions, our history; we're going to have to move into a different place as a nation." —Michelle Obama, May 14, 2008
" ... for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country ... " —Michelle Obama, January 12, 2015
" ... we have an incredible opportunity to not just dig out of this [coronavirus] crisis, but to fundamentally transform the country." —Joe Biden, May 4, 2022
'Law School Dean Tells MSNBC It’s Time To Scrap Constitution': "Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of California at Berkeley’s law school, called for a new constitution ... " —Harold Hutchison, August 30, 2024
Lunatic Leftists: "President Trump is blessed in his opposition. He brings out the absolute worst in all of his enemies." —Ben Shapiro, April 28, 2025
"Here in the United States we are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country. America was founded on liberty and independence, and not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free and we will stay free. ... Tonight we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." —President Donald J. Trump, State of the Union Address, February 5, 2019
"I was Barack Obama's campaign cochair on his second term and today I don't recognize this Democratic Party, and so I'm looking forward to an intense fight." —Gloria J. Romero, former California State Senator and the Democratic majority leader of the California State Senate (2005-2008), July 11, 2022
"It is a great advantage to a President, and a source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions." —President Calvin Coolidge, explaining why he chose not to run for another term as President in 1928
'Stakeholder Capitalism' = Fascism: "The goal of the Great Reset is 'capitalism with Chinese characteristics'—a two-tiered economy, with profitable monopolies and the state on top and socialism for the majority below." —Michael Rectenwald, December, 2021
"Trump will save democracy and America. Mark my words. Kamala Harris would be a disaster." —Elon Musk, August 26, 2024
"The idea of the American dream was something that previous generations could count on. Not as much anymore." —Kamala Harris, 'NBC News Now', October 22, 2024
2024: "The Biden-Harris economy is so bad that seniors have to take two jobs!" →
"We need a real president, not a puppet." —Elon Musk, October 23, 2024
"The appointment of [Kamala Harris‘s father as a Stanford University Professor of Economics] was the culmination of the six-month 'round-the-world' search for the most qualified Marxist professor available." —'Economic Policy Journal', August 12, 2020
'KAMUNISM' by 'Comrade' 'Commie-la Harris':
"Yeah, I am radical. I do believe we need to get radical." —Kamala Harris in her own words ...
['So far left, the most left-wing former Senator, so way beyond the Overton window and undemocratic, that she didn't get even a single primary vote for President in 2020 or 2024, picked a Manchurian candidate running mate, and is being mocked by commentators for her socialist policies.' 'Wealth destruction plans': "Sponsored the $93 trillion Green New Deal bill, raising the corporate tax rate to 28% or more to make the U.S. economy and manufacturing uncompetitive with foreign countries (compared with OECD average at 23%, EEU 21%, and Asia including China 19%); raising the capital gains tax rate to 44.6% making capital investment uneconomic; confiscating wealth with an unworkable 25% wealth tax on unrealized capital gains; a 4% transaction tax on corporate stock buybacks; increasing the estate tax; a massive $5 trillion tax increase by not renewing the expiring Trump era tax cuts; crippling the economy and create shortages with Price Controls, Wage Controls, federal rent controls, and endless regulations and mandates; disrupting energy production; massive inflation causing deficit spending with V.P. Harris personally responsible for the inflation by casting the tie breaking massive spending Senate votes [American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ($1.9 trillion) and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ($1 trillion)]; raising prices via subsidies on electric vehicles, green energy, home purchases, and college tuition; diverting expenditures away from Americans to pay for free education, free medical care, and free housing for illegal immigrants with an open border; eliminating private health insurance with socialized medicine." —John Lee]
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." —Maya Angelou
'Con-mala' Harris flip-flopped Eleven times:
"● Plastic straw ban; ● Border wall; ● Border is secure; ● EV mandate; ● Fracking ban; ● Taxes on tips; ● Government run healthcare; ● Defund police; ● Cash bail; ● Abolish I.C.E.; ● Mandatory gun buyback. " —Axios, Fox News, The hill, New York Post, c. September, 2024
After being in office for almost 4 years: "We just need to move past the failed policies that we have proven don't work." —Kamala Harris, Pittsburgh, PA, September 25, 2024
Q. "Would you have done something differently than Biden during the past four years?" —Co-hosts of ‘The View’
A. "There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have impact." —Vice President Kamala Harris, October 6, 2024
" ... Kamala Harris is a fearless fighter for the people, and she is offering a New Way Forward – a future where our freedoms are protected and everyone has the opportunity to get ahead. As President, she will work to bring down costs, restore reproductive freedom, cut taxes for more than 100 million Americans, help small businesses thrive, make housing more affordable, and so much more ... " —'PA Dems' electioneering text message, October 20, 2024
Democrats are ‘bought and paid for by big tech companies’: "I'll be honest with you – I am a Democrat. But they have f*cked us over the last 40 years and for once ... we’re standing up as a union – probably the only one right now – saying what the f*ck have you done for us? ... " —Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, October 8, 2024
'Kamaflauge': "Kamala Harris gave her convention speech last night. ... All her left-wing positions went unmentioned ... " —Dennis Prager
"25 Lies Kamala Harris Told In Her Debate Against Trump." —Shawn Fleetwood, September 11, 2024
"21 False Claims & Hoaxes by Kamala Harris that ABC’s Debate Moderators Did Not Fact Check." —Alana Mastrangelo, September 10, 2024
"We cannot allow Comrade Kamala Harris and the Communist left to do to America what they did to California." —Donald J. Trump, September 13, 2024
'PRICE GAUGING [sic]' – 'Kamala’s Plan to Make Inflation Worse' and Leave Store Shelves Empty: "Price Controls and Rampant Spending." —Grover Norquist, August 18, 2024
Harris casts the tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act that resulted in 9% inflation and a 20%+ affordability crisis: "The yays are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President [myself] votes in the affirmative, and the Bill as amended is passed." —Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate floor, August 7, 2022
"IRS Agents' Union Endorses Kamala Harris ... [for President because she] cast the deciding vote to break ... [the] 'Inflation Reduction Act' ... Senate deadlock ... [that] boosts the IRS budget by $80 billion, enabling the agency to hire an additional 87,000 employees ... " —Craig Bannister, September 19, 2024
"The idea that more police equals more safety ... That’s just wrong.“ ... “We have to have this conversation about redirecting resources." —Kamala Harris
Q. "In the area of reparations for descendants of Africans enslaved — if you’re elected president, would you sign that bill if it came across your desk?" —Al Sharpton
A. “When I am elected president, I will sign that bill." —Kamala Harris, 2020
Communist theft of intellectual property – Nationalization – 'Is this even legal' – Government confiscation of American pharmaceutical companies' drug patents: "I will snatch their patent, so that we [the American government] will take over. Yes we can do that! The question is: 'Do you have the will to do it'!? I have the will to do it." —Kamala Harris, on Confiscating Patents, C-SPAN, November 22, 2019
["Pure evil! – Life or death for millions. Where will the next breakthrough life saving drugs come from after the radical Marxist Democrats destroy the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries? Why would anyone in their right mind invest billions of dollars year after year to invent the next new drugs, if their successes will be stolen?" —Susan Thompson]
Incredible ignorance of self proclaimed 'radical' Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris' views, a month before voting begins:
"SURVEY OF 1,200 REGISTERED DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENT BIDEN VOTERS
Harris would consider allowing death row inmates to vote: 14% Aware, 86% UnAware,
Harris supported the elimination of private health insurance: 19% Aware, 81% UnAware,
Harris promoted a fund to bail out violent protesters during 2020 riots: 22% Aware, 78% UnAware,
Harris supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement: 23% Aware, 77% UnAware,
Harris was named the most liberal U.S. Senator in 2019: 25% Aware, 75% UnAware,
Harris said it should not be considered a crime to enter the U.S. illegally: 26% Aware, 74% UnAware,
Harris co-sponsored the Green New Deal: 27% Aware, 73% UnAware,
Harris never visited a conflict zone on the border as Border Czar: 28% Aware, 72% UnAware,
Harris supported cutting funding for the police: 29% Aware, 71% UnAware,
Harris supported reparations payments to atone for slavery in the U.S.: 29% Aware, 71% UnAware."
—McLaughlin MRC Poll, August 14, 2024
Rising Crime Rate: "The survey found that violent crime was up 37% from 2020 to 2023, rape is up 42%, robbery is up 63%, and stranger violence is up 61%." —Citing the Justice Department's 'National Crime Victimization Survey,' September 12, 2024
'Felony assaults by repeat offenders (New York City)': "+146.5% since 2018." —NYPD, c. January, 2025
[‘The revolving door of the New York criminal justice system’: "Imagine how disheartening it is [under Soros elected radical district attorneys] for our cops to be out there arresting the same people for the same crimes in the same neighborhoods day after day." —Jessica Tisch, NYPD Commissioner, January 6, 2025]
"No self-respecting man buys Tim Walz’s schmalzy Midwest Dad schtick. Mr Stolen Valor is as phony as his boss and even weirder. (Who gets married on the anniversary of a massacre? The Manchurian candidate.)" —Miranda Devine, September 27, 2024
'How the Grinch Stole Christmas': "We all sing happy tunes and and sing 'Merry Christmas' and wish each other 'Merry Christmas.' How dare we speak ‘Merry Christmas?’ How dare we?" —Kamala Harris, December 2017
"While we struggle to afford food and fuel, the elite gathered at Davos/[World Economic Forum] to discuss how we should be allowed to live our lives. Their totalitarian dream of a so-called 'Great Reset' where people own nothing and are tracked/monitored with every step, must be condemned by us all." —Tulsi Gabbard, May 31, 2022
"Doomsaying politicians and journalists want you to believe that inequality, poverty, racism, and human misery are on the rise — and that the only path to a better future is to allow bureaucrats and elites in Washington to make top-down decisions about our lives, families, and businesses.
On the contrary, there's never been a better time to be alive. The world is a much healthier, happier, and more prosperous place today than in any other time in history — all thanks to the global spread of free markets, limited government, human freedom, property rights, and the rule of law. Liberty and free enterprise –not government– created the wonders of the modern world that so many people take for granted. ... " —Peter Goettier
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." —Henry David Thoreau
'Declining American Values' ... 1998 → 2023: "Religion 62% → 39%; Patriotism 70% → 38%; Community Involvement 47% → 27%; Having Children 59% → 30%; Money 31% → 43%."
—Wall Street Journal / NORC Poll, March 1-13, 2023
"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth." —Abraham Lincoln
"Trump's 59 'day one' promises." [MORE] —Axios, December 26, 2024
American Values inscribed on every U.S. coin: "Liberty, In God We Trust, and E Pluribus Unum ['from many one']. We must restore these values ... the 'American Trinity' ... if America is to remain the last best hope of Earth." —Dennis Prager
"Multiculturalism: A Bad Idea ... the opposite of E Pluribus Unum [the desired result should be one diverse people with shared values, not unassimilated violent gangs]." —Konstantin Kisin, September 30, 2024
"Between the omnipotent state and the naked individual looms the first line of resistance against totalitarianism: the economically and politically independent family, protecting the space within which free and independent individuals may receive the necessary years of nurture." —Michael Novak
'Law and Manners' Speech: "Civilization and the pleasantness of everyday life depend on unwritten rules. Early in the 20th century, an English mathematician and government official, Lord Moulton, described complying with these rules as 'obedience to the unenforceable' – the area of personal choice that falls between illegal acts and complete freedom." —Michael Munger
Fascism – The Road We are Traveling: "A highly influential movement among the world's elite to 'reset' the global economy using banks, government programs, and environmental, social, and governance metrics ... would put substantially more economic and social power in the hands of large corporations, international institutions, banks, and government officials ... " —Glenn Beck, 'The Great Reset: Joe Biden and the Rise of Twenty-First-Century Fascism'
What Is the Great Reset?: "Leftist authoritarianism is the political ideology and modus operandi of what I call Big Digital, which is on the leading edge of a nascent world system. Big Digital is the communications, ideological, and technological arm of an emerging corporate-socialist totalitarianism. The Great Reset is the name that has since been given to the project of establishing this world system." —Michael Rectenwald
Biden's plan for an entitlement society – For the first time in history, more than half of all Americans would be on the federal dole: " ... 57% of all married-couple children would receive federal entitlement benefits, and more than 80% of single-parent households would be on the entitlement rolls." —John F. Cogan and Daniel L. Heil, Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2021
'Do they not allow him in the actual White House?': "Biden ridiculed for using fake White House ... bizarre virtual set for televised meetings ... constructed across from the White House in the South Court Auditorium ... and not an actual room like East Room, Cabinet, Oval, Roosevelt, Sit Room, etc." —Kyle Morris
TRIGGER WARNING: Profanity
■ "Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up."
—Former President Barack Obama, c. November 30, 2020
"Something's going down in college football stadiums across the country. ... They are chanting 'F*** Joe Biden'. They can't stop it. It’s like the most popular cheer on Saturday. ... This thing is starting to take off." —Jesse Watters, September 18, 2021 ['#LetsGoBrandon']
■ "Lets go Brandon. I agree." —Joe Biden, December 24, 2021
Outrageous and obscene, but explicitly consensual: " ... And when you're a star they let you do ... anything. ... G*** them by the p****. ... " —Donald Trump, who was elected president after these private remarks were publicized by his opponents
"The Seven Words you can never say on television." —George Carlin
"Invertebrate president [Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden]." —Rep. Mike Garcia (R) California
■ What are we doing?: "This is the United States of America, Dammit! What are we doing?" —Joe Biden, Scranton PA, October 20, 2021
Iowa Poll: "62% of Iowans disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as President." —Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, September 21, 2021
'Just Perfect!': "Our country could not be more better served than with this most experienced capable hands than President Biden. [sic]" —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, December 14, 2021
Colossally bad: "Where one party barely in control in the United States Congress is using that to force-feed something on the American people that they very clearly don't want, that very clearly is going to hurt them in the long term, and that really challenges the fabric of our democracy and our constitution. ... They're selectively challenging and suspending Americans' liberties and freedoms, as Democrats and Democrats alone see fit and as serves their purpose. ... This [$5.1 trillion spending] bill is just the latest iteration ... I hope that the American people are starting to pay attention about just how dishonest the Democratic leadership in the White House, in the Senate, and in the House have been to the American people, and why all Americans should understand. In light of, again, what we have seen in the last eight months, and how things have unraveled and how this country is going to places that none of us ever imagined and most of us still believe are un-American and they don't represent the very best of our values." —John Ratcliffe, former Director of U.S. National Intelligence, September 12, 2021
"This notion that you can send checks out to everybody and things will be fine is just not true. Some people have this absurd view that the economy is like some magic horn of plenty; It just makes stuff. Goods and services? They just come from this magic horn of plenty. So, if somebody has more stuff than somebody else it is just because they took more from this magic horn of plenty. Let me break it to the fools out there: If you don't make stuff, there is no stuff. We've become detached from reality. You can't just legislate money and solve these things. If you don't make the stuff, there is no stuff ... Obviously." —Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, cofounder of PayPal, founder and CEO of SpaceX, and cofounder of Neuralink, 2020
Only Government Creates Inflation: 
"Inflation [See graph (right) of the annual inflation rate of Trump 1.4%(red) vs. Biden 9%(blue)] is made in Washington because only Washington can create money, and any other attribution to other groups of inflation is wrong. Consumers don't produce it. Producers don’t produce it. The trade unions don't produce it. Foreign sheiks don't produce it. Oil imports don't produce it. What produces it is too much government spending and too much government creation of money and nothing else." —Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman (fully explaining inflation in 33 seconds)
$5.1 trillion 'reconciliation' budget bill: " ... Disastrous dangerous policies. We are not going to help them pass this debacle. This is a blueprint to bankrupt our country. We will not stand for it." —Rep. Kat Cammack, (R) Florida, September 23, 2021
U.S. Consumer Price Index recalculated using pre-1983 model: "CPI April 2022 peak, 18% [Not the 9% peak of the post-1988 CPI model that now omits borrowing costs like home mortgages and car loans]; CPI November 2023, 7%." —Larry Summers, Bureau of Economic Analysis, NBER
U.S. credit card fees and interest payments: "2020, $106 billion; 2023, $157 billion." —FDIC
"How bad do conditions have to get in this country before Democrat voters wake up and realize that their policies and the governance of the Democrat leaders is literally destroying this country? I mean, you've got 40-year high inflation, record gas prices, skyrocketing crime, open border of flooded deadly drugs. I just call [it] the list of horribles. It doesn't get much worse than that. And yet Democrats just kind of shrugged it all off." —Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), November 9, 2022
"Has anyone noticed that China's taking over of ports worldwide, and flooding the United States with Fentanyl is the mirror image of the 19th century opium wars?" —Li Ming
["By the end of 2022, Chinese firms had acquired ownership and/or operational stakes in 95 ports in 53 countries, spanning every continent except Antarctica."]
The 'malaise' is back:
Building a Worser America: "The policies are all wrong. I can't remember any President whose first year has gone as badly as Biden and I've never seen a President less likely or less able to change course. As the [NY] Times says, 'Democrats shouldn't panic, they should go into shock': ['The rise of inflation, supply chain shortages, a surge in illegal border crossings, the persistence of Covid, mayhem in Afghanistan and the uproar over critical race theory — all of these developments, individually and collectively, have taken their toll on President Biden and Democratic candidates ... ']." —Stewart Varney, November 18, 2021
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." —Romans 1:22 KJV
'Biden's Errors Worsen Inflation': "He needs to ditch his woke advisers and make growth the overriding priority. Three factors combined during the past two years to create the perfect economic storm. Covid-19 scrambled the U.S. economy's supply lines. The Federal Reserve kept its foot on the accelerator way too long. And the Biden administration did pretty much everything wrong, injecting $1.9 trillion into a supply-constrained economy, sending out stay-at-home checks, letting tenants live rent-free, squeezing oil and gas production, launching an avalanche of growth-killing regulations, lining up behind unions, and pushing yet another deficit-financed budget." —Senator Mitt Romney, 'The Wall Street Journal', April 19, 2022/
"Joe Biden is denying reality when he says prices are going down. ["Prices continue to go down." —Joe Biden] The fact is, prices are up nearly 20% under Biden. Three years ago, Biden unleashed an inflation nightmare on us. Now, families need relief at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the kitchen table. But Joe Biden's ineffective policies are only making our financial hardship worse. Biden's economic record: Weakness. Failure. Dishonesty." —Securing American Greatness, Inc., July 3, 2024
"Things are out of control. ... I wish President Biden would just forget about ‘build back better’, and put things back the way he found them." —Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), December 12, 2023
'Impact of regulatory rules on households': ['Regulators Gone Wild': "Biden through 2022, and comparable periods."]
"Change in COST per U.S. household: Obama ▲$4,353; Trump ▼$2,636; Biden ▲$5,019."
—Casey Mulligan, University of Chicago Economist, August 15, 2023
Biden's war on American energy (January 2021 → September 2023):
"Barrel of Brent oil, $54.77 → $92.09; Gallon of gasoline, $2.39 → $3.85."
—AAA, Energy Information Administration
Inflation surges under Biden (January 2021 → August 2023):
🔥 "Overall CPI ▲17%; Gasoline ▲62%; Groceries ▲20%; Electricity ▲26%." —Bureau of Labor Statistics
Mortgage rates surge under Biden: "Trump 2.65%; Biden 7.75%." —FOX Business, September 22, 2023
New CNN Poll: "66% Disapprove of Biden on economy; 34% Approve." —CNN, May 4, 2022
"Americans saw 'most severe' pay cut in 25 years under Biden. ... the median decline in real wages is a little more than 8.5%." —Thomas Barrabi and Ariel Zilber, October 6, 2022
Laughably, idiotically, dangerously, wrong, wrong, wrong: "Government spending is reducing the national debt.[sic] It is not inflationary.[sic]" —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Philadelphia, March 11, 2022
'America’s $35 trillion national debt will be a ‘big burden on the backs of our children’ unless the private sector is given room to grow': "We need growth or risk passing on a huge, unaffordable burden to coming generations." —Blackrock CEO Larry Fink ["A huge national debt is sustainable only if it remains small in comparison to a growing national wealth." —Richard Garcia]
■ 'Putin price hike' inflation dissembling: " ... For a few days he [Joe Biden] was saying ... everything is Putin's price hikes, inflation is Putin's fault. People don't believe that either. They know that they had inflation before this ... You can't blame everything in the economy on Putin." —David Axelrod, former senior Obama advisor, 'Tacks on Tap' Podcast, March 12, 2022
■ "The President needs to stop blaming others and do his job." —Joe Biden, April 20, 2020
"Biden, White House claims U.S. has 'zero inflation' [sic] despite annual rate remaining 8.5%." —Steven Nelson, August 10, 2022
With the consent of the governed?:
"Country on the wrong track?
Total 85% wrong track;
Republicans 92% wrong track;
Democrats 78% wrong track."
—AP-NORC Poll, June 23-27, 2022 [Under the Democrat Biden-Harris adminstration]
"#BareshelvesBiden trending as Americans vent about empty stores amid supply chain crisis." —Jeff Mordock, 'The Washington Times', January 10, 2022 [#BareshelvesBiden hashtag now being censored on Twitter (no search results).]
"Biden's woke economics are completely wrong." —Larry Kudlow, May 4, 2022
Federal Reserve: "There is no understanding of economics going on at the Fed." —Arthur Laffer, May 4, 2022
Inflation/Recession: "The Fed is way behind the curve and there's not going to be a soft landing." —Larry Kudlow, May 4, 2022
'Blue States, You're the Problem:' " ... many blue states are actually doing worse than red states. It is in the [Democrat run] blue states where affordable housing is often hardest to find, there are some of the most acute disparities in education funding and economic inequality is increasing most quickly. ... Blue states is where the housing crisis is located. Blue states are where the disparities in education funding are the most dramatic. Blue states are the places where thousands of homeless people are living on the streets. Blue states are the places where economic inequality is increasing most quickly in this country. ... Affluent liberals tend to be really good at showing up to the marches and talking about how they love equality. They are really good at showing signs on their lawns that 'all are welcome here'. But by their actions what they're actually saying is, 'yes we believe in those ideals, just not in my backyard'." —'The New York Times', Opinion video, November 9, 2021
"What I have made clear to the President [Biden] and Democratic leaders is that spending trillions more on new and expanded government programs, when we can't even pay for the essential social programs, like Social Security and Medicare, is the definition of fiscal insanity. ... need to means test any new social programs ... America is a great nation but great nations throughout history have been weakened by careless spending and bad policies. ... " —Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), September 29, 2021
"Medicare Advantage plans have financial incentives to discover patient problems early and solve them. Since the Medicare Advantage premiums are fixed, the plan makes money by catching problems early, getting patients the care they need, and keeping patients away from the emergency room and out of the hospital. Unique in our health care system are Medicare Advantage plans that specialize in such chronic conditions as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. These Medicare Advantage plans actually seek to enroll patients that other plans would like to avoid. ... Numerous studies have found that Medicare Advantage plans are providing higher quality care at a lower cost, when enrollees with comparable characteristics are compared." —John Goodman, February 27, 2024
"Social Security is unsustainable because it is not meeting the first order condition of a Ponzi scheme, namely expanding the pool of suckers." —Walter E. Williams, 'American Contempt for Liberty'
'Socialism' – '$3.5' trillion [actually $5.1 trillion]: "I like the President [Biden] personally, but he was never a moderate and this administration is in no way moderate. Bernie Sanders may have lost the nomination but he won the war over what is the program of the Democrats is going to be. This is socialism for America. It needs to be stopped. No Republicans will support it. Hopefully there will be one or two brave Democrats that will stop this from happening." —Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, [R-KY], July 15, 2021
'Biden makes false claims in fiery economy remarks': —Maria Bartiromo
"Republicans like to portray me as some kind of big spender. I have spent a lot of money ... Ladies and gentlemen, this year, by the end of the fiscal year, we will have cut the federal deficit by another $1.6 trillion. [sic] In one year. One year. So when they come to you and talk about big spenders, let them know, almost $2 trillion in deficit reduction. [sic] I don't want to hear any more of these lies [sic], about reckless spending. We're changing peoples lives. ... " —Joe Biden, AFL-CIO, Philadelphia, June 15, 2022
"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." —Thomas Jefferson
"Economic growth ... by taking the regulatory state out of the picture, unlocking American energy, putting people back to work ... bringing tax rates down ... shut down the federal government, much of it –that's a good thing– 75% headcount reduction in federal bureaucrats, close government agencies that should not exist, rescind unconstitutional federal regulations that fail the Supreme Court's test in West Virginia v. EPA ... a real shutdown of the administrative state, that fourth branch, that unconstitutional branch that our founding fathers are rolling over in the grave ... our founding fathers will be once again resting in peace, as they deserve, with three branches of government, not four ... " —Vivek Ramaswamy, October 2, 2023
" ... a legislative body elected by the people must not delegate the power of lawmaking to any other entity, for that power was delegated to the legislature by the people." —John Locke, 'Second Treatise on Government'
"Bidenism has to go." —Larry Kudlow
"I would just can this whole [multi-trillion dollar social and climate spending] bill. Don't pass it. That's my recommendation. ... It might be better if the bill does not pass because you've spent so much money, you know, it's like the federal budget deficit is insane." —Elon Musk, Wall Street Journal's CEO Council, December 6, 2021
And "God knows what else! ... " —Joe Biden, August 8, 2022
'Big Government Socialism' = 'Policies to Wreck America'
Democrat 5.1 Trillion dollar 'reconciliation' federal budget bill, attacking free market capitalism:
"SAVE AMERICA! – KILL THE BILL! ... KILL ALL THE BILLS!"
—Larry Kudlow, September 16 - November 19, 2021 ['#LetsGoBrandon']
Big government socialism versus free enterprise capitalism: "It's all about [the Democrats' reckless tax and spending spree] collectivizing America, undermining a free enterprise system. It's really bad." —Senator Pat Toomey, (R-PA), September 28, 2021
President Biden spending laws breakdown: "American Rescue Plan: $1.9 Trillion; Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan: $1.2 Trillion; Chips Act: $280 Billion; Inflation Reduction ['Green New Deal'] Act" $739 Billion; Omnibus Spending Bill: $1.7 Trillion; Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024: $1.2 Trillion; Total: $7 Trillion." —White House, April 2024
"It stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it." —William F. Buckley, 'National Review' mission statement, 1955
🇺🇸 "We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world." —President Franklin D. Roosevelt, State of the Union, Washington DC, January 6, 1941, >
🇺🇸 " ... We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection." —Ronald Reagan
"When people get scared (by an actual threat or a fake one) they demand the government save them. The state is all too willing to step in and (at least pretend to) save us. But in the process, it takes our freedom. In hopes of safety, we surrender our rights. We grow the government bigger to stop the threat (which is often of the government's own making). It's a pattern throughout history." —Connor Boyack
"You cannot comply your way out of tyranny." —From a T-shirt
"How to sell freedom without starting a fight." —Jim Babka
'State socialism': "Men as communities are supreme over men as individuals." —Woodrow Wilson
Democratic Socialism: "Our movement continues and it's getting stronger every day. Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered 'radical' are now mainstream." —Bernie Sanders speaking at the Biden Democrat presidential nominating convention, August 17, 2020
["As mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Bernie Sanders took his wife, Jane, to the Soviet Union for their honeymoon."]
America's Cultural Revolution: "How the radical left conquered everything." —Christopher F. Rufo
"Xi Jinping aims to rein in Chinese capitalism, hew to Mao's socialist vision." —Lingling Wei, Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2021
'China Returns to Mao': "In the decades following the death of Mao Zedong, China enjoyed relative economic freedom and unprecedented growth. But under Xi Jinping, Mao-like government control has made a comeback, weakening China’s economy. ... socialism is once again failing China. ... Socialism never fails to fail." —Helen Raleigh
Biden's first year of mistakes: "Inflation at 40-year high; Ongoing supply chain crisis; Illegal immigrants flooding the southern border; Drug crisis fueled by open border policies; Murder rate reaches highest level in 25 years; Covid cases soar; Botched Afghanistan withdrawal; Push to change filibuster, failed 'voting rights'[sic] bills." —Maria Bartiromo, January 21, 2022
"Illegitimi non carborundum" —Don't let the bastards grind you down
Is America headed down the wrong path?: "Wrong direction 61%; Right direction 29.9%"
—Real Clear Politics polling data average, August 26, 2021 - September 7, 2021
"71% say US heading in the wrong direction. ... 48% of Democrats, 93% of Republicans and 70% of independents ... say the country is heading in the wrong direction ... "
—NBC News Survey, October 23-26, 2021 ('New York Post', October 31, 2021)
'President Joe Biden's approval rating continued to decline':
"Is America on the Right Track? — YES 18%; NO 79%"
—Monmouth University Poll, May 5-9, 2022
'Is the US heading in the right direction?':
"Wrong track 74%; Right direction 20%." —NBC News Survey, June 16-20, 2023
How do Americans feel about the country's direction?:
"Concerned/Scared 86%; Excited/Optimistic 14%."
—CNN/SSRS Poll, May 12-13, 2022
Is Biden too old to effectively serve another term?: "Democrats 69% YES, 30% NO; Republicans 89% YES; Independents 74% YES; Overall 77% YES, 22% NO." —Associated Press - NORC Poll, 1,165 adults, August 10-14, 2023
Our French Revolution: "We are in a Jacobin Revolution of the sort that in 1793-94 nearly destroyed France. And things are getting scary. The Democratic Party vanished sometime in 2020. It was absorbed by hard-left ideologues. They were bent on radically altering, or hijacking, existing institutions to force radical, equality-of-result agendas that otherwise do not earn majority support. ... " [More] —Victor Davis Hanson, April 6, 2023
"If you vote and you elect dishonest, incompetent people into office who screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You caused the problem; you voted them in; you have no right to complain." —George Carlin
'Trump is winning on the issues': " ... He's winning on high gas and grocery prices ... high interest rates on mortgages and credit cards. He's winning because Americans are sick of the socialist Green New Deal. They don't want to give up gasoline-powered cars, gas stoves, hot water heaters, dishwashers and wood-burning pizzas ... from day one back in 2015, he warned about illegal immigration, job losses and falling real wages. Trump is winning because his tax cuts generated huge income gains for typical families and lower-income folks. Trump is winning because he took out Soleimani and bankrupted Iran, befriended Israel and changed Middle Eastern politics with the Abraham Accords. ... he rang the warning bell on China and followed through with tough trade policies. ... he he wants parents to run the schools and cops to run the streets. ... In fact, Hispanic voters have basically the same negative view on this as White voters. Meanwhile, African American voters had Trump's record-low unemployment rate and Trump's upward mobility opportunities and they liked it. ... " —Larry Kudlow, November 7, 2023
Implosion of the Biden Presidency?: "Disarray ... Chaos ... Escalating extremism and intolerance on the progressive left ... Slumping poll numbers ... 
The angry left's assault on civility ... Criminalize parents who challenge them ... Presidency is a metastasizing shambles ... A real world case study in the perils of progressive impossiblism ... Open borders ... Fiscal incontinence ... Naïve strategic idealism ... Mask wielding, mandate waving, dissent canceling authoritarian collectivism ... Reign of error ... Everything he touches becomes a cascading waterfall of destruction ... Approval ratings plumbing new depths ... Negative ratings on just about every major issue ... Picturesque incompetence ... Escalating incompetence." —Gerry Baker, 'Wall Street Journal at Large,' October 8, 2021
☭ "The worst the better." —Vladimir Lenin, before the 1917 Russian communist revolution
🇺🇸 'One little factoid': "[In the year] 1800, 90% of the global population lived in dire poverty – less than two dollars a day (by today's dollars, not dollars then) – today, it is less than 10%. That's because of capitalism. That's all you need to know about capitalism." —Steve Forbes, May 4, 2023
☭ 'Colorado Teachers' Union Makes Anti-Capitalist Activism an Official Goal' – 'State teachers' union ... Marxist platform': "The CEA believes that capitalism requires exploitation of children, public schools, land, labor, and/or resources and, therefore, the only way to fully address systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy (gender and LGBTQ disparities), education inequality, and income inequality is to dismantle capitalism and replace it with a new, equitable economic system. [sic]" —Colorado Education Association passes 'Economic Equity' Resolution #3, submitted by Bryan Lindstrom, by formal vote at the 97th Annual Delegate Assembly of the state's largest teachers' union, April, 2023
"There is no systemic racism in America in 2024." —Leo Terrell, Civil Rights Attorney, June 2, 2024
Joe Biden is making Americans poorer [aka the 'Incredible/Great Transition']: "Americans are getting poorer by the day, and they can thank President Biden. ... Americans are worried about inflation and don't think the Biden administration can fix it without plunging our economy into recession. With the president still hawking even more government spending, higher business taxes and increased regulations – all of which will drive prices higher – why would they? Almost from the start, Americans knew that Biden's policies were wrong for the country." —Liz Peek, May 3, 2022
"He's got some 'splaining to do." —Ricky Ricardo
"I wish I hadn't called it [The Inflation Reduction Act]. It has less to do with reducing inflation..." —Joe Biden, Park City, Utah, August 10, 2023
What is the first thing you would do to help bring down the cost to make things more affordable?: "Drill, baby, drill. We have more liquid gold under our feet than any other nation and these stupid fools ended it. We created the greatest economy in history. A big part of that economy was I got you the biggest tax cuts in the history of our country, bigger than the Reagan cuts, bigger than any. And also ... as you know, we got the biggest regulation and regulatory cuts. This place was rocking." —Donald J. Trump, CNN interview, May 10, 2023
59% of likely voters agree: "Democrats inherited an economy that was primed for an historic comeback, and promptly ran it straight into the ground." —Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, late July, 2022
Biden stock market after worst inflation in 40 years, [-1.5%] GDP economy contraction: "Dow down 8 weeks; Longest [stock price] losing streak in 90 years." —Maria Bartiromo, May 20, 2020
Voters believe the [Biden] economy is bad: "69% (was 63% April)." —CBS News Poll, May 18-20, 2022
'Grim expectations': "Jamie Dimon CEO of America's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase, says 'economic hurricane' on the way 'brace yourself' and Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, says 'I have a super bad feeling about the economy' wants to cut staff 10%, hiring freezes." —Maria Bartiromo, June 5, 2022
President Biden's lack of approval among young voters: "21% approval; 58% disapproval, Voters age 18–34." —Quinnipiac University Poll, April 7–11, 2022 ["Placeholder President Joe Biden: Young people are far more likely to be heard chanting, 'Let’s go Brandon,' than are their grandparents." —Charlie Kirk, April 19, 2022]
"One of the reasons I am running is because of my age and my experience. With it comes wisdom. We need someone to take office this time around who on day one can stand on the world stage, command the respect of world leaders from Putin to our allies and know exactly what has to be done to get this country back on track." —Joe Biden, CNN, October 15, 2019
Afghanistan debacle/surrender: "I make no apologies for what I did." —Joe Biden, January 20, 2022
"Putin knows that if I am President of the United States, his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate ... are over [sic]. I'm going to stand up to him. He is a bully ... When I'm President, things are going to change." —Joe Biden, CNN, October 23, 2019
Weak and incompetent is extremely dangerous and can lead to war: "My guess is he [Putin] will move in [invade Ukraine], he has to do something ... It's one thing if it's a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do ... " —Joe Biden, January 19, 2022
Incoherent policy: "The President believes that sanctions are intended to deter." —Jake Sullivan, White House Spokesman, February 11, 2022
"The purpose of the sanctions is to try to deter Russia from going to war." —Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CNN 'State of the Union', February 20, 2022
"We want them to have a deterrent effect, clearly, and he [Putin] hasn't invaded [Ukraine] yet." —Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, February 21, 2022
"The purpose of the sanctions has always been and continues to be deterrence." —Vice President Kamala Harris, Munich, Germany, February 20, 2022
"You keep talking about that. Sanctions never deter. [sic]" —Joe Biden, NATO, Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022
Putin cannot remain in power [but never mind]: "A dictator, bent on rebuilding an empire, will never erase the people's love for liberty ... Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness. ... For God's sake, this man [Russian President Vladimir Putin] cannot remain in power ... [a] murderous dictator [and a] war criminal ... " —Joe Biden, Warsaw, Poland, March 26, 2022
"The president [Biden] should avoid public speaking ... At least when the topic is important." —James Freeman, Wall Street Journal, March 25, 2022
'Damaging intelligence leaks, bragging':
"The United States has provided intelligence about Russian units that has allowed Ukrainians to target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in action in the Ukraine war, according to Senior American officials." —'The New York Times', May 4, 2022
"NBC News reports U.S. intelligence shared with Ukraine help lead to Ukraine sinking of Russian cruiser Moskva, one of the most embarrassing setbacks Russia has faced since the start of the war." —NBC News, May 5, 2022
["Biden is furious about the leaks saying US intelligence helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink its warship." —Sophia Ankel, May 10, 2022]
"Carl von Clausewitz noted long ago that a key to success is to pursue a retreating enemy. When an enemy is in retreat, it is possible to inflict the greatest damage on his forces, disorganized and disheartened." —Walter Russell Mead, 'Wall Street Journal;, March 18, 2022
The ship's sinking, all right: "Well, to call President Biden and his administration incompetent is accurate, just too kind. These are their policies. They want to drive up the price of fossil fuel. They want to drive up the price of energy so apparently we use less of it. Again, energy price affects the price of every good and commodity. So again, this is exactly what they want. They want open borders, they want deficit spending, they want to increase debt, they wanted to make Americans more dependent on government, they want increasing energy prices, they want inflation. This is what they want. This is what is so disappointing in the last election. I tried to warn Americans, don't elect people that want to fundamentally transform America. I've said this repeatedly, do you like, much less even love something that you want to fundamentally transform? So no, they have put America on a disastrous path. We need to stand up for our country and yell 'STOP.' And we need to sweep Democrats from power in the November, 2022 election so that we can stop this madness." —Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), October 17, 2021
"Biden is a damp [sock] puppet in human form. ... Biden is treating the American public like fools. ... If you scare people enough, they will demand removal of freedom. This is the path to tyranny." —Elon Musk, Twitter, January 27, 2020
"For reasons unknown, @potus is unable to say the word 'Tesla' ... do the right thing and acknowledge @Tesla for its hard work in making EVs a possibility for Americans." —Elon Musk, Twitter, January 30, 2020
" ... doing one team's bidding before an election, shutting down dissenting voices on a pivotal election, that is the very definition of election interference. ... Twitter was acting like an arm of the Democratic National Committee ... " —Elon Musk, c. December 8, 2022
Spying on Twitter users: "The degree to which various government agencies effectively had full access to to everything that was going on at Twitter, blew my mind. I was not aware of that. [Would that include peoples' direct messages?] Yes." —Elon Musk, April 17, 2023
TRIGGER WARNING: Race
The usual litany: "Afghanistan catastrophe, open border disasters, record inflation, parents domestic terrorists, record crime, and now constitutionally divisive ethnic and racial standard for open Supreme Court seat, which wouldn't even pass muster on a college campus." —Larry Kudlow, January 27, 2020
Supreme Court nomination campaign pledge: "I'll appoint the first Black woman to the Court. It's required that they have representation now — it's long overdue." —Joe Biden, March 2020 Democratic presidential debate, Washington, DC
Biden's Supreme Court pick should: "Consider all possible nominees: 76%; Consider only black women: 23%; ... nonwhite Americans (28%) wish for Biden to consider only Black women for the vacancy ... a majority of Democrats (54%) also prefer that Biden consider all possible nominees." —ABC News/IPSOS poll, January 28, 2022
"A very interesting time in our Country, but do not worry, we will be great again—and we will all do it together ... America will never fail, and we will never allow it to go in the wrong direction. Too many generations of greatness are counting on us. Enjoy your Thanksgiving knowing that a wonderful future lies ahead!" —Donald J. Trump, November 25, 2021
Unnecessarily high prices at the gasoline pump: "Perhaps the greatest limiter of the supply of oil has been anti-oil politicians' constant threats to severely restrict or even ban oil production going forward. E.g., 
when Joe Biden promises 'I will end fossil fuel' and then becomes President, oil investors run for the hills. Is it any wonder that, threatened with punishment, investment in oil and gas has declined dramatically? Between 2011 and 2021, oil and gas exploration investments declined by 50%. Less investment = less supply = higher prices. Anti-oil politicians' restrictions on infrastructure, especially pipelines, have reduced the supply of oil by making it difficult or impossible to transport US oil to international markets. If not for these restrictions we'd be producing more oil, with lower prices for everyone." —Alex Epstein
'Biden has thrown a wet blanket over the entire oil and gas industry': "On his very first day in office, Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, ended ANWR [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] drilling in Alaska and instituted a phony metric called the 'social cost of carbon,' which pretends to capture upstream production costs and downstream consumer uses, measured over centuries. Think about it! It cannot be done. This whole jihad against fossil fuels throws a wet blanket over the entire oil and gas industry ... not only the best in the world, the most affordable in the world and actually the cleanest in the world. U.S. carbon emissions have been falling for years. Then came the Biden regulatory octopus with tentacles reaching everywhere to stop fossil fuels. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has essentially banned new pipelines. The Interior Department has stopped drilling on federal land. The Energy Department has frozen [Liquified Natural Gas] LNG export projects. The [Environmental Protection Agency] EPA has reinstituted burdensome standards for the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. [National Environmental Policy Act] NEPA [expedited] permitting reform has been thrown out the window. ... Even though the oil companies have leases, the regulatory octopus including FERC, Energy Department, Interior Department, EPA, SEC, and Federal Reserve won't provide the permits, or the pipelines, or the financing for those projects. It's a classic bait and switch. ... " —Larry Kudlow, March 31, 2022
New oil and gas leases issued as of fiscal year 2023: "Biden/Harris administration: 671; Trump administration: 4,975. [almost 7 1/2 times as many]" —Department of the Interior
"This year marks first since 1958 that U.S. held no oil and gas lease sales." —Kevin Killough September 25, 2024
"A new report from the Department of the Interior shows the Biden Administration has leased fewer acres of land for oil and gas drilling on federal lands and waters since former President Harry Truman in the 1940's. The Department of the Interior has given out leases for 126,228 acres through August 20, 2022, according to analysis from the Wall Street Journal. The last president to lease out less than 4.4 million acres at this point in the first term of his presidency was Richard Nixon in 1969-1970." —Daniel Baldwin, September 15, 2022
"America should have been pumping more oil and gas ... America needs to play a real leadership role. America is the swing producer, not Saudi Arabia." —Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan, October 12, 2022
Displaying complete ignorance that prices are set by supply and demand: "Look, those excess profits are going back to the shareholders and their executives instead of going to lower prices to at pump and give relief to the American people." —Joe Biden, October 28, 2022
["Why would anybody be so stupid as to invest their savings to drill for oil or have an oil company if owners didn't receive the profits?" —Charles Garcia]
"The pro-human CO2 policy is to reduce CO2 emissions long-term through liberating innovation, not punishing America." —Alex Epstein
Citing government energy policies: "There hasn't been a refinery built in this country since the 1970's. I personally don't believe there will be a new petroleum refinery ever built in this country again." —Michael Wirth, Chairman and CEO of the Chevron Corporation
"Fifteen states respond to 'woke capitalism', threaten to cut off banks that refuse to service coal, oil industries." —Brittany Bernstein, 'National Review', November 22, 2021
Loony: "There has never been a better time to be short. ... Short people don't just save resources, but as resources become scarce or because of the earth's growing population and global warming, they may also be best suited for a long term survival." —Mara Altman, 'The New York Times', January 1, 2023
Transitioning to cleaner fuels: "I understand that publicly admitting that oil and gas will play an essential and significant role during the transition and beyond will be hard for some. But admitting this reality will be far easier than dealing with energy insecurity, rampant inflation and social unrest as prices become intolerably high." —Amin Nasser, CEO, Saudi Aramco, December 6, 2021
"Every area of the world that has tried using significant amounts of unreliable solar and wind has had major cost and/or reliability problems. In the US, we have had big electricity price increases and huge reliability problems even at 12% solar and wind." —Alex Epstein
"In the very long-term ... solar will be >99% of all power generation." —Elon Musk
"Every 88 minutes, 470 exajoules of solar energy hit our planet — as much as humanity consumes in a year. Another way to say this is that every five days, Earth receives the equivalent of all proven oil, coal, and natural gas reserves on Earth. ... The theoretical upper limit of perovskite's efficiency is roughly 66%, compared to silicon's 32%." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., October 4, 2024
'New York’s Near Zombie Apocalypse': "The city came close to an electric grid shutdown last winter. ... according to an alarming recent report by energy regulators ... Con Edison 'could have faced an unprecedented loss of its entire [electrical power grid] system that, in this worst case scenario, would have taken months to restore, even with mutual assistance' while customers 'would have been unable to heat their apartments and houses while the outside temperature was in the single digits, for months', the report says. ... [also] 'natural gas production experienced its greatest decline since 2021’s Winter Storm ... Wellhead freeze-offs ... equipment freezing and weather-related poor road conditions that prevented necessary maintenance were the top causes.' ... " —'Wall Street Journal' Editorial Board, December 1, 2023
"Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country. ... It's a nation that's really only dependent upon oil and gas for their economy." — U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), March 15, 2014
'Green' = Against all actually available forms of energy: "It would be little short of disastrous for us to discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy ... " —Amory Lovins, the leader of the modern 'green energy' movement, c. 1970's
President's Standard of Living Reduction Plan: "The President is committed to [banning] plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic bags." —Biden White House, July 2024
'The Energy Freedom Platform': "The root of our global energy crisis is Green Energy Fascism—the idea that government should have total control over the energy industry (fascism) used for the 'green' goal of rapidly eliminating fossil fuels and nuclear." —Alex Epstein, August 10, 2022
'Stop letting environmental groups funded by Russia dictate America's energy policy': "It is an open secret that Russians have funded anti-fracking and anti-natural gas propaganda in America for decades. ... Many people don't know that for years, Russia has funded the anti-fracking propaganda that many environmental groups have picked up. ... NRDC, Sierra Club, and Climate Action Network were all found to have received millions of dollars of funding in grants from a shady San Francisco-based company called 'Sea Change' that a money trail linked back to the Russians." —Samantha Dravis, March 1, 2022
'Russian Green propaganda': "Russian attempts to influence U.S. domestic energy markets ... ['Russia funneled Green groups millions of dollars to oppose fracking & cripple American energy.']" —United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, March 1, 2018
Russia's support for far-left climate groups: "The radical green groups are in bed with Russia. Russians financed the greeny disinformation campaign against fossil fuel. ... Russia is financing green groups in order to stop fracking in the United States, which would help Russia." —Larry Kudlow, March 18, 2022
'Have the environmentalists been infiltrated by Russia?': "Oh, absolutely. ... Intelligence indicates that Russia has been running a covert influence operation in order to sabotage U.S. energy markets, shape our energy policy, and influence Americans' opinion in favor of green energy and against fossil fuels and fracking. And that is with the intention of weakening our economy and promoting dependence on Russia. ... First they run a disinformation campaign through social media. This is done through the same agency called the 'Internet Research Agency' which is the one that was involved with intervening with 2016 elections and every other election that the Russians traditionally target. And the second way, Russia covertly funds environmental organizations. It is very difficult to track the flow of money because the Russians' intelligence tradecraft is very stealthy. And a lot of the environmentalists are completely unwitting who they are being funded because it is done through multiple money laundering operations, through tax havens, and it's extremely extremely difficult to point. ... The Russians believe that they have been successful and they have been studying our society for more than 10 years. They know what our hot buttons are and have figured out that there is a movement that promotes green energy and their message would resonate in ultimately the bill that is being sponsored by the Democrats in 2020 is playing to Putin's hand. The Democrats have been entrapped by Putin's covert influence operations." —Rebekah Koffler, former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, April 12, 2022
"The same people who hyped Russiagate ignored warnings by the head of NATO & Hillary Clinton that Russia was financing activists to block nat gas production." —Dr. Michael Shellenberger, March 6, 2022
"The West's green energy delusions empowered Putin. While we banned plastic straws ... because of a 9-year-old Canadian child's science homework ... Russia drilled and doubled nuclear energy production. ... Europe produces 3.6 million barrels of oil a day but uses 15 million barrels of oil a day. ... Europe produces 230 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year but uses 560 billion cubic meters. ... Europe uses 950 million tons of coal a year but produces half that. ... by early 2021 ... nearly 47 percent ... of the natural gas consumed by the European Union came from Russia." —Michael Shellenberger, March 3, 2022
Climate change corporate regulatory disclosure framework dissent: "We are not the Securities and Environment Commission – At least not yet." —Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, March 21, 2022
Energy Sources 1800-2020. Courtesy Alex Epstein.
"Solar and wind can't come close to replacing fossil fuels. They only provide electricity (20% of energy use) – and they don't even do that well. Because solar and wind are unreliable, they don't replace reliable power plants – they add to the cost of reliable power plants." —Alex Epstein
["Washington Post 'journalist' tries to smear Alex Epstein [in an attempt to discredit his new Fossil Future book. But instead it's a cancel culture fail!]" —Jon Hersey, March 30, 2022]
Why everything they said about solar was wrong: "Solar panels will create 50 times more waste & cost 4 times more than predicted ... [and] both key raw materials and the panels themselves are being made by forced labor in Xinjiang province in China." —Michael Shellenberger, June 21, 2021
■ House Democrats blast Biden's Energy Agenda in Letter to Pelosi and Schumer: "[The] language in the House budget reconciliation package specifically targeting the U.S. oil, natural gas, and refining industries ... have the potential to cost thousands of jobs, stifle economic recovery, increase energy costs for all Americans, strengthen our adversaries, and ultimately impede the transition to a lower carbon future." —Seven Texas House Democrats, September 13, 2021
"Energy is the industry that powers every other industry. The lower cost and more reliable energy is, the lower cost and more reliable everything is. The higher cost and less reliable energy is, the higher cost and less reliable everything is. ... Build Back Better[sic] would not create prosperity via magic 'green jobs' but rather cause mass 'green joblessness'—because 'green jobs' are: 1) unproductive, 2) largely in China, and 3) the cause of job losses in other industries via high energy prices. ... it will destroy far more well-paying US jobs than it creates." —Alex Epstein
"All new for 2023! The Mercedes AA Class. No charging stations." —Batteries not included
"Why is Europe so vulnerable to Russia and what can we learn from it? Europe has extreme dependence on Russian natural gas because Europe has foolishly restricted fossil fuel and nuclear energy production on the false promise that unreliable solar and wind could replace it." —Alex Epstein
"On December 2, 1942, underneath the University of Chicago's Stagg Field football stadium, Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1) was activated, becoming the world's first nuclear reactor. Today, 78 years later, 440 reactors generate over 10 percent of the world's electricity, with another 50 now under construction." —'Generation IV, the future of nuclear power', by David Szondy, April 15, 2022
Pebble bed modular reactors: "Energy Northwest ... and X-Energy Reactor Company (“X-energy”), a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear (pebble bed fission) reactors and fuel have a joint development agreement for up to 12 Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors in central Washington [State] capable of generating up to a total of 960 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. Energy Northwest expects to bring the first Xe-100 module online by 2030. ... The Xe-100 can operate for 60 years without stopping to refuel. There will 200,000 fuel pebbles constantly being fed through the system." —Brian Wang. August 19, 2023
■ "Hopefully, it is now extremely obvious that Europe should restart dormant nuclear power stations and increase power output of existing ones. This is critical to national and international security." ... "Nuclear is vastly better for global warming than burning hydrocarbons for energy." —Elon Musk, March 6, 2022, (Russia invades Ukraine, day 11)
[There are "120 mothballed nuclear power plants in Europe" —Stuart Varney]
Pebble bed modular nuclear reactor safety: "World's first 'meltdown-proof' nuclear reactor aces safety test." —David Szondy, July 24, 2024
■ Pro-nuclear: "Cheap [nuclear] power in unlimited quantities is one of the chief factors in allowing a large rapidly growing population to preserve wild lands, open space and lands of high scenic value." —William E. Siri, Sierra Club President, 1966
Anti-nuclear (fear mongering): "Our campaign stressing the hazards of nuclear power, will supply a rationale for increasing regulation ... and add to the cost of the industry ... " —Michael, McCluskey, Sierra Club Executive Director, 1974
"Closure of [an existing nuclear reactor] ... will result in dramatic increases in ... greenhouse gas emissions [and] ... carbon dioxide mitigation costs range 'from under $20 per ton to keep existing nuclear running longer, to over $800 per ton for rooftop solar.' —
Robert Bryce, April 29, 2021
[Reiner Kuhr explains that adding subsidized wind and solar forces nuclear reactors to provide power only intermittently which is sufficiently uneconomic (for example, allowing subsidized renewable sources to bid negative power prices) to force closure of nuclear reactors which results in significant increase in carbon emission because CO2 emitting gas fired backup electricity generation must be used instead, and with much higher prices for electricity.]
Approve then disapprove: "There is no way for the U.S. to achieve significant cuts in carbon dioxide emissions without nuclear energy and lots of it. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues to act like it doesn't want the nuclear sector to succeed. ... by rescinding ... licenses, the agency showed ... that it poses an uncontrollable risk for investors looking to put money into nuclear energy." —Robert Bryce, February 28, 2022
"Since the [1974] advent of the [United States] Nuclear Regulatory Commission [almost a half century ago] not one new [nuclear reactor electricity generating] plant has been approved from conception to completion." —Alex Epstein, September 14, 2022
"We have allowed ourselves to depend on geostrategic adversaries such as Russia to provide our vital nuclear fuel supply. In fact Russia provides 20% of all of our nuclear enriched fuel services in the United States today." —Edward McGinnis, former Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, March 7, 2022
["FBI uncovered Russian [Clinton] bribery plot before Obama administration approved controversial nuclear deal with Moscow."]
■ "Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures." —Elon Musk, March 4, 2022, (Russia invades Ukraine, day 9)
Innovative Clean Energy Production – Burning Iron Fuel: "The plentiful metal could be a carbon-free fuel and store energy long term ... Iron powder is an ideal alternative to carbon fuels ... It has an energy density ... better than gasoline. Burning iron powder produces heat that can be used directly or converted into electricity by a steam turbine, leaving behind iron oxide, or rust. This can later be reduced—that is, the oxygen can be stripped away—back into iron powder [for example, by using renewable green hydrogen gas]." —Prachi Patel, 'IEEE Spectrum', June 22, 2023
'Hydrogen Trains': "CSX Railway ... is working with the Canadian Pacific–Kansas City Railway to make not only hydrogen-powered locomotives for the two companies’ own use, but to also make diesel-to-hydrogen conversion kits to sell to other major railways." —Willie D. Jones, 'IEEE Spectrum', December 18, 2024
Toyota’s Ammonia Engine: "A recent development could potentially turn the tables on the Electric Vehicle revolution — an ammonia-powered engine for passenger vehicles." —The Pareto Investor, October 14, 2023
Supply Chain Woes: "Try to lower expectations." —The Washington Post, October 19, 2021
Botched Biden Afghanistan withdrawal will lead to 'inevitable' future terror attacks against America: " ... a matter of when not if ... The terrorists now have a safe haven in Afghanistan after Biden's botched withdrawal. As we continue to neglect our border security here at home, the reality in Afghanistan jeopardizes our own homeland security. Can we really trust the Biden administration to keep us safe?" —Rep. Carlos Gimenezz, September 9, 2021
" ... I think [Joe Biden] has been wrong on nearly every foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." —Dr. Robert Gates, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2014, reaffired 2019
The Big Guy: "I'm a Capitalist [sic], but guess what, I'm also listed for 36 years the poorest man in the Congress, but I make big money now l'm in [sic] President." —Joe Biden, October 15, 2021
Deflecting blame for inflation caused by excessive money creation and government spending: "In the last few decades, in too many industries, a handful of giant companies dominate the market, in meat processing, railroads, shipping. Too often they use their power to squeeze out smaller competitors, stifle new entrepreneurs, and raise the prices. [sic]" ... "Capitalism without competition isn't capitalism, its exploitation." —Joe Biden, January, 2022
["If this monopoly pricing were true, would a progressive corporate income tax result in more smaller companies that would compete? Alcoa Aluminum was found guilty of being a monopoly becaused they did too good a job and kept lowering aluminum prices too fast for competitors to emerge! Similarly, the original meaning of 'Robber Baron' was a complaint about lowering prices too fast for the competition to keep up." —Mary Brown]
"I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something." —Jackie Mason
Bloomberg Inflation Solution – 'let them eat cake lentils': " ... if you earn less than $300K ... here's how to deal ... public transportation ... sell your car ... When it comes to food ... tasty meat substitutes include ... lentils and beans ... stay away from buying in bulk ... rethink those costly pet medical needs. It may sound harsh, but researchers actually don't recommend pet chemotherapy ... " —New School Economics Professor Teresa Ghilarducci, Bloomberg.com op-ed, March 20, 2022
Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet: "Each day, I recommend a minimum of three servings of beans (legumes), one serving of berries, three servings of other fruits, one serving of cruciferous vegetables, two servings of greens, two servings of other veggies, one serving of flaxseeds, one serving of nuts and seeds, one serving of herbs and spices, three servings of whole grains, five servings of beverages, and one serving of exercise (90 minutes at moderate intensity or 40 minutes of vigorous activity)." —Michael Greger, M.D.
Daily dozen: "Beans, Berries, Other Fruits, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens. Other Vegetables, Flaxseed. Nuts and Seeds, Herbs and Spices, Whole Grains, Beverages, Exercise, Vitamin B12" [More] —Dr. Greger
Anti-cancer, anti-fat storage, pro-longevity foods: "G-BOMBS – Greens (dark green leafy veggies); Beans; Onions; Mushrooms; Berries; Seeds/nuts (flax)." —Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Reduce the surge of sugar into the bloodstream by cooling: "Always refrigerate for at least 6 to 8 hours before eating potatoes, also pasta, and rice [also improves beans which were already excellent], to cross link molecules in the cooked food into resistant starch that is more healthy to eat than simple carbohydrates that result in a surge of sugar into your bloodstream. It's OK to reheat the chilled cooked food in a microwave oven before eating. Freeze and thaw bread (for bread, refrigeration is insufficient), and even healthier, toast the thawed bread." —Glycemic Index
You can't make this stuff up!: "U.S. in Talks to Pay Hundreds of Millions to Families Separated at Border: Government is considering payments of $450,000 per person ... " —Michelle Hackman, Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie Gurman, 'Wall Street Journal', October 28, 2021; "Garbage ... Not true." —Biden; "True." —ACLU
["Under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, all those jailed in the U.S., convicted or not, having families, to be eligible along with their traumatized separated family members ... Thousands to seek arrest to get their $450,000." —David Moore]
"It just goes to show you. It's always something. If it's not one thing, it's another." —Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner)
"The reason I say that I think Biden has a chance to be the most progressive president since FDR is that is exactly what Joe Biden said to me." —Socialist Bernie Sanders
"Legal plunder has two roots: One of them is in human greed; the other is in false philanthropy." —Frederic Bastiat
"It used to be the boast of free men that, so long as they kept within the bounds of the known law, there was no need to ask anybody's permission or to obey anybody's orders." —F.A. Hayek
"The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government·" —Thomas Paine
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty·" —Thomas Jefferson
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." —Albert Einstein, Letter to Jost Winteler, 1901
Critical thinking: "Teaching your children to question authority is one of the greatest gifts you can ever give them." —Connor Boyack
"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." —Thomas Jefferson
Seven Articles of the Constitution: "I. Legislative Branch; II. Executive Branch; III. Judicial Branch;
IV. States' Relations; V. Amendment Process; VI. National Supremacy; VII. Ratification." —U.S. Constitution
'Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States'
"Totally Reject Lawlessness, Ignoring the original intent of the Constitution, Violation of the Bill of Rights, Rule by Executive Fiat, a Police State, Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, an unelected Deep State, Judicial Activism, Unconstitutional Mandates, Undermining separation of powers, Exceeding enumerated powers, Incompetence, Lying, Racism, Censorship, Indoctrination, Wokeism, Cancel Culture, Intimidation, Election Tampering, Big Tech Fascism, Modern Socialism through the Regulatory State, and American Marxism." —Anne Williams
"In the 1960's, the radicals of the West took that idea of cultural revolution from China and they appropriated it and retrofitted it to fit the conditions and the politics of the West." —Christopher Rufo
🇺🇸 "We're blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to·" —Ronald Reagan
"The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither. The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both." —Milton Friedman
"I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." —Thomas Jefferson
"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth." —Albert Einstein
"All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states, the states created the federal government." —President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address, 1981
"Biden is a threat to democracy. He’s an absolute threat to democracy. He’s very dangerous. For a couple of reasons: For one, he’s grossly incompetent, which is the number one reason. But he’s also actually, in his own way, it’s not him, it’s all the people that surround him. You’ve got some very bad people surrounding him at that desk. You’ve got people running the Department of Justice surrounding him. They’re young, they’re smart, and they’re communists and they’re Marxists, fascists and they’re running this country. They’re running it right into the ground." —Donald Trump, September 18, 2024
Kamal Harris’ tie-breaking Senate votes (33, the most in history): "Kamala is quite literally a communist. She wants not merely equal opportunity, but equal outcomes." —Elon Musk, August 7, 2024
"In graduate school, my chosen field of study was Communism. I assumed that left–wing totalitarianism of the sort seen in Russia, China, and North Korea couldn’t happen here. These countries didn’t have the American Constitution, let alone a 200–year history of passionate commitment to liberty. We did. I believed the values embodied in that document, and in that history—above all, freedom of speech and freedom of religion—would endure. Sadly, it turns out that I was overconfident. Left–wing totalitarianism is on its way to America. Our freedoms are in real peril. There is no hyperbole here. The proof? Every pillar of American culture is under Soviet–style attack." —Dennis Prager, PragerU
"You save democracy at the ballot box, not in court." —Stuart Varney, March 5, 2024
"President Biden has done something that no other president in history has done, which is to order media, particularly the social media –Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google – to censor his political opponents. ... And they had to make up a new term called ‘malinformation’, which is information that is accurate, but nonetheless inconvenient to – politically inconvenient. ... If you have a president who can censor his political opponents, he has a license for any kind of atrocity. That is a genuine threat to our democracy." —Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (D), April 2, 2024
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." —George Orwell
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing [AFFH] tyranny: "Joe Biden and Democrats are Set to Abolish the Suburbs." —National Review, June 30, 2020 and
explained
repeatedly
[+Creepy e-mail censorship: Two e-mails containing only links to these National Review magazine articles were bounced (not delivered) as "Message not allowed ... 550 High probability of spam" but when Atlantic was substituted for National Review, an otherwise identical e-mail was delivered.]
We object to Censorship
★ Democrat primary campaign contributions to Republican candidates who will be easier to defeat in the general election = Election Tampering: "Groups linked to Democrats appear to be trying to use pricey television ads and mailers to boost the profiles of ... conservative ... candidates ... running in important Republican primaries this year. The effort seems to be aimed at giving Democrats a leg up in the general election. It's not the first time Democrats have deployed such tactics ... and in the past they've been successful." —Sandra Fish and Jesse Paul, June 8, 2022
Frighteningly Orwellian: "Biden allied groups, including the Democratic National Committee, are also planning to engage fact-checkers more aggressively and work with SMS carriers to dispel misinformation about vaccines that is sent over social media and text messages." —Politico
C2PA Specifications – a Devious Way to Automate Suppression of Viewpoints?: "Consider that signed content can provide a 100% automated way to delete/suppress content that any organization or government or computer routing network doesn’t like. Or only allow content emanating from an approved organization. ... this looks like a powerful hammer for control of visual media." —Lloyd Chambers
★ Blocking Communications = Election Tampering: "As election day approached, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T shut down the Trump campaign's ability to send text messages. And then Google ... prevented the Trump campaign from raising money over Gmail. There is no precedent for that. The Trump reelection campaign lost millions in donations. That was the whole point of it. So the most powerful companies on planet earth ... tried to stop Donald Trump, the sitting President, in his tracks. Is that fair? ... Democracy... ?" —Tucker Carlson, December 14, 2021
"If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." —George Washington
"Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are in capable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal, nor universal." —Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence
Insidious compelled speech: "California's mandatory 'implicit bias' training for medical professionals violates the First Amendment." [More] —Pacific Legal Foundation
"Make Orwell fiction again." —Slogan seen on a hat
Conviction! — The Trump Verdict — What It Means for America: "In 250 years of American history, this has never happened. Donald Trump, the former president and leading candidate for the upcoming election, has been prosecuted and found guilty on 34 felony charges. Regardless of your opinion on Trump, this is reminiscent of banana republics where dictators silence their opponents. Now, it has come to America. What does this mean for our republic and the future of democracy?" [More] —Dennis Prager, June 6, 2024
Political prosecutions: "Show me the man, I'll find you the crime." —Attributed to Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet Minister of Internal Affairs, U.S.S.R.
★ 'Fabricated Crime' + Attempt to 'Jail Political Opponent' with a 'Corrupt' Bogus 'Show Trial' + 'Guilty' Verdict = Election Interference 'Lawfare' = Un-American 'Weaponization of Justice' = 'Banana Republic':
"The ‘Sentencing’ for not having done anything wrong will be, conveniently for the Fascists, 4 days before the Republican National Convention. A Radical Left Soros backed D.A., who ran on a platform of 'I will get Trump,' reporting to an 'Acting' Local Judge, appointed by the Democrats, who is HIGHLY CONFLICTED, will make a decision which will determine the future of our Nation? The United States Supreme Court MUST DECIDE!" ... "Nobody even knew what the crime was until the Judge gave his Unconstitutional Instructions ... A total Hoax! A case like this has NEVER been brought before. A Country in peril. Election Interference!!!" ... "MY CIVIL RIGHTS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY VIOLATED WITH THIS HIGHLY POLITICAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND ELECTION INTERFERING WITCH HUNT. OUR FAILING NATION IS BEING LAUGHED AT ALL OVER THE WORLD!" —Donald J. Trump, Truth Social, June 2024
What if we [the left] are the ones who are actually on the wrong side of history?: "What if we are the bad guys here?" —David Brooks. 'New York Times', August 2, 2023 [Title of the 'remarkably frank' newspaper article was quickly censored and replaced online.]
'Weaponization of the Federal Government': "Chilling revelations on the rise of feds' Orwellian speech police. ... [" ... the most massive attack against free speech in United States' history ... blatantly ignored the First Amendment rights to free speech."] injunction from a federal judge barring contact between Team Biden and social-media companies, cited evidence of a 'massive effort' by the White House and federal agencies to 'suppress speech based on its content.' ... collude with Big Tech companies to impose a mass public-private surveillance and censorship regime on the American people. ... This amounts to a conspiracy to violate the First Amendment, resulting in rampant election interference, the stifling of crucial debates ... " —Benjamin Weingarten, July 4, 2023
"Emails subpoenaed by [Judiciary Committee] reveal that the Biden White House pressured Amazon to censor books that expressed views the White House did not approve of." —Rep. Jim Jordan, February 6, 2024
'Government enforced censorship': "They pushed us super hard to take down things that honestly were true ... the Biden administration would call up our [Facebook] team and ... scream at them and curse ... I was really worried ... about ... becoming this decider of what is true in the world ... this is destroying so much trust ... " —Mark Zuckerberg, CEO Facebook/Meta, Joe Rogan podcast, January 10, 2025
★ Misrepresenting to voters what policies you will follow if elected = Election Tampering: "I beat the socialist, that's how I got ... the nomination. Do I look like a socialist? Look at my career, my whole career. I am not a socialist[sic]." —Joe Biden, September 21, 2020
" ... I'm going to be good to go down as one of the most progressive presidents in American history." —Joe Biden, Presidential Candidate, October, 2020
■ "If you look at Joe Biden's goals and Bernie Sanders' goals, they're not that different ... " —Former President Barack Obama, 'The New Yorker', August 31, 2020
"What amazes me is you look at the President [Joe Biden], Vice-President [Kamala Harris], you look at the Speaker of the House [Nancy Pelosi], and you look at the Democrat Leader in the Senate [Chuck Schumer]. Between the four, they don't have one hour of private sector experience." —Mark Levin, October 17, 2021
"In any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party, but in America, we are." —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"I think overall we can likely push Vice-President Biden in a more progressive direction across policy issues." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, September 16, 2020
"We [Biden and Harris] are simpatico on our philosophy of government and simpatico on how we want to attack ... approach these issues ... and like I told Barack [Obama], if I reach something where there's a fundamental disagreement we have based on a moral principle, I'll develop some disease and say I have to resign." —Joe Biden, at joint press conference with Kamala Harris, December 5, 2020
Huh?: "President [Kamala] Harris." —According to Joe Biden, December 29, 2020, March 18, 2021, December 17, 2021
"I've seen more of Dr. Fauci than I have my wife, we kid each other ... Look, who's president? Fauci! But all kidding aside, I sincerely mean it." — Joe Biden, December 2, 2021
"The world has become too absurd to be satirized." —Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1911
" ... the middle class has been buried the last four years." —Vice President, Joe Biden, 2012, after almost four years in office
■ "How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?" —Barack Obama, August 19, 2019
"We ended cancer as we know it [sic]." —Joe Biden, July 25, 2023
"In America anyone can become President. That's the problem." —George Carlin
Biden gets confused ... can't remember: "'My mind is going blank now.'" —Matthew Miller, September 2, 2021
Sadly confused, Biden thinks he is V.P. Harris: "By the way, I’m proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman, to serve with a black president." —Joe Biden, radio interview, ‘The Source with Andrea Lawful-Sanders,’ WURD Radio, July 4, 2024
"Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn’t know what to do about it if I did." —George Carlin
'Press Corps Blasts "Continued Efforts To Limit Access To The President" By The White House': " ... belief by many reporters that the administration seeks to limit access to the president [Biden] by anyone ... who might ask a question the administration doesn't want to answer. ... continued efforts to limit access to the president cannot be defended." —White House Press Corps, June 30, 2022 Protest Letter
Cause for concern: "One big problem is that Mr. Biden often doesn't seem to know what he's talking about." —Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, October 22, 2021
How Blue/Democrat can you get?:
"I’m gonna be the President of everyone, whether you live in a Red State or a Green State." —Joe Biden, Leesburg, Virginia, February 8, 2024
"But here’s the deal, there’s a lot of young women who are being raped by their – by their in-laws, by their – by their spouses, brothers and sisters, by – just – it’s just – it’s just ridiculous ... And they can do nothing about it. And they tried to arrest them when they cross state lines." —Joe Biden, Presidential Debate, June 27, 2024
Cognitive decline, diminished faculties, President unfit to stand trial for decades of espionage, stealing top secret documents, and keeping them unsecured, including while Senator and Vice President: " ... a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man, with a poor memory." [sic - What is 'well meaning' about decades of espionage?] —Robert Hur, Special Counsel confidential report on Joe Biden‘s espionage and mental fitness, U.S. Department of Justice, February 8, 2024
Obama says he wants a third term through a 'front man': " ... if I could make an arrangement where I had a stand-in, a front man or front woman and they have an earpiece in and I was just in my basement in my sweats looking through the stuff and then I could sort of deliver the lines and somebody else was doing all the talking and ceremony, I would be fine with that." —Barack Obama, 'The late show with Stephen Colbert', November 30, 2020, YouTube
"Obama Third Term – Interview with Stephen Colbert (Biden Earpiece?)"
"Biden is just a front man. Obama, April 21[, 2022]: social media censors 'don't go far enough,' so the government needs to step in to do the job. Six days later, Homeland Security rolls out the 'Ministry of Truth' (aka Disinformation Governance Board)." —Tulsi Gabbard, May 1, 2022
'Obama The Puppetmaster': "[Barack Obama is] the master puppeteer behind Joe Biden." —Monica Crowley, Former U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary
"The true threat to democracy is the left telling us that we can't question our government." —Kari Lake, Arizona gubinatorial candidate (R), c. November 5, 2022
'Could It Happen Here? It Is Happening Here': "My field of study in graduate school was communism. As a fellow at the Russian Institute of Columbia's School of International Affairs ... one of seven students in the entire university to major in what was known at the time as 'Communist Affairs.' ... In my wildest dreams, I never imagined what I was studying would ever apply to the United States of America, the freest country in world history. ... This is what happens in dictatorships. ... All these years later, I see that I was wrong. Communism — or if you will, left-wing fascism and totalitarianism — is coming ... " [More] —Dennis Prager, April 4, 2023
"It's hard to tell what Biden's doing ... The real president is whoever controls the teleprompter ... " [More] —Elon Musk, May 16, 2022
Biden 'News Conference': "I'll take your questions, and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on." —Joe ‘I’m going to get in trouble with my staff’ Biden, June 16, 2021
'Bizarre confession': "But, I'm not supposed to be having this press conference." —Joe Biden, December 21, 2021
"Staffer dressed as Easter Bunny stops Biden from answering reporter's question." —Steven Nelson, April 18, 2022
'AN ADMINISTRATION DEFINED BY CRISIS' — April border apprehensions:
"2020: 17,106; 2021: 178,795; 2022: 234,088" —CBP, FY Southwest Land Border Encounters
"The border is secure. [sic]" —Kamala Harris, September 11, 2022
■ "No great country can say that it is secure without being able to control its borders." —Senator Joe Biden, C-SPAN, August 8, 2007
"The simple truth is that we've lost control of our own borders and no nation can do that and survive." —President Ronald Reagan, June 14, 1984
Border crisis – FBI terrorism warning: "Imminent danger ... We write to express our concern about a ... Threat that may be one of the most pernicious ever to menace the U.S. ... an invasion of the homeland ... Alarming and perilous ... " —Former FBI executives, letter to Congress, January 17, 2024
'FBI quietly updates 2022 crime rates': "Original violent crime rate DOWN 2.1%; Revised violent crime rate UP 4.5%." —FBI, October 16, 2024
President Biden approval rating among hispanic voters: "26% Approval; 60% Disapproval." —Quinnipiac University Poll, May 12-16, 2022
"Let me tell you something, folks, people are driving across that border with tons, tons—hear me, tons—of everything from byproducts from methamphetamine to cocaine to heroin, and it's all coming up through corrupt Mexico." —Senator Joe Biden, 2006
"Biden’s strategy is very simple: 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible; 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state. That is why they are encouraging so much illegal immigration. Simple, yet effective." —Elon Musk, February 2, 2024
★ U.S. Government sponsored illegal immigration = Election Tampering: "An unrelenting stream of immigration, nonstop, nonstop. Folks like me who are Caucasian of European descent for the first time in 2017 will be an absolute minority in the United States of America. Absolute minority. Fewer than 50% of the people in America, from then and on will be white European stock. That's not a bad thing. That's a source of our strength." — Vice President Joe Biden, C-SPAN, February, 2015
"A coalition of 26 state attorneys general is calling on the new U.S. Speaker of the House to pass a Florida-sponsored bill that would grant states the authority to enforce federal immigration law when the federal government refuses to do so." —The Center Square Staff, November 13, 2023
"Donald Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy is dangerous, inhumane, and goes against everything we stand for as a nation of immigrants[sic]. My administration will end it." —Joe Biden, Tweet, March 11, 2020
'Does anyone still believe a word she says?': "We have a secure border ... " —'Border Czar' V.P. Kamala Harris, 'Meet the Press', September 11, 2022
Drug deaths 2021 – 1 in 3,000 Americans died: "The border is just completely open. The worst thing about the border in my opinion right now is 1 out of every 3,000 people that were alive one year ago in the United States died of a drug overdose. And a lot of those are kids that took one pill, had fentanyl made in China." —Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), February 1, 2022 ["Provisional data show more than 107,000 deaths, two thirds from synthetic opioids like fentanyl."]
"Chinese fentanyl is payback for [the] Opium Wars." —downvoteforwhy
"We are literally going to change the course of this country for generations to come." —Joe Biden, Presidential Candidate, October, 2020
"You'll shoot your eye out." —Santa Claus
Torn from a page in a George Orwell novel: "When this nightmare is over, we need a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It would erase Trump's lies, comfort those who have been harmed by his hatefulness, and name every official, politician, executive, and media mogul whose greed and cowardice enabled this catastrophe." —Robert Reich, October 17, 2020
Killing the goose that laid the golden egg: "I promise you this, as a first order of business, Joe Biden and I are about to work to get rid of that tax cut." —Kamala Harris, Vice-Presidential candidate, McAllen Texas, October 30, 2020
"Obama calls Kamala Harris 'the best looking attorney general.'" —Rachel Weiner, 'The Washington Post', April 4, 2013
The impact of Trump's tax cuts: "2019 Real Wealth increased 28.4% among bottom income earners, but only 8.9% among the top 1%." —U.S. Department of Labor ["IRS data proves Trump tax cuts benefited middle, working-class Americans most: The fact is, Republicans' 2017 tax reform law did exactly what was promised: It lowered taxes for all income groups, provided the greatest benefits for middle-income households, and spurred economic growth that helped reduce poverty and improve prosperity." —Justin Haskins, 'MSN', December 4, 2021]
"A rising tide lifts all the boats." —President John F. Kennedy, quoting the New England Council (Chamber of Commerce)
♦ Need for equity tax free exchanges: "IRC §1031 and §1035 exchanges allow continued investments without imposing capital gains taxes in insurance and real estate, so it makes no sense that there isn’t a similar provision that at least would allow diversification by exchanging an individual stock for a stock index fund. Who does it help to increase investors’ uncompensated concentrated risk by using tax law to prevent diversification?" —Mary Jenkins
Promoting American prosperity: "Make Trump's tax cuts permanent. Abolish the death tax. Keep the step-up in basis for the capital gains rule." —Senator Thomas H. Tuberville's Vision for America, (R) Alabama, September 1, 2021
Making America Prosper: "Arthur Laffer, Larry Kudlow, Steve Forbes, Kevin Hassett, and Steve Moore." —Supply-Side Economists ["Supply side tax cuts have been dramatically successful all four times they were tried, under Presidents Harding, Kennedy, Reagan, and Trump." —Charles Garcia]
'The business of America is business.' [But what he actually said was:] "After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world." —President Calvin Coolidge, January 17, 1925
"Liberty, freedom, capitalism, our constitution, limited government, low taxes, less bureaucracy, school choice, law and order, free market solutions for healthcare, secure borders, energy independence, constitutionalists on the bench, free and fair trade, and peace through strength." —Sean Hannity, November 3, 2021
■ "The last thing you want to do is to raise taxes in the middle of a recession, because that would just suck up, take more demand out of the economy, and put businesses in a further hole." —Barack Obama, August 5, 2009
"We're flirting with fire. ... It's something you've got, 'I want it, and if I don't get it, it's not fair.' ... Ultimately, you can't have the anarchy of 'what's yours is mine, because it's not fair.' It's not going to float with America." —Scott Shellady
"Free speech means the right to shout 'theater' in a crowded fire." —Abbie Hoffman
■ "We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country." —Senator Barack Obama, 2005
"We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it." —Thomas Jefferson, 1820
"No official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." —Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle, quoting the U.S. Supreme Court on compelled speech
U.S. Presidents: "The United States has had 16 Democratic presidents and 19 Republican presidents. " —Political parties
"It's a lot easier to post a photo than it is to write 1,000 words ... " —Matt Parvin
"If the pen is mightier than the sword, then the red pencil is mightier than the pen." —Mike Johnston
Famous last words: "Well, having already too many lenses in this [focal length] range I doubt that I will buy another one." —Thomas Bernardy
"Don't cry over spilled milk." —Why not? Just had to spend $3,061.28 for a replacement Macbook Pro after 7 year old spilled a glass of milk onto the old laptop computer, killing it.
(Lesson learned: No more computers allowed at the dinner table. Also, backup your computer!)
"The closest thing to eternal life is a government program." —Ronald Reagan
"69.420% of statistics are false." —Elon Musk, Twitter, April 9, 2022
"Reducing the max allowed tweets/day to a number below what a speed typist on meth could do was helpful." —Elon Musk, November 24, 2022
"The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention." —Thich Nhat Hanh
"You have a dollar. I have a dollar. We swap. Now you have my dollar. We are no better off. – You have an idea. I have an idea. We swap. Now you have two ideas. And I have two ideas. – That's the difference. ... " —'System' Magazine
"No need for a wallet in your funeral pants." —jabberwockOG
Two-hundred year Testamentary Charitable Trust of Benjamin Franklin (Investment Compounding from 1790 to 1990): "If this plan is executed, and succeeds as projected without interruption for one hundred years ... of most general utility to the inhabitants ... whatever may make living in the town more convenient to its people, and render it more agreeable ... The remaining ... I would have continued to be let out on interest ... for another hundred years, as I hope it will have been found that the institution has had a good effect on the conduct of youth, and been of service to many worthy characters and useful citizens. At the end of this second term, if no unfortunate accident has prevented the operation, the sum will be four millions and sixty one thousand pounds sterling ... " —Last Will and Testament of Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
["After corresponding with a French mathematician named Charles-Joseph Mathon de la Cour, Franklin was intrigued by the concept of compound interest. The mathematician challenged Ben to leave small amounts of money–which would collect interest over time–to later be spent on utopian charity projects. Franklin agreed, and he bequeathed £1,000 (one thousand British Pounds) each to his native city of Boston, Massachusetts and his adopted city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." £2,000 (=US$4,400) became $7,000,000. No wonder Benjamin Franklin's picture is on the United States' one hundred dollar bill!"]
How much money is enough?: "Just a little bit more." —John D. Rockefeller
"At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds, 'Yes, but I have something he will never have — ENOUGH.'"
"'Climate emergency' declaration = endless dictatorship."
'Climate emergency': "Biden believes the green new deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face." —Biden website, September 30, 2020
More Pinocchios: "No, I don't support the green new deal." —Joe Biden, first presidential debate, September 30, 2020
"I wrote the bill on the environment. Why would I not be for it?" —(Whispering) Joe Biden, June 24, 2021
"California court rules bees are now fish." —Rich Calder, June 4, 2022
'Totally fake green energy transition': "From 2004 to 2022 ... worldwide spending on wind and solar power totaled some $4.1 trillion. [while] global hydrocarbon usage — oil, gas, coal — increased by 110 exajoules, vs. 32 for wind and solar." —New York Post editorial board, July 15, 2023
"Going green is putting more and more people in the red." —Ashley Webster, February 22, 2024
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." —Abraham Lincoln
"You can fool some of the people some of the time -- and that's enough to make a decent living." —W. C. Fields
'President Biden versus U.S. oil': "One million fewer barrels of oil per day since Biden's inauguration; Interior Department raising drilling fees; Reversing plan to drill in Alaska National Petroleum Reserve; Banning new drilling leases on Federal lands; [Cancelled Keystone XL pipeline; Worsened environmental regulation permitting;] Gas prices reach seven year high." —Biden's energy crisis, February 8, 2022
President's economic illiteracy for failing to grasp that prices are determined by supply and demand: "Biden's 'price gouging' warning to oil and gas companies is 'mind-boggling'. [Biden threatened,] 'I want to add one more warning ... to the oil and gas industry executives. Do not — let me repeat, do not — use [Hurricane Ian] as an excuse to raise gasoline prices or gouge the American people.'" —Breck Dumas, September 28, 2022
["Biden's oil windfall tax would backfire, warns Larry Summers. 'If you reduce profitability, you will discourage investment which is the opposite of our objective.'" —CNN, November 1, 2022]
UberLIE: "It's simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production.[sic] That is simply not true." —Joe Biden, March 8, 2022
['STOP THREATENING THE EXISTENCE OF THE OIL INDUSTRY': "Politicians around the world, including US Democrats, have opposed and threatened the oil and gas industry's existence. Now they are denying responsibility for the consequences: higher prices. [Using dishonest 'business decisions', 'windfall profits', '9000 leases', and 'price gouging' denial tactics.]" —Alex Epstein]
Poll: "70% Disapprove of Biden's handling of gas prices, inflation." —ABC News/Ipsos Poll, March 13, 2022
Biden's plan to tackle the 'climate crisis': "Since taking office, President Joe Biden has waged a war on fossil fuels [ending U.S. energy independence, and endangering the U.S. economy and competitiveness, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement], nixing the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ditching an oil drilling project in Alaska [ANWR with more oil than Saudi Arabia], introducing sweeping fossil fuel regulations and making it harder for utilities to gain approval for natural gas projects [also preventing the United States from supplying Europe's energy needs from liquified natural gas terminals]. His administration has also defied multiple court-ordered deadlines to restart the federal oil and gas leasing program after Biden attempted to halt the program altogether." —Thomas Catenacci, March 9, 2022
"Biden's attacks on the industry have created an uncertain environment that prevents investment." —CEO of a large, publicly traded energy company, June 2022
Biden's not-so-clean energy transition: " ... requires mining industries and infrastructure that don't exist [and that leftist 'environmentalists' won't allow]. ... demand for key minerals such as lithium, graphite, nickel and rare-earth metals would explode, rising by 4,200%, 2,500%, 1,900% and 700%, respectively, by 2040. The world doesn't have the capacity to meet such demand." —Mark P. Mills, The Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2021
"Electric cars will not save the climate. It is completely wrong." —Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency
"Electric vehicles are much heavier than gas vehicles, and that's posing safety problems." —Nathan Bomey
Electric vehicle battery fantasy: "Put very simply, all the world's cell production combined represents well under 10% of what we will need in 10 years ... Meaning, 90% to 95% of the supply chain does not exist." —RJ Scaringe, Rivian Automotive Inc. CEO
'25 States blast Biden's EV push': " ... the proposed rule, if left uncorrected, would damage our economy, tax our electrical grids ... and threaten our national security." —Letter to U.S. EPA from Attorneys General of 25 States, July 5, 2023
Building electric cars: "Prototypes are easy, volume production is hard, positive cash flow is excruciating." —Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Electric vehicle revolt: "More than 3,000 auto dealers sign letter opposing Biden's electric vehicle mandate ... Electric vehicles 'are stacking up on our lots' ... they are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships -- even with deep price cuts, manufacturer incentives, and generous government incentives. 'Mr. President, it is time to tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate.'" —Thomas Catenacci, November 28, 2023
'Glacial EV charger rollout': "Pete Buttigieg has a very tough time trying to explain why ’only 7 or 8 [electric vehicle] charging stations have been produced with the $7.5 billion investment the taxpayer made back in 2021.’" —RNC Research, May 26, 2024 [Wow! That's a billion dollars per charger!]
‘FCC Commissioner Just Scorched Harris for Her $42 Billion Fail’: "In 2021, Vice President Harris agreed to lead a $42 billion effort to expand internet access to millions. It's been 1,039 days, and no one has been connected – no homes, no businesses, not even a shovel in the ground." —FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, September 19, 2024
"Denmark’s Ørsted has cancelled two big offshore [New Jersey] windfarm projects in the US at a cost of more than £3bn [$3.8 billion loss] amid surging costs [and supply chain issues] facing the global wind industry." —Jillian Ambrose, November 1, 2023
Transmission of electricity: "The U.S. loses more than 67.8% of the electricity that is generated in our Grid." —3DFS
["How about instead achieving high energy efficiency from buildings having on-site natural gas (piston or turbine) engines, or fuel cells that continuously power an electrical generator and then use the exhaust heat to heat hot water and the building in winter, and to power an air conditioner (remember mid-twentieth century natural gas powered refrigerators) in summer (or that powers a heat exchanger that both heats and cools, as needed)." ... "Or, how about distributing server computers (especially those with energy intensive AI chips) into buildings that could use that otherwise wasted heat." —J. Gаrrideb]
Disparate Impact Thinking Is Destroying Our Civilization: "Everything is connected. There would be no climate crisis if it wasn't for racism. ... 'nice tits' ... [sic]" —Jane Fonda, at age 85, January, 2023
Promoting energy poverty: "It's all about reducing our standard of living so that we can contribute to the future climate of the planet." —Chuck Devore, Texas Public Policy Foundation, May 11, 2021
["America's strangled natural gas potential: Urgently needed American natural gas pipeline infrastructure should be built to supply clean energy, reduce carbon emissons, enrich America with both profit from producing energy and reduced energy cost, boost American employment and manufacturing, fuel unserved U.S. states like Massachusetts that are forced to import expensive energy from our adversaries, and allow U.S. coastal liquified natural gas terminals to supply the world, allowing halving the carbon dioxide emission when replacing coal." —Lisa Martin]
"A Promise Kept: Biden's War on American Energy. [Eighty-one steps taken to cripple our energy production.]" —Rep. Jim Banks, March 25, 2022
Some sacrifice—from you: "We must face the fact that the energy shortage is permanent [sic]. ... keeping our thermostats ... at 65 degrees in the daytime and 55 degrees at night ... " —President Jimmy Carter, February 2, 1977
["What an utterly false and ridiculous claim, especially from a nuclear engineer! Even matter is condensed energy. Making energy increasingly available is the principal driver of achieving prosperity and abudanace." —Patricia Harris]
Green Religion: "Nature is my religion. The earth is my temple. ... Many people who have rejected more traditional religion have embraced environmentalism as their big picture belief system." —Bill Muehlenberg
"Environmentalism is a watermelon: Green on the outside and red on the inside." —David Horowitz
Oil producer calls out Biden's energy policies: "President Biden, on day one of his presidency, made it his top priority to cripple American oil and gas producers. His administration has axed progress on the Keystone pipeline, shut down leases on federal lands, encouraged Woke Wall Street to divest from fossil fuels, and installed absolute antagonists in leadership at Federal Reserve, the EPA and Department of Interior." —Cecil O'Brate, CEO of American Warrior Oil
Biden canceling the Keystone XL and other pipeline construction was a serious mistake: "It's kind of insane that we have trucks and trains carrying oil all over this country, rather than constructing pipelines, which would permit accessing more resources and cheaper, safer transmission." —Larry Summers (D), former Obama administration Economist, Boston Globe's Globe Summit, September 15, 2022
"In January [2021], President Biden imposed a ban on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. ... it is a ban with no end in sight. ... A ban on oil and gas leasing will simply push production to other countries. That means fewer jobs for Americans, less revenue for states and the federal government, and more imports of foreign oil. ... " —Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), May 13, 2021 Build back worse: "Joe Biden killed the Keystone Pipeline. Russia wins. The Colonial Pipeline gets shut down by Russia. Russia wins. And now the response from the Biden administration is to give Vladimir Putin a brand new shiny natural gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2. Russia wins, again. So it's really hard to believe how we've gone from from America first to America worst in such a short period of time." —John Ratcliffe, Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence, May 23, 2021
Destroying America's Energy Independence and Standard of Living: "Your pursuit of this radical agenda continues to hurt Americans not insulated from the consequences of your decisions by geography or privilege. Maybe one day, down the road, we will obtain the Utopian energy profile you desire. But in the meantime, Americans want practical, effective leadership – not visionary deprivations." —Letter to President Biden from 19 State Attorneys General urging him to reinstate the Keystone XL Pipeline, May 17, 2021 The ultimate debunking of 'solar and wind are cheaper than fossil fuels': "China, despite being the world's leading producer of solar and wind (using coal) is also using record amounts of oil. Why not just use solar and wind instead, since 'solar and wind are cheaper than fossil fuels'? Because solar and wind aren't cheaper. In most cases, they're totally incapable of replacing oil. To deny the blatant reality that solar and wind cannot outcompete fossil fuels, opponents of fossil fuels use a fallacy ... 'false generalization'—taking something that's true in rare circumstances and falsely generalizing it to all circumstances." —Alex Epstein's 'Energy Talking Points', July 19, 2023
"Apple, like nearly every other international technology company in the world, gets the overwhelming percentage of its power from cheap, plentiful, reliable coal and almost none from expensive, unreliable solar and wind." —Forbes
"Right now about 40% of American electricity is 'clean,' with unreliable solar and wind providing about 10%. Given nuclear and hydro realities in the US, 80% 'clean' by 2030 means quintupling unreliable solar and wind, from 10% to 50% of our electricity in 8 years! ... The facts are clear. 10% solar and wind in the US is disastrous. 50+% solar and wind would guarantee unaffordable prices, constant shortages, frequent blackouts – and the fleeing of industry and jobs, once companies realize the US no longer has low-cost, reliable electricity." —Alex Epstein's 'Energy Talking Points', October 22, 2021
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." —Richard Feynman
The Hard Math of Minerals: "Today's plans to decarbonize global energy systems, which center on a massive expansion in the use of solar, wind, and battery technologies, need to better account for the high environmental and economic costs of materials and minerals. ... It has long been known that building solar and wind systems requires roughly a tenfold increase in the total tonnage of common materials—concrete, steel, glass, etc.—to deliver the same quantity of energy compared to building a natural gas or other hydrocarbon-fueled power plant." —Mark P. Mills, January 27, 2022
"Solar and wind, the politically favored alternative, has intractable problems with cost (unreliability requires costly infrastructure duplication), versatility (only electricity) and scalability (depends on 'reliables' and diluteness causes unprecedented material needs)." —Alex Epstein, October 20, 2022
"The Keystone Cops in the White House are deliberately destroying our fossil fuel industry and America's energy independence, which is raising prices, creating an insidious inflation tax hurting the poor the most, making energy unreliable, making America less competitive, empowering America's adversaries, forcing the U.S. to import energy from Russia and the unstable middle east, while endangering the national security of the United States and its allies, and actually increasing carbon dioxide emissions." —Christopher Davis, October 12, 2023
How 'the experts' can be totally wrong about energy: "The whole climate crisis is not only fake news, it's fake science." —Patrick Moore, Ph.D., Greenpeace Founder "Over the last two decades ... as a direct result of the shale gas boom, the United States has given the model for how the world can make the most meaningful contribution to addressing climate change: replacing coal consumption with natural gas. This is the most impactful green initiative available in the world, and it is not even close. It is proven, it is actionable using today's technologies, and it can be executed rapidly." —Toby Z. Rice, President and CEO, EQT Corporation. the largest producer of natural gas in the United States
"New York bans fracking and pipelines [and natural gas hookups for new construction]." —Mary Miller
"It's not about climate change, it's about wealth redistribution." —Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, Former U.S. Secretary of Energy
'No trend in tornado frequency or intensity': "In the United States ... The mean annual number of tornadoes has remained relatively constant." —UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2021
How far photographs can travel aloft in tornadoes: "A photograph ... was returned to its owner after being found 219 miles away from where it started out." —Study by John Knox, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Georgia
Climate Science Is Not Settled – We are very far from the knowledge needed to make good climate policy: "Yes, it's true that the globe is warming, and that humans are exerting a warming influence upon it. But beyond that ... 'I do not think The Science says what you think it says.' For example, both research literature and government reports state clearly that heat waves in the US are now no more common than they were in 1900, and that the warmest temperatures in the US have not risen in the past fifty years. ... Humans have had no detectable impact on hurricanes over the past century. Greenland's ice sheet isn't shrinking any more rapidly today than it was 80 years ago. The global area burned by wildfires has declined more than 25 percent since 2003 and 2020 was one of the lowest years on record." —New York University (formerly CalTech) Professor of Physics and Engineering Steven Koonin, Ph.D., former Undersecretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy, in the Obama Administration Council of Economic Advisers and the Office of Management and Budget assess that the economic effects of climate change will be trivial: "White House Tells the Truth About Climate Change ... [The White House Report says that] While the estimates differ, each shows an economic impact of less than a few percentage points for a few degrees of warming. The consensus, apart from two counterbalancing outliers, is that today’s warming of 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit has reduced GDP by less than 0.5%. That is trivial, considering real GDP has grown by more than 800% since 1950. If warming reaches 4.5 degrees—about what the United Nation’s climate panel projects for 2100 under plausible scenarios for future global emissions—the consensus reduction amounts to less than 2%. In other words, if the average annual GDP growth rate is 1.5% for the next 80 years, the economy would grow 232%. A 2% climate-change effect would reduce that growth to 225%. As physicists say, that's a difference 'in the noise.'" —Steven E. Koonin, Ph.D., Professor at New York University, and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, 'Wall Street Journal', July 6, 2023
'It’s True: Kamala Harris was an original backer of the Green New Deal': "Kamala Harris co-sponsored, fully sponsored the [$93 trillion] Green New Deal." —Byron Donalds, July 7, 2024
■ 'Green Bad Deal': " ... we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy. ... One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy ... " —Ottmar Edenhofer, Co-chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes Working Group III, and lead author of the IPCC's 2007 Report
■ "The Green New Deal ... wasn't originally a climate thing at all "All warfare is based on deception." —Sun Tsu "It's not easy being green." —Kermit the Frog
Green New Deal FAQ: "Economic security to all who are ... unwilling to work. Upgrade or replace every building in US for state-of-the-art energy efficiency. Build out highspeed rail at a scale where air travel stops becoming necessary." —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) NY, February 5, 2019 "We have plans to build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean." —Joe Biden, June 16, 2023
Q. "Does your bank have a policy against funding new oil and gas products?" —Rep. Rashida Tlaib, House Financial Services Committee hearing, September 21, 2022
"We'll be back. ... Don't damage the economy too much for us to fix it later." —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, June 13, 2021
"Is Maoism Coming to America?" [Click for Video] —James Lindsay, September 16, 2024
Go Woke, Go, Broke! "Market value lost: Ben & Jerry's/Unilever –$2.5 billion; Target –$13.9 billion; Bud Light –$19.88 billion; Disney –$18.1 billion." —July, 2023
"Miss Universe parent company goes bankrupt after allowing men to compete as women." —PragerU
"Being Woke means never knowing what you'll be required to believe tomorrow." —Professor Robert P. George
'Progressively Worse': “ 'The Whiteness of Wokeness': "Most people advocating for radical social change on behalf of people of color are not themselves people of color." —Wilfred Reilly, Professor of political science, Kentucky State University
"The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong." —Carl Gustav Jung
Biden's woke economics are perverse: "These things [destructive tax hikes, wild fiscal stimulus, out of control entitlement spending] are all disincentives. ... The Biden group doesn't understand the incentive model of growth. That's too bad because economics is all about real world incentives. ... He's got the story exactly in reverse. ... This is the worst most perverse economic recitation I can ever recall. ... His so called 'government investment' which is a progressive euphemism for government spending, indeed, massive social spending, without work requirements or employment incentives, somehow that's going to boost the economy. But it won't. ... This kind of financing does in fact risk permanently higher inflation. ... " —Larry Kudlow ["The Sage of the West Wing" according to Rick Perry], July 19-20, 2021
Biden economy forces half of 'Gen Z' Americans to live with their parents: "At least 54 percent of adults aged 18–25 are opting to live with their parents out of economic necessity, according to a new study of over 300 participants conducted by The Harris Poll." —Tyler Durden, November, 2022
Profound and grave damage [from Biden's incompetent and shameful withdrawl from Afghanistan]: "The commander-in-chief is demonstrating cowardice to our allies and to our adversaries. ... We've got to survive the next three years with a President [Biden] and a national security team that has ... literally created one disaster or tragedy or humiliation or debacle after another." —John Ratcliffe, former Director of U.S. National Intelligence, September 12, 2021
'Dereliction of Duty': "In just a few short months, the Biden administration has created a disaster on the southern border of the United States. It did so by methodically—and by all indications intentionally—undoing every meaningful border security measure that had been in place. As a result, we have had five straight months of over 170,000 illegal immigrants apprehended at the border. The number in June [2021] was the highest in over 20 years. And Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been effectively shut down." —Mark Morgan, former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, July 22, 2021
"I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." —General Douglas MacArthur
"It helps when you know that borders are not racist, speech is not violence, America is good, terrorist are bad, men can never become women, police are not criminals, and criminals are not victims." —President Donald J. Trump, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Commencement Speech, May 1, 2025
Second presidential term [de Abundance – The Future is Better Than You Think: "We humans are wired to pay 10x more attention to negative news than positive news. ... The truth is, driven by advances in exponential technologies, things are getting much better around the world at an accelerating rate." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." —H. L. Mencken
"The road to the nomination for the Democratic party runs through Venezuela." —Senator Lindsey Graham, February 5, 2019 Democratic presidential debate fossil fuel energy question: Vow to constituent: "I want you to look in my eyes, I guarantee you, I guarantee you we're going to end fossil fuel." —Joe Biden, New Castle, New Hampshire, September 6, 2019
Biden plan to destroy the oil industry, end energy independence, and cripple the U.S. economy: "I'm not banning fracking, no matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me. [sic]" —Joe Biden, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 31, 2020
"[Biden's] lies are driving me crazy." —Larry Kudlow, September 27, 2021
■ "I’m not a very good huckster." —Joe Biden, MSNBC, January 17, 2025
Oil company response to Biden's letter: "ExxonMobil has been investing ... more than $50 billion over the past five years, resulting in an almost 50% increase in our U.S. production of oil during this period. Globally, we've invested double what we've earned over the past five years -- $118 billion on new oil and gas supplies compared to net income of $55 billion. ... We kept investing even during the pandemic, when we lost more than $20 billion and had to borrow more than $30 billion ... In 2021, total taxes ... were $40.6 billion ... " —ExxonMobil, June 15, 2022
Q. "Would you ban offshore drilling?" Q. "Would there be any place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in a Biden administration?" —CNN, July, 2019 "There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking." —Kamala Harris, CNN, September 4, 2019
"Climate change is the single greatest threat facing our world today. That's why I am committed to passing a Green New Deal, creating clean jobs, and finally putting an end to fracking, once and for all." —Kamala Harris, ‘The Tonight Show’, NBC, September 10, 2019
Q. "Would there be any place for fossil fuels including coal and fracking in a Biden administration?" Ban all internal combustion engine vehicles: "Zero emission vehicles ONLY, 100%." —Kamala Harris, CNN, September 4, 2019
"No one is going to build another coal burning [plant] ... We gotta shut down the ones we have. But no one is going to build a new one." —Joe Biden, CNN, September 4, 2019 [Meanwhile, China is building "two new coal power plants per week."] Coal: "We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America ... " —Joe Biden, November 4, 2022
Fossil Fuels: "No more drilling. There is no more drilling. I haven't formed any new drilling." —Joe Biden, November 6, 2022
"Anybody who can go down 300 to 3,000 feet in a mine, sure as hell can learn how to [computer] program as well. ... Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for god's sake." —Joe Biden "There is always an easy solution to every human problem — neat, plausible and wrong." —Henry Louis Mencken
"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult." —Warren Buffett
"The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left, the choice is between normal or crazy." —Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AK), Little Rock, Arkansas, February 7, 2023
" ... It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. ... " —Winston Churchill, from an Oct. 1939 radio broadcast
'An old anti-burglar classic': "A hand-written note on the door that says, 'Larry, the snake got loose again. Be careful.'" —John Camp
"Nobody should be in jail for a nonviolent crime." —Joe Biden "Would I like to debate this gentleman [Donald Trump]? No ... I'd ... beat the hell out of him." —Joe Biden, Miami, March 20, 2018 [Biden repeating his desire to assault Trump, previously stated at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, October 21, 2016.]
'Sometimes alarmingly incoherent': "Play the radio, make sure that ... you have the record player on at night. ... " —Joe Biden, September 12, 2019 " ... Trump won significantly the last two [sic] times." —Joe Biden, Cincinnati, October 12, 2020
We hold these truths to be self evident: "All men and women created by go you know you know the thing you know how we talk about we the people." —Joe Biden, Houston Texas, March 2, 2020 [also confusing his wife of 28 years with his sister] "I say to every young man thinking of getting married: ‘Marry into a family with five or more daughters.’ (I did. My wife is the oldest of five sisters.) Do you know why? One of them will always love you. And not the same one." —Joe Biden, Nashua, New Hampshire, May 21, 2024
"I'm running as a proud Democrat for the Senate [sic]." —Presidential Candidate Joe Biden, Toledo Ohio, October 12, 2020 ["Biden calls himself 'Vice President' in latest job-title screwup." —Steven Nelson, August 4, 2022]
"Four more years of George [sic] ... " —Joe Biden, October 26. 2020
"Are there people in the Republican party who think we are sucking the blood out of kids?" —Joe Biden, July 23, 2021
"I don't care if you think I'm Satan reincarnated." —Joe Biden, CNN, July 21, 2021
"I had nurses at Walter Reed Hospital ... they actually breathed in my nostrils to get me moving." —Joe Biden, July 23, 2020
"The President [Obama] put me in charge of getting out the recovery money which was 800 and, I don't know, excuse me, was 80, almost $89 billion, I guess it came to 84 at the end, 84 billion [sic] ... But we declared our independence on December 7th [sic], by the way, and it's not just D-day [sic]." —Joe Biden, May 27, 2020
["By raising the cost of energy, it also functions as a hidden 'regressive' tax on every American, and on every product produced or transported in the U.S., hurting the poor the most."]
[Hurricanes: "From 1970 to present ... no overall increase in ... Accumulated Cyclone Energy." —William D. Balgord, January 14, 2023]
A. "Absolutely not, and that would be the road to hell for America." —Jamie Dimon, Bank Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Anti-capitalism: "Go woke, go broke." —Andy Kessler, July 18, 2021
[Dividing people (the opposite of E Pluribus Unum - 'From many, one'): "Disneyland posts woke ‘Wheel of Privilege’ in employee kitchen ... [Photo, Left]" —Ashe Schow, January 29, 2024]
Also see other versions.
We have to stay woke. Everybody needs to be woke." —Kamala Harris, May 2017
WOKEification]: " ... the most successful 100 days of any administration in the history of of our country ... the golden age of America ... we are ushering out the long reign of special interests and the radical left lunatics ... I ended all the lawless so-called 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' [expletive deleted] ... and I made it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female ... I’ve banned men from competing in womens sports ... getting woke lunacy and transgender insanity the hell out of our government ... We’re stopping the indoctrination of our children, slashing billions and billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse, and above all we’re saving the American dream, we’re making America great again, and it’s happening fast too." —President Donald J. Trump, Michigan, '100 Days of Greatness' Rally, April 29, 2025
"Would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth even knowing that potentially it could displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers in the interest of transforming to that greener economy?"
"The answer is YES." —Joe Biden, PBS NewsHour/Politico, December 19, 2019
"No more subsidies for fossil fuel industry. No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill. Period. End. Number one."
—Joe Biden, Democratic presidential primary debate, CNN, March 15, 2020
A. "Yes [I would ban offshore drilling], and, I again worked on that. Ha ha ha ha." —Kamala Harris, CNN, September 4, 2019
A. "No, we would work it out, we would make sure it's eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those." —Joe Biden
A. "NO." —Joe Biden, CNN, July 31, 2019
["If innovation could economically sequester underground the carbon dioxide from burning coal to produce reliable inexpensive non-polluting 'green' energy, why would't that be terrific?" —Mary Thomas]
["President Biden's comments are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs." —Senator Joe Manchin, (D-WV), November 5, 2022]
not a White guy named [Thomas A.] Edison [1880]. [sic]" —Joe Biden, Kenosha, Wisconsin, September 3, 2020
'Earth at Night.' [Enlarge] Courtesy of NASA.
[What is the
bottom edge of this image? ... and Why?]
Most voters say Biden is mentally unfit: "Is Biden mentally up for the job of president? YES 36%; NO 60%." —'Wall Street Journal' Poll, August 24-30, 2023
What year is it? "We are going to deal with climate change, end end at zero emissions, net emissions by 2050, by 2020 [sic] make sure all our electricity is zero emissions." —Joe Biden, September 7, 2021, Queens, NY
Net-zero by 2050 myths refuted: "Net zero by 2050, by failing to recognize the unique benefits of fossil fuels, is catastrophic when barely implemented and would be apocalyptic if fully implemented. Energy freedom gives billions more people the energy they need to flourish and unleashes truly cost-effective alternatives." —Alex Epstein
"U.S. troops died in Iran [sic] and Afghanistan ... You could take care, people who were quartermaster, you can sure in hell take care of running a, you know, a department store, a thing where in the second floor of a ladies department or, you know what I mean?" —Joe Biden, Tampa, Florida, September, 2020
"If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask." —Joe Biden, May 13, 2021
"No, I didn't say that." —Joe Biden, July 29, 2021
Truck driver delusion: "I used to drive an 18 wheeler." —Joe Biden, Macungie Pennsylvania, July 28, 2021
'Yeshiva boy': "I also want to acknowledge someone else who means a great deal to our family, Rabbi Michael Beals of the Congregation Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware. ... That's where I received my education. I probably went to shul more than many of you did. [Audience laughter.] Y'all think I'm kidding." —Joe Biden
Puerto Rican upbringing: "We have a very, in relative terms, large Puerto Rican population in Delaware. ... I was sort of raised in the Puerto Rican community at home." —Joe Biden
Civil rights activist: "I got my education, for real, in the black church. That's not hyperbole, that's a fact." —Joe Biden
'Outrageous and dishonest': "Four different people in Wilmington expressed to me that these claims of Biden are so outrageous and dishonest that it caused them to truly worry for his mental health." —Civil rights activist Shaun King
'Build back debtor!': " ... Pass our bipartisan my bipartisan infrastructure agreement and my build back better plan which is being debated now and I'm going to be heading over there quickly shortly after I do this press conference back to my office to make some calls." —Joe Biden, The White House, November 5, 2021
"A visibly confused, tired-looking Joe Biden [~Robin Where?] mixes up Libya, Syria three times in speech on Russia." —Greg Price, June 13, 2021
"I had these terrible headaches was diagnosed with having an a, well anyway. They had to take the top of my head off couple of times. See if I had a brain." —Joe Biden, March 6, 2023
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." —Thomas Paine
Biden tells Townhall Covid-19 whopper: "If the President [Trump] had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive[sic]. All the people. I'm not making this up, just look at the data. Look at the data." —Joe Biden, Moosic, PA, Presidential Townhall, CNN, September, 2020
['Even if this whopper made any sense, more Americans died of Covid-19 in 2021 under Biden than did in 2020 under Trump." —Robert Martinez]
"The public is lied to every day by the President, by his spokespeople, by his officers. If you can't handle the thought that the President lies to the public for all kinds of reasons, you couldn't stay in the government at that level, or you're made aware of it, a week. ... The fact is Presidents rarely say the whole truth—essentially, never say the whole truth—of what they expect and what they're doing and what they believe and why they're doing it and rarely refrain from lying, actually, about these matters." —Daniel Ellsberg, 'Presidential Decisions and Public Dissent', Conversations with History, July 29, 1998
☭ "Telling the truth is a petty - bourgeois prejudice. Deception, on the other hand, is often justified by the goal." —Vladimir Lenin, November, 1917
"The arrogance of lying by a politician leads to bad policy making every time." —Larry Kudlow, April 6, 2022
'Biden's litany of lies':
● Cost of Democrat spending plan is 'Zero'.—Larry Kudlow, September 27, 2021
● Rich don't pay their fair share.
● No crisis at the border.
● Border patrol 'whipped' migrants.
● Won't leave Americans in Afghanistan.
'Biden loves to retell certain stories. Some aren't credible': "As president, Biden has continued a tradition of embellishing his personal tales, in ways that cannot be verified or are directly refuted by contemporary accounts." —Glenn Kessler, 'The Washington Post', August 31, 2023
'Biden Loves to Tell Tall Tales — We Cut Them Down to Size': "By President Biden’s account, he was a fierce civil rights activist in his youth, had an uncle who fell prey to cannibals and used to drive an 18-wheeler." —New York Times, Fact Check, June 9, 2024
'Fact-Checking the Two Presidents': "It’s bizarre reporting. Concerning Trump, the critics often seize upon a single misstatement of fact, while ignoring the larger truth connected to that fact. For Biden, they can’t seem to find the misstatement to begin with." [More] —John C. Goodman, July 1, 2024
"What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive." —Sir Walter Scott, 'Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field', 1808
'Lying Liars': " ... The mainstream Democratic Party has no values whatsoever. They have compromised any principles they may have stood for in the past. So it’s kind of fitting that their commander and chief is nothing really but a spineless coward that lies about everything, that is now emboldening radical Islamic terrorists worldwide. As the New York Post pointed out, Biden lied once every single minute during his recent and rare sit down interview on fake news CNN." —Sean Hannity, May 10, 2024
"More Democrats watch Fox News during prime time than CNN." —Nielsen MRI Fusion polling data, November 4, 2021
'Democrat Strategist Demands Media Give "Slanted Coverage" Against Trump': "I don’t have anything against slanted coverage ... right now. F*** your objectivity." —James Carville, June 6, 2024
Most expensive falsehood in history?: " ... the truth is ... it's going to cost nothing, because we're going to raise the revenue. [sic]" —Joe Biden, September 24, 2021 – [aka Robin Ware, aka Robert L. Peters and aka JRB Ware]
[The actual cost will exceed that of World War II plus the Marshall Plan which rebuilt Europe.]
"I don't believe that deficit spending is one of the main causes of inflation. [sic]" —Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury Secretary znd Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, March, 2023
Absurd zero cost claim: "We talk about price tags. It is zero price tag on the debt. [sic]" ... "There is nothing in any of these pieces of legislation that's radical ... that is unreasonable. [sic]" —Joe Biden September 24, 2021
From the Fabricator-in-Chief, another Whopper: "I have known every — every [Israeli] prime minister well since Golda Meir, including Golda Meir ... And during the Six-Day War, I had an opportunity to — she invited me to come over because I was going to be the liaison between, she and the Egyptians about the Suez, and so on and so forth. [sic] " —Joe Biden
[Golda 'Meir however, was not elected prime minister until 1969, two years after the Six-Day War. The Israeli prime minister in 1967 was Levi Eshkol, who served between 1963-1969.']
'There used to be a lot of cannibals': “US President Joe Biden’s apparent suggestion his uncle may have been eaten by cannibals during World War II [sic] has sparked uproar in Papua New Guinea ... " —CNN, April 24, 2024
■ "Marriage is between a man and a woman and states must respect that." —Joe Biden, ‘Meet the Press’, 2006
Delaware Petroleum Malignancy Syndrome: "You'd have to put on your windshield wipers to get, literally, the oil slick off the window. That's why I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer [sic]. And why, for the longest time, Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation." —Joe Biden, July 20, 2022
"I never considered voting for Trump in 2016. I may be forced to vote for him this year. ... Joe Biden would be a figurehead president, incapable of focus or leadership, who would run a Teleprompter presidency with the words drafted by his party's hard-left ideologues." —Danielle Pletka, AEI Senior Fellow, Washington Post, September, 2020
"The Green New Deal is a Trojan Horse for Socialism." —U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Climate Apocalypse: "Without clear coordinated and committed approach from the other 85% of the carbon emitters, the world will continue to warm, storms will continue to worsen, climate change will continue to threaten lives and livelihoods, public health, and economics of our existence, and literally the very existence of our planet. [sic]" —Joe Biden
"This city is headed for disaster of biblical proportions ... old testament ... real wrath of God type stuff, fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and the seas boiling, 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria." —'Ghostbusters', Columbia Pictures
"I'm stocking up on ... freeze-dried water." —jebmke
"China would prefer Joe Biden." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, CNN, August 9, 2020
" ... We stand with the people of Hong Kong & continue to support their human rights & fundamental freedoms." —U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Tweet, September 16, 2021 [Posted and then promptly deleted by Blinken.]
Hong Kong: "The British gave us the institutions of freedom ... Rule of law, free speech, the free market ... That created the best in the world." —Jimmy Lai
"When goods don't cross borders, soldiers will." —Frédéric Bastiat
"We are at risk of losing a war today because too few of us know that we are engaged with an enemy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), that means to destroy us." —Brian T. Kennedy
"The Chinese people will absolutely not allow any foreign force to bully, oppress or enslave us and anyone who attempts to do so will face broken heads and bloodshed in front of the iron Great Wall of the 1.4 billion Chinese people." —Chinese President Xi Jinping, Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, Tiananmen Square, July 1, 2021
"Hold dear to your parents for it is a scary and confusing world without them." —Emily Dickinson
The "USA birth rate has been below minimum sustainable levels for approximately 50 years." —Elon Musk, May 24, 2022 (See graph of 'fertility rate slump')
["Is it a coincidence that 50 years exactly corresponds to the onset of the ridiculous and completely wrong earth day catastrophe predictions?" —Joseph Thomas]
"If your parents never had children, chances are you won't, either." —Dick Cavett
"Is it OK to still have children?" —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) NY
"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference." —Mark Twain
Plants will suffocate, ending life on earth in 1-2 million years, if the 250 million year trend continues of dropping atmospheric CO2 levels to below 150ppm, as sea shells accumulating on the ocean floor sequester carbon dioxide:
■ 'Completely crazy' Green New Deal 'insanity' would 'cause people to starve:' "It would be the end of civilization if 85% of the world's and 85% of the US's energy in the form of coal, oil, and natural gas was phased out over the next few years. ... We do not have anything to replace them with. ... [Green New Deal advocates] are opposed to approximately 98.5% of all the electricity we are using and nearly 100% of all the vehicle and transportation and ships' and planes' energy that we are using. ... You don't have a plan to feed 8 billion people without fossil fuels ... or get the food into the cities. ... If we ban fossil fuels ... agricultural production would collapse .. and half the population would die in a very short period of time ... and there wouldn't be a tree left on this planet." —Patrick Moore, Greenpeace co-founder, March 11, 2019
Nanny state – Biden takes on valiant fight against ... gas stoves: "Considering a ban on gas stoves." —U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, c. January 10, 2023
["You'll have to pry my gas stove from my cold dead oven mitts." —Chip Bok, Political Cartoon, January 13, 2023]
["If indoor air pollution is an actual first-world issue, rather than an anti-fossil fuel pretext, the solution is better ventilation standards (also needed to reduce spread of respiratory viruses), not such a stupid anti-environment standard-of-living-reducing ban. The U.S. extraordinary success in innovating fracking for natural gas production is the reason that the United States was the nation that achieved the greatest reduction in CO2 emission." —Paul Lopez]
No pain, no gain: "Anesthesiologists can play a role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming by decreasing the amount of anesthetic gas provided during procedures ... " —Research being presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Orlando, Florida, January 27, 2023 [Research redacted as 'inaccurate.']
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." —Chris Hatfield, Astronaut mantra
Electrical power grid instability causes California blackouts: "We have a much more risky supply of energy now because the sun doesn't always shine when we want and the wind doesn't always blow when we want." —Professor Frank Wolak, Economics, Stanford University
"The annual output of Tesla's Gigafactory, the world's largest battery factory, could store three minutes' worth of annual U.S. electricity demand. It would require 1,000 years of production to make enough batteries for two days' worth of U.S. electricity demand." —Mark P. Mills, The 'New Energy Economy': An Exercise in Magical Thinking
Breakthough Solid-State Battery?: "Compared with conventional lithium-ion battery technology, solid-state batteries will be lighter, smaller, more powerful, charge faster, last longer, and be safer." —Clint Demeritt, April 7, 2021
White House Science 'Czar' Tells Students: "We [the United States] can’t expect to be number one in everything indefinitely." —Dr. John P. Holdren, Director, Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, April, 2010
"Stay on target ... Stay on target ... " —Star Wars
War with Radical Islamists: "Mr. Obama indicated that he did not see enough cable television to fully appreciate the anxiety after the [terrorist] attacks in Paris and San Bernardino." —Redacted by The New York Times
Terrorism: "It can happen here almost any time. ... If [you] knew what I know about terrorism, [you] would never leave the house ... " —Marine Corps General John F. Kelly, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, May 26, 2017
"Q. What keeps you awake at night?
A. Nothing – I keep other people awake at night."
—Marine Corps General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis, U.S. Secretary of Defense, 'Face the Nation', May 28, 2017
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." —Sun Tzu, 'The Art of War'
"Today's consumer protection hurts consumers more than it helps us. Competition and the open society protects us far better than government ever can or ever will." —John Stossel
"A citizen's right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties in a public place is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment." —Federal First Circus Court of Appeals, Boston, MA, 2011
Clueless: " ... there are these incredibly hot rocks, 'cause the interior of the earth is extremely hot, several million degrees [sic] ... " —Al Gore, Nobel Laureate ["The temperature of the earth's inner core is 9,392°F." —Stuart Varney]
"Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly." —Warning label on a Batman costume
"Who told you to think? I don't give you enough information to think." —'Total Recall' (movie)
'¿Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?':
"No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence [sic]." —Nancy Pelosi, Twitter, March 30, 2023
"If you want to create jobs the quickest way to do it is to provide more funding for food stamps ... it's the biggest bang for the buck. [sic]" —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat - California)
"Our country was founded by geniuses, but it's being run by idiots." —Senator Kennedy, R-Louisiana
Language Police: "[Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, House [of Representative Democrats] move to ban 'Father, Mother, Son, Daughter' and other 'Gendered' words." —C. Douglas Golden
"Avoid the terms 'mothers' and 'women' ... 'breast milk' ... " —Natalie O'Neill, February 10, 2021
'Thought police' ('political correctness gone mad'?): "Commonly used [sic] gender-neutral pronouns [neopronoun neologisms] include Ze/zir/zem/zeir, Xe/Xir/Xem/Xeir, and hir/hirself." —Liz Sommer, January 8, 2019
Impermissibly compelling speech: "If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." —W. Va. State Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 642 (1943).
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." —Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, Presidential Nomination, July 16, 1964
The new 'extremism' = Groupthink = tyranny of the majority: "When you are not with where a majority of Americans are, then, you know, that is extreme. That is an extreme way of thinking. [sic]" —Biden White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
"Silencing of minority voices doesn't make the majority correct; it just makes them louder." —Connor Boyack
"We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage." —Friedrich August von Hayek, 'Studies in Philosophy, Politics and Economics', 1967
"Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done." —Lord Gordon Hewart, The Lord Chief Justice of England, 1924
"Do you catch lyme disease at night from a luna tick?" —Anon
"Homeowner: You charge more than a lawyer."
"Plumber: Yes, I didn't make as much when I was a lawyer." —Joke
"After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." —Texas Governor Ann Richards, Democratic National Convention keynote, Atlanta, Georgia, July 18, 1988
Unverified claim by Humane Society: "There are more tigers in Texas than the rest of the world." —BuzzFeed
'Make him feel special': "She pursued him until he caught her." —Anonymous
"Economists report that a college education adds many thousands of dollars to a man's lifetime income – which he then spends sending his son to college." —Bill Vaughn
'Failure to launch': "45% of young Americans age 19 - 29 are still living with parents." —Harris Poll via Bloomberg, September, 2023
"College graduates should not have to live out their twenties in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters, and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." —Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), 2012
"What if they gave a war and nobody came?" —Paraphrasing Carl Sandburg
"The first casualty, when war comes, is truth." —Hiram Johnson (1866-1945)
"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." —George Carlin
"Never get involved in a land war in Asia." —Advice from General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur to President John F. Kennedy in 1961
"Sometimes the best strategy in a negotiation is convincing the other side that you are crazy." —Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, on X, April 3, 2025
The shape of the table: "One of my earliest recognitions of the madness of politics was the discussions of the shape of the table of the Paris Peace Talks designed to end the Vietnam war. It took over 6 months to decided on the shape of the table, hampered by the unwillingness of some of the parties to sit at the same table with others. Ultimately 3 separate adjacent tables were used – with North and South Vietnam in the center circular table." —Paxus Calta ["Arguing about a triviality, as used by Ho Chi Minh, in this example, is an incredibly useful negotiating tactic to utilize, when delay is to your advantage." —Lisa Rodriguez]
Vietnam War: "It was a stupid war. Anyone who went was a sucker." —Anonymous former Trump administration officials, claiming to quote President Trump
[Vietnam War Protester chant: "Hell no, we won't go!"]
Draft Resistance in the Vietnam Era: "In 1972, there were more conscientious objectors[*] than actual draftees ... " —Jessie Kindig
[*"Thereby responding to then President Richard M. Nixon's greetings in the manner of the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram."]
"The most fundamental objection to [military] draft registration is moral. ... The notion of involuntary servitude, in whatever form, is simply incompatible with a free society." —President Ronald Reagan
"In the 1960's women learned to burn their bras. In the 2020's women will need to learn to burn their draft cards." —Gloria Richmond
WW II: "During the war an Italian girl saved my life. She hid me in her basement in Cleveland." —Henny Youngman
"Dictatorial Powers: The sad truth is that government does everything incompetently, whether it is something trivial or something on which the fate of the country depends. War is the health of the state because the government uses war to fighten us into surrendering our liberties and our property." —Judge Andrew Nepolitano
"When men become locked in battle, there should be no artifice under the name of politics, which should handicap your own men, decrease their chances for winning, and increase their losses." —General Douglas MacArthur
To the German Commander: "NUTS!" —The American Commander, A.C. McAufiffe, Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, December 22, 1944
"I think I shredded most of that. Did I get them all? ... " —Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, Iran-contra hearings, 1987
"Never confuse genius with luck and a bull market." —John C. Bogle
"Investors everywhere are checking their accounts to see how much money they made. That's the way it is, you know, when stocks go up you look, when they go down, you tend not to look, you look away." —Stuart Varney, September 3, 2020
Investments: "In really bad markets, the only thing that goes up is correlation. ... If you want the return, you have to accept the volatility." —nedsaid
"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill." —W. C. Fields
"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." —Mark Twain
"I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself." —Ronald Reagan
"There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice." —Mark Twain
"Keep her warm. Don't forget to hold hands and snuggle in the tent. Tell her you love her." —Ben Miller
"When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always." —Rita Rudner
Reading: "American adults ... spend a mere 15 to 17 minutes daily reading for pleasure. This decline contrasts sharply with the staggering 7 to 13 ... hours ... consuming digital media and entertainment each day." —Connor Boyack
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." —Mark Twain
"I'm trying to read a book on how to relax, but I keep falling asleep." —Jim Loy
"I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose." —George Carlin
"Russians are always red. Fire engines are always rushin'. So fire engines are always red." —U.S.S.R. Joke
"Nothing's perfect and you'll be a lot happier if you accept that." —ProfHankD
"I do not want to 'upgrade' ... Paying money to buy headaches is a stupid idea ... " —Lloyd Chambers
"If you can't make it good, make it big, and if you can't make it big, make it RED!" —Paul Rand, who taught design at Yale
"A big blow from a stranger hurts less than a small blow from a friend." —Yiddish proverb
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." —Groucho Marx
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the uneven division of blessings, while the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal division of misery." —Winston Churchill
"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." —Winston Churchill
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard." —H.L. Mencken
"No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby." —H.L. Mencken
Principle of defensive design: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." —Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr., aerospace engineer who worked on safety-critical systems
Anchor your furniture: "Since 2000 there have been at least 580 deaths resulting from furniture tip-overs – 81% were children. Tip-overs also cause roughly 22,500 emergency room visits each year. Securing your furniture to the wall can avert tragedy." —U.S. Senator Bob Casey, September 8, 2023
"If everything seems to be going well, you probably don't know what's going on." —Paraphrasing Murphy's Eighth Law
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." —Albert Einstein
KISS: "Keep it simple, stupid!" —Kelly Johnson, lead engineer, Lockheed Skunk Works
Peter Principle – Why Things Always Go Wrong: "People are promoted to their level of incompetence." —Laurence J. Peter
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." —Confucius
"May the farce be with you." —Mel Brooks
"The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size." —Albert Einstein
" ... repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny ... HE has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their Substance." —Declaration of Independence
"The Declaration of Independence is a great spiritual document – still the preeminent support of free government throughout the world. ... If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. Any change from the Declaration's eternal truths would be reactionary, not progressive." —Calvin Coolidge
"It's all rigged." —Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado)
"It ain't bragging if you can do it." —Dizzy Dean
"The press' job is to ... protect the liberty and freedom of all of us from ... organized governmental power. When they ... decide ... what truth that you may know, as an American, and what truth you are not allowed to know, they have, then, made themselves a fundamental threat to the democracy, and ... made themselves the enemy of the American people." —Pat Caddell, Democrat strategist and Jimmy Carter's pollster
"They Did It 'Cause We Said 'No'": "Your daughter brings a young man home, says 'Do you like him, pa?' | Just say that he's a fool, and then, you've got a son-in-law!" —Song that the two fathers sing in 'The Fantasticks!'
"I believe [John B.] Gurdon has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing this is quite ridiculous ... he would have no chance of doing the work ... and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part and of those who would have to teach him." —His high school biology teacher writing about the future Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine [After cloning the first animal, a frog, Dr. Gurdon then had to wait 50 years to receive that recognition for his breakthrough, commenting "I am lucky to be still alive."]
'After shunning scientist, University of Pennsylvania celebrates her Nobel Prize – [discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19]': " ... demoted Katalin Karikó ... made millions of dollars from patenting her work ... while cutting her pay. ... Karikó’s colleagues denigrated her mRNA research ... Katalin Karikó stuck with her mRNA research despite a struggle to publish her work and obtain big grants. ... Karikó and Weissman tried to license [their own mRNA invention] ... for their biotech company but couldn't afford the price the school demanded ... " —'Wall Street Journal', October 4, 2023
"This concept [for Federal Express overnight package delivery] is interesting but not feasible." —Yale Economics Professor to his student, FEDEX founder, Fred Smith, on why his proposal was only worth a grade of "C," 1965
"Difficult to predict the future is!" —Yoda
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." —Abraham Lincoln
"Seen at a coffee shop: Sleep is the primary symptom of caffeine deprivation." —Travis Saling
"The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep." —W. C. Fields
"All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." —Richard Avedon
"There is no real magic in photography, just the sloppy intersection of physics and art." —Kirk Tuck
"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets; art deserves that, for it and knowledge can raise man to the Divine." —Ludwig van Beethoven
"Use a picture. It is worth a thousand words." —Arthur Brisbane, newspaper man, 1911
"It's a lot easier to post a photo than it is to write 1,000 words ... " —Mathieu Parvin
'The Humane Interface': "An interface is humane if it is responsive to human needs and considerate of human frailties." —Jef Raskin
"A computer shall not waste your time or require you to do more work than is strictly necessary." —Jef Raskin
"We’re Apple. We don't wear suits. We don't even own suits." —Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
"Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! ... " —Tyler Durden
"We don't have a domestic spying program." —Barack Obama to Jay Leno
Senate Church Committee: "I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency [the NSA] and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return." —Senator Frank Church, 1975
"No one has willfully or knowingly disobeyed the law or tried to invade your civil liberties or privacies ... there were no mistakes ... we don't hold data on U.S. citizens." —NSA Director General Keith Alexander, 2012
NSA Violated Fourth Amendment and the FISA: "Illegal searches conducted by the National Security Agency under Obama were 'widespread' and created a 'very serious Fourth Amendment issue." —U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court, April 26, 2017
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes." —Dwight David Eisenhower, Presidential farewell address, 1961
"In the need to develop a capacity to know what potential enemies are doing, the United States government has perfected a technological capability that enables us to monitor the messages that go through the air. These messages are between ships at sea, they could be between units, military units in the field. We have a very extensive capability of intercepting messages wherever they may be in the airwaves. Now, that is necessary and important to the United States as we look abroad at enemies or potential enemies. We must know, at the same time, that capability at any time could be turned around on the American people, and no American would have any privacy left such is the capability to monitor everything—telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide. If this government ever became a tyranny, if a dictator ever took charge in this country, the technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny, and there would be no way to fight back because the most careful effort to combine together in resistance to the government, no matter how privately it was done, is within the reach of the government to know. Such is the capability of this technology." —Senator Frank Church, NBC's 'Meet the Press', August 17, 1975
"Amazon awarded secret [ten billion dollar National Security Agency] cloud computing contract." —Chris Mills Rodrigo, August 10, 2021
"Liberalism means A and B decide what C shall do for D. Oh, and they charge a commission for having done so." —Milton Friedman
¿Land of the free?: "Although the United States is home to 5 percent of the world's population, almost a quarter of the world's prisoners are incarcerated in American prisons." —U.S. Department of Justice
"It's called 'the American Dream' 'cause you have to be asleep to believe it. [sic]" —George Carlin
"I am less interested in the return on my money than the return of my money." —Will Rogers
"A dog teaches a boy three things: Fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down." —Robert Benchley
"The stock trading symbol for Petco?" —WOOF
"Does Popeye suffer from exOphthalmOs?" —Significant other
"On top of all my other medical problems, now they tell me I have hypochondria ... " —Rick Oleson
"Habits are either the best of friends or the bitterest of foes." —Margaret Thatcher
"If you repeat an action for 28 days, it will become a habit." —Dr. Robert Anthony
"Rise early, that by habit it may become familiar, agreeable, healthy, and profitable. It may, for a while, be irksome to do this, but that will wear off; and the practice will produce a rich harvest forever thereafter." —George Washington
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." —Idiom
"Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny." —Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
'Still the Best Hope': "Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph." —Dennis Prager
"Over 20% of what William Shakespeare wrote consists of just ten words: the, and, I, to, of, a, you, my, in, and that." —nisiprius
"Can a Ship 'Flounder'? The difference between 'flounder' and 'founder'." —Merriam Webster
Flock / herd / gaggle / clowder / pod / brood / glaring / chowder / parade / shrewdness / unkindness / husk / bloat / tower / obstinacy / kettle / murder / troop / brace / cluster / paddling / pitying:
A colony of penguins: "A flock of penguins on land is called a 'waddle,' but the same flock of penguins at sea is called a 'raft'" —paraphrased from 'Penguin Town' video
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." —Gilda Radner
"I am impelled to tell you how much I have come to admire your intellect, your drive, and your honesty, and that I consider myself lucky to have made your personal acquaintance in Brussels." —Albert Einstein writing to support Marie Curie during her time of personal crisis, 1911
"Photography is not like painting. There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera." —Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Identify the dominant philosophy of a society and you can predict its future." —Ayn Rand
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." —Lord Acton, Letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, April 5, 1887
"Once you learn how the government has historically manipulated information to guide people to adopt certain beliefs or behaviors, it you simply can't watch the news and not question nearly everything you see. ... what is going on behind the scenes, what information is deliberately being kept from the public, and what narratives are being carefully crafted." —Connor Boyack
"We have a greater responsibility to act than those who live in ignorance. Once you become knowledgeable, you have an obligation to do something about it." —Ron Paul
"The 17th century Salem Witch Trials, rife with convictions based on flimsy evidence, hearsay, and an inverted burden of proof, stand as a chilling reminder of the dark corners of humanity's pursuit of justice." —Pacific Legal Foundation
Zero Aggression Principle: "It is always wrong to initiate force to achieve a social or political goal." —Jim Babka
'Failure of Big Government Socialism': "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." —Winston Churchill
"The left is concerned with only one thing, control, and they disguise this control as charity." —Elbert Guillory
"Government 'help' to business is just as disastrous as government persecution– the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off." —Ayn Rand
Four Trillion Dollar Oops: "Our home ownership strategy will not cost the taxpayers one extra cent." —William Jefferson Clinton, June 5, 1995
"President Barack Obama was a pioneering contributor to the national subprime real estate bubble, and roughly half of the 186 African-American clients in his landmark 1995 mortgage discrimination lawsuit against Citibank have since gone bankrupt or received foreclosure notices. As few as 19 of those 186 clients still own homes with clean credit ratings ... " —Daily Caller
What caused the 2008 financial crisis?: "There was a lot of pressure on banks to make loans to everyone. 'Red lining,' if you remember, was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said 'people in these neighborhoods are poor and they're not going to be able to pay off their mortgages.' Tell your salesman 'don't go into those areas.' And then Congress got involved, and local elected officials as well, and said 'Oh that’s not fair, these people should be able to get credit.' And once you started pushing in that direction, banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house wasn't as good as you would like." —New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, 2008
‘Fed Chair Says Cyberattacks Main Risk to U.S. Economy ... more worried about the risk of a large-scale cyberattack than another financial crisis like that of 2008’: "The risk that we keep our eyes on the most now is cyber risk ... There are scenarios in which a large payment utility ... breaks down and the payment system can’t work. Payments can’t be completed. ... a large financial institution would lose the ability to track the payments that it’s making ... There are cyber-attacks every day on all major institutions ... " —Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, April 12, 2021
Bank bailouts = moral hazard: "Americans are done with government bailouts, especially when caused by the government's own policies. Out-of-control spending in Washington and Federal Reserve interventions have fueled skyrocketing inflation. Any universal guarantee on all bank deposits, whether implicit or explicit, enshrines a dangerous precedent that simply encourages future irresponsible behavior ... " —House Freedom Caucus, March 20, 2023
'Taming the Megabanks': "As of December 31, 2023, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., Citigroup’s Citibank and Bank of America held a staggering total of $168.26 trillion in derivatives ... " —Pam Martens and Russ Martens, August 20, 2024
"Mark my words ... Medicare in about eight to nine years goes into the red ... It is going broke. ... What is truly scary – what is truly risky – is if we do nothing [because Medicare is] unsustainable ... [and] running out of money. ... [Medicare must be reformed] to be there for the next generation, not just for this generation." —President Obama, 2012
"A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth – some obvious truth he isn't supposed to say." —Michael Kinsley
Give the perspective: "[From] someone who has seen the intelligence and can tell the American people they [the Biden Administration] are lying to you. They're not telling you the truth about what our intelligence says ... They can't be trusted and they shouldn't be trusted." —John Ratcliffe, former Director of U.S. National Intelligence, September 12, 2021
"Now I know what a statesman is; he's a dead politician. We need more statesmen." —Bob Edwards
"I'm into painting with light – not painting by numbers!" —Allan Swindles
✓ "The United States abolished involuntary servitude (slavery) with the 13th amendment only to reinstate it with the 16th amendment." —John Galt
✓ "Lincoln said 'government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free' but a tax burden approaching 50% now approximates half slave and half free." —Antonio Rodrigues
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Goethe
Eliminate the Income Tax: "About 45 percent of all federal revenue comes from the personal income tax. That means that about 55 percent – over half of all revenue – comes from other sources, like excise taxes, fees, and corporate taxes. We could eliminate the income tax, replace it with nothing, and still fund the same level of big government we had in the late 1990's [about a decade earlier]. We don't need to 'replace' the income tax at all." —Ron Paul, New York Times, November 20, 2008
"Silence like a cancer grows." —Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound Of Silence" Lyrics
"This week I got an iPhone. This weekend I got four chargers so I can keep it charged everywhere I go and a land line so I can actually make phone calls." —Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO
"Why is it that with over 60 years of improvements in cameras, lens sharpness and film grain, resolution and dynamic range that no one has been able to equal what Ansel Adams did back in the 1940's?" —Ken Rockwell
"Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has no problem calling for the destruction of Israel and blaming it for attacks linked to his own party, but when his [sister's husband] needs life-saving heart surgery, only Israeli doctors will do." —Paul Alster
"The world is divided between the people who resent those who have been more successful and those who want to emulate them." —Dennis Prager summarizing George Gilder
Q. "How many gallons of blood, on average, does your heart pump in a day?"
A. "2,000." —Varney & Co., Trivia
Q. "How many rooms are in Buckingham Palace?"
A. "775" —Varney & Co., Trivia
Q. "How long is the Great Wall of China?"
A. "13,171 miles." —Varney & Co., Trivia
"The function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable." —John Kenneth Galbraith
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." —Charles Babbage (1791-1871)
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" —Carl Sagan
"Measure twice, cut once." —Old carpenters' rule
"I challenge the growing trend in our society to give numbers a credence that they simply don't deserve, all the while assigning far less importance to the things that can't be expressed with numbers – qualities such as wisdom, integrity, ethics, and commitment." —Jack Bogle
"The milliHelen (the amount of beauty required to launch 1 ship)." —Patrick Perez
'Nerd fail': "Jedi mind meld." —President Barack Obama
[Star Wars ≠ Star Trek: "I am Darth Vader ... from the Planet Vulcan." —'Back to the Future 1']
"The greatest teacher, failure is." —Yoda, 'The Last Jedi'
"Always pass on what you have learned." —Yoda, 'Return of the Jedi'
"The Force is strong with this one." —Darth Vader, 'A New Hope'
"Great, kid, don't get cocky." —Han Solo, 'A New Hope'
"I find your lack of faith disturbing." —Darth Vader, 'A New Hope'
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." —Yoda, 'The Empire Strikes Back'
"I like firsts. Good or bad, they're always memorable." —Ahsoka Tano, 'The Mandalorian'
" ... many of the truths that we cling to depend on our viewpoint." —Obi-Wan Kenobi, 'Return of the Jedi'
"Difficult to see; always in motion is the future." —Yoda, 'The Empire Strikes Back'
"Your focus determines your reality." —Qui-Gon Jinn, 'The Phantom Menace'
"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck." —Obi-Wan Kenobi, 'A New Hope'
"You have failed me for the last time ... " —Darth Vader, 'The Empire Strikes Back'
"I never ask that question until after I've done it!" —Han Solo, 'The Force Awakens'
Funny, derogatory, mildly offensive ways of saying mentally impaired, dense, unintelligent, nuts, loony, stupid, slightly crazy, a bit slow, a bit thick, or merely eccentric [so many ways to be mean]; Also see 'ablest micro-aggressions':
• A few fries short of a Happy Meal.
• A few bricks shy of a load.
• A few sandwiches short of a picnic.
• Half a bubble off plumb.
• A few spanners short of a tool box.
• A few cards shy of a full deck.
• A few cans short of a six-pack.
• A few crumbs short of a biscuit.
• A few trucks short of a convoy.
• A few clowns short of a circus.
• A photographic memory with the lenscap on.
• His driveway doesn't go all the way to the road.
• His elevator does not go all the way to the top.
• The lights are on but no one's home.
• Not the full bottle.
• A sausage short of a barbie.
• The butter's slipped off the noodles.
• The cheese slid off the cracker.
• A few slices short of a loaf.
• Out to lunch.
• Not the full tin of bikkies (or box of chocolates).
• Wouldn't know what day it was unless he had two baked potatoes on his plate.
• 24¢ short of a quarter.
• Only two bob in the pound.
• 60¢ in the dollar.
• He's the full quid, but it's all small change.
• A few roos loose in the top paddock.
• Not too tightly wrapped.
• A shingle short.
• Not all there.
• Not playing with the full deck.
• A couple of buttons missing.
• Not running on all cylinders.
• A couple of ribs short of a cage.
• His river doesn't run all the way to the sea.
• Hasn't got them all in a row.
• Hasn't got both oars in the water.
• A bit of light gets in.
• Not the full tube of Dencorub.
• If brains were dynamite, he couldn't blow his hat off.
• His flag is at half staff.
• A deficiency in the marbles department.
• Not quite enough coupons for the coffee percolator and matching set of cups.
• Not got all their chairs at home.
• Not the full shilling.
• A few points short of promotion.
• A few points short of a council flat.
• One condom short of an orgy.
• He's a 6-pack, but he's missing the plastic bit that holds it all together.
• When they were handing out brains, he was at the back of the queue.
• Dumber than a box of rocks.
• Not the brightest candle in the chandelier.
• Dumb as a doornail.
• Not the brightest color in the crayon box.
• Two plums short of a fruit pie.
• One prescription shy of a full medicine cabinet.
• One burrito shy of a combo plate.
• Three ants shy of a picnic.
• One cow shy of a full barn.
• A couple drops shy of a full glass.
• One shirt shy of a full closet.
• One horse shy of a herd.
• One rose shy of a bouquet.
• One song shy of a CD.
• One inch shy of a foot.
• One painting short of an art gallery.
• One dog short of a kennel.
• One meatball shy of a plate of spaghetti.
• One bandaid shy of a first aid kit.
• A couple quarts short of an oil change.
• A black and white mind, working on a color coded problem.
• A cup and saucer short of a place setting.
• A deadbolt with a broken cylinder.
• Three pieces short of a jigsaw puzzle.
• A few cups shy of a tea service.
• A brownie shy of a bake sale.
• One tree shy of a forest.
• One brick short of a load.
• A few bees short of a hive.
• Couldn't find their butt with both hands if it had a bell on it.
• His wheel is spinning, but the hamster is dead.
• Some drink from the fountain of knowledge, they just gargled.
• Their antenna does not pick up all the channels.
• One coffee bean short of a latte.
• As nutty as a fruit cake.
• The lights are on but nobody's home.
• Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
• One peanut short of a snickers.
• Has a hole in their bag of marbles.
• Their screen is missing a few pixels.
• Their cord does not reach the outlet.
• They're a few channels short of cable.
• If clues were shoes they would be barefoot.
• About as sharp as a marble.
• Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
• A few peas short of a casserole.
• One fruit loop shy of a full bowl.
• Did your dad drop you on your head when you were a baby?
• One lime short of a Margarita
• No grain in the silo.
• Too much yardage between the goal posts.
• One petal shy of a flower.
• Duller than a butter knife.
• The gate is down, the lights are flashing, but the train is not coming.
• One ant shy of a colony.
• Brilliant as a burned out light bulb.
• A book full of blank pages.
• Christmas tree without an angel on top.
• The cornbread did not get baked.
• Dipstick doesn't quite hit the oil.
• Driving with the engine off.
• From the shallow end of the gene pool.
• Having a blond moment?
• If you looked up 'stupid' in the dictionary you'd see your picture.
• Not the sharpest tool in the shed.
"People look at Joe Biden and they know that the tray table is not in its upright and locked position. They see that for themselves." —Kellyanne Conway, November 8, 2021
"Let me start off with two words, 'MADE IN AMERICA'." —Joe Biden, Hagerstown, Maryland, October 7, 2022
"A three letter word, 'JOBS'." —Joe Biden, Athens, Ohio, October 15, 2008
"I have been in 57 states [sic] ... " —B. Hussein Obama
Protests have now "spread to 1,000 countries [sic]." —Diane Sawyer, ABC News
"Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans [sic] will lose their jobs." —Nancy Pelosi
"But you can't erase what you've already done ... giving a five hundred trillion dollar [sic] tax cut to 120,000 families." —Joe Biden
"Now we have over 120 million dead [sic] from COVID." —Joe Biden, June 25, 2020
"It costs you 12 to 14 thousand dollars a month for child care. [sic]" —Joe Biden, June 14, 2022
Warning signs of dementia: "trouble knowing what the numbers mean" —Dementia Helpline
"From the time I got to the Senate, 180 years ago [sic]." —Joe Biden, September 27, 2020
"I could drop dead tomorrow." —Joe Biden, October 23, 2022
"You get a tax break for a racehorse, why in God's name couldn't we provide [a] tax credit for everybody who has childcare costs? ... It would put 720 million women [sic] back in the workforce. ... " —Joe Biden, March 2, 2020
Guns: "One-hundred-fifty million people [sic] have been killed since 2007 ... more than all the wars, including Vietnam from that point on." —Joe Biden, February, 2020
'We're in serious trouble': "Biden was not lying to me, he genuinely did not know what he had signed [stopping all LNG exports to Europe]. ... Who is running the country? ... who put the paper in front of him ... ?" —House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), private meeting with the President, c. 2024
"One ironclad piece of investing advice is never take financial advice from a mutual fund company. They are driven to pretend they know things they don't." —dbr
'So who exactly has been acting in the role of U.S. President for the past four years???': "President Joe Biden was determined by the Justice Department's Special Counsel to be suffering from dementia of sufficient severity to prevent his prosecution for espionage for repeatedly stealing classified documents, including while a Senator and while Vice President (i.e., when he lacked classification authority). With this acknowledged mental incompetence due to senility, and his staff saying that he has 'good days and bad days' as is typical of dementia, how can legislation, executive orders, and presidential pardons that he supposedly signed be presumed legally valid, just as documents such as a last will and testament would not be valid if signed by someone not of sound mind, and under undue influence? Use of the basement strategy of the 2020 presidential race shows that those around Biden had already concluded a lack of mental competence, starting before his presidential inauguration. Should not, therefore, all Biden presidential actions be presumed invalid, unless upheld by a court of competent jurisdiction based on evidence of his mental state in each case?" —Ralph Jones, January 1, 2025
"There's four rules of firearm safety that you follow with any gun:
● Treat every weapon as if it's loaded;If you follow those rules, no one is in danger, and no one gets hurt."● Never point a gun at anything you're not willing to kill or destroy;
● Never put your finger on the trigger unless you're willing to kill or destroy; and,
● Always be aware of what's in front of, behind, and around your target.
—Tim Clemente, Hollywood technical consultant
"Over 170 million jobs [sic]" could be lost due to sequestration. —Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), March 1, 2013
Heroic police prevent massacre: "We lose 93 million Americans [sic] a day to gun violence." —Gov. Terry McAuliffe
Build Back Bolshevik:
"The build back better is three baskets:
It's •climate, •health, •jobs, •security, and •moral responsibility."
—Nancy Pelosi
["How about instead of Building Back Better, you just put everything back the way it was and leave it alone." —Michael Smith]
'Word Salad': "Today the business of our work is for the council to report on the work that has occurred since our last meeting across these areas. We will today also discuss the work yet ahead, the work we must still do to continue to move forward." —'Space nerd' Vice President Kamala Harris, NASA, September 8, 2022
["She [Kamala Harris] sounds ... like someone giving a book report on a book she has not read, ... Complacency and arrogance make a ruinous compound." —George F. Will]
"The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea, and it is an alliance that is strong and enduring. [sic]" —Vice President Kamala Harris, Korea Demilitarized Zone, September 29, 2022
'Word salad' aka 'Middle level nothing': "We know community banks are in the community." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"It is time for us to. Do what we have been doing, and that time is every day. Every day it is time for us to agree. That there are things and tools that are available to us. To slow this thing down." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"We've got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to take this seriously." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"Our allies have stood firm and unified in a way... to ensure that we are unified." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"So I think it's very important, as you have heard from so many incredible leaders for us at every moment in time and certainly this one, to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past but the future." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"I love Venn diagrams. I do. I love Venn diagrams. So, the three circles — and you can do more! Nobody says a Venn diagram has to only be three circles, right?" —Vice President Kamala Harris
"In the Western hemisphere, that is where the Caribbean is. We are also in the Western Hemisphere. They are our neighbors." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"We were all doing a tour of the library here and talking about the significance of the passage of time, right? ... The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to passage of time. There is such great significance to the passage of time when you think of a day in the life of our children." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"We must, together, work together to see where we are, where we are headed, where we are going and our vision for where we should be, but also see it as a moment, yes, to, together, address the challenges." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"The significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time ... there is such great significance to the passage of time." —Vice President Kamala Harris
" ... to continue to do the work that we have that is a priority ... as it relates to what we must do in terms of continuing to work together." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"Um, we have definitely extended the — and I, it's something that I think we need to keep doing, awareness about what we have to do on Pell grants, and I can follow up with you on specifically what we've been doing." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"So I am here because this is a community in the Mississippi Delta that has a long history of being part of America's history, um, including having the needs that should be met ... " —Vice President Kamala Harris
"Space is exciting!" —Vice President Kamala Harris
"So, during Women's History Month, we celebrate and we honor the women who made history throughout history, who saw what could be unburdened by what had been ... We see the suffragists, the riveters, the marchers, the mothers and sisters and aunts and grandmothers and daughters, all the giants upon whose broad shoulders we stand." —
"You need to get to go and need to be able to get where you need to go to do the work and get home." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"Great aspiration of our nation has been to expand freedom. ... But the expansion of freedom clearly is not inevitable, and it certainly is not something that just happens." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"We also recognize just as it has been in the United States, for Jamaica, one of the issues that has been presented as an issue that is economic in the way of its impact has been the pandemic ... So, to that end, we are announcing today also that we will assist Jamaica in COVID recovery by assisting in terms of the recovery efforts in Jamaica that have been essential to, I believe, what is necessary to strengthen not only the issue of public health but also the economy." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"I think that, to be very honest with you, I do believe that we should have rightly believed, but we certainly believe that certain issues are just settled. Certain issues are just settled," —Vice President Kamala Harris
"That's on top of everything else that we know and don't know yet based on what we've just been able to see and because we've seen it or not doesn't mean it hasn't happened. But just limit it to what we have seen." —Vice President Kamala Harris
"Culture is a reflection of our moment and our time, right? And present culture is the way we express how we're feeling about the moment and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment that is a reflection of joy ‘cause you know — it comes in the morning." —Vice President Kamala Harris, New Orleans, June 30, 2023
"I have fought for many who have harmed other human beings." —Kamala Harris, November 2, 2024
"Democrats could regret calling Trump and his supporters ‘weird.’" —Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times, July 29, 2024
"I'm excited about electric school buses. I LOVE electric school buses. I just love them! For so many reasons. Maybe because I went to school on a school bus. Hey, raise your hand if you went to school on a school bus!" —Vice President Kamala Harris
"So here’s the thing. Who doesn’t love a yellow school bus? Right? Can you raise your hand if you love a yellow school bus? Right?" —Kamala Harris, Seattle, October 26, 2022
Billion$ on electric $chool bu$e$: "Three years after the $5 billion electric school bus program was started ... entrusted to Vice President Kamala Harris ... just 60 school buses, across 27 school districts have been deployed." —Thomas Catenacci, July 30, 2024
"We cannot let this, we've never allowed any crisis from the Civil War straight through to the pandemic of 17, all the way around, 16, we have never, never let our democracy sakes second fiddle, way they, we can both have a democracy and ... correct the public health." —Joe Biden
"One, we have to uh, depend on what the president's going to do right now. And first of all, he has to, uh, tell uh, uh—wait til the case is before anything happens. Look the whole idea is he's got to get in place things that were shortages of." —Joe Biden
"South Korea is ... within miles of the border of North Korea." —Hillary Clinton
"If ignorance is bliss, then why aren't there more happy people?" —graffiti
"It's much easier to be critical than correct." —Benjamin Disreali
"I would love to spend a lot of my time venting and yelling at people." ... "I ... talk to experts ... so I know whose [tuchus] to kick." —Barack Hussein Obama, II, 44th President of the United States [Reading the audiobook of his third autobiography has Obama speaking for an astounding 29 hours straight.]
✓ "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream – the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order – or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism." —Ronald Wilson Reagan, 'A Time For Choosing'
"Look it UP to write it DOWN so what is RIGHT> is <LEFT." —J. Gаrrideb
"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." —United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
"62% of Americans say the political climate prevents them from sharing their political views." —Cato Institute national survey, 2020
"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." —President Harry S Truman, Special Message to the Congress on the Internal Security of the United States, August 8, 1950
■ "When true democracy goes away people get hurt. It has real consequences. This is not an abstraction. ... Government starts telling you what books you can read and which ones you can't. Dissidents start getting locked up. Reporters start getting locked up if they're not towing the party line. ... Corruption reigns because there's no accountability." —Barack Hussein Obama, Philadelphia, November 5, 2022
"There's something amazing about America's democracy, it's got a gyroscope and just when you think it's going to go off the cliff, it rights itself." —Albert Einstein writing to his son, c. 1950's
Using fear and deception to achieve government control:
"Terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat for the homeland today. Not ISIS, not Al-Qaeda, white supremacists. [sic]" —Joe Biden, Tulsa Oklahoma, June 2, 2021
"My statement is that domestic violent extremism represents the greatest terrorism related threat to the homeland." —Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Capitol Hill, April 28, 2022
"The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy." —Joe Biden, Washington, May 13, 2023
[Completely wrong: "The greater threat is radical Islam such as ISIS (who want to impose a global caliphate), Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Iranian mullas, Hamas and other Muslim brotherhood supporters."]
"In the FBI's view, the top domestic violence extremist threat we face comes from racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocate for superiority of the white race." —Attorney General Merrick Garland, Capitol Hill, May 12, 2021
["The federal government is proceeding with plans to build a new FBI headquarters complex twice the size of the Pentagon building." —J. Michael Waller, February 1, 2023]
Wrongthink Thoughtcrime Doubleplusungood: "The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by ... false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information ... "
—Department of Homeland Security Bulletin, February 7, 2022 [See above; Click here for complete DHS Bulletin.]
"We at the FBI do not have a sense of humor we're aware of." —'Men in Black', 1997
"No danger flowing from speech can be deemed clear and present unless the incidence of the evil apprehended is so imminent that it may befall before there is an opportunity for full discussion. If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence. Only an emergency can justify repression. Such must be the rule if authority is to be reconciled with freedom·" —Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Whitney v. California, 1927
"Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down." —Frederick Douglass
'The most commonly banned science book': "Darwin, Charles. 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.'" —James Cummins Bookseller, 'Banned and Burned' Catalog of censored books
Censorship is 'the first step into a thousand years of darkness'.
Censorship is Un-American.
Courtesy Smithsonian Museum of
American History and Rock the Vote.
"In a free state every man may think what he likes, and say what he thinks." —Baruch Spinoza
"Internet culture ... has a marked petty-and-vindictive streak. People can get criticized severely for almost anything, because ... well, because they can, I guess." —Michael C. Johnston
Culture War: " ... for the Democratic Party's liberal adherents, silencing their adversaries has become their primary project. ... In modern-day American liberalism ... censorship is a virtual religion. They simply cannot abide the idea that anyone who thinks differently or sees the world differently than they should be heard." —Glenn Greenwald, January 29, 2022
Big Business & Big Brother: "A government that can censor its critics has license for every atrocity. It is the beginning of totalitarianism. There's never been a time in history when we look back, and the guys who were censoring people were the good guys! Once you start censoring, you're on your way to dystopia and totalitarianism!" —Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., July 21, 2023
What to believe?: "I don’t believe the side that censors." —Dennis Prager
Censorship using 'Fact Checkers': "Political and corporate elites empower NewsGuard to censor anyone that doesn't comply with their agenda. That's why they hate anyone who fights for the truth, like PragerU. We have educated millions of Americans about NewsGuard—one of the largest and most influential 'fact-checkers' employed by Big Tech. ... NewsGuard wants to control the narrative on any and every topic." —PragerU
['Fight to Save America!': "PragerU's age-appropriate and educational materials are only problematic to those who want to teach Critical Race Theory, gender fluidity, that math and objective truth are racist, and that America is a terrible place." —PragerU CEO Marissa Streit]
"Over the past few years, Americans have lived through an unprecedented surge in censorship. ... Big Tech companies silenced Americans for doing nothing more than exercising their First Amendment rights. ... This censorship cartel is an affront to Americans’ constitutional freedoms and must be completely dismantled." —Commissioner Brendan Carr, Federal Communications Commission, November 13, 2024
"We're being censored." —Manhattan Institute
"Our reading lists would be very short, indeed, if we reserved our sources to only those we could prove to be perfect." —Connor Boyack
"When I complain about Google's censorship, my wife tells me to 'shut up'." —Husband
Western Values: "The Left doesn't care 'cause they love ideas, not people." —Dennis Prager, August 3, 2018
Gaslighting: "Psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories ... " —Merriam Webster Dictionary
"Media helped hide the real Joe Biden by censoring Hunter stories." —Miranda Devine, 'New York Post', November 28, 2021
"... Twitter ... has interfered in elections." —Elon Musk, November 30, 2022
'Twitter Files': "Shortly after Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, the billionaire entrepreneur pledged to release internal documents that would reveal how Twitter engaged in free speech suppression under previous ownership. The files were released to two independent journalists ... " —'The Western Journal', December 9, 2022
The Twitter Files: "An existential threat ... One of the most important news stories of our time. The Twitter Files story encompasses, and to a large extent connects, every major political scandal of the Trump-Biden era. ... the Twitter Files reveal an unholy alliance between Big Tech and the deep state designed to throttle free speech and maintain an official narrative through censorship and propaganda. ... going back years: the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, Twitter's secret policy of shadow banning, President Trump's suspension from Twitter after the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot, the co-opting of Twitter by the FBI to suppress 'election disinformation' ahead of the 2020 election, Twitter's involvement in a Pentagon overseas psy-op campaign, its silencing of dissent from the official Covid narrative, its complicity in the Russiagate hoax, and its gradual capitulation to the direct involvement of the U.S. intelligence community—with the FBI as a go-between—in content moderation. ... " —John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist, January 2023
"The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation ... on Facebook and Twitter." —The Hill
'UN Official: We Own the Science': "World Economic Forum member brags about partnership with Google to censor critics. ... 'CNN is ... part of a political war on who owns the narrative.' ... 'Great Narrative' project to accelerate propaganda by merging government and corporate power to censor any viewpoints they deem politically undesirable." —Jamie White, October 2, 2022
★ News Censorship = Election Tampering: "If unaware Biden voters knew about the Hunter Biden laptop probe, 16% would not have voted for Biden." —Media Research Center, poll, November 9-18, 2020
'Media's Bias of Omission': "Biden Scandals Get the Silent Treatment. ... National evening newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS. From June 8 to June 12 ... the three major networks dedicated 291 minutes to scandals involving former President Trump and exactly zero minutes to scandals involving the current president [Biden]." —Joe Concha, July 9, 2023
Main stream media ignores Biden scandals: "Network coverage last week: Trump January 6 indictment – 162 minutes; Biden scandals/Devin Archer – 8 minutes." —Media Research Center, July 30 – August 5, 2023
Final Presidential debate, 2020: "I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life.[sic] ... I've not taken a single penny from any country whatsoever.[sic]" —Joe Biden
"This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead." —Elon Musk, November 28, 2022
"Whoever controls the media controls the mind." —Jim Morrison
'Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy':
[Poll:] "Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle? – Yes 29.6%; No 70.4%. ...
Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy." ... "Seize the memes of production!" —Elon Musk, March 26-27, 2022, [who then purchased 9.2% of Twitter's stock, becoming its largest shareholder! ... later becoming Twitter's owner.]
'Wikipedia co-founder says site is now 'propaganda' for left-leaning 'establishment'': "If only one version of the facts is allowed then that gives a huge incentive to wealthy and powerful people to seize control of things like Wikipedia in order to shore up their power ... There's a global enforcement of a certain point of view on issues ... " —Larry Sanger, Wikipedia Co-founder
"Google's Gmail censorship cost GOP candidates $2B since 2019, Republicans say, citing new study [that] found that Gmail flagged most GOP fundraising emails as spam, while allowing through most Democrat emails." —Peter Hasson, April 13, 2022
"Don't be evil." —Its corporate code of conduct which, by engaging in censorship, Google has failed to follow
Elite capture: "Peter Schweizer says that, in a quarter-century as an investigative journalist, this is the scariest investigation he has ever conducted. That the Chinese government seeks to infiltrate American institutions is hardly surprising. What is wholly new, however, are the number of American elites who are eager to help the Chinese dictatorship in its quest for global hegemony. Presidential families [$31 million from the top of communist China's intelligence service to the Bidens], Silicon Valley gurus, Wall Street high rollers, Ivy League universities, even professional athletes—all willing to sacrifice American strength and security on the altar of personal enrichment." —'Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win'
"Hunter Biden, partners aided Chinese bid to corner nuclear energy market with U.S. tech, memos show. Detailed plan obtained by congressional investigators show Biden sought to help CEFC China Energy buy Westinghouse, the premier maker of U.S. nuclear reactors." —Steven Richards and John Solomon, March 13, 2024
Hunter Biden's Laptop From Hell: "I hope you all can do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years ... It's really hard. But don't worry, unlike Pop [Joe Biden, aka the Big Guy, aka Robert L. Peters, aka Robin Ware, aka JRB Ware], I won't make you give me half your salary." —Hunter Biden text to his daughter Naomi, January 2019, New Year Post
"The Big Guy: How a President [Biden] and His Son Sold Out America." —Miranda Devine
"I concede that we need some new conspiracy theories, but it’s because all the old ones turned out to be true." —Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), October 7, 2024
★ Deplatforming = Election Tampering: "Censorship, cancel culture intimidation, wokeism, viewpoint discrimination and deplatforming are Un-American because the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court all guarantee your natural unalienable right to free speech." —Charles Culpepper
"Facebook and Twitter Limit Sharing New York Post Story about Joe Biden." —Shannon Bond, NPR, October 14, 2020
"Whenever one tries to suppress doubt, there is tyranny. " —Simone Weil, 'Lectures in Philosophy'
Left's Ideological conformity enforcement mechanism: "First, activists create a panic about misinformation or offensive speech. Second, the social media platforms try to meet them halfway by introducing measures like warning labels. Third, the activists realize they've drawn blood, and continue to push for outright censorship. Finally, the social media platforms give in and remove the offending voice from their platforms altogether." —Zaid Jilani, 'The Blue Stack Strikes Back', February 8, 2022
A Twitter Mob is a Religious Experience: " ... To put it simply, social media mobs transmute painful emotions into a belief in one's own righteousness. This is also what religious experiences do. ... these social media systems very clearly furnish people with pre-packaged, group virtue. In the end, the whole exercise boils down to a simple assumption: that complaining in the prescribed way makes you righteous. And that's just foolish." —Paul Rosenberg
"Disinformation" = Censorship: "Facebook Banned 1.3 BILLION Accounts Over Three Months to Combat 'Fake' and 'Harmful' Content." —Melissa Holzberg, 'Forbes', March 22, 2021
["22 Million tweets labeled 'misinformation' on Twitter;
859 Million tweets collected in databases for 'misinformation' analysis;
120 analysts monitoring social media 'misinformation' in up to 20-hour shifts;
15 tech platforms monitored for 'misinformation' often in real-time;
<1 hour average response time between government partners and tech platforms;
Dozens of 'misinformation narratives' targeted for platform-wide throttling; and
Hundreds of millions of individual Facebook posts, YouTube videos, TikToks, and tweets impacted, due to 'misinformation' Terms of Service policy changes that DHS partners openly plotted and bragged tech companies would never have done without DHS partner insistence and 'huge regulatory pressure' from government." —Mike Benz, November 9, 2022]
'The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch': "Facebook bans Trump for at least two years." —Musadiq Bidar, CBS News, June 5, 2021
"The answer to 1984 is 1776." —PSA33_3
Poll: "75% Don't trust social media to make fair content moderation decisions." —Cato, December 15, 2021
The corporate Big Tech censors are failing: "Facebook shares are getting crushed today, down almost 25%. The company's value has fallen today by more than Boeing and General Motors are WORTH. Why? For the first time ever, the number of Facebook users is shrinking. (The ridiculous rebranding to 'Meta Platforms' probably doesn't help.) Apparently deplatforming every person and group who has a non-woke thought isn't working out as well as Mark Zuckerberg had hoped." —Alex Berenson, February 3, 2022
["Zuckerberg's net worth drops by $70 billion [i.e., in half, in 2022] after censoring President Trump and pursuing idiotic 'Metaverse'." —Reed Cooper, September 23, 2022]
Difficult to value illiquid assets: "People who know how much they're worth aren't usually worth that much." —Nelson Bunker Hunt (who tried to corner the silver market)
"Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude." —Viktor E. Frankl
"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?·" —Thomas Jefferson
"You shall not criticize anything or anybody in the government any longer or you shall go to jail." —Progressive California Senator Hiram Johnson explaining President Woodrow Wilson's (D) Sedition Act, 1918
"Federal investigators asked banks to search and filter customer transactions by using terms like 'MAGA' and 'Trump' as part of an investigation into Jan. 6, warning that purchases of 'religious texts' could indicate 'extremism'." —House Judiciary Committee, January 8, 2024
"FinCEN used large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression." —House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan
"Keywords FinCEN recommended banks search to find ‘Extremism Indicators’: Trump, MAGA, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Antifa, Biden, Kamala, Pelosi, Schumer, Pence, Capitol."
■ 'Trump presidency confirmed yesterday, today Zuckerberg announces Facebook to end censorship': “Fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created. What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far." —Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook/Meta, January 7, 2025
"Leaked NSA document reveals massive woke glossary pushing critical race theory, gender ideology at intelligence agency ... 34 page glossary defines hundreds of social justice terms including 'white fragility,' 'transmisogyny,' and 'settler colonialism'." —Spencer Lindquist, November 15, 2023
Progressive Woke Tyranny — Turning America into Communist China: "In the great debate of the past two decades about freedom versus control of the network, China was largely right and the United States was largely wrong. Significant monitoring and speech control are inevitable components of a mature and flourishing internet, and governments must play a large role in these practices to ensure that the internet is compatible with a society’s norms and values. [sic]" —Jack Goldsmith and Andrew Keane Woods, 'The Atlantic', April 25, 2020
Debate: "This House Believes Wokeness Has Gone Too Far." —Konstantin Kisin, Oxford Union, January 13, 2023
Leftism – America's Cultural Revolution: "Victimhood replaces accomplishment as the standard of merit; accusation replaces disagreement as the means of settling disputes; false compassion becomes the primary method of manipulating citizens into compliance; and the whole scheme is enforced with the threat of violence: obey, or suffer the consequences. ... " [More] —Christopher F. Rufo, Manhattan Institute 'City Journal', September 24, 2023
'A BIG threat...': "The left is indoctrinating 5-year-olds with perverse sexualization propaganda. Changing the definition of words and phrases like 'woman,' 'vote by mail,' and 'recession' to fit their fanatical agenda. Calling parents 'domestic terrorists.' And convincing an entire generation of young boys and girls that they can change their gender if they 'think' they were 'born in the wrong body.'" —Marissa Streit, CEO, PragerU ["Videos viewed more than 7 BILLION times, even with Google and YouTube censoring."]
"Politics is downstream from culture." —Andrew Breitbart
Replacing western culture: "Europe is committing suicide." —Douglas Murray
"Unwoke, Inc. proves that you can push back and make a cultural impact by providing non-woke alternatives in academia, culture, and business." —Amala Ekpunobi
'The lunacy of the left': "Constant woke agendas in every facet of culture—from gender confusion and overt sexualization of young kids to demanding reparations for slavery and stoking fear about a climate crisis. ... We don’t rely on incendiary rhetoric or clickbait headlines that have poisoned so much of the news and culture. We simply promote truth, reason, and goodness – and we do it in a way that’s fun, entertaining, and engaging for young people." —PragerU
'Position of the American Left': "'Men give birth'; sexual identity is 'nonbinary'; young children should attend drag queen events; a person's sex or 'gender' is not a biological fact, but a subjective feeling; men who say they are women must be allowed to compete against women in sports and be placed with women in women's prisons; young girls who say they are boys and want their breasts surgically removed should have their breasts removed ... among the many examples of left-wing nihilism." —Dennis Prager, February 21, 2023
'Fighting for Common Sense in a World That’s Lost its Mind': "It was the most terrifying experience I ever had. I had just given a speech when agitators stormed the room. A man – wearing a woman's dress – punched me twice. Then I spent three hours barricaded in a classroom while leftist college students just outside the door yelled the most obscene things at me, including 'f*cking transphobic b*tch!' All because I said things like ... men are men – and men are not women. ... there are only two sexes. ... men have no business being in women's locker rooms and playing women's sports. ... " —Riley Gains, champion swimmer
"Since 2003, biological men (who self-identify as females) have captured at least 28 women’s sports titles. Girls are being deprived of championship titles, college scholarships, the opportunity to compete in the Olympics—and the simple sense of accomplishment. This will continue unless something is done to push back against the radical left-wing gender activists." —PragerU
"Biden's CDC is urging schools to avoid the words 'male' and 'female' in sexual health education." —Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK)
'Equitable Math' – 'Dismantling Racism in Mathematics' – 'Latest Plan to Collapse Civilization': "White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms [sic] when ... the focus is on getting the 'right' answer." —Paul Bond, 'Newsweek', February 23, 2021
"US Navy used drag queen influencer to attract a 'wide range' of new troops as recruitment plummets." —Micaela Burrow, May 1, 2023
"We shouldn't get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be. They can't. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. That's just common sense." —British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
The San Francisco 'Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) Program Application' lists alternative
"Pronouns (Check all that apply): She/her/hers; He/him/his; They/them/theirs; It/its/its; Co/co/cos; Zie/zim/zis; Ze/hir/hirs; Xe/xem/xyrs; Ey/em/eirs; E/em/eirs; Per/per/pers; Fae/faer/faers; Ae/aer/aers; Tey/ter/ters; Ve/ver/vis; No pronouns/just name; Declined; Not Listed:_________ ".
The San Francisco 'Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) Program Application' also lists 97 alternative
"Gender Identity (Check all that apply): Cis-gender woman; Woman; Transgender Woman; Woman of Trans experience; Woman with a history of gender transition; Trans feminine; Feminine-of-center; MTF (male-to-female); Demigirl; T-girl; Transgirl; Sistergirl; Cis-gender man; Man; Transgender man; Man of Trans experience; Man with a history of gender transition; Trans masculine; Masculine-of-center; FTM (female-to-male); Demiboy; T-boy; Transguy; Brotherboy; Trans; Transgender; Transsexual; Non-binary; Genderqueer; Agender; Xenogender; Fem; Femme; Butch; Boi; Stud; Aggressive (AG); Androgyne; Tomboy; Gender outlaw; Gender non-conforming; Gender variant; Gender fluid; Genderfuck; Bi-gender; Multi-gender; Pangender; Gender creative; Gender expansive; Third gender; Neutrois; Omnigender; Polygender; Graygender; Intergender; Maverique; Novigender; Two-spirit; Hijra; Kathoey; Muxe; Khanith/Xanith; X-gender; MTX; FTX; Bakla; Mahu; Fa’afafine; Waria; Palao’ana; Ashtime; Mashoga; Mangaiko; Chibados; Tida wena; Bixa’ah; Alyha; Hwame; Lhamana; Nadleehi; Dilbaa; Winkte; Ninauposkitzipxpe; Machi-embra; Quariwarmi; Chuckchi; Whakawahine; Fakaleiti; Calabai; Calalai; Bissu; Acault; Travesti; Questioning; I don't use labels; Declined; Not Listed:_________ ".
"The United States of America has long been the lone beacon of freedom and sensibility in a chaotic world. Now, she is under threat from a lethal ideology that seeks to humiliate and erase anyone who does not bow at its altar. The threat in question? Wokeism. ... Wokeism has already seeped into every aspect of American society." —Charlie Kirk
"One person's socialism is another person's neighborliness." —Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, August 6, 2024
Required Woke Medical Student Oath [Harmful substitute Hippocratic Oath]: " ... Our institution is located on Dakota land. ... We commit to uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system. We recognize inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary, ableism and all forms of oppression. ... we commit to promoting a culture of antiracism ... We pledge to honor all indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by western medicine. Knowing that health is intimately connected with our environment, we commit to healing our planet and communities. ... We commit to collaborating with social, political and additional systems to advance health equity. ... and hold ourselves accountable for our mistakes and biases. ... " —The University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Twin Cities, Incoming Class of 2026, White Coat Ceremony, August, 2022
[Making activists instead of doctors:
• "Top med school putting wokeism ahead of giving America good doctors: Elite medical schools are deliberately recruiting woke activists, jeopardizing their mission of training physicians. ... Medical schools are rushing down a dangerous road. These institutions have long lowered application and educational standards in the name of diversity; now they are enacting an ideological litmus test for future physicians. Recruiting woke activists instead of the most qualified candidates will both undermine trust in health care and lead to worse health outcomes for patients. That’s the last thing medical schools should do." —Stanley Goldfarb, M.D. and Laura L. Morgan, R.N., September 2, 2022
• "It's past time for reasonable doctors to stand up and denounce this poison. Western medical science and shamanic healing are not equally valid cancer treatments. ... " ... "They are being inducted in the cult of [Critical Race Theory]." —Christopher F. Rufo, October 9, 2022
• "SHOCK: ... The medical students swore an oath to wokeness. ... It appears the entire Class of 2026 is infected with a raging case of woke microaggressions. ... there is an effort afoot to jumpstart a race war in this nation ... " —Now Liberty
• "What arguably stands out most is the group’s denouncement of science." —Alex Parker, October 3, 2022]
DEI now masquerading as 'Belonging' and 'Culture Commitments': "27% of National Science Foundation grants went to DEI projects." —Luke Rosiak, February 10, 2025
"DEI now masquerading as 'Community and Campus Life.'" —Harvard University
What’s Behind America’s Doctor Crisis?: " ... DEI ... You have to be out of your mind to become a doctor—and that’s whose signing up. ... There will be no good doctors within 10 years." —Lloyd Chambers, September 5, 2024
"American Association of Medical Colleges has moved beyond medicine to promote race-based academic admissions policies, racially-focused medical theories, and transgender medical procedures for children. The group has also declared that DEI in health care is one of its top priorities." —Leif Le Mahieu, January 10, 2025
'New England Journal of Medicine promotes racially-segregated teaching': "Racial Affinity Group Caucusing in Medical Education — A Key Supplement to Antiracism Curricula." —University of California San Francisco Medical School, NEJM, 2023 ["Do No Harm, called the idea of [racially] segregated [medical school] classes 'morally abhorrent.'"]
'Med Schools Replace Medical Merit with Obesity Denial and DEI Doctrine': "99% push racial justice ideology, 89% require commitment to gender doctrine, and 30% teach 'weight inclusivity.'" —Nathan Gay, April 24, 2025
"There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"America whose foundational ideas had been gutted by a corrupted culture. Our universities were infested with leftist theorists who worked to smother the voices of the sages they were meant to teach. Our news media was biased to the point of corruption. And our entertainment media was using every pop icon from Superman to Snow White as a propagandist for perversion, racialism, and Western self-hatred." —Andrew Klavan
"Americans' confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two prior readings." —Gallop Poll, 2023
'Why I'm Leaving the University [of California]': "Signs of ... fear are omnipresent. ... UCLA as a whole is showing all the signs of Woke capture that typify the contemporary U.S. university. ... [colleagues] fired, all for dissenting ... from Woke orthodoxy ... Statements recounting one's activities on behalf of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are mandatory in faculty job applications and in promotion dossiers. ... Also typical of elite U.S. universities, UCLA is awash in anti-Zionism, a.k.a. thinly disguised Jew-hatred [anti-semitism]. ... it's a good bet that the grip of Woke orthodoxy on the University of California, and most other U.S. universities, will tighten in the years to come. The younger faculty tend to be more Woke than their elders. Administrators and student 'protesters' perform elaborately choreographed routines that end with the former enacting policies that they wanted to enact anyway, for which the latter's public temper tantrums serve as a pretext. ... I strongly suspect that mainstream U.S. higher education is morally and intellectually corrupt, beyond the possibility of self-repair ... increasingly brazen rejection of two values ... meritocracy and free debate." —'Refugee' UCLA Professor Joseph H. Manson, July 4, 2022
"UCLA medical students are taught ‘Anti-white, anti-American hatred.’ ... mandated to learn about 'colonialism' and 'liberation' during their first year in medical school. ... have to take a class called 'Structural Racism and Health Equity' which teaches them about 'Indigenous resistance' and 'white colonialism.' ... If you want to understand how DEI and anti-white, anti-American hatred have been mainlined into the medical profession, you need to see this. ... they put lives at risk. Medical students are being taught to disregard science, and instead to build resentment towards many of their patients" —Ben Shapiro, March 2, 2024
‘DEI official at UCLA School of Medicine massively plagiarized her dissertation on DEI’: “Recent headlines about UCLA School of Medicine suggest that the institution has lost its focus. Instead of brushing up on organic chemistry, its students were subjected to lessons on 'Indigenous womxn' and 'two-spirits.' Future doctors had to take a class on 'structural racism' and were led in a 'Free Palestine' chant by a Hamas-praising guest speaker. The school made plans to segregate students by race for courses on left-wing ideology, and two of its psychiatry residents championed 'revolutionary suicide.'" —Luke Rosiak and Christopher F. Rufo
['UCLA remains silent': "Jeffrey Flier, the former dean of Harvard Medical School, said that the course was promoting 'dangerous misinformation' and that the medical school had substituted 'Marxist ideology' for medicine." ... "'Pedagogical Malpractice' ... UCLA 'has centered this required course on a socialist/Marxist ideology that is totally inappropriate.'" ... ]
'Up to half of UCLA med students are failing basic medical competency tests, affirmative action to blame': "Race-based admissions have turned UCLA into a 'failed medical school' ... 'I have students on their rotation who don't know anything' ... UCLA dropped from 6th to 18th place in ... rankings ... more than 50 percent of students failed standardized tests on emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics ... basic medical knowledge ... ['23.8% of a class FAIL 3 ( THREE!!! ) OR MORE ... EXAMS'] ... only 5 percent of students fail each test nationally, the rates are much higher at UCLA, having increased tenfold in some subjects since 2020 ... students have never been more poorly prepared ... 'Faculty are seeing a shocking decline in knowledge of medical students.' ... affirmative action, illegal in California since 1996, is to blame ... " —Aaron Sibarium, May 23, 2024
Out with the Dean of Meritocracy, in with the Dean of Mediocrity: "We need courage to reject what American Universities have become." —Stuart Varney, January 4, 2024
'On The Road To Dystopia': "['political indoctrination ... and systemic antisemitism'] UCLA med school forced first-year students to attend lecture of Hamas supporter who blasted modern medicine as ‘white science,’ made them pray to ‘mama Earth’." —Melissa Koenig, April 4, 2024
'UCLA ... antisemitic campus environment': "Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith. This fact is so unimaginable and so abhorrent to our constitutional guarantee of religious freedom that it bears repeating. UCLA does not dispute this." —U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, March 17, 2025
"The Academy Has Fallen. The Children Are Lost. Get your money and your kids out of this institution. It is infested. It is sick. And it is the world's leading social problem. ... " [More] —Max Borders, Novovember 9, 2023
'The University of California revives Cold War loyalty oaths as DEI statements': "Our institutions are being lost completely. You can either just passively sit by or you can push back." —John D. Haltigan, Ph.D.
"A former English writing professor at the Pennsylvania State University, is suing the institution after being subject to racially discriminatory policies at the campus for being white. Penn State has implemented a university-wide policy and so-called strategic plan, euphemistically labeled anti-racism, ... singles out white employees for harassment and discrimination under the label of white privilege, white supremacy, and other racial stereotypes that attribute negative values and characteristics to employees ... based upon the color of their skin rather than the content of their character." —Naveen Athrappully, July 1, 2023
"For the first time, women make up 50% of Caltech's incoming undergraduate class. This accomplishment is the result of sustained efforts to improve gender equity on campus and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)." —California Institute of Technology, August 1, 2024
"Starbucks is paying its executives to make sure that the company discriminates against white people to keep white employment below a maximum established by the company. That is discrimination by race, flat out. It is very, very illegal." —Scott Shepard
'Your Pilot Is a DEI Hire. Good Luck!'
Woke 'United Airlines announces they will no longer hire the best pilots': "United Airlines [the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school] is taking a bizarre business risk and announcing to the world that it will no longer hire the best pilots available but will instead make sure that 50% of their trainees for flying you around the world will be women and minorities—talent and skill be damned. I'm not making this up. I wish I were." —Megan Fox, April 7, 2021
FAA website on DEI hiring practices: "Targeted disabilities are those disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for special emphasis in recruitment and hiring ... They include ... severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability ... " —FAA.gov
["What could possibly go wrong when people carefully selected for being extremely stupid or very crazy are in charge of the safety of airplanes?... I mean it’s not like the doors are falling off the planes ... Oh, wait!" —George Clark]
Woke skies: "British Royal Air Force no longer offering pilot jobs to white men — only women and ethnic minorities may apply." —Jim Hoft, August 16, 2022
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." —George Orwell, 'Animal Farm' ('The most celebrated political satire of the Twentieth Century.')
"DEI is garbage. It’s fascist totalitarianism." —Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet
"Princeton University removed portraits of departmental chairmen because they were white." —Hank Berrien, April 29, 2025
Run on the bank: "Management incompetence rises as the square of DEI+ESG." —Lloyd Chambers
'Rebranding': “Have you guys heard of DEI? It stands for ‘Dumb Evil Idiots' ... Environmental Social Governance (ESG), 'Exploiting Seems Good.'" —Sean Ono Lennon, son of Beatles' John Lennon, January 3, 2024
ESG: "'Elitists, Socialists, and Grifters,' as well as 'Erasing Savings and Growth.'" —Consumers’ Research
DEI = 'Didn’t Earn It' = 'Division, Exclusion, and Inequality': "If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for Discrimination, Exclusion and Indoctrination." —Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
"Dozens of major investment houses embraced ESG proposals at the expense of shareholders. ... ESG investing strategies may be costing tens of thousands of dollars per client in lost retirement income." —PR Newswire, May 17, 2023
"ESG ... or environmental, social, and corporate governance ... is liberal activisim masquerading as corporate responsibility – and it's bad for investors ... for business and your retirement account ... If you're a middle-class American, chances are your retirement account quietly funds far-left priorities like climate alarmism, racial hiring quotas, and other Democratic hobby horses." —Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Andy Barr, July 25, 2023
"Florida is the place where woke goes to die." —Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, August 16, 2022
"University of Florida fires all DEI employees: ‘No place in our public Universities.’" —Spencer Lindquist, March 1, 2024
'University of North Carolina repeals DEI mandates, pledges to focus on institutional neutrality': "I think that DEI in a lot of people’s minds is Divisiveness, Exclusion and Indoctrination." —Marty Kotis, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, May, 2024
"Harvard nixes DEI statements as requirement for faculty employment applications. ... eliminating the requirement for prospective tenure-track faculty members to submit a statement on how they will promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging." —Kassy Akiva, June 4, 2024
"Diversity, equity, inclusion workers fret companies aren't hiring them anymore ... The high-priced jobs faced massive cuts in tech layoffs ... industries are letting go of these high-priced positions in 2023. Companies are gutting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) jobs while workers were leaving these fields at a higher rate than non-DEI positions ... " —Kristine Parks, February 20, 2023
'Dangerous trajectory!': "Students across our nation are being cheated from attaining a quality education by misguided bureaucrats, corrupt teachers unions, and anti-American activists infiltrating our schools. While political leaders promote 'gender fluid' restrooms and abandon academic standards, our communities continue to fall apart." —PragerU
'Removing Woke [Marxist propaganda] from High Schools': "We are also going to eliminate all DEI [diversity, inclusion, and equity] and CRT [critical race theory] bureaucracies in the state of Florida. No funding, and that will wither on the vine." —Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), January 31, 2023
['DeSantis deals blow to woke takeover of education': "College Board removes CRT ['cultural Marxism'] topics from AP African-American studies course: Teachings on black lives matter, the case for reparations, and black queer studies."]
["Neo-Marxist ideas are not only false but dangerous."]
"Elite institutions are waging a war on the West. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion bureaucracies that are enabling that war must be dismantled. ... My colleagues and I at the Manhattan Institute and City Journal are fighting to restore meritocratic standards and colorblind equality. ... unleash the potential of all Americans and dismantle the disparate-impact thinking that jeopardizes civilizational achievement." —Heather Mac Donald
Affirmative action: "Just 20 percent of Black Americans said [Pew poll] they felt ... efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity... had put them at an advantage. And strikingly, significantly more — 35 percent — actually said they felt such Affirmative Action policies had put them at a disadvantage." —Matt Vespa, July 6, 2023
Ending DEI policies: "Our country will be woke no longer. ... you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence, not race or gender." —President Donald J Trump, Address to the Joint Session of Congress, March 4, 2025
Beijing Winter Olympics Athlete Censorship Warning: "Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government because they are ruthless." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, February 3, 2022
War Censorship: "The United Nations has advised ... against using the terms 'war' or 'invasion' to describe Russia's attack on Ukraine. ... refer to the fighting as a 'conflict' or 'military offensive' — even as Russian troops target Ukrainian civilians and more than 2 million people flee to neighboring countries. ... Roskomnadzor, the agency that regulates Russian media, ordered local outlets to delete the words 'assault,' 'invasion' or 'declaration of war' two days after the attack was launched. The Russian parliament then passed a new law imposing prison terms of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $14,000 for spreading 'fake' news about the military, which led a number of international news organizations to go dark or suspend operations in Russia." —Mark Moore, March 8, 2022
Biden White House admits censorship collusion with social media companies: 
"We are in regular touch with the social media platforms and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff ... This is a big issue of misinformation ... We have increased disinformation research and tracking ... We are flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation ... " —Jen Psaki, President Biden's Press Secretary, The White House, July 15, 2021
"I make a special appeal to social media companies and media outlets, please deal with the misinformation and disinformation that's on your shows. It has to stop." —Joe Biden, January 13, 2022
Facebook confirmation: "We have partnered with government experts, health authorities and researchers to take aggressive action against misinformation [sic] about COVID-19 and vaccines to protect public health. So far, we've removed more than 18 million pieces of COVID misinformation, removed accounts that repeatedly break these rules ... " —Facebook spokesperson, c. July 15, 2021
"Mark Zuckerberg just admitted three things:
1. Biden-Harris Admin 'pressured' Facebook to censor Americans.
2. Facebook censored Americans.
3. Facebook throttled the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Big win for free speech." —House Judiciary GOP, August 26, 2024
"One of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press ... most audacious, manipulative, secretive, and gravest abuses of power and infringements of First Amendment rights by the federal government in American history ... " —Daily Wire/Federalist/Texas Lawsuit
"How the world’s biggest brands seek to control online speech." [More] —Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2024
How can a Supreme Court Justice not understand that the purpose of the Bill of Rights is to intentionally hamstring the government?: "My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government [censorship] in significant ways ... " —Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, March 18, 2024
["Journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out on Twitter that 'hamstringing the government' in its ability to censor speech is 'quite literally the entire point of the First Amendment and Bill of Rights.'"]
'Election Integrity Partnership': "The Weaponization of 'Disinformation' ... How the Federal Government Partnered With Universities to Censor Americans' Political Speech. ... The report reveals how the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Global Engagement Center (GEC, within the State Department) coordinated with Stanford University and other entities to create the Election Integrity Partnership to censor Americans' speech in the lead-up to the 2020 election. It outlines how the Election Integrity Project (EIP) was created in the summer of 2020 to provide a way for the federal government to launder its censorship activities in hopes of bypassing both the First Amendment and public scrutiny. The report also reveals for the first time internal emails from EIP members stating that the EIP was created 'at the request of DHS/CISA'." —Committee on the Judiciary
and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, U.S. House of Representatives, November 6, 2023
"Fact-checkers with too much power ... control the narrative on any and every topic." —Marissa Streit
Advocating for Censorship: "The issue is not that the companies before us today are taking too many posts down. The issue is that they are leaving too many dangerous posts up." —Senator Edward Markey (D-MA), Capitol Hill, October 28, 2020
'FBI bragging about spying and censoring Americans': "The sophistication of the private sector is improving and particularly important, the level of cooperation between the private sector and the government, especially the FBI, I think, has made significant strides." —FBI Director Christopher Wray, World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2023
["FBI influence was considerably more significant than just James Baker, the FBI’s former general counsel who later worked in the same role for Twitter."]
"To protect free speech, Congress must prohibit the government's collusion with Big Tech and other media organizations." —Senator Rand Paul, M.D. (R-KY)
"The US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that ... the White House ... Surgeon General, FBI, and US Centers for Disease Control 'coerced or significantly encouraged social media platforms to moderate content' to curb COVID-19 disinformation, a move that violated the First Amendment." —Emily Price, September 10, 2023
"Truth can get you fired." —Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., former Professor of Medicine at Harvard
Declining Academic Freedom at Universities: "Over the course of a long lifetime, I have witnessed a serious decline in tolerance and respect for freedom of speech in the academy." —Milton Friedman
Intolerance: "78.3% of millennials block family on Facebook over political posts." —Time2Play
Frightening that a growing majority of Americans now are against the first amendment guarantee of freedom of speech: "Most Americans say the U.S. government and technology companies should each take steps to restrict false information online, even if it limits freedom of information. In 2018 39%, in 2021 48%, and in 2023 55%." —Pew Research Poll, July 20, 2023
'Young Dems more likely to despise the other party – College students who would not ____ someone who voted for the opposing presidential candidate': "5% of Republicans said they wouldn't be friends with someone from the opposite party, compared to 37% of Democrats. 71% of Democrats wouldn't go on a date with someone with opposing views, versus 31% of Republicans. 30% of Democrats — and 7% of Republicans — wouldn't work for someone who voted differently from them." —Generation Lab Poll, November 18–22, 2021
★ Viewpoint discrimination = Election Tampering: "One of the gravest threats to our democracy today is a powerful group of Big Tech corporations that have teamed up with government to 
censor the free speech of the American people. This is not only wrong—it is unconstitutional. ... Big Tech and government agencies are actively coordinating to remove content from the platforms ... The tech companies are doing the government's bidding, colluding to censor unapproved ideas. This coercion and coordination is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has held that Congress can't use private actors to achieve what the Constitution prohibits it from doing itself. In effect, Big Tech has been illegally deputized as the censorship arm of the U.S. government. This should alarm you no matter your political persuasion. It is unacceptable, unlawful and un-American. ... " —Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States, 'Why I'm Suing Big Tech', Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2021
"To stop the spread of disinformation on the Internet, do away with the current advertising-driven business model and instead let consumers sell their own data. The crux of the problem is that model ... you encourage people to spread falsities to get advertising and make money ... " —Siavash Alamouti, winner of IEEE 2022 Marconi Prize
Paypal fine for promoting 'misinformation' or 'hate': "For each violation, PayPal says users are subject to ... 'liquated damages' of $2,500 per violation – with the money being taken directly from a person's PayPal account." —PayPal stock 'fined' 6% [$5 billion] after flood of users cancel over $2,500 'misinformation' debacle
Stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech: "We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable. ... I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon." —Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States, October 21, 2021
Biden White House demands total silencing on all platforms: " ... create robust enforcement strategies that bridge their properties ... You shouldn't be banned from one [social media] platform and not others for providing misinformation ... " —Jen Psaki, President Biden's Press Secretary, The White House, July 16, 2021
Once upon a time in America: "It's a free country." ... "Land of the free, home of the brave." —Anonymous
"War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength" —1984
Disinformation Governance Board: "We have just established a misinformation and disinformation governance board in the 
Department of Homeland Security to more effectively combat this threat not only to election security but to our homeland security ... " —Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee, April 27, 2022
["I confess, I at first thought this announcement was satire. Surely, no American administration would ever use the power of government to sit in judgment on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens. Sadly, I was mistaken. Rather than protecting our border or the American homeland, you have chosen to make policing Americans' speech your priority. This new board is most certainly unconstitutional and should be dissolved immediately." —Senator Josh Hawley, April 28, 2022]
"What's Wrong with Censorship?"
"Truth Cops: Leaked documents outline DHS's plans to police disinformation." —Ken Klippenstein and Lee Fang, October 31, 2022 ["Facebook went as far as creating a special portal for the Department of Homeland Security and government partners where they could log in to report 'disinformation' directly to the company. In order to gain access to the back-door portal, a government or law enforcement email was required." —Marisa Herman, November 1, 2022]
Exploring legal action against Homeland Security: "It's just so un-American, so right out of Russia or China, that they would actually have an agency of disinformation headed up by someone who is one of the biggest propagators of this." —Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, May 4, 2022
["Nina Jankowicz [aka TikTok 'Scary Poppins'] ... the new 'disinformation czar' called Hunter's laptop Russian disinformation and pushed the debunked Steele dossier."; Forced to resign by public outcry.]
'Fundamentally un-American': "I wake up in the morning worried about my country. That is not an exaggeration. ... The government has no role defining what is true and false. This is a blatant violation of the first amendment. ... It is an attack on free speech ... and it is completely unconstitutional. ... This is a gross, extremely dangerous violation of free speech when the government sets up an agency to determine what's true and false. If we are not on our way to communism, we may be there. ... The incredible destruction this does to our fundamental values. ... These people ... want to destroy your form of government, and they want to destroy your way of life, and they want to completely destroy your fundamental values and make you an amoral, evil country, and they're doing it, and this is about as clear as it gets." —Rudy Giuliani, April 30, 2022
Ministry of Truth: "Unless you hear it from us it is not the truth>>. ... We will share with you the most up-to-date information daily ... otherwise dismiss anything else." —New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, March 19, 2020
Martial Law: "Australia's Victoria state to deploy military, impose A$5,000 fines to enforce coronavirus isolation." —The Straits Times, August 4, 2020
Reversal: "We've got to get past the heavy hand of government and we've got to treat Australians like adults ... We have to move from a culture of mandates to a culture of responsibility." —Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, December 20, 2021
'Finished with your tyranny': "Two California megachurches pastors have rebranded their churches into temporary 'strip clubs' in protest of the state's closing down of places of worship due to the COVID-19 pandemic while permitting strip clubs to stay open. ... Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee ... quipped that churches should reopen as a 'temporary strip club.' ... Huckabee suggested churches must 'announce their pastor will remove his tie during the sermon, and therefore he will take off an article of clothing making it a temporary strip club so that people will be able to go to church.'" —Leah MarieAnn Klett, December 3, 2020
"I'm going to shut down the virus." —Joe Biden, Wilmington, Delaware, October 23, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, October 24, 2020; Wilmington, Delaware, October 28, 2020; Coconut Creek, Florida, October 29, 2020; Tampa, Florida, October 29, 2020; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 30, 2020; Des Moines, Iowa, October 30, 2020; St. Paul, MN, October 30, 2020; Broward County, Florida, October 29, 2020
"Look, there is no federal solution. This gets solved at a state level." —Joe Biden, December 27, 2021
Center for Disease Control stalking entire population: "CDC used phone location data to monitor churches and schools to determine whether Americans followed Covid lockdown orders. ... The CDC monitored curfew zones, churches, schools, neighbor-to-neighbor visits and trips to pharmacies through SafeGraph, a controversial data broker. ... CDC paid $420,000 for access to one year of ... location data harvested from tens of millions of phones in the United States ... " —Cristina Laila, May 3, 2022
Shanghai Covid lockdown: "Control your soul's desire for freedom." —Orwellian propaganda being yelled at people locked in their apartments from Chinese Communist Party drones flying overhead, April 8, 2022
"Biden is giving control of our public health to [The] World Health Organization with [the] Pandemic Treaty." —Tucker Carlson, May 19, 2022
['Move on, nothing to see here.']
"America should NOT cede one inch of sovereignty to the World Health Organization. Not one." —Eric Schmitt, Missouri Attorney General, May 20, 2022
'Fauci openly admits Biden [airplane] mask mandate is about preserving AUTHORITY': "It's less about mandates on the plane than it is about who has the right and the authority and the capability of making public health decisions. ... decisions that are public health decisions belong with the public health agency, in this case, the CDC. So it's more of a matter of principle of where the authority lies than it is about whether or not there's gonna be a mandate on a plane or not." —Anthony Fauci, M.D., June 1, 2022
"Definitely choose to get the vaccination (if you are vulnerable)! Definitely don't destroy the U.S. Constitution's system of federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances that preserves the freedom and protects the rights of Americans. Oppose executive branch overreach and authoritarianism: Presidents, governors, mayors, and executive agency officials at CDC, OSHA, EPA, SEC, DHS, DOJ, etc., DO NOT have the authority to pass laws, invent new powers, or ignore existing laws or the science. Additionally, do not permit politicians to cede U.S. sovereignty by treaty to any world government entity such as the Chinese communist controlled World Health Organization. Being on an unAmerican abusive power trip should cause the offender that is violating the law and their oath of office by denying rights and usurping powers denied to them by the constitution to be promptly fired, recalled, impeached, prosecuted, and/or voted out of office." —Ohana Dikranian
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." —Thomas Paine, 'A Dissertation on the First Principles of Government,' 1795
Free speech absolutist: "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated ... " —Elon Musk, upon purchasing Twitter, April 25, 2022
"If I am not for myself who will be for me, but if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" —Hillel the Elder, Pirkei Avot 1:14
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." —Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Morality is doing what's right regardless of what you're told. Obedience is doing what is told regardless of what is right." —H.L. Menken
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." —Albert Einstein
"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." —Edmund Burke
"'Try to understand things,' and 'Don't go around hurting people.'" —Two Commandments of the Hopi
"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." —Sophia Loren
"Let's make better mistakes next time." —Poster
"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others." —Otto von Bismarck
"The best way out is always through." —Robert Frost
"The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing." —Edmund Burke
"Dispair is a sin." —Biblical
Rioting mob: "People do what they do." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Capitol Hill, July 9, 2020
The weird new normal: " ... police protecting rioters as they burn down cities ... " —Connor Boyack
"But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear?" —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1967
'Larry Fink's Blackrock Doubles Down on Woke Capitalism': "The retirement savings and investment accounts of millions of Americans are being used to pressure corporate Americans into adopting the left's climate agenda and divisive racial politics. Blackrock, the world's largest asset manager, has been moving steadily leftward for years and has been putting pressure on public companies to comply ... " —John Carney, December 17, 2020
'Texas pulls $8.5 Billion from BlackRock in stunning blow to ESG movement': "Texas is joining Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and more than 15 other states in prioritizing Americans’ fiscal priorities over the Left’s political agenda with this historic move ... The action also represents by far the largest divestment of its kind since Republican-led states began terminating their financial ties to BlackRock and other financial institutions over their pursuit of so-called environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards." —Heritage Foundation, March 27, 2024
Blackrock Investments in China: "Larry Fink wanted the world to think he was woke until we called him out for violating his fiduciary duty to America's pensioners. ... He's using American investment dollars to cozy up to Chinese communists and woke politicians, betraying the American consumer in the process." —Will Hild, February 10, 2022
Former Twitter CEO tweets: "Me-first capitalists who think you can separate society from business are going to be the first people lined up against the wall and shot in the revolution. I'll happily provide video commentary." —Dick Costolo, October 1, 2020
"History is a pack of lies agreed upon." —Napoleon Bonapart
■"Our election was hijacked. There is no question. Congress has a duty to #ProtectOurDemocracy and #FollowTheFacts." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Twitter, May 16, 2017
'Election Integrity — Europe vs. America': "In recent European elections, there were few concerns about integrity or contested results, unlike in the U.S. Could the lack of voter ID requirements in America, the replacement of paper ballots with electronic voting, and the shift from an election day to an election month suggest potential manipulation?" —Dennis Prager, June 20, 2024
★ Changing election laws to eliminate voting fraud protections = Election tampering: "Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud." —Bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, former President Jimmy Carter and former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, co-chairs, 2005
★ Scheduling vaccine results = Election tampering: "[The Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine] independent experts' committee, independent from Pfizer, that unblinded the data and reviewed, they met at 11 [AM] and they finished their meeting at 1:30 [PM on November 8, 2020, giving us a Covid-19 vaccine in 'Warp Speed' but announced less than 24 hours after the polls closed for the Presidential election.]" —Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla
"As I have long said, Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election ... " —Donald J. Trump
"It seems clear Dems pressured the FDA to delay the COVID vaccine to hurt Trump ... and causing thousands of unnecessary deaths." —Dr. Joel Zinberg, September 12, 2022
"Facebook censored a claim in October [2020] by President Donald Trump that a covid vaccine was imminent, which it was." —Michael Shellenberger
"'In late 2020, the three most senior people in Pfizer R&D were involved in a decision to deliberately slow down clinical testing so that it would not be complete prior to the results of the presidential election that year.' ... This new information appears to suggest that you and other senior Pfizer executives conspired to withhold public health information to influence the 2020 presidential election." —Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Chairman, House Judiciary Committee, May 15, 2025
★ Unconstitutional voting procedures (or in violation of state law) = Election Tampering: "Democrats and the liberal media have a shocking double standard when it comes to disputed elections." —Gerry Baker, Wall Street Journal at Large, July 9, 2021
Projection – Making the accusation of exactly what you are doing: "Today our freedom to vote is under assault. ... They are also working to interfere with our elections." —Vice President Kamala Harris (D), Alexandria, Virginia, January 17, 2022
Scott Rasmussen national survey, October, 2021:
• 85% want all voters to show photo ID before casting a ballot
• 82% want all ballots to be received by Election Day
• 81% of voters want all voting machines made in the United States
• 88% want ... states to remove ... from voter registration lists ... people who have died or moved
Pulitzer Prizes for Fabrications
The Democrats' dark campaign master: "What is really extraordinary, as [Mollie] Hemingway points out ... [in her] important new book, Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections ... is that one man, [attorney Marc] Elias, was responsible for both the [Russia, Russia, Russia!!! Hoax] Steele dossier, which was the covert Democratic disinformation operation designed to bring down Trump during the 2016 campaign, and those wide-ranging changes in state election procedures, designed to make sure he did not win reelection in 2020." —Byron York, October 11, 2021
'Hillary Clinton Did It': "The Russia-Trump collusion narrative of 2016 and beyond was a dirty trick for the ages, and now we know it came from the top—candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. That was the testimony ... by 2016 Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook in federal court ... she [Hillary Clinton] approved a plan to plant a false Russia claim with a reporter." —Editorial Board, 'The Wall Street Journal', May 20, 2022
"Christopher Steele created the dossier. Glenn Simpson sold it to the press. Michael Sussman took it to the FBI. And Democrats and the media lied to you about it all." —Rep. Jim Jordan, May 16, 2022
"All true. Bet most people still don't know that a [Hillary] Clinton campaign lawyer [Marc Elias], using campaign funds, created an elaborate hoax about Trump and Russia. Makes you wonder what else is fake." —Elon Musk, May 20, 2022
Subornation of perjury: "FBI offered Steele $1 Million for proof of dossier claims." —Durham witness
["Igor Danchenko ... primary contributor to the ['Russia! Russia! Russia!' Hoax, fake] Steele dossier, was ... on [the] FBI Payroll." —Brittany Bernstein, September 14, 2022]
"Perkins Coie, the legal arm of the DNC and Hillary Clinton, admits they have been operating an FBI workspace in their Washington, D.C. [law] office since 2012." —Response to a letter sent by Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Jim Jordan
"The Clintons represent the highest level of corruption, but no one has the courage to mention it. Instead they talk about Rudy Giuliani. Over a lifetime of excellent service, there's never been a hint of corruption in his behavior but everybody investigates him." —Jackie Mason
'Russia, Russia, Russia!!!' Collusion Hoax RICO Lawsuit: "In the run-up to the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary Clinton and her cohorts orchestrated an unthinkable plot – one that shocks the conscience and is an affront to this nation's democracy. Acting in concert, the Defendants maliciously conspired to weave a false narrative that their Republican opponent, Donald J. Trump, was colluding with a hostile foreign sovereignty. The actions taken in furtherance of their scheme—falsifying evidence, deceiving law enforcement, and exploiting access to highly-sensitive data sources - are so outrageous, subversive and incendiary that even the events of Watergate pale in comparison. ... [108 pages]" —Donald J. Trump v. Hillary Clinton, DNC, FBI conspirators, et al., March 24, 2022 [Dismissed]
'Endorsing fake news': "Newsrooms that move beyond 'objectivity' [truthiness] can build trust." —Leonard Downie, Jr., 'The Washington Post', January 23, 2023
"Legacy media lied and misinformed us for decades." —Ashley Rindsberg
"I don't trust words. I trust pictures." —Gilles Peress
Rough Time for Fake News: "Trust in media in the sewer – majority of americans now believe media intends to 'mislead, misinform or persuade the public' ... Only 26% of Americans view news media favorably overall." —Gallup and the Knight Foundation, survey of 5,593 adults, February 21, 2023
'Thirty ex-FBI agents stand up to support whistleblower': "The FBI has been collapsed into nothing more than a police agency for the Democratic Party." —Former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, Terry Turchie, the FBI's first head of counterterrorism
Threatening President Trump: "Let me tell you: You take on the intelligence community — they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you." —Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader, told MSNBC's host Rachel Maddow, January, 2017
Threatening the Supreme Court: "I want to tell you Gorsuch, and I want to tell you Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. ... You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions." —Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader, standing in fromt of the Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C., c. March 4, 2020
"Russian collusion fraud is a hoax, the Steel dossier, another hoax, misleading FISA requests for this Carter Page, that was another hoax, the Mueller whitewash, another hoax, there's other hoaxes, the Muslim ban was a hoax, the WikiLeaks connection was a hoax, the Trump Tower Meeting with Russian lawyers was a hoax, the Russian server at the Trump Tower was a hoax, kids in cages was a hoax. There's a pattern here that people will say anything, the Democrats will say anything, and now that they've taken over the Justice Department, they're gonna say anything." —Larry Kudlow, August 12, 2022
"No one f***s with a Biden." —Joe Biden, Florida, October 5, 2022
Mar-a-Lago FBI Raid: "Nuclear weapons ['classified documents'] issue is a Hoax, just like Russia, Russia, Russia was a Hoax, two Impeachments were a Hoax, the Mueller investigation was a Hoax, and much more. Same sleazy people involved. ... " —Donald J. Trump, August 12, 2022
'Tonight, the Democrats re-elected Donald Trump': "The country is in a very dangerous position. There is tremendous anger, like I've never seen before, over all of the scams, and this new one — years of scams and witch hunts, and now this ... People are so angry at what is taking place ... Whatever we can do to help — because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn't, terrible things are going to happen. ... The people of this country are not going to stand for another scam." —Donald J. Trump, August 15, 2022
["The FBI will be serving 50 approximately search warrants or subpoenas on Trump supporters." —Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, September 9, 2022]
'The Politicization of the Department of Justice': " ... from December 2020 through November 2021 the FBI conducted over 3.3 million U.S. person queries ... " —Jim Jordan, House Committee on the Judiciary and Michael R. Turner, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
" ... our Government, through the FBI, RIGGED the 2020 Presidential Election!" —Donald J. Trump, December 20, 2022
"The fact that nearly half of the country believes the [2020] election was stolen should come as no surprise. President Trump prevailed on nearly every historical indicia of success in presidential elections. For example, he won both Florida and Ohio; no candidate in history—Republican or Democrat—has ever lost the election after winning both States. And he won these traditional swing states by large margins—Ohio by 8 percentage points and 475,660 votes; Florida by 3.4 percentage points and 371,686 votes. He won 18 of the country's 19 so-called 'bellwether' counties—counties whose vote, historically, almost always goes for the candidate who wins the election. Initial analysis indicates that he won 26 percent of non-white voters, the highest percentage for any Republican candidate since 1960 ... Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, down to Republican candidates [at] the state and local level, all out-performed expectations and won in much larger numbers than predicted, yet the candidate for President at the top of the ticket who provided those coattails did not himself get over his finish line in first place. This, despite the fact that the nearly 75 million votes he received—a record for any incumbent President—was nearly 12 million more than he received in the 2016 election ... " —U.S. Supreme Court Motion
■ Demagogic and dangerous: "There's an unfolding assault taking place in America today, an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections. An assault on democracy, an assault on liberty. An assault on who we are ... We're facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War. This is not hyperbole. Since the Civil War." —President Joe Biden, July 13, 2021
Wisconsin 2020 election: "This is not the rule of law; it is the rule of judicial activism through inaction." —Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler, Wisconsin Supreme Court, dissent
"Wisconsin ... Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ... bans ballot drop boxes, says election officials broke the law. ... ballot drop boxes and ballot harvesting violate state law. ... 'there is no statutory authority' to allow for either practice ... " —Dan O'Donnell, 'The Federalist', January 17, 2022
"Wisconsin Supreme Court says absentee voter drop boxes are illegal." —Erin Doherty, July 8, 2022
★ 'Granny Farming' = Election Tampering: " ... $8,800,000 Zuckerberg plan grant with the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha and Green Bay (the Zuckerberg 5 Cities) ... violates Wisconsin law prohibiting election bribery. The motive for these grants was impermissible and partisan get out the vote efforts ... Government oversight has been obstructed by governmental and outside corporate collusion. ... Use of absentee ballot drop boxes ... violated Wisconsin law. The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) unlawfully directed clerks to violate rules protecting nursing home residents, resulting in a 100% voting rate in many nursing homes in 2020, including many ineligible voters. WEC also unlawfully encouraged evasion of ballot security measures related to 'indefinitely confined' voters at the behest of outside corporations. Wards under guardianship orders (and legally prohibited from voting) voted unimpeded by Wisconsin's election officials ... Non-citizens voted unimpeded ... Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha, and Green Bay election officials may have violated the Federal and Wisconsin equal protection clauses by not treating all voters equal in the same election." —Office of the Special Counsel, Wisconsin State Assembly, March 1, 2022
★ Bribery = Election Tampering: "Special counsel finds Mark Zuckerberg's election money violated Wisconsin bribery laws." —Margot Cleveland, March 1, 2022
★ Voting Machine Irregularities = Election Tampering: "Colorado hero Tina Peters releases report ... voting machines used in 2020 election were illegally certified and illegally configured." —Joe Hoft, March 7, 2022
"SQL software ... real-time manipulation of votes on ... Voting Software demonstrated. ... cybersecurity expert Mark Cook proved ... In a shocking real-time demonstration ... not only that the machines were vulnerable, but specifically a few easy ways they could be manipulated and, shockingly, without leaving a trace of the manipulation. ... not on the list of certified software used in the voting system. ... This software allows back-end access that bypasses any security and logging/tracking features ... " —Brian Lupo April 3, 2023
'Georgia can't produce over 17,000 [missing] 2020 election ballot images required by law; More than margin of error in Biden 'Win'': "All in-person ballot images are MISSING in Fulton County, GA ... 74 Georgia counties have been unable to produce all the original ballot images from the November 2020 election. ... GA election integrity non-profit VoterGA.org ... obtained admissions from 56 counties that most or all of the images created automatically by the ... voting system for results tabulation have been destroyed. ... election records that have long been required to be retained by federal and state law. Federal law requires a 22-month retention period for election records while state law requires a 24-month retention period ... [52 USC §20701, O.C.G.A. 21-2-73]" —'Georgia Record', November 9, 2021
Pennsylvania 2020 election: "Petitioners appear to have established a likelihood to succeed on the merits because Petitioners have asserted the [Pennsylvania] Constitution does not provide a mechanism for the legislature to allow for expansion of absentee voting without a constitutional amendment. Petitioners appear to have a viable claim that the mail-in ballot procedures set forth in Act 77 contravene Pa. Const. Article VII Section 14 as the plain language of that constitutional provision is at odds with the mail-in provisions of Act 77. Since this presents an issue of law which has already been thoroughly briefed by the parties, this Court can state that Petitioners have a likelihood of success on the merits of its Pennsylvania Constitutional claim." —Judge Patricia McCullough, Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania
"On or after November 2020, Fulton County [Pennsylvania] became aware of severe anomalies in the ... Voting Systems due to the inaccuracy and/or inability to reconcile voter data with votes actually cast and counted, i.e., tabulated, by the System in Fulton County." —County of Fulton v. Dominion Voting Systems, Inc.
★ Ignoring both Federal and State Constitutional Requirements = Election Tampering: "Pennsylvania court declares state's mail-in voting law unconstitutional, in win for Republicans ... a constitutional amendment must be presented to the people and adopted into our fundamental law before legislation authorizing no-excuse mail-in voting can 'be placed upon our statute books.'" —Mariana Alfaro, 'Washington Post', January 28, 2022
"Over 5 million questionable, unlawful or spurious ballots identified in 2020 election in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania ... " —Joe Hoft, February 10, 2022
" ... Extent of Vote Fraud with Absentee and Provisional Ballots in the 2020 US Presidential Election: The estimates for Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin combined indicate an average of 255,000 excess votes for Biden." —John R. Lott, Jr., Ph.D., December 21, 2020
"Utilizing cellphone movement data, the motion picture '2000 Mules' documents research from True the Vote, a conservative election intelligence organization that has compiled evidence of organized ballot trafficking in at least 6 states: Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Texas. In Georgia for example, True the Vote alleges there were 242 traffickers who made 5,662 trips to ballot drop boxes between the early morning hours of 12AM and 5AM, potentially unloading hundreds of thousands of illegally harvested ballots over the course of several weeks. ... more illegal votes from this strategy alone than Biden's winning margin [in Pennsylvania (275,000), Georgia (30,000), and Arizona(20,000) estimated illegal votes]." —'US 2020 Election Fraud at a Glance'
Georgia election fraud: "'True The Vote' has RICO Ballot Trafficking Evidence ... implications of the bombshell ... investigation ... in six counties in and around Atlanta, 552,987 cell phones came within a narrowly defined distance of ballot drop boxes during our study period. However, 242 unique devices made repeat trips to dropboxes averaging 23 trips each. These same 242 devices also went repeatedly, averaging eight trips each, to specific NGOs. These 242 individual devices went to dropboxes a total of 5,668 times, with approximately 40% of the visits occurring between the unusual hours of 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m." —Wendi Strauch Mahoney, May 2, 2022
'Ballot Bombshells': "20 episodes exposing fraud, illegalities and irregularities in 2020 election" —John Solomon, March 10, 2022
'Mail–in Voting fraud study finds Trump “almost certainly won"': "Here’s something I never thought I’d say. Trump may have won the 2020 election. And no, this isn’t clickbait. I’ve read through the study and it looks like Trump may have won, given the responses to this voter fraud study." —Jason Stapleton
"Most GOP voters still don’t think Biden was elected fairly." —Rasmussen Reports
"Without the massive expansion of voting by mail, President Donald Trump would have 'almost certainly' won re-election in 2020, according to a new study which examined the likely impact that fraudulent mail-in ballots had in the 2020 vote. Researchers in the study by the Heartland Institute gauged the probable impact that fraudulent mail-in ballots cast for both then-candidate Joe Biden and Trump would have had on the overall 2020 election results. The study was based on data obtained from a Heartland/Rasmussen survey in December that revealed that roughly one in five mail-in voters admitted to potentially fraudulent actions in the 2020 election." —WorldTribune, February 12, 2024
But you can't say 'stolen election':
● "Stolen emails, stolen drone, stolen election ..... welcome to the world of #unpresidented Trump" —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (D), Twitter, December 17, 2016
● "Remember Brian Kemp stole the gubernatorial election from Georgians and Stacey Abrams" —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (D), Twitter, April 2, 2020
Voters worry about election cheating, don't trust mail-in voting: "57% of Likely U.S. voters believe it is likely that the outcome of some elections this year will be affected by cheating." —Rasmussen Reports, November 14, 2022
"Here are 150 examples of Democrats denying election results. ... When I'm governor, we' re going to make sure we have honest elections." —Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, October 10, 2022
★ Ballot harvesting of fake voters at phantom addresses on voter rolls = Election Tampering: "Anonymous Wisconsin heroes demonstrated how to collapse the Democrat ballot gathering apparatus. ... Democrats, leftist non-governmental organizations, Big Tech invented every conceivable way to manipulate the ballot process: collect ballots, drop into streetside bins, fill them out if the voter doesn't. That is a ballot-gathering strategy. It works!" —Joe Hoft, November 14, 2022
[" ... This is a very sad thing to watch. Mail in Ballots, long election counts, many day elections, machines that very few people understand, massive counting centers, and more, are an American disaster. Our elections have become an unreliable joke, and the whole world is watching!" —Donald Trump, November 14, 2022
'Destroying democracy': “Joe Biden is trying to imitate Vladimir Putin, whose only major opponent, Navalny, is in jail. So Putin is going to run for reelection with no opponent. That’s the Biden model. He would love to have the same kind of opportunity that Putin has to win without opposition." —Newt Gingrich, January 12, 2024
★ Ultimate Election Tampering: "Colorado Supreme Court rules Trump disqualified from presidency for Jan. 6 riot ... The Colorado Supreme Court [all seven justices are Democrats] ruled [in a 4:3 decision] ... that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency under the Constitution's so-called insurrection clause and ordered the secretary of state to exclude his name from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot." —Melissa Quinn
● "It's self evident, we all saw it, no question, Trump supported an insurrection. [sic]" —Joe Biden, December 20, 2023
● "In the 60 years I’ve been practicing and teaching law, I’ve never seen a decision that’s so anti-democratic and so unconstitutional ... " —Professor Alan Dershowitz, December 20, 2023
● Lawfare: "It is an anti-democratic opinion, and it could set us on a course that would be incredibly destabilizing for our system." —Professor Jonathan Turley, December 20, 2023
● "In the absence of an insurrection–related conviction, I would hold that a request to disqualify a candidate under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment is not a proper cause of action under Colorado’s election code." —Colorado Chief Justice Brian Boatright [D-CO], dissenting, December 19, 2023
● "If Trump is kept out of office through judicial fiat rather than being defeated in a fair election, his supporters will never accept the result. This country will become ungovernable." —Robert Kennedy, Jr., c. December 20, 2023
["On January 6, 2021, a large crowd protested at the capitol, petitioning the government for the redress of their grievance that they believed that the Democrats were engaged in a coup d'etat. The demonstrators apparently intended to preserve the United States government, not to overthrow it, and their purpose was to encourage Congress to lawfully achieve an honest election, so there was no insurrection. A small fraction of demonstrators entered the capital, some with permission (and in some cases assistance) from capital police, while others rioted, broke in, and entered the capital without permission, but did not loot, set fires, or kill anyone (as had been the norm in the 574 Democrat and Antifa/BLM riots). Donald Trump gave a speech, protected by the first amendment because he did not advocate violence. To the contrary Trump directed "support our Capitol Police ... Stay peaceful! ... I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence!" The totally different treatment of 574 Democrat riots versus one Republican riot violates the constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection. Trump also cannot be guilty of insurrection because he acted days in advance to prevent an insurrection by authorizing 10,000 national guard troops to guard the capitol, but (despite their being warned urgently six times by the Chief of the capitol police) deployment of these troops was blocked by the Democrat House Speaker [Nancy Pelosi] and Washington, DC Mayor [Muriel Bowser], whose permission for troops was legally required. Consequently Trump was acquitted at the second Senate impeachment trial, and has never been criminally charged (nor could he be), nor indicted, much less convicted of 'insurrection', nor was he even alive at the time of the Civil War or a member of the Confederacy to which the 14th amendment's insurrection provision relates." —Lawrence Jones]
'Head Democrat is an election denier': “The more we learn about 2016 election the more Illegitimate it becomes. America deserves to know whether we have a Fake president in the oval office." —Hakeem Jeffries, House minority leader and Leader of the House Democratic Caucus since 2023, X, February 16, 2018
"Keep pouting. History will never accept you as a legitimate President." —Hakeem Jefferies, X, November 24, 2020
Preemptively delegitimize the 2022 election:
■ "Oh, yeah, I think it [the election] could easily be illegitimate ... The increase in the prospect of [the 2022 election] being illegitimate is in proportion to not being able to get these reforms[sic] passed." —Joe Biden, January 19, 2022
'Crush the Coup' 2024: "Right-wing extremists already have a plan to literally steal the next Presidential election." —'Election Denier' Hillary Clinton, October 25, 2022
'Illegal immigrants are giving Democrat-run sanctuary states extra seats in the House, and as a result, votes in the Electoral College': "Far-left radicals have rigged the U.S. Census to give sanctuary states extra seats in the House, and as a result, more votes in the Electoral College. These radicals REMOVED the citizenship question from the U.S. census, which allocates seats in Congress and as a result, the number of a state’s votes in the Electoral College. This means illegal immigrants are influencing our elections!" —Heritage Foundation, June 11, 2024
Biden vowed Trump would 'not take power': "We just have to demonstrate that he will not take power if he does run, making sure he ... does not become the next President again." —Joe Biden, The White House, November 9, 2022
"Our judgement is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."
★ Banana republic indictments of political opponent (opposition candidate or political prisoner?) = Election interference: "Trump New York 'business records' indictment;
Mar-a-lago classified papers indictment;
January 6 indictment;
Georgia election indictment." —Denial of due process and equal protection, with 91 trumped up felony charges, April - August, 2023 [During a Presidential election and asking for more than 700 years of jail time.]
[Diagnosis: Z60.5] ["Greatest Mugshot Ever" {Photo Right}]
"Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law." —Alan Dershowitz, Professor of Law Emeritus, Harvard University
["Donald Trump is a maverick but jailing him could force a Civil War-like split in America ... An irrational hatred of Donald Trump is pushing America in a dangerous direction ... " —Nigel Farage, August 22, 2023]
Two weeks before 2024 Presidential election: "We gotta lock him [Trump] up ... " —Joe Biden, October 22, 2024
Soviet Style Political Prosecution: "SHAM" — "HOAX" — "WITCH HUNT" — "LAWFARE"
"“A lot of people have put my grandpa through hell. And he’s still standing," —Kai Madison Trump. the President's eldest granddaughter, July 17. 2024
"MUG SHOT – AUGUST 24, 2023; ELECTION INTERFERENCE; NEVER SURRENDER; DONALDJTRUMP.COM ... At the notoriously violent jail in Fulton County, Georgia, I was ARRESTED despite having committed NO CRIME. The American people know what's going on. What has taken place is a travesty of justice and ELECTION INTERFERENCE. The Left wants to intimidate YOU out of voting for a political outsider who puts the American people FIRST. ... " —Donald J. Trump, August 24, 2023
"What does not kill me makes me stronger." —Friedrich Nietzsche
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." —Martin Luther King, Jr.
Political prisoner: "I went to prison so you won't have to." —Peter Navarro to Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024"
"Jury nullification is the power of jurors to vote 'not guilty' if they believe a law itself is unjust or being unfairly applied. ... Jury nullification is one of the most effective checks the people have against government overreach, but almost nobody talks about it. Why? Well, because an informed, empowered population is a problem for those who want control. ... If we want a future where people can stand up to tyranny, it starts with teaching our kids ... " —Connor Boyack
Can't believe that Democrats actually briefly admitted (alarmingly) what they truly believe:
"Elections are bad for democracy ... trust in government is rivaling historic lows ... we might be better off eliminating elections altogether." —Adam Grant, 'The New York Times,' Opinion, Redacted headline, August 21, 2023
It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.' —Joe Biden, July 8, 2024: "The Democrats have to stop their grossly irresponsible talk about Trump being an existential threat to democracy. He is not." —Bill Barr, former U.S. Attorney General, responding to Trump assassination attempt, July 13, 2024, as Democrats scramble to suspend their negative anti-Trump television presidential campaign advertisements
[Left-wing media coverage: "Did you hear the one about the former president who 'fell down' amidst 'loud noises'?" —Connor Boyack]
■ " ... seeing Donald Trump get up after being shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most bad*ss things I’ve ever seen in my life ... hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that’s why a lot of people like the guy ... " —Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, July 19, 2024
‘Threat to democracy’: "Nothing screams ‘democracy’ like President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris trying to bankrupt Trump, trying to throw him in prison for the rest of his life, and trying to throw him off the ballot, and when the Supreme Court stops them from this anti-democratic attack, what did Biden and Harris do? They underfunded Trump’s Secret Service detail, almost getting him killed. And now they’re trying to destroy the Supreme Court of the United States. [Q. ‘Mike, that sounds like the underfunding of the Secret Service was deliberate. I don’t think you want to say that, do you?’ —Stuart Varney] You had President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with a campaign strategy that Trump is an ‘existential threat to democracy’, a ‘dictator’ who must be stopped at all costs, and then you have their lawfare failing. Trump’s Secret Service detail requesting from the Biden-Harris administration more resources to protect Trump and the threats against Trump and they denied these requests, yet they beef up requests for President Zelinski, but not President Trump. I mean, it’s recklessness at best." —Mike Davis, July 31, 2024
'Kamala Harris’s Progressive Agenda': "She is a failed Vice President, leading a failed administration, while trying to convince you that she represents ‘hope and change.’ She does represent change. She wants to turn us into a communist country. That’s a change. [Crowd: Boo ... !] She was voted the most unpopular Vice President in history. That’s hard for a Vice President to be that unpopular. Right. Just like Biden will go down as the single worst President in the history of our nation. ... She said that 70% to 80% tax rate is ‘a very bold idea.’ They want to give you a tax increase of five times what you are paying now. ... " —Donald Trump, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 31, 2024
"Facebook has been spying on the private messages and data of American users and reporting them to the FBI if they express anti-government or anti-authority sentiments — or question the 2020 election — according to sources within the Department of Justice. 'It was done outside the legal process and without probable cause' ... 'Facebook provides the FBI with private conversations which are protected by the First Amendment without any subpoena.'" —Miranda Devine, September 14, 2022
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." —Mark Twain, 'The Innocents Abroad'
"Americans will always do the right thing ... after they've exhausted all the alternatives." —Winston Churchill
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." —Ronald Reagan
"You showed me the manure, now where is the pony?" —Ronald Reagan, The Gipper
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." —Thomas Jefferson
"The rocket worked perfectly, except for landing on the wrong planet." —Wernher von Braun, remark to a colleague after the first German V-2 rocket hit London, September, 1944
"Never be limited by other people's imaginations." —Astronaut Mae Carol Jemison, M.D.
"This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." —President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
[Twelve American astronauts walked on the moon, 4 of whom are still living in 2021.]
"Buzz Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Moon. [Marion Gladys Moon] ... Australia is wider than the moon." —The Online Photographer
"A lead – however earnestly and expensively won – once lost is nearly impossible to regain." —Neil Armstrong
"NASA won't launch a mission to hunt deadly asteroids." —Tim Fernholz, July 5, 2019 [Update]
"I've never been interested in the process of photography, never, never. Right from the beginning. For me, photography with a small camera like the Leica is an instant drawing." —Henri Cartier Bresson
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." —Dorothea Lange
"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again."—Henri Cartier Bresson
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest" —Paul Simon
Summit tests freedom of press: "Obama's disregard for media reaches new heights ... putting on a clinic for some of the world's greatest dictators in how to circumvent a free press." —Dana Milbank, Washington Post
"Progressive" anti-capitalist mentality: "A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. " —Theodore Roosevelt
"You will never correct by logic a man's error, if that error did not get into his mind by logic" —Mark Twain
"I'm an Internet expert too. It's all right to wire the industrial zone only, but there are many problems if other regions of the North are wired." —North Korean "Supreme Commander" Kim Jong-il
"I believe in returning the nation's wealth to its rightful owners. ... I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody." ... "I do think at some point you've made enough money." —Barack Hussein Obama, II, 44th President of the United States
Society's Lottery Winners: "If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." —Barack Obama [The first President in U.S. history to never have GDP growth during his term reach at least 3%.]
"[Obama] is hostile to free markets, hostile to entrepreneurship ... he thinks that if you succeed in business it's because you are that Hollywood villain who exploits people, poisons people ... he has no conception of how you get new things for people." —Steve Forbes
"Spite and envy are not sound bases for public policy." —J.D. Foster, Heritage Foundation
"The American public overwhelmingly voted for Socialism when they voted for President Obama." —Rev. Al Sharpton
"For better or for worse we have a black muslim in the white house." —Madonna
"Obama is talking about how he is going to 'spread the wealth' and like most people who set out to spread the wealth he ends up spreading poverty." —Professor Thomas Sowell, Hover Institution, Stanford
"The federal government faces an unsustainable long-term fiscal future. ... the government spends more than it collects in revenue ... current fiscal policy is unsustainable over the long term. Debt held by the public is projected to grow at a faster pace than the size of the economy. ... Increasingly large deficits drive unsustainable debt levels." —'The Nation's Fiscal Health ... Unsustainable Debt Levels.' GAO-23-106201, May 8, 2023
"The biggest threat to our national security is our debt." —Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
"Everything Ronald Reagan did to the Soviet Union, Barack Obama is doing to America today." —Michael Reagan
"The tax on capital gains directly affects investment decisions, the mobility and flow of risk capital... the ease or difficulty experienced by new ventures in obtaining capital and thereby the strength and potential for growth in the economy." —President John F. Kennedy, February 6, 1963
Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump: "The best Republicans are former Democrats." —Larry Kudlow, January 13, 2022
"JFK was a tax-cutting pro-life anti-communist. ... ■ Bill Clinton said 'The era of big government is over.' [and 'The end of welfare as we know it.']" —Pete Hegseth
Trump tax cuts: "Our message was that income inequality would go down. It did. That wage growth would be more than four thousand dollars per family. It was actually about six [thousand dollars]. We said that poverty would go down. About four million people left poverty. We said that even food stamp use would go down. It was down – about seven million folks came off food stamps, because tax cuts stimulated the economy." —Kevin Hassett, Former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, December 22, 2021
["Everything that Kevin Hassett said in that interview was correct. ... Tax payments by the rich after the Trump tax cuts ... went up. It happens every time. Same thing when Reagan cut taxes.... [Dr. Arthur] Laffer has a great study out showing over the last 75 to 100 years, every time we've cut tax rates, tax payments by the rich go up, and every time we raise the tax rates, the tax payments by the rich go down, because they find tax shelters. That's why raising the tax rates under the BBB [Biden Democrat $5.1 trillion reconciliation, 'Build Back Better' bill] to 50-55% would be a disaster for the country. I think it would be a total catastrophe. We would have the highest tax rates in the world. How are we going to compete with Japan, China, Germany, France, and all these countries if we have the highest tax rates in the world? ... It makes no sense." —Steve Moore, Committee to Unleash Prosperity, December 30, 2021]
'The Trump Boom [due to cutting taxes and regulations, not wealth redistribution and racial preferences] Lifted Black Americans:' "Before the pandemic, the economy grew in ways that mostly benefited low-income and middle-class households. ... Between 2017 and 2019, median household incomes grew by 15.4% among blacks and only 11.5% among whites. ... pay for those at the lower end of the wage distribution rising at nearly double the rate of pay for those at the upper end. ... less-educated workers ... saw their wages rise at triple the rate of during Mr. Obama's second term ... The story of black economic advancement in the Trump years deserves wider notice. ... " —Jason L. Riley, 'Wall Street Journal', January 28, 2022
"The share of Americans who are mortgage-free is at an all-time high. Almost 40% of US homeowners own their homes outright as of 2022 — many of them baby boomers who refinanced when rates were low. ... new buyers get crushed by 8% mortgage rates while earlier ones cling gratefully to loans of less than 3%." —Alexandre Tanzi, Bloomberg Businessweek, November 17, 2023
Under Trump Economy, 'Household Wealth Has Taken Off': "Americans’ wealth grew by 37% from 2019 to 2022, an astonishing pace of accumulation ... U.S. households’ real median net worth grew to $192,900 by the end of 2022, up from $141,100 recorded three years prior ... the largest three-year increase recorded ... more than double the next-fastest increase on record ... all measures of ... 'financial fragility' declined between 2019 and 2022 ... a family’s total debt relative to its total assets, declined to its lowest level in two decades ... " —Megan Leonhardt and Megan Cassella, 'Barrons', October 18, 2023
C'mon Man: "I'm going to get rid of the bulk of Trump's $2 trillion tax cut ... and a lot of you may not like that but I'm going to close loopholes like capital gains and stepped up basis." —Joe Biden, Wall Street Journal, June, 2020
"Let me give you a tip on a clue to men's characters: the man who damns money has obtained it dishonorably; the man who respects it has earned it. Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter." —Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"
"Whenever legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience·" —John Locke
"One of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was that the civil rights movement became so court focused, I think, there was a tendency to lose track of the political and organizing activities on the ground that are able to bring about the coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change." —Barack Hussein Obama {"I am not a dictator." ... will not use a "Jedi mind-meld [sic]" ... }
" ... I actually believe in redistribution. ... " —Barack Obama, Loyola University of Chicago, October 19, 1998
"We'll keep clinging to our Constitution and our guns and religion and you can keep the change. ... and when they say 'yes we can,' we'll say 'no you don't!' " —Sarah Palin
Malarkey! "Paying more taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans ... the people who do not need a tax cut ... We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people ... It's time to be patriotic ... " —Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States
"I've got a bad feeling about this." —Star Wars
"Top 40% Paid 106.2% of Income Taxes; Bottom 40% Paid –9.1%." —Congressional Budget Office, 2010 taxes
"Federal income tax system punishes high-earners while 61% of households pay no income tax." —Tax Education Foundation
"Distrust those in whom the desire to punish is strong." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"One of the nation's most expensive universities [NYU] tells students to eat fewer meals to save money." —Laurel Dugan, Daily Caller, December 27, 2021
High taxes on poor people are for their own good: "The problem is in people who don't have a lot of money, and so higher taxes should have a bigger impact on their behavior and how they deal with themselves. So I listen to people saying 'Oh we don't want to tax the poor.' Well, we want the poor to live longer. There's just no question, if you raise taxes on full sugary drinks for example, they will drink less." —Billionaire Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, May 22, 2018
"If you elect me, your taxes are going to be raised, not cut." —Joe Biden, March 2, 2020
☭ "The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation." —Vladimir I. Lenin
Gold versus Inflation: "Gold is not a Consumer Price Index tracker. It is a currency hedge." —000
"Gold functions more like a currency hedge than an inflation hedge." —vineviz
"But on a serious note, both sides of my family have living relatives that have had to use precious metals to escape various wars/conflicts." —kiwi123
Seltzer water: "For 2¢ plain now costs 36¢." —Giant
"In god we trust. All others pay cash." —Jean Shepherd ['You'll shoot your eye out!']
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." —Albert Allen Bartlett
'Madness:' "It's time for the Billionaires Income Tax [on unrealised capital gains]." —Ron Wyden, (D-OR), Senate Finance Committee Chairman
'Priceless:' "Why does he hate us / the American dream so much?!?!?!?! ... Reality is: most legislators have never built anything ... so I guess it's easier to mindlessly and haphazardly try and tear stuff down. Thankfully, I think I can compound faster than my dad and his cronies can confiscate it." —Son of Senator Ron Wyden, recently moved to Florida, hedge fund manager Adam Wyden, November 7, 2021
"... 'just a gimmick' ... taxing millionaires and billionaires ... I agree ... " —President Obama
"Over and over again courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging one's affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does so, rich or poor; and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands: taxes are enforced extractions, not voluntary contributions. To demand more in the name of morals is mere cant." —Judge Learned Hand, in his dissenting opinion to Commissioner v. Newman, 159 F.2d 848, 851 (2d Cir. 1947)
"Experience teaches us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government's purposes are beneficent." —Louis D. Brandeis
■ "Healthcare is not free." —Senator Bernie Sanders, 4/15/2019
Reality according to Obama's Nobel Prize winning economist: "Eventually we do have a problem. That the population is getting older, health care costs are rising ... There is this question of how we're going to pay for the programs. ... The year 2025, the year 2030, something is going to have to give ... We're going to need more revenue ... Surely it will require some sort of middle class taxes as well. ... We won't be able to pay for the kind of government the society will want without some increase in taxes ... on the middle class, maybe a value added tax. ... And we're also going to have to make decisions about health care, doc pay for health care that has no demonstrated medical benefits. So the snarky version, which I shouldn't even say because it will get me in trouble, is death panels and sales taxes is how we do this." —Paul Krugman, 2013
"Donald Trump is trying to kill you. [sic]" —Paul Krugman, New York Times, April 4, 2019
"You know what the President's handicap is? [Obama] doesn't understand economics." —Jay Leno
"I can resist everything except temptation." —Oscar Wilde
"The time is always right to do what is right." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"All current Cisco IP phones, including the ones seen on desks in the White House and aboard Air Force One, have a vulnerability that allows hackers to take complete control of the devices. " —IEEE Spectrum
" ... What could go wrong? ... the wing [of the Boeing 787] is attached to the fuselage in the middle section of the plane using epoxy tape ... " —IEEE Spectrum
"I would definitely say that I am a Marxist." —Lee Harvey Oswald, the assasin who murdered President John F. Kennedy
We've been Obamboozled: "If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what." —Barack Hussein Obama – "Lie of the year" 2013
"You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner." —Aristophanes, 424 B.C.E.
"Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word." —Charles de Gaulle
"We need death panels. ... the [Medicare] Independent Payment Advisory Board ... We may shrink from such stomach-wrenching choices, but they are inescapable." —Steven Rattner
A liberal economist's view of how to balance the federal budget: "Some years down the pike, we're going to get the real solution, which is going to be a combination of death panels and sales taxes." —Paul Krugman, November 14, 2010
"Death panels are an Obamination." —A. Pauling
"We're going to have to, if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive ... so we're going to let you die." —Robert Reich
'Big Pharma Broke American Health Care': "In 24 percent of clinical trial agreements, the sponsor (meaning the drug company) 'may include its own statistical analysis in manuscripts [i.e., journal articles].' And even more outrageously, 50 percent of clinical trial agreements allow the sponsor to 'write up the results for publication and the investigators may review the manuscript and suggest revisions.' In other words, 50 percent of the contracts that academic medical centers make with drug companies allow the drug companies to ghostwrite the articles." —Professor John Abramson, M.D., Harvard Medical School, March 5, 2023
Our cancer drug: " ... can cause your immune system to attack different parts of your body. This can happen during or after treatment, and may be severe and lead to death. See your doctor right away if you have cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, severe nausea and vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, eye problems, irregular heartbeat, extreme tiredness, constipation, dizziness or fainting, changes in appetite, thirst or urine, confusion or memory problems, muscle pain or weakness, fever, rash, itching or flushing. These are not all the possible side effects." —Keytruda TV Commercial
"The left destroys everything it touches." —Dennis Prager
Socialism = Mass Murder: "I think it would be a good thing to make everybody come before a properly-appointed board, just as they might come before the income tax commissioner, and say every five years, or every seven years, just put them there, and say, 'Sir, or madam, now will you be kind enough to justify your existence?' If you're not producing as much as you consume or perhaps a little more, then, clearly, we cannot use the big organizations of our society for the purpose of keeping you alive, because your life does not benefit us and it can't be of very much use to yourself ... I appeal to the chemists to discover a humane gas that will kill instantly and painlessly. In short, a gentlemanly gas – deadly by all means, but humane not cruel. [sic]" —George Bernard Shaw, 'The Listener' (BBC Magazine, London), February 7, 1934
☭ "Mao's great leap forward killed 45 million [Chinese] in four years." —Arifa Akbar, The Independent, October 23, 2011
Why don't students know about evil?: "Nearly all the genocides of the 20th century were committed by communists, and the Left, which runs virtually all educational institutions, has always had a soft spot for communism. If people were to recognize that communism has been the greatest source of evil in the modern age in terms of numbers murdered, number of lives destroyed, liberty stolen, and the sheer amount of human suffering inflicted (greater by those metrics than those of the Nazis before they were forcibly stopped), the Left would lose much of its appeal. ... " —Dennis Prager
"Live Free or Die." —New Hampshire
"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." —James Madison
"I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves. I want them to have the rewards of their own industry. This is the chief meaning of freedom." —U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
The title says it all ... "The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy – If We Let It Happen." —Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Peter Tanous
Higher taxes = lower profits: "Reconciliation is Armageddon. I do not want to transform America [and] end free enterprise." —Larry Kudlow, August 11, 2021
Gibberish clarifying the legislative process for the [$5.1 trillion] reconciliation 'Big Bad Bill': "Most of the product that we've done is now we may have added in the last day or so and some of what we added is Senate to the bill hearing Bernie doesn't like hearing excuse me Bernie loves hearing so we are getting some Byrd and privilege I think most people are getting privilege scrub 'cause privilege scrub is deadly to a bill. Byrdable is important you have to take it out ... but you want to be sure that what we send it's not Byrdable or Byrdbath or privilege scrub. Those are the two proxysizes we're getting engaged bathing exercises we're engaged in." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, November for 2021, ['Economic glossolalia']
"The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance." —Albert Einstein
"Tax increases are highly contractionary. .... The large effect stems in considerable part from a powerful negative effect of tax increases on investment." —Christina and David Romer
"The great debate is still Keynes versus Hayek. All else is footnote." —Mario Rizzo
"When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." —Benjamin Franklin
United States National Debt: [Debt Clock says >$31,000,000,000 on April 10, 2023!; >$32,000,000,000 on June 20, 2023!! ... ]
national debt
"True national debt, including unfunded entitlements, is at least $60 trillion – roughly three times the size of the entire US economy. Something has got to give." —Elon Musk, February 10, 2022
"Inflation: What causes the price of money to fall? The answer is very simple: an increase in the supply of money relative to other goods and services. As the Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman explained, 'Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.'" —John Steele Gordon
'Modern Monetary Theory' [Idiocy]: "We are not broke as a nation. We are not bankrupt. We can't go bankrupt. [sic] We absolutely cannot go bankrupt because we have the power to create as much money as we need to spend to serve the American people." —Chairman of the Budget Committee, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) during Budget Reconciliation markup, September 30, 2021
["That's crazy, that's lunatic, and that's dangerous." —Economist Stephen Moore]
'Biden's flat out lies about the reality of inflation worldwide': —Maria Bartiromo
"Under my plan for the economy made extraordinary progress. It put America in the position to tackle a worldwide problem that is worse everywhere but here. ... " —Joe Biden, AFL-CIO, Philadelphia, June 15, 2022
"Had we passed the Build Back Better bill that Biden wanted, my guess is that we would be Weimar Germany right now. We'd have 25% inflation rather than 9% or 10%." —Fred Smith, FedEx founder and CEO
"Inflation is a tax, and when we destroyed the Brenton Woods system back in the early 1970's, guess what happened: Our average growth rate went down by a third. If we had maintained the postwar growth rates we had in the 1950's and 1960's, the average household income today would be $110,000 versus $66,000." —Steve Forbes, April 18, 2022
'A gathering storm of inflation:' "We're in more danger than we've been during my career of losing control of inflation in the U.S. ... " —Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers (D), Harvard University Professor, October 14, 2021
'The poor suffer more from inflation than the rich do': "Inflation is the cruelest tax of all." —John Maynard Keynes
Hundred Trillion German Marks, Weimar Republic, 1924,
hyperinflation banknote.
"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you're talking real money." —Attributed to Everett Dirksen, Senate Minority Leader [R], c. 1961
[Update: A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon, you're talking hyperinflation.]
The seven comma club:
Hungary 1946 hyperinflation P1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 banknote
1 Milliard B-Pengő = One Billion Trillion Pengo = 1021 Pengő
"In the current [U.S.] Congressional Budget Office outlook for the next 30 years, we end up with more debt ... relative to GDP ... at the end ... than Weimar Germany had before their hyperinflation." —Kevin Hassett, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and former senior economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, January 19, 2023
🇺🇸 "There's nothing quite like watching a blatant attempt to destroy America from the inside out to cause patriotic Americans to get up off the canvas ... " —Charlie Kirk, April 19, 2022
"Inflation is taxation without legislation." —Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winning economist
"Paper money can see its value evaporate if fiscal folly prevails. In some countries, this reckless practice has become habitual, and, in our country’s short history, the U.S. has come close to the edge. Fixed-coupon bonds provide no protection against runaway currency. Businesses ... however, will usually find a way to cope with monetary instability as long as their goods or services are desired by the country’s citizenry." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Report, 2024
Q. "Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?" —Fox News White House Reporter Peter Doocy
A. "That's a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch." —Joe Biden [Later: 'It's nothing personal, pal.']
"Don't ask an angry old man about inflation." —Stuart Varney;
"A 'nasty old man'." —Tucker Carlson; January 24, 2022
Rising interest rates will make overleveraged companies insolvent: "Companies that are highly levered ... the Russell 2000 has 40% of its companies could not service their debt. Forget pay off their debt, they can't service their debt and if interest rates rise, it's going to be a blood bath for the overlevered companies." —Capital Adviser CEO Leo Kelly, April 20, 2020
"We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt." —Thomas Jefferson
"Nothing can more affect national prosperity than a constant and systematic attention to extinguish the present debt and to avoid as much as possible the incurring of any new debt." —Alexander Hamilton
"Avoid occasions of expense . . . and avoid likewise the accumulation of debt not only by shunning occasions of expense but by vigorous exertions to discharge the debts, not throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear." —George Washington
"I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse, and in a Republican Government a greater curse than any other." —James Madison
"The consequences arising from the continual accumulation of public debts in other countries ought to admonish us to be careful to prevent their growth in our own." —John Adams said
"When you run in debt; you give to another power over your liberty." —Benjamin Franklin
"I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution ... an article taking from the federal government the power of borrowing." ... "It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes ... " —Thomas Jefferson
"We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security." —Dwight David Eisenhower
"We don't have a spending problem." —Barack Obama, December, 2012
Really?: "President Biden thinks more spending will hold down inflation. He's emphatic about it. Only an Ivy League professor could have given him that advice. ... " —Larry Kudlow, July 22, 2021
'Investors Are Losing Confidence in the Dollar': "Rises in gold and Bitcoin valuations anticipate a federal-debt disaster ... Fitch's shocking downgrade of the United States' credit rating ... The debt held by the public relative to gross domestic product ... is almost as high as it was at the end of World War II, and it's on track to almost double by 2053 ... [to] 194.6 percent ... roughly 75 percent higher than the peak of Weimar Germany's indebtedness before it experienced hyperinflation." —Kevin A. Hassett, August 10, 2023
["A U.S. issued $20 gold coin now contains >$2,000 worth of gold, 100:1, i.e., the United States has already stolen >99% of the value of paper fiat currency by inflation." —Auric G.]
"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." —George Mason
"The president [Obama] claims he can start secret foreign wars using the CIA, secretly kill Americans using drones, and now secretly spy on anyone anywhere using the NSA. Is the president an unwitting dupe to a secret rats' nest of uncontrolled government spies and killers? Or is he a megalomaniacal, totalitarian secret micromanager who lies regularly, consistently and systematically about the role of government in our lives?" —Judge Andrew Napolitano
"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." —Lily Tomlin
"We aught never to do wrong when any one is looking." —Mark Twain
"Biden's misleading deficit claim earns him a Bottomless Pinocchio." —The Washington Post, April 28, 2023
["Bottomless Pinocchio for false or misleading statements repeated so often that they became a form of propaganda."]
Biden White House's lies:
● Lie 1: The southern border is closed.—Miranda Devine, NY Post, September 26, 2021
● Lie 2: Border Patrol agents on horseback 'whipped' Haitian migrants.
● Lie 3: We will not leave Afghanistan until every American is evacuated.
● Lie 4: The drone attack on Aug. 29 in Kabul was a 'righteous strike' on ISIS-K terrorists.
● Lie 5: Hunter Biden's laptop is 'Russian disinformation.'
● Lie 6: The cost of the Democrats' $3.5 trillion [actually $5.1 trillion] social welfare bill is 'zero' dollars [sic]."
[Actually per CBO: 'would increase the deficit by $3.0 trillion over the 2022–2031 period']
"Ex-CIA chief [former acting CIA Director Mike Morell] spills on how he got [51] spies to write false Hunter Biden laptop letter to 'help Biden'." —Miranda Devine, April 20, 2023
["According to the sworn testimony of former acting CIA Director Michael Morrell, [current Secretary of State Anthony] Blinken – then a high-ranking Biden campaign official – was 'the impetus' of the false claim that the Hunter Biden laptop story was really Russian disinformation. Morrell then organized dozens of ex-national security officials to sign the letter claiming that the Hunter laptop story had 'all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.' Morrell further admitted that the Biden campaign 'helped to strategize about the public release of the statement.' Finally, he admitted that one of his goals was not just to warn about Russian influence but 'to help then-Vice President Biden in the debate and to assist him in winning the election.'" —Jonathan Turley, 'The Hill', April 22, 2023]
'The Intelligence Community 51 — How CIA Contractors Colluded With the Biden Campaign to Mislead American Voters': CIA Contractors colluded with the Biden campaign to discredit Hunter Biden laptop story." —House Judiciary Committee
Biden investigation: "FBI document accusing Joe and Hunter Biden of bribery scheme." —Ashley Oliver, July 20, 2023
'ABC, CBS and NBC focus on Trump, ignore Biden': "Coverage from June 8 – July 18, 2023: 527 minutes – Trump Indictment; 0 seconds – Biden bribery allegations. ABC News ignored IRS whistleblower hearing." —Geoffrey Dickens, Media Research Center, July 18, 2023
The Manchurian candidate: "This is all so dangerous, knowing that China has a plan to overtake the United States as the number one superpower. Whatever they have on Joe Biden is allowing them to move forward." —Maria Bartiromo, July 21, 2023
‘Betraying America’: “[Joe] Biden himself has admitted that he talked on the phone with Hunter‘s business partners listening. We know [Joe] Biden went to Café Milano to meet with 14 of the oligarchs from around the world who were Hunter’s business partners. And we’re supposed to believe that as Vice President, Biden wasn’t routinely betraying America. And frankly, you can understand our foreign policy better if you assume that this is an Iranian-Chinese administration in the White House that actually looks after Iran and China more than it looks after American interests. And I think it’s really pretty frightening when you look at the relationships. And the scale of corruption is far beyond Hunter [Biden]." —Newt Gingrich, January 12, 2024
"Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks." —Doug Larson
'America Needs an Honest Adult Conversation': "If America is going to remain free, safe, and prosperous, we will have to elevate our national debate far above the current pattern." —Newt Gingrich, January 12, 2022
"You have the Midas touch. Everything you touch turns into a muffler." —Henny Youngman
"A computer scientist named Scott Fahlman proposed that a colon, hyphen, and close parenthesis: :-)
be used as a marker for jokes, and it became the first 'emoticon,' a word Fahlman coined for it." —Michael C. Johnston
"A gold mine is nothing but a hole in the ground with a liar at the bottom." —Mark Twain
Executive Order 6102: "All persons are hereby required to deliver on or before May 1, 1933, to a Federal Reserve Bank ... all gold coin, gold bullion and gold certificates now owned by them ... " —U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, April 5, 1933
"We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible." —Vince Lombardi
"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." —Idiom
"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never be bent out of shape." —Anonymous "old college professor"
"The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent." —John Maynard Keynes
"Most money management firms are parasites." —Paul Solman
"Using a minimum wage increase to create jobs is like using an oven to create ice cubes—it just doesn’t work." —Michael Saltsman, Research Director at the Employment Policies Institute
[Minimum wage laws do not require that anyone make more money, instead they require anyone not worth paying the new higher minimum wage to be fired (or not to be hired)!]
"Over 2000 pizza delivery drivers to be laid off in California as $20 minimum wage takes effect. Pizza Hut franchises have 'made a business decision to eliminate first-party delivery services and, as a result, the elimination of all delivery driver positions.'" —The Post Millennial, December 27, 2023
"Gavin Newsom's $20 minimum wage laws lead to mass layoffs in California. Since ... minimum wage law took effect ... April 1, 2024 ... nearly 10,000 jobs have been slashed from the state's restaurant industry." —The Post Millennial, June 9, 2024
'Getting rid of tipping' — Rapidly escalating minimum wage may result in no more tips: "The quasi-compulsory aspect of American tipping culture is toxic ... the U.S. should move towards a transparent, up-front pricing culture - e.g., the prices you see on the menu are what you pay in total." —r/EndTipping
"Employer substitution of higher-skilled for lower-skilled workers is not the only effect of the minimum wage law. It also gives employers an economic incentive to make other changes: substitute machines for labor; change production techniques; relocate overseas; and eliminate certain jobs altogether. The substitution of automatic dishwashers for hand washing, and automatic tomato-picking machines for manual pickers, are examples of the substitution of machines for labor in response to higher wages." —Walter E. Williams, 'Race & Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination?'
Most of the jobs over the past year have gone to illegal or foreign workers’: "Over the last year ... there were 615,000 jobs created only, and of those 615,000, 1.3 million were people who almost surely are illegal aliens, they are aliens for sure, and in fact people who are U.S. residents a year ago, about 650,000 of them have lost their jobs this year, and so what’s going on is that there is an employment boom coming from these people who are streaming across the border." —Economist Kevin Hassett, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, April 3, 2024
"Nothing I'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime." —President Obama, 2/12/2013 (after increasing the national debt by 58.6 trillion dimes)
"I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." —Thomas Jefferson
... "Where did you hear that?"
"The Internet."
"And you believed that?"
"Yeah."
"They can't put anything on the Internet that isn't true."
"Where did you hear that?"
"The Internet." —TV Commercial
Q. "How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb?"
A. "None. They'd rather keep their clients in the dark."
"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." —Jim Richardson
"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been due more to patient attention, than to any other talent." —Sir Isaac Newton
Obamacare fiasco: "They were running the biggest start-up in the world, and they didn't have anyone who had run a start-up, or even run a business." —David Cutler, Harvard professor and health adviser to Obama's 2008 campaign
ObamaCare Turns Out to Be Affordable Only for the Healthy – It was supposed to help those with pre-existing conditions, but they pay dearly for bad options: "When Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act of 2010, President Obama and lawmakers made the same claim over and over: The act would make good, affordable health insurance available to people with pre-existing conditions. The actual result has been the opposite. Obamacare makes health insurance as good as possible for the healthy and as bad as possible for the sick. ... they will face [an annual] $9,100 deductible for each [ill family member] ... out-of-pocket exposure ... " —John C. Goodman and Beverly Gossage, 'The Wall Street Journal', September 12, 2023
The United States is "not blind, and I don't think we're stupid." —John Kerry, US Secretary of State
"Israel ... offered a two state solution in 1937, 1948, 1967, 2000, 2005, and 2008. Every time the Palestinians have rejected it. ... Will the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation state of the jewish people and stop incentivizing people to engage in terror? Until that happens there won't be a state." —Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz
["'Palestinians' referred to the Jews in Palestine from the 2nd century AD (formerly called Judea until the province name was changed by the Romans) until Yasser Arafat used the leftist propaganda trick of reversing the meaning of the word 'Palestinian' to refer to Arabs."]
"Although Jews make up only 2.4% of the American population, 60% of all religious-based hate crimes are perpetrated against them, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told a Senate committee." —Bridger Beal-Cvetko, October 31, 2023
'Zionists Don’t Deserve To Live': "I feel very comfortable, very comfortable, calling for those people to die ... " —Anti-semitic Khymani James, January, 2024, leading the 'anti-Israel Gaza Solidarity Encampment' at Columbia University
'PRO-HAMAS, ANTI-SEMITIC MOBS': "We write regarding the outbreak of anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist mobs on college campuses. These pro-Hamas rioters have effectively shut down college campuses and have literally chased Jewish students away from our schools. The Department of Education and federal law enforcement must act immediately to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students. ... " —Twenty-seven United States Republican Senators, April 23, 2024
🟦 'Stand up to Jewish hate': "'Hіtler was right' [sic] was posted over 70,000 times last year [2022]." ... "2.4% ... Jewish population in the U.S. Yet Jews are on the receiving end of 55% of all religious hate crimes." ... "Jewish hate is up 388% in the U.S." ... "1 in 4 Jewish Americans were victims of hate last year." ... "Show them your support." —The Foundation to Combat Anti-semitism, Inc., TV video, October - November, 2023
'They say not only ‘death to Israel, death to the Jews,’ but ‘death to America,'': “What’s happening on America’s college campuses is horrific ... Anti-Semitic mobs have taken over leading universities. They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attack Jewish faculty. This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930's. It’s unconscionable; it has to be stopped. It has to be condemned and condemned unequivocally. But that’s not what happened. The response of several university presidents was shameful." —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, April 24, 2024
"No university should allow one member of the community to advocate the murder of other members of the community." —Senator Ted Cruz [R-TX], April 21, 2024
"Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law." —Joe Biden, May 2, 2024
"Radical Islam poses a significant threat to our freedom. The rise of anti-American rhetoric and violence in cities and universities is a direct result of the indoctrination led by those perpetrating a religious war against the West." —Ayman Abu Suboh, Sophia Salma Khalifa, Omar Vieira, and Jason Tuschen
"Presidential preference among Jewish voters in New York State: 50% Trump, 49% Harris." —Sienna College Poll, July 28 – August 1, 2024
'Soviet-style censorship tactics ... thwarted': "Google recently removed the PragerU app from the Play Store without warning. ... According to Google, sharing the stories of a former Palestinian refugee, an Arab Muslim born in Israel, and brave U.S. Navy SEALs who witnessed the horrors of Muslim extremism constitutes 'hate speech.' ... went viral on social media, reaching millions of people! ... Thanks to our dedicated followers and supporters, Big Tech did NOT win ... After major outcry from our supporters and several media outlets, Google put the PragerU app back on the Google Play Store ... for now." —PragerU team
"Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period." —Governor Greg Abbott, March 27, 2024
False and despicable anti-semitism: " "Historic Bill to Combat Antisemitism into law ... which requires the consideration of the definition of antisemitism when investigating unfair or discriminatory practices." —Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD), March 6, 2024,
TRIGGER WARNING: Slavery
● "In the contest between the master and the slave, the Almighty has no attribute that can side with us. I tremble for my country when I think that God is just." —Thomas Jefferson
"Once slavery was legal everywhere in the world. Now it is officially illegal everywhere in the world." —Morgan Freeman "The Constitution of the United States not only contained no guarantees in favor of slavery, but, on the contrary, was in its letter and spirit an anti-slavery instrument, demanding the abolition of slavery as a condition of its own existence as the supreme law of the land." —Frederick Douglass
First protest in America against slavery: "The beginning of the anti-slavery movement in the United States was at Quaker direct ancestor, great(x7) grandfather Thones Kunders' Philadelphia home in 1688." —Bruce Cooper
"Donald Trump is the only living US president whose ancestors didn't own slaves ... Even Barack Obama is descended from slaveholders ... Joe Biden ... Barack Obamas ... George Bush ... Bill Clinton ... Jimmy Carter ... director ancestor ... owned ... slaves." —Bryan Metzger, June 27, 2023
Who ended slavery?: "In 1807, [the United States] Congress outlawed the African slave trade effective on January 1, 1808 (2 Stat. 426), and in 1820 declared it to be piracy punishable by death (3 Stat. 600-601)." —U.S. National Archives
"Slavery in Britain existed before the Roman occupation ... no legislation was ever passed in England that legalised slavery. ... There is a long history of efforts to end or limit the practice of slavery. In 1080, William the Conqueror banned the slave trade between Bristol and Ireland ... In 1102, the ecclesiastical Council of London condemned the slave trade within England, decreeing 'Let no one dare hereafter to engage in the infamous business ... of selling men like animals.' ... An influential abolitionist movement grew in Britain during the 18th and 19th century, until the Slave Trade Act 1807 abolished the slave trade in the British Empire, but it was not until the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 that [starting in 1838,] the institution of slavery was to be prohibited in directly administered, overseas, British territories. ... " [MORE] —'Slavery in Britain'
"The Republican Party was founded in 1854 as an abolitionist movement [in the United States]." —Elbert Guillory The Democrat party, 1861: " ... seceding from the Union to form the [pro-slavery] Confederacy and causing the Civil War." —Terelle Jerricks
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. ... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." —Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln, a founder of the Republican Party "Redlining, the process of segregating [housing] was created by FDR [President Franklin Delano Roosevelt], who was a white Democrat." —Carrie Sheffield, Independent Women's Forum
'The Inconvenient Truth About the Democratic Party': "As recently as 1924, at the Democrat convention, at Madison Square Garden in New York, the [Ku Klux] Klan controlled the convention. People don't know that Franklin Roosevelt's first appointment to the Supreme Court was a member of the Klan in Alabama who had been a lawyer for the Klan." —Mark Levin In Congress, 80% of Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but only 64% of Democrats; 87% of Republicans and 79% of Democrats voted for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. —Data from The New York Times "Lyndon Johnson said: 'without Republicans, there is no passage' of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. Future Democratic Leader in the Senate, Robert Byrd, [a KKK leader and Hillary Clinton's mentor] filibustered the bill; Al Gore's father wasn't there; Bill Clinton's mentor, segregationist J. William Fulbright – all of these men voted against it. Most people don't know this." —Sean Hannity "I want you to know that I very much appreciate your help during this week's Committee meeting in attempting to bring my anti-busing legislation to a vote." —Joe Biden wrote to segregationist Sen. James Eastland, June 30, 1977
So why are black Americans mostly Democrats today?: "The States that succeeded in the Civil War were Democrat States. The racist states until the 1960's were Democrat States. The Democratic Party was the largest and most powerful institution supporting slavery in the English speaking world and it's the only one to have survived to the 21st century. Slave holding is very unusual among English speaking peoples – Canadians didn't do it, Australians didn't do it. The Democratic Party and the States they controlled did it. ... It's a party with an incredible century and a half history of institutional racism – there's nothing else like it on the planet. ... The Democratic Party has never come to terms with the evil of its past – the idea that it was a Party committed to the proposition that one human being can own another human being, and they have never said a word about that. They've never apologized for it – they have never atoned for it ... When is the Democratic Party going to apologize for being the biggest slave holding institution on the planet and sticking with racism for the century after the abolition of slavery? ... The Democratic Party ... history ... is uniquely virulently racist and pro-slavery to a degree unseen in the English speaking world ... " —Mark Steyn "The Democrat Party Hates America." —Mark R. Levin
Texas: "I will point out as a proud Texas resident that the Republican Party was founded by black men. Think about that for a second." —Katrina Pierson ["Throughout Reconstruction, African Americans comprised about 90% of GOP membership, and 44 African Americans served in the Texas legislature as Republicans."] "It used to be PUNK, R&R to vote Democrat. I fell for it. But when your party demands you live in fear, squaller, beyond your means by just buying groceries, gasoline, disrespecting our veterans, our police, our elderly, supporting CRIMINALS, chaos, riots, Hamas, FAILING Israel, demeaning us at every turn! HURTING our CHILDREN! Wasting OUR MONEY. Ineptitude with every policy! Lies and more lies.. NO MORE!
The Democrat Party can KISS MY A$$. They don’t give a damn. That’s true.
Voting Dem used to be cool. But now, it just makes you a FOOL." —Cherie Currie, April 24, 2024, @CherieCurrie3
"We must remember the history of the Democrat party. Its an amazing thing. ...The Democrat party was the party of the confederacy. The Democrat party was the party of slavery. The Democrat party was the party of segregation. The Democrat party was the party of the Klan, and lynching. The Democrat party was the party of Jim Crow. The Republican party had no role in any of that. Period." —Mark Levin
"Americans who think that they are Democratic Socialists need to learn that the Democrat Party has a long shameful history of being the party of slavery and racism in America, and realize that Socialism is the modern version of slavery." —Sam Miller "The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another." —Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize Winning Economist
"What's the other thing we know about this population ... [age] 18 to 24? They are stupid. ... They make really bad decisions." —Kamala Harris, 2015
"A lot of young people think they are invincible, but the truth is that young people are knuckleheads." —Michelle Obama, 2014 TRIGGER WARNING: Privilege, Culture
" —Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture, 'Talking About Race' Divisive, anti-American propaganda: " ... government ... employees ... have been required to attend trainings where they are told that 'virtually all White people contribute to racism' or where they are required to say that they 'benefit from racism.' ... that there is racism embedded in the belief that America is the land of opportunity or the belief that the most qualified person should receive a job. ... we cannot accept our employees receiving training that seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce. ... cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions ... related to any training on 'critical race theory,' 'white privilege,' or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil. ... The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the Federal government." —Federal Cease and Desist Executive Order, September 4, 2020 [OMB M-20-34] "Critical race theory ... rejects equal opportunity, it rejects merit, [and] rejects objectivity. It's quite remarkable." —Larry Kudlow, July 21, 2021
■ Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate condemns Critical Race Theory: 'Billionaires' club pumping critical race theory into your child's classroom': "Philanthropic foundations are perhaps the most powerful and least understood force in American politics ... moving critical race theory from academic papers to society. Pick any radical racial initiative in your child's school, and it is likely to tie back to the Ford, Kellogg, Gates, Annie E. Casey, MacArthur, or Surdna foundations [$25 billion]." —Luke Rosiak, May 26, 2022
Un-American Express: "AmEx is tying executive bonuses ... to hire minorities, even if they are less qualified. AmEx instituted critical race theory training, teaching ... ' "Missouri sues IBM alleging racial, gender discrimination over employment quotas, withheld pay. ... an IBM executive would receive bonus pay if he successfully complied with the diversity quotas. Otherwise, the executive could lose his bonus or job." —David Zimmermann, June 21, 2024
"I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally." —W. C. Fields
'Arguably one of the bigest threats to modern civilization': "At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a reason – it gives them a shield to be mean and cruel armoured in false virtue. ... Wokeness basically wants to make comedy illegal, which is not cool ... Do we want a humorless society that is simply rife with condemnation, and hate?" —Elon Musk, 'Babylon Bee' interview, December 21, 2021 (not a joke)
'Why Wokeism is a Religion': "Introducing the Taxonomy of Woke Religion ... [with] Original Sin, Guilty Devils, Myths, Sacred Victims, The Elect, Supernatural Beliefs, Taboo Facts, Taboo Speech, Purifying Rituals, [and] Purifying Speech, ... [encompasing] Racism, Climate Change, Trans, Crime, Mental Illness, Drugs, [and] Homelessness." —Michael Shellenberger, November 11, 2021 ["Such woke religious beliefs being inconsistent with the ten commandments." —Sandra Davis]
Asset managers accused of 'woke-washing': "Firms such as BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Fidelity Investments and J.P. Morgan Chase drove a wave of shareholder votes last year for environmental and diversity proposals at large publicly traded firms" ... "may be prioritizing their CEOs' personal policy views over retirees' financial security." —Tobias Salinger, January 6, 2022 Blackrock backing away from ESG investing: "Progressive activists are using ESG proposals to push the far-left's climate and social agendas. By injecting politics into corporate boardrooms and distracting from sound financial management, these initiatives, weaken economic growth and diminish investor returns." —House Financial Services Committee, August 23, 2023
"Vanguard is not a good brokerage so I don't understand the desire to fight so hard to use it. Their core competency is running quality funds cheaply, not running a brokerage." —KyleAAA
"The Democrat party has a hostility towards Americanism, unalienable rights, individual liberty, private property rights, wealth creation, opportunity, and all the great things that come in this country, And now it's the home of American Marxism, whether it's the degrowth movement, the war on capitalism with phony climate change, and the green new deal, which will reduce the quality of your life, whether it is critical race theory which is a racist ideology being pushed on all our little kids in elementary schools and middle schools." —Mark Levin
"IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE 'WOKE' PEOPLE – LEAVE FLORIDA. YOU WILL BE HAPPIER ELSEWHERE AS WILL WE." —Flyers placed on New York license plate car windshields in Palm Beach, Florida ["Very strong sentiment in Florida – Don't bring your politics down here – Don't mess this state up like you messed up the other." —Stuart Varney]
'Not welcome in the sunshine state': "Let me give you a travel warning: If you're a socialist, communist, somebody that believes in big government, I would think twice. Think twice if you're thinking about taking a vacation or moving to Florida. We're the free state of Florida. We actually don't believe in socialism ... Some people in our state lived under it. We know people lived under socialism; it is not good. It's not good for anybody. So, if you're thinking about it, if you're thinking about coming to Florida and you're a socialist or a communist, think twice. We like freedom, liberty, capitalism, things like that." —Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida), June 27, 2023
"Yes, "I have seen a disturbing and frightening radicalization of the school curriculum, in which race became the central focus, with heavy emphasis on oppressor-oppressed narratives." —Ramona Bessinger, Providence, Rhode Island Public Middle School Teacher 'facing retaliation after blowing the whistle on critical race curriculum'
'A mind is a terrible thing to waste': "[Washington] DC elementary school gave 4-year-olds 'anti-racism' 'fistbook' asking them to identify racist family members. ... 'It's not your fault for having white privilege, but it is your fault if you choose to ignore it,' a presentation told kids in Pre-K through 3rd grade. ... 'white people are a part of a society that benefits them in almost every instance ... because Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing: "Judge [Ketanji Brown] Jackson says she can't define 'woman' when pressed by [Senator Marsha] Blackburn. ... 'Can you provide a definition for the word 'woman'?' Blackburn asked, to which Jackson replied, 'Can I provide a definition? No, I can't.' 'You can't?' Blackburn pressed. 'Not in this context, I'm not a biologist.' ... 'The fact that you can't give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is, that underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about,' Blackburn said. 'Just last week, an entire generation of young girls watched as our taxpayer-funded institutions permitted a biological man to compete and beat a biological woman in the NCAA Swimming Championships.' The senator asked what message transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' victory sends to girls ... " —Nicole Silverio, March 22, 2022
"The left has become so extreme that we now have a justice being nominated to the Supreme Court who testified under oath that she could not say what a woman is ... If she can't even say what a woman is, how on earth can she be trusted to say what the Constitution is? ... a party that's unwilling to admit that men and women are biologically different in defiance of all scientific and human history is a party that should not be anywhere near the levers of power in the United States." —Donald J. Trump, Commerce, Georgia, March 26, 2022
'Stupid' remarks: "A woman is considered being in her prime in her 20's or 30's, maybe 40's." —Don Lemon, CNN
"A narcissistic classroom cosplay that involves two groups in the elite privilege class: White liberals seeking absolution for sins that they didn't commit, and Black liberals seeking empathy for injustices that they didn't endure." —Delano Squires, October 28, 2021
"Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth." —The seven deadly sins
'Keeping up with the Joneses': “Comparison is the thief of joy." —Quoted by Tex
When We Tell You CRT Isn't Taught In Our Schools, We're Lying: "We can officially tell parents we are not teaching critical race theory. It's not in the Indiana academic standards. But all of a sudden the classroom door shuts and the teacher starts teaching through a lens of this race essentialism that pits students against each other based on their color. ... We tell our teachers to treat our students differently based on color. We tell our students 'Highly toxic environment': "Schools come up short – nationwide teacher vacancies >380,000." —Wall Street Journal at large, August 12, 2022
"Critical race theory [aka 'social emotional learning' (SEL)] ... is just straight up anti-white racism. ... This stuff is so toxic, we have to get it out or our schools." —Blake Masters, Arizona Senate Candidate (R)
"We are all lucky to live in America where we have rights and the ability to become whatever we want if we put the work in. Stop celebrating victimhood and start allowing classes that allow students to be ready for the real world. All this critical race theory and mask garbage comes from big government and leaders abusing their powers. You have no power over me." —Kellyanna Brooking, at age 13, speaking before her local school board
'Critical Race Theory' = Communist Chinese 'Cultural Revolution': "I just want to let the American people know what's going on in our schools and our country is really a replay of the cultural revolution in China. I want people to see the similarities, and the similarities are terrifying. They use the same ideology, same methodology, even the same vocabulary, and with the same goal. The ideology is cultural Marxism and we were divided into groups of oppressor and oppressed. Here we use race and there they used class, and people here who have a different view are labeled 'racist' but in the cultural revolution the label was 'counter-revolutionary.' So it is a hat that fits all, and if that is on your head, your life is ruined and the methodology is also very similar, it's cancel culture. We basically canceled the whole Chinese civilization pre-communism ... The vocabulary is even the same, 'wokeness' ... Your level of wokeness determined your chance to get a promotion, or to get benefits, and who decides your level of wokeness – it's the party leaders." —Xi Van Fleet, who personally experienced Mao Tse-tung's murderous Chinese Cultural Revolution, for two decades, starting at age 6, June 10, 2021 ☭ 'Deception Was My Job': "Whatever the left touches it ruins. ... The left never argues, they smear." —Dennis Prager
'Occupy Woke Street': "Wokeism is a Marxist inspired movement that started off with well-intentioned people that wanted to stop racism and social injustice. It has now morphed into a cult that seeks to silence all of those that disagree. At first, using social humiliation, but now graduating to violence through Antifa and Black Lives Matter riots. Wokeism demands equity not equality." —Wokeism Encyclopedia Wiki
North Korea defector says 'even North Korea is not this nuts' after attending an Ivy League university: Equity ≠ Equality: "Equality is typically defined as treating everyone the same and giving everyone access to the same opportunities. Meanwhile, equity refers to proportional representation (by race, class, gender, etc.) in those same opportunities." —Winston–Salem State University
"Critical race theory, preferred races in classrooms, gender quotas ... are more than popular trends. They're creeping into public policy. They’re also unconstitutional. These policies reflect a collectivist movement to replace equality with equity. This brand of 'equity' requires discrimination against individuals for the sake of group outcomes. And it calls for government action based on forbidden classifications such as race and sex—a blatant violation of the Constitution's equal protection guarantee." —Pacific Legal Foundation, May 10, 2022
Equity is unAmerican and unconstitutional because it replaces individual rights with group rights: 'Equity' requires intentional discrimination and is contrary to the Declaration of Independence that 'all men are created equal' and violates the 14th Amendment guarantee of 'equal protection of the laws': 'Kamala Harris ripped for claiming government's Hurricane Ian relief will prioritize communities of color' ... 'causing undue panic among Floridians': " ... we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity ... " —Vice President Kamala Harris, c. October 1, 2022 Report Card on Race-Based School Admissions Schemes: "Equality is not equity—not by definition, nor as a measure of achievement. Yet a movement sweeping the country intentionally conflates these concepts to mask the use of race in school admissions and achieve a preferred racial makeup—equity—in the classroom. This is immoral and unconstitutional. The government must treat individuals as individuals, not as members of their racial groups. That is, schools cannot use skin color to determine student eligibility. Schools that try must be met with forceful pushback to defend equal treatment for all students. " —Pacific Legal Foundation, March 17, 2022
Woke Guide: " ... Americans ... "Critical race theory, race-based school admissions, and gender quotas in corporate boardrooms are part of a growing collectivist push for equity across the country. But this so-called 'equity' doesn't pass the constitutional smell test—it relies on government discrimination against individuals—based on morally irrelevant characteristics like race or sex—for the sake of group outcomes." —Pacific Legal Foundation, May 19, 2022
"All men are created equal. It is what you do from there that makes the difference. We are all free agents in life. We make our own decisions. We control our own destiny." —Glenn Beck
Article II, §3 of the United States Constitution requires that: Premeditated lawlessness, abolishing private property rights: "President Biden [and] his Administration reissued a nationwide eviction moratorium after the White House had argued at length that it lacked legal authority to do so. ... the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its renewed eviction ban. ... Many Presidents have overstepped their authority, but this is premeditated lawlessness. ... extensively litigated ... Five federal courts ... ruled against it." —Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, August 4, 2021
Illegal student debt cancellation: "The Supreme Court blocked it, but that didn’t stop me." —Joe Biden, Culver City, California, February 21, 2024 The essence of the American Revolution is that 'We don't need a king' (then or now): ■ "People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), July, 2021
Border crisis in violation of federal immigration law: "By the end of the first term of Joe Biden, nearly 20% of all Americans will be here illegally. ... Joe Biden is going to let in about 30 million people in his first term." —Dan Patrick, Texas Lieutenant Governor, April 11, 2022
★ Open U.S. Southern Border = Illegal Immigration = Election Tampering: "Biden's border policies violate his obligations under the Constitution." —Andrea Widburg, March 3, 2021
"Wherever Law ends, Tyranny begins." —John Locke
"Critical race theory, the 1619 project, and the crusade against American history is toxic propaganda, ideological poison that if not removed will dissolve specific bonds that tie us together, [and] will destroy our country. That is why I recently banned trainings in this prejudiced ideology, from the federal government, and banned it in the strongest manner possible." —President Donald J. Trump, September, 2020 1619 Project: "One of the most diabolical, self-destructive ideas that I've ever heard." —Robert Woodson, longtime civil rights activist
"Slavery didn't start in 1492 when Columbus came to the New World. And it didn't start in 1619 when the first slaves landed in Jamestown. It's not a white phenomenon. The real story of slavery is long and complex." —Candace Owens
"I think we ought to study the good, the bad, and the ugly about American history. We ought to talk about slavery. We ought to talk about Jim Crow. But to talk about this as a notion that America was based on slavery, that the purpose of the American revolution was to maintain slavery, which is garbage: Just go to the Declaration of Independence, they can go through all their complaints against King George. At no point does it say we want to keep our slaves and you don't. No, that's no part of it. So there's this effort to just in a culturally Marxist way to pit blacks and whites against each other, and not in the old fashion class struggle which we had in the cold war, but racial struggle. This was what these people want and I'm glad to see people like Ron DeSantis and others are pushing against it and trying to put an end to cultural Marxism in American classrooms." —Deroy Murdoch, February 3, 2023
No, have never met such an individual: " ■ "A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself." —Joseph Pulitzer
"Critical race theory should not be in education because it is a lie about the history and the foundation of this country. ... critical race theory is racist and it's a lie." —Civil Rights Attorney, Leo Terrell
"This critical race theory ... It's just garbage. It is a complete misreading of American history." —Larry Kudlow
"The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another." —Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize Winning Economist
Israel's rise on the ladder of nations: "Israel's GDP, because of the free market reforms that I enacted, has just surpassed, Britain, France, Japan, Canada, and most recently, Germany, because free markets work. ... Israel with 1/10th of one percent of the world's population is ranked number eight in the world powers. ... That tells you that this thing works. ... " —Former Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, October 16, 2022
"Israel recycles 90% of its water. America 1%." —Riggs Eckelberry, CEO, Originclear, Inc.
"The average living space in Hong Kong is a tiny 150 square feet." —Jeff Desjardins
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." —H. G. Wells
Erroneous Zero sum thinking = Not understanding growth: " ... The left gets history and economics all wrong: "The goal and result of the free market has been steadily increasing superabundance, wealth, knowledge, technology, nutrition, health, cleanliness, safety, longevity, comfort, leisure, childhood, and privilege for all, through continual capital investment and innovation, while lifting billions out of poverty and misery. An enormous astounding accomplishment and success!" —Sven Matherson Thomas Malthus was wrong: "Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley found that resources became more abundant as the population grew. That was especially true when they looked at 'time prices,' which represent the length of time that people must work to buy something. ... resource abundance increased faster than the population―a relationship that they call 'superabundance.' On average, every additional human being created more value than he or she consumed." —Superabundance
The Best Time to Be Alive: "Marian Tupy, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and co-author of Superabundance, explains why it's a great time to be alive!" —PragerU "The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." —Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen name, George Orwell, '1984'
Virginia mom who survived Maoist China [cultural revolution] eviscerates school board's critical race theory push: "I've been very alarmed by what's going on in our schools. ... You are now teaching, training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history. ... To me, and to a lot of Chinese, it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here." —Xi Van Fleet chastising Loudoun County, Virginia School Board members
TRIGGER WARNING: Assault
Concerned Parents ≠ Domestic Terrorists:
Child Rape Victim's Father is NOT a 'Domestic Terrorist' – the Loudoun County School Board (and News Media) Coverup: 'From a request by Secretary Cordona[sic]': "[National School Board Association] wrote parents-as-terrorists letter at behest of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, emails show." —Jeremiah Poff, 'Washington Examiner', January 11, 2022
Parents' concerns dismissed: "Phony trumped-up culture wars ... fake outrage." —Former President Barack Obama, Virginia, October 23, 2021
"Putting parents in charge ... so stupid." —Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), November 9, 2022
'Failing our Children': "64% of voters think public schools are on the wrong track ... fueled by how racism is addressed in the classroom." —Grinnell/Selzer Poll, March 15-20, 2022
"I don't really understand this idea that parents should decide what's being taught." —Nikole Hannah-Jones, who founded the '1619 Project' for 'The New York Times' in 2019 (that claims that French physicist Andre-Marie Ampère, the-pioneer behind electromagnetism: "Because Ampère's father believed that young boys shouldn't attend a formal school, Ampère's education came from the books in his family's library. When he was 12 years old, he taught himself advanced mathematics. By the time he was 18, he had mastered the entire known field ... " —Joanna Goodrich
Why Americans need School Choice: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach." —Terry McAuliffe, (D), former Governor, defeated candidate for Virginia Governorship, September 28, 2021
Making the case for Educational Choice: "We who are engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given [their children as] hostages to our cause." [sic] —Horace Mann, 1867
"Just 3% of public high school students in America can pass the U.S. citizenship exam ... by answering 6 out of 10 questions correctly." —PragerU
"We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans." —Voddie T. Baucham Jr.
"If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war." —National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983
■ Educational Choice: "With fully funded vouchers, parents of all income levels could send their children—and the accompanying financial support—to the schools of their choice. ... Fully funded vouchers would relieve parents from the terrible choice of leaving their kids in lousy schools or bankrupting themselves to escape those schools. ... " —Elizabeth Warren, et. al., 'The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Parents Are Going Broke', 2003
"What happens in Virginia will, in large part, determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on." —Kamala Harris, October 29, 2021
Federal 'muscle should never be used against protesting parents': "We are concerned about the appearance of the Department of Justice policing the speech of citizens and concerned parents. We urge you to make very clear to the American public that the Department of Justice will not interfere with the rights of parents to come before school boards and speak with educators about their concerns, whether regarding coronavirus-related measures, the teaching of critical race theory in schools, sexually explicit books in schools, or any other topic. ... heated encounters between concerned parents and school boards often involve speech that is clearly protected by the First Amendment. Federal law enforcement muscle should never be used against protesting parents. ... It is not appropriate to use the awesome powers of the federal government – including the PATRIOT Act, a statute designed to thwart international terrorism – to quash those who question local school boards. By even suggesting that possibility, important speech by American citizens will be chilled in school board meetings across this country." —Senate Memo rebuking Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, October 7, 2021 "Parents claim they have the right to shape their kids' school curriculum. "Parents absolutely should be telling their local schools what to teach. This is the very basis of representative government ... They do this both in elections and — as protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution — while petitioning their government for redress of grievance. Telling elected officials they're wrong is democracy, not intimidation." —Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader, October 7, 2021 "The Patriot Act Wasn't Meant to Target Parents. The Biden administration is abusing federal laws and agencies as instruments of political repression." —F. James Sensenbrenner, 'Wall Street Journal', Oct. 12, 2021
Attorney General accused of 'perjury': "It's what we feared. Whistleblowers within the Department of Justice have reportedly confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is indeed investigating parents' rhetoric and behavior at school board meetings as potential terrorists. Attorney General Merrick Garland denied this in testimony before the Judiciary Committee." —
Jordan Sekulow, May 12, 2022
"The essence of tyranny is the enforcement of stupid laws." —Edmund Burke
Deprivation of rights under color of law: "Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. ... acts under 'color of law' include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. ... The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any." —United States Department of Justice
"White House knew about [the] letter that compared parents to domestic terrorists ... emails show ... National School Board Association collaborated with Biden administration." —Chuck Ross, 'Washington Free Beacon,' October 21, 2021
National School Boards Association apologizes for likening parents to 'domestic terrorists' in letter - but AG Garland still plans to set FBI on 'intimidating' mums and dads: "On behalf of the NSBA, we regret and apologize for the letter. ... there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter." —National School Boards Association, October 22, 2021
'Religious Profiling': "Federal Bureau of Investigation Infiltrating Catholic Congregations." —Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia, et. al.
NEA Resolutions passed adopting Marxist Critical Race Theory:
● New business agenda, item 39 (resolution adopted, as modified): That instructs teachers to provide already created in-depth study that "critiques empire, white supremacy, anti-blackness, anti-indigeneity, racism, patriarchy, capitalism, ... and other forms of power and oppression at the intersections of our society."
Pitfalls of a one-size-fits-all education system: "The curriculum is more about conformity than exploration. It's a system that treats kids like products on a conveyor belt and stamps them with grades based on their ability to assimilate. And remember, this isn't a flaw – it is the very design of compulsory education. To put it another way: the education system in the United States isn't broken; it is working exactly as it was designed to by its creators." —Connor Boyack, November 20, 2023
Proposed woke name change: "Let us trust God and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs." —Patrick Henry
"My six year old somberly came to me and asked me if she was born evil because she was a white person. Something she learned in a history lesson at school." —Mother during public comment period, Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia, School Board Meeting, October 26, 2021
If only: " ... we are a nut-free classroom." —e-mail from granddaughter's 4th grade teacher
'Make America Sane Again': "McAuliffe's loss [in the Virginia gubernatorial election] is a victory for all Americans. Why? Because it was a resounding rejection of efforts to divide us by race, the stripping of parental rights, and arrogant, deaf leaders. This benefits us all." —Tulsi Gabbard, The government of Israel's laws, policies, and practices regarding the Palestinian people fulfill the international legal definition of apartheid." [sic] —Presbyterian Church (USA), biennial General Assembly, 2022
[The December 6, 1865, 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was passed with 100% Republican votes and 22% Democrat votes.
The July 9, 1868, 14th Amendment granting citizenship to freed black slaves was passed with 100% Republican votes and 0% Democrat votes.
The February 3, 1870, 15th Amendment granting blacks the right to vote passed with 100% Republican votes and 0% Democrat votes. In the infamous Supreme Court Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857, overruling the two dissenting Republican Justices, the seven Democrat Justices ruled that slaves were property, not citizens, and that "the U.S. Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, and so the rights and privileges that the Constitution confers upon American citizens could not apply to them." Democrat President Woodrow Wilson reinstated race segregation. The first black U.S. Senator was Mississippi Republican, Hiram Rhodes Revels, in 1870, as was the first popularly elected U.S. Senator, Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, III, in 1996.]
Aspects and assumptions of whiteness and white culture:" [sic]
[Deleted by Smithsonian]
[" ... I'm rescinding the previous administration's ... ban ... " —President Joe Biden, January 26, 2021]
capitalism is racist' [sic] ... AmEx gave [race based] preferential contracts ... unconstitutional and illegal. ... Their 'anti-racism' program actually perpetuates racism and inequality among their customers and employees." —'Fight Divisive Woke Policies' Campaign at unamericanexpress.com
["BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, which have used clients’ funds to 'exercise decisive influence over nearly every U.S. public company to advance political ideologies that many of their clients disagree with.'" —Brittany Bernstein, May 10, 2022]
["Vanguard backs down from ESG investing." —Stacey Lennox, December 8, 2022]
men can have periods [sic] and we need to talk about them. Menstruation isn't just a 'women's issue.' It's time we opened up the conversation." —Zoyander Street, September 21, 2016
they hold all of the power in America. ... white privilege is something you were born with' [sic] the Fistbook for Kids explains ... anti-racism 'requires being loud, uncomfortable, confrontational and visible ... '" —Jessica Chasmar and Kelly Laco, May 2, 2022
every problem is the result of 'white men' and everything western civilization built is racist. Capitalism is a tool of white supremacy. [sic]" —Tony Kinnett, Indiana School Administrator, c. November 5, 2021
"Three out of four teachers do not recommend their profession." —American Federation of Teachers, August 2022
["The social dynamic has reminded some critics of the 'struggle sessions' of China's cultural revolution, but there's no need to invoke secular totalitarianism and mass murder. The comparatively smaller-scale terror of the Salem witch trials is a more apt analogy." —Damon Linker]
"The Four Stages of Ideological Subversion [U.S.S.R. Psychological Warfare on the United States]
• Demoralization - Educate an entire generation in Marxist ideology,
• Destabilization - Destabilize: 1. Economy, 2. foreign relations, and 3. defense systems,
• Crisis - Violent change of power, structure and economy,
• Normalization - Period of stability (until the next cycle reaches crisis point)"
—Russian Yuri Bezmenov. defected KGB operative from the Soviet Union
"Columbia [University] told us what we could not talk about. I am so concerned, if America is not free, there is no place else that is free." ... "I expected that I was paying this fortune, all this time and energy, to learn how to think. But they are forcing you to think the way they want you to think ... I realized, wow, this is insane. I thought America was different, but I saw so many similarities to what I saw in North Korea that I started worrying." ... "Eventually I had to shut up so that I could get a good GPA and graduate from the college." —North Korean refugee Yeonmi Park
[Also see: Escaping Oppression: North Korean Defector Yeonmi Park Interview]
"In contrast to equality, equity as defined and promoted by critical race theorists is little more than reformulated Marxism ... suspending private property rights, seizing land and wealth and redistributing them along racial lines." —Christopher F. Rufo
["Stopping Racial Bias ... Two courts block Biden ... from passing out benefits by race."]
"To achieve 'equity' you have to first take away equality for individuals who were born in the wrong identity group. Equity means treating individuals unequally so that groups are equal." —Andrew Sullivan
[Note that "the leftist propaganda useage is contrary to the correct definition of the word 'equity', reversing its meaning just as they earlier did to the word 'liberal'." —Ruth Miller]
["Kamala Harris blasted for pushing 'racist' policy in response to hurricane damage. ... Political commentator Ken Gardner tweeted: 'This has to violate at least a dozen federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Not to mention the 14th Amendment.' ... 'Again, it’s not that we have moronic, insane, despicable people. Every nation has those,' radio host Jesse Kelly tweeted. 'It’s that our worst people now lead all our institutions. Honestly not sure how a nation can survive that.' ... 'This is pretty much the definition of racism ... ' American Majority CEO Ned Ryun tweeted." —Ryan Saavedra, September 30, 2022]
Use caution with this word ... Avoid using the term 'Americans' ... Be cautious about messaging around Columbus Day, which NRPA does not celebrate because of its association with and connection to the genocide of Native peoples. ... be careful not to promote inaccurate cultural narratives about 'the first Thanksgiving.' ... When writing hypothetically about people, do not use 'him/her.' Instead, use 'they/their/them' even for singular pronouns. ... avoid 'homeless people' or 'the homeless' ... Poor is not recommended." —National Recreation and Parks Association Equity Language Guide, October 15, 2021 [Red color for emphasis in original.]
" ... [the President] shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed ... "
[" ... I'm rescinding the previous administration's ... ban ... " —President Joe Biden, January 26, 2021]
The white race is the biggest murderer, rapist, pillager, and thief of the modern world. ... barbaric devils ... savage people ... [sic]" —Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winner, author of the lead article for the New York Times' '1619 Project'
someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more." —Michelle Obama
[Note: "These civilization elevating properties of free market economics do not require such laudable intentions by market participants."]
["Over 1 in 3 Americans have watched a PragerU video, with 70% of viewers reporting that their minds were CHANGED as a result."]
The Rising Speed of Technological Adoption.
Silence the parents — Control the schools, and you control the future: "National School Boards Association [representing 90,000 school board members] declares conservative parents to be domestic terrorists[sic]." —Everett Piper, 'Washington Times', Saturday, October 2, 2021 ["Predicated on a verifiable lie, used to surpress speech." —Chris Rufo]
" ... on May 28 [2021] at Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County [Virginia], a boy who sometimes dressed as a female, allegedly went into the girl's lavatory and raped a 9th grader. ... school officials did not report the sexual assault ... a rape kit confirmed the attack. ... the dad, plumber Scott Smith ... the poster boy for Virginia's 'progressives,' who have labeled him a domestic terrorist after he was dragged from a school board meeting ... That was the night the Loudoun County School board was discussing transgendered rights and he wanted to tell his story. Instead, he was charged with disorderly conduct. ['The cover-up allegedly allowed the perpetrator to sexually assault another victim.']" —Kerry Dougherty
["The National School Board Association included Scott Smith in its list used to deem parents 'domestic terrorists.'" —Luke Rosiak, October 11, 2021]
America was founded on racism and that 1619, when the first slave ships arrived from Africa, should be considered America's true founding) [sic]
[Conflict of interest: "AG Merrick Garland's daughter married to co-founder of education company selling critical race theory resource material to school districts. ... Last month ... September 2021 ... Garland's son-in-law raised money, at least $60 million, to expand their business operation ... Panorama Education." —The Last Refuge, October 5, 2021]
They don't." —Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire, 'The Washington Post', October 21, 2021
● New business agenda, item 'A' (resolution adopted): "Supporting and leading campaigns that result in increasing the implementation of culturally responsive education, Critical Race Theory, and ethnic studies curriculum in pre-K to 12 and higher education."
—National Education Association, annual meeting, June, 2021
[Quoted by Larry Kudlow after this content was removed from the NEA website.]
"Mother" → "Birthing Parent" —National Education Association
(D), former Hawaii Congresswoman and Presidential candidate, November 4, 2021, [Lieutenant Colonel, first female combat veteran to ever run for President and the first female combat veteran ever elected to Congress, first Hindu member of Congress and also the first Samoan-American voting member of Congress]
■ "Well, what went wrong is this stupid wokeness ... " —James Carville, Longtime Democratic strategist
"Education funding is meant for educating children, not for propping up and protecting a particular institution. We should fund students, not systems." —Corey DeAngelis
School Choice: "The only thing to do is have a mass exodus from the public school system. ... We've been at these school board meetings, we're voicing our opinions, we're writing articles, and they don't care!" —Quisha King, Duval County, Florida mother (reacting to School Board and DOJ threats in response to parent objections to schools indoctrinating their children with Marxism and racism), Family Research Council, Leesburg, VA, October 7, 2021
"I know if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." —Jeff Foxworthy
🇺🇸 "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." —Ronald Reagan
'Propaganda:' "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of ... It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind." —Edward Bernays, 1928
"When you're lying and rewriting history with these bad faith gestures and the initiative like this [New York Times 1619 project] it's not education, it's propaganda ... teaching bigotry and division. It's hateful. ... fabrication fairytale like critical race theory." —Dana Loesch
"There are people in our country led by this President [Trump], for the moment, who have chosen their whiteness over democracy." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, January 9, 2021
"When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: The freedom they're referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren't free. [sic]" —Squad member, Congresswoman Cori Bush, (D-Missouri), July 4, 2021 Tweet
● Reply: "Ridiculous ... outlandish ... Most Black people just don't agree, and most people don't agree. We live in the greatest country in the world. More Black people have accomplished and have achieved more wealth here in the United States than in any other country in the world. ... We should celebrate the birth of the greatest country that man has ever known." —Representative Byron Donalds, (R-Florida), July 5, 2021● Reply: "Hateful, divisive lies. The Left hates America. Believe them when they tell you this. ... " —Senator Ted Cruz, (R-Texas)
"I'd like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free." —Rosa Parks
"Hear me clearly, America is not a racist country." —Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
"I don't think America is a racist country." —Vice President Kamala Harris, April 29, 2021
'Battle tested conservative. Semper Fi': "In case you haven't noticed, I am Black and I have been Black [and a woman] all my life, but that's not what this is about. ... I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life ... When my father came to this country August 11th of 1963, he came at the height of the civil rights movement from Jamaica. ... And he only came with $1.75 ... When I joined the Marine Corps I was still a Jamaican, but this country had done so much for me I was willing, willing to die for this country. ... We have had a Black President elected not once, but twice. And here I am, living proof! ... What you are looking at is the American Dream. ... It's a historic night, yes it is ... But I didn't run to make history, I just wanted to leave it better than I found it. And with your help, we're going to do that. ... support policies that keep taxes low, reduce regulations, and promote small businesses ... that reduce the cost of living for Virginians ... THANK YOU, VIRGINIA! 🇺🇸" —Winsome Sears, (R). Virginia Lieutenant Governor elect, Marine Corps veteran, c. November 2, 2021
'Smear attacks against black conservatives': "The problem is here they want white supremacy by ventriloquist effect. There is a black mouth moving but a white idea through running on the runway of the tongue of a figure who justifies and legitimates the white supremacist practices. ... So to have a black face speaking on behalf of a white supremacist legacy is nothing new." —Professor Michael Eric Dyson, Vanderbuilt University, MSNBC, 'The uninformed outrage over critical race theory', November 4, 2021
Disgusting name calling: "The absurdity of calling black conservatives 'white supremacists' would be amusing if it was not both so obviously untrue and appallingly racist." —Henry Jeffries
"People are objecting to ... separating children by race and describing them as 'oppressed' or 'oppressor'. There are children coming home who feel traumatized by this. That's what parents are objecting to." ... "If that's what critical race theory means — if it means separating 5-year-olds by race and telling some, 'You're oppressors,' and the others, 'You're the oppressed,' and giving up on a colorblind society and resegregation and racism is the essence of America — then I'm out." —Bill Maher
'Black privilege': "The press says America has 'white privilege,' but if that's the case, why does nobody lie about being white on college applications in order to get in? In reality, America does deliberately treat one group more favorably than other ones in hiring, school admissions, and more ... and ... it's not white people." —Charlie Kirk
"Explicit, indefensible racism has become the foundation of the Democrat Party." —Clay Travis
"Undermining his own life's work about supposed 'white privilege'": "More than a third of white students [34%] lied about their race on college applications, and about half of these applicants lied about being Native American. More than three-fourths [77%] of these students who lied about their race were accepted." —Ibram X. Kendi [aka Henry Rogers], Twitter, October 29, 2021 ["Kendi deleted his tweet after realizing that the study that he quoted illustrates that 'white privilege' is a lie."]
'A colossal waste of millions of dollars': "Ibram X. Kendi's 'antiracism research center' squanders $43 million, lays off staff." —World Socialist Web Site, September 22, 2023
Embezzlement: "Black Lives Matter is imploding in scandal." —'New York Post' Editorial Board, February 6, 2022
■ "I think we should be lifting up all ethnicities. I don't think we should say that one is an oppressor class and one is not oppressor class." —Randi Weingarten, President, America Federation of Teachers, May 10, 2021
"Caucasians are not villains, and they are not oppressors, and brown skin people are not victims, and we are not oppressed." —Ruth Edmonds, [R], Ohio Congressional candidate, July 15, 2021
'State sanctioned racism' —Ross Vought, former OMB Director:
" ... in teaching ... it is reasonable and appropriate for curriculum to be informed by ... critical race theory." —The National Education Association, the largest teachers' union
Socialist takeover: "Their goal is to destroy western civilization as we know it, and the American constitutional republic. The last firewall for that is the American family and their comments are very revealing in their attempt to try to destroy the family." —Charlie Kirk, October 2, 2021
Biden's choice for head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division: "Melanin endows Blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual abilities ... " —Kristen Clarke, former President of the Harvard University Black Students' Association, Harvard Crimson, 1994
'Welcome, Comrade!': "Biden pick to oversee banks thinks Fed should 'end banking'[, detests cryptocurrencies,] and calls Wall Street an 'a**hole industry'. [Cornell Law Professor] Saule Omarova ... graduated from Moscow State University [U.S.S.R.] in 1989 on the [Vladimir] Lenin Personal Academic Scholarship." —Elizabeth Elkind, 'Daily Mail', September 30, 2021
[Biden's Soviet nominee: Intends as America's chief banking regulator to nationalise retail banks, 'effectively ending banking as we know it.' The Federal Reserve would set 'systemically important' prices, and become 'the ultimate public platform for generating, modulating, and allocating financial resources,' and cut off credit to those deemed 'socially sub-optimal.' (According to Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), October 6, 2021.)]
Fossil fuel companies: "we want them to go bankrupt" ... "we starve them of their access of capital" —Saule Omarova, November 10 & May 20, 2021 (Joe Biden's failed nominee for U.S.'s chief banking regulator)
Sarah Bloom Raskin would further wreck the American economy at the Fed: "[Joe Biden's Federal Reserve Bank nominee] Raskin has repeatedly urged regulators to force banks to starve America's domestic oil and gas industry of the funds they need to produce more energy." —Chuck Devore, February 14, 2022 [Nomination withdrawn March 15, 2022.]
George Soros supported globalist financial ('ESG') destruction of America's Energy Independence: "The Net-Zero Banking Alliance is a massive worldwide agreement by major banking institutions, overseen by the U.N., to starve companies engaged in fossil fuel-related activities of credit on national and international markets ... farmers, oil leasing companies, and other businesses ... will be unable to get a loan ... " —Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt
Safe nuclear power scuttled: "Such life-giving [Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR)] work did not escape the notice of misanthropist George Soros and his Open Society Foundation (OSF). They had already swung into action, beginning no later than 1999, to stop the PBMR concept. ... Soros funded court action ... against the PBMR." —'The Small, Pebble-Bed Modular Reactor Is Indispensable' by Richard Burden and David Cherry [Courtesy Google Alerts, but need to carefully verify these assertions due to the publication source.]
Military forced to end fossil fuel use?: "I would hate to see how long it would take to charge an electric tank." —General Robert Spalding, Retired, November 10, 2021
Q. "How are you going to get rid of racism?" —Mike Wallace, '60 Minutes'
A. "Stop talking about it." —Morgan Freeman
"America's most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from, what social class they come from, or by race, color, or creed. They must be judged as individuals. The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal, demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race, social origins, religion, sex, and sexual orientation." —Charles Murray
["The American Creed is a statement of the defining element of American identity, first formulated by Thomas Jefferson ... that includes liberty, equality, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire."]
Thank you, Johannes Gutenberg: "Global literacy rates have increased from around 10% to close to 100% in the last 500 years." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
"Debate is a lousy way to change someone's mind." —The New York Times, email to subscribers
Misdirection: "Beyond the events themselves, the narrowing of our attention to one event elsewhere is a sort of sleight of hand, causing the public to ignore other things we should be focused on and concerned about. ... So, when the next great crisis hits, let's ask ourselves a couple of questions. First, what are our government and media hoping we'll focus on? And, the real question: what do they not want us paying attention to? ... " —Connor Boyack
"It is only on the battlefield of ideas that the best ones can be recognized and ultimately prevail. Only those afraid of the truth seek to silence debate, intimidate those with whom they disagree, or slander their ideological counterparts. Those who know they are right have no reason to stifle debate because they realize that all opposing arguments will ultimately be overcome by fact." —Glenn Beck
"In the U.S. in 1820, the average person received less than 2 years of education. These days, it's closer to 21 years of education, a 10x improvement." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
You want to help African American living standards?: "Free enterprise, not woke welfare." —Larry Kudlow
African Americans and the Economy under Trump: "Democrats may not have noticed how the black community benefited from this economy, but black voters sure did. ... There are those who want you to believe, as President Biden said during the election, that Donald Trump was 'one of the most racist presidents' ever and that the Republican Party is just as bad. Nothing could be further from the truth. Simply take a look at the economic record of the last four years. Before COVID-19 severely impacted our social and economic lives, black Americans were seeing real benefits from lower taxes and lower regulation. The unemployment rate for blacks reached a record low of 5.2 percent and black labor-force participation reached 63.2 percent, the highest it had been since the 2008 recession. The poverty rate for black Americans also reached record lows, while a total of 1 million lifted themselves out of poverty between 2016 and 2019. Over the same period, real median household income for black families rose over $4,000 after actually falling over the previous 14 years (2002–2016). With incomes rising so fast, it should not be surprising that black home ownership skyrocketed to 47 percent ... " —Scott Turner, July 12, 2021
Coronavirus vaccination priority: "Older populations are whiter ... we can start to level the playing field a bit." —Harald Schmidt, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, New York Times, December 5, 2020
CDC chooses racial preferences for vaccination ahead of saving lives: "Strong agreement with essential workers (non-healthcare) in Phase 1b. Racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionally represented in many essential industries and live in communities that are disproportionally affected; offers an opportunity to really impact equity. ... All 14 ACIP voting members indicated agreement with essential workers as phase 1b. ... [ahead of] Phase 1c, Adults with high-risk medical conditions, Adults 65+" —Meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), November 23, 2020
"Leaked-emails-reveal ... non-white people are receiving priority from the [New York] state Health Department to receive monoclonal antibody treatments and Pfizer's new pills ... " —Melissa Koenig and Alex Hammer, 'Daily Mail', January 1, 2022
"The participation of contractors' employees in training that promotes race or sex stereotyping or scapegoating similarly undermines efficiency in Federal contracting ... Such requirements promote divisiveness in the workplace and distract from the pursuit of excellence and collaborative achievements in public administration." —President Donald J. Trump, Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, September 20, 2020
1776 Commission: "I will soon sign an executive order establishing a national commission to promote patriotic education. It will be called the 1776 Commission. It will encourage our educators to teach our children about the miracle of American history, and make plans to honor the 250th anniversary of our founding." —President Donald J. Trump
[The 1776 Commission was promptly abolished by President Biden.]
Hint– King George III was the King of England in 1776: "Two in three young adults in Gen Z don't know who America declared its independence from." —Poll
"In workplaces, schools and college campuses across the nation, woke scolds make bank by falsely claiming that there is an epidemic of racism. There isn't. America is not a racist country. It's the most inclusive and diverse society in the history of human civilization. ... The Orwellian doctrines of 'diversity,' 'inclusion' and 'equity' have convinced many that they are ill and are guilty of spreading the sickness. It's fake. It's a hoax. ... Who brought this plague of Marxists upon us?" —Libby Emmons
"An equity-based form of government would mean the end not only of private property, but also of individual rights, equality under the law, federalism, and freedom of speech. These would be replaced by race-based redistribution of wealth, group-based rights, active discrimination, and omnipotent bureaucratic authority. ... —critical race theory prescribes a revolutionary program that would overturn the principles of the Declaration [of Independence] and destroy the remaining structure of the Constitution." —Christopher F. Rufo
Doesn't Anyone in the U.S. Government Like the U.S.?: "I leave aside the deeper concern that the primary role of mainstream economics in our society is to provide an apologetics for a criminally oppressive, unsustainable, and unjust social order." —Jeremy B. Rudd ['Hate America' 'woke culture' footnote in a Federal Reserve report.]
Message to America if they continue to go down this road: "I just want people to know that freedom is fragile and we can lose it [at] any time if we don't defend it. There [are] a lot of Chinese Americans who have the same experience and share my point of view. I know that more and more people will step up and share their stories and tell the American people. 'Critical race theory' is not anti-racism, it itself is racist. It is divisive, it is destructive, and it is dangerous." —Xi Van Fleet
"There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs." —Booker T. Washington, 'My Larger Education,' 1911
'Please Stop Helping Us': "How liberals make it harder for blacks to succeed." —Jason L. Riley
Disturbing ... 'Factcheck – taken out of context': " ... We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population ... " —Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood founder, who was in favor of eugenics, December 10, 1939 letter 'advocating employing Black physicians and ministers to gain trust'
"The worst enemy that the Negro [has] is this white man that runs around here drooling at the mouth professing to love Negros and calling himself a liberal. It is following these white liberals that has perpetuated problems that Negros have. If the Negro wasn't taken, tricked or deceived by the white liberal, then Negros would get together and solve our own problems. I only cite these things to show you that in America, the history of the white liberal has been nothing but a series of trickery designed to make Negros think that the white liberal was going to solve our problems." —Malcolm X
'What the Black man wants': " ... this [Civil] war shall not cease until every freedman at the South has the right to vote." —Frederick Douglass, Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, April, 1865
Rise of Victimhood Culture: "Virtually all of the high profile, widely reported hate crimes over the past 2 to 3 years have been hoaxes. ... fake. ... In a fair number of cases money does change hands, if you're talking about insurance money... A broader motivation for these hoaxes is that the demand for bigots in America greatly exceeds the supply. ... lt is not much of a secret that in America we have a very well-funded grievance industry." —Dr. Wilfred Riley, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Kentucky State University, February 19, 2019
'Frederick Douglass was a conservative': "The government can't save Black America. The only thing that can save Black America is ourselves. It's time to revolt against the media narrative of Blacks as perpetual victims. The revolution starts now." —The Douglass Society
"The formula for achieving middle-class success is simple: Finish high school; don't have a child before the age of 20; and get married before having the child." —Larry Elder
Structural racism: "If ever there were a structure systemically keeping African-Americans from getting ahead, it would surely be America's big city public-school systems." —Bill McGurn, 'Wall Street Journal', September 6, 2021
Opportunity/Education: " ... it's also providing economic opportunity, which this administration has done. It's also giving them a meaningful education that allows them to seize that opportunity. I think there is systemic racism in this country, but I think the best example of systemic racism that I'm talking about is the educational system which is relegating our inner-city children to schools that are failing and fail them. And the President [Trump], as you know, is for school choice, to put the buying power in the parents' hands of every inner city kid so they can pick their education." —U.S. Attorney General William Barr
Culture of success: "Why [Black] Nigerian immigrants are one of the most successful ethnic groups in the U.S." —B. Joseph
"One of the big #FakeNews narratives is that 'institutional,' 'structural' and 'systemic' racism remain a major problem in America, when, in fact, race has never been a more insignificant barrier to success in America." —Larry Elder, later a candidate for Governor of California
"Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. [sic]" —Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, August 20, 2021
Doublethink: "The dumbest idea is that the same nation with minorities being mayors and police chiefs of its large cities could both still suffer from systemic racism and twice elect a black president, ['the world's first black leader of a predominantly white country.']" —John King
"From my standpoint as a black American, as far as I'm concerned, it is a high tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves." —Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court nomination Senate Hearing, October 11, 1991
[Hearing conducted by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden.]
"Last year there were 10 million arrests in the United States ... Police officers were involved in fatal shootings 1,004 times ... 41 of those were unarmed people ... 19 white people unarmed were shot and killed by police last year, 9 were black ... There were 89 cops killed ... in the line of duty last year." —Former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik, June 2, 2020
Looting by rioters: "I will not put an officer in harm's way to protect the property inside of a building." —Raleigh, North Carolina Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown, June 2, 2020
"They're not going to let up and they should not. And we should not." —Kamala Harris, CBS, June 17, 2020
"There needs to be unrest in the streets as long as there is unrest in our lives." —Rep. Ayanna Pressley, (D-MA), Squad member, MSNBC, August 15, 2020
"You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about." —Hillary Clinton, CNN, October 9, 2018
"People will do what they do." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, July 9, 2020
Arson during riots: "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ... Yes, America is burning, but that's how forests grow." —Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, June 2, 2020
Newspeak: "Fiery But Mostly Peaceful Protests." —CNN Chyron graphic [Right]
Violent BLM riot, burning down Minneapolis police station: "I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not, generally speaking, unruly but fires have been started and this crowd is relishing that." —Ali Veshi, MSNBC reporter live on the scene with flames of the police station conflagration visible in the background
"Show me where it says that protests are supposed to be polite and peaceful." —Chris Cuomo
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups." —George Carlin
Calling for mob rule: "I just don't even know why there aren't uprisings all over the country, maybe there will be." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, San Francisco, CA, C-SPAN, June 14, 2018
'The Left's Resentment Culture': "At the heart of leftism is a resentment culture, which sees the world as zero-sum and blames the wealthy and successful for the suffering of others. Instead of making better decisions, Hamas and BLM blame others for their failures, and so they guarantee further poverty and suffering for their followers." —Charlie Kirk
Who Funded BLM Riots: "Black Lives Matter Funding Database ... tracks corporate contributions and pledges to the BLM movement and related causes. ... one of the most successful grifts in American history, to the tune of $82.9 billion. ... the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM)-driven ransacking of some 200 American cities, which resulted in as much as $2 billion in property damage and at least 25 deaths. ... rioting and destruction. The BLM pressure campaigns, harassment, and moral blackmail ... the most lucrative shakedown of corporate America ... " —Claremont Institute, March 14, 2023 [Also see, "Black Lives Matter is imploding in scandal."]
'The January 6 Insurrection Hoax' —Roger Kimball: "Acting 'to the best of [your] Ability, [to] preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States' ... 'against all enemies, foreign and domestic' is the opposite of 'insurrection.'" —Cheswell Wentworth ["False and exaggerated claims still being spread about the capitol riot." —Glenn Greenwald]
"The FBI comes up empty-handed in its search for a January 6 plot. ... They remain a couple insurrectionists short of an insurrection. ... Reuters's FBI sources said that, despite months of intense investigation, they could find 'scant evidence' of any 'organized plot' and instead found that virtually all of the cases are 'one-offs.'" —Professor Jonathan Turley, George Washington University Law School, August 21, 2021
["The Biden administration is completely corrupt, jailing political opponents just like the Soviet Union, now Russia ... The Biden administration has locked up dozens and dozens of political prisoners in horrific conditions — horrible horrible conditions in Washington." —Former President Donald J. Trump, Michigan, October 1, 2022]
" ... peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard today." —President Donald J. Trump, Speech at Rally, Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021
"Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!" —Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, January 6, 2020
"I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!" —Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), Twitter, January 6, 2021
[Presidential election legal strategy that was rejected by Vice President Mike Pence and not followed – stolen Privileged and Confidential memo by Trump attorney John Eastman regarding '7 states have transmitted dual slates of electors to the President of the Senate' and the draft of this memo.]
Protest leader,William Watson, speaking to the crowd using an amplified megaphone inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 [Video transcription]:
• "Everybody, listen up. The police are going to work with us and cooperate peacefully, like our First Amendment allows. Gather more Americans, under the condition that they will come and gather peacefully to discuss what needs to be done to save our country."
• Capital police Officer Keith Robishaw: "We are not against ... You need to show ... You understand?"
• William Watson: "Yes"
• Officer Robishaw: "Then show us no attacking, no assault, remain calm."
• William Watson: "We are not going to assault. We are going to be heard. Everybody, this must be peaceful."
• Jacob Chansley, aka 'Q Shaman': "This has to be peaceful. We have the right to peacefully assemble."
■ Among those who marched into the Capitol on January 6, 2021: An FBI Informant: " ... texted his F.B.I. handler during the assault, but maintained the group had no plan in advance to enter the Capitol and disrupt the election certification. ... largely following a pro-Trump mob consumed by a herd mentality rather than carrying out any type of preplanned attack. ... The F.B.I. also had an additional informant ... that took part in the sacking of the Capitol ... " —Alan Feuer and Adam Goldman, The New York Times, September 25, 2021
[False flag operation?: "And who is Capitol riot provocateur Ray Epps (with video showing the crowd responding by chanting 'Fed Fed Fed') and why has the FBI protected him?" —Nancy Davis; Epps denies FBI involvement on CBS 60 minutes, April 23, 2023.]
"Court documents claim at least 20 agents from FBI, ATF were embedded in crowd around capitol on Jan. 6." —OAN Newsroom, April 15, 2022
'Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Handling of Its Confidential Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the Lead Up to the January 6, 2021 Electoral Certification': "Our investigation determined there were a total of 26 FBI confidential human sources ... in DC on January 6 in connection with the events of January 6." —FBI, Oversight and Review Division, 25-01, December 1, 2024
"FBI official repeatedly refuses to say if FBI agents/informants encouraged violent, criminal behavior on January 6." —Susan Jones, January 11, 2022
Fact-Check: "Biden Falsely Claims 5 Cops Were Killed by Trump Supporters on January 6 ... in fact no police officers died at the Capitol that day." —Warner Todd Huston, March 3, 2022
Lies about January 6, 2020:
" ... on that day. Five officers died." —Attorney General Merrick Garland
[Fact-check: No officers died on that day. Later, there was a death likely from a stroke, and four Capitol police officer suicides.]
"Officer Brian Sicknick died after being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during the fight." —Anderson Cooper
[Fact-check: No such assault with a fire extinguisher happened.]
'Ex-Capitol Police Chief Says Requests For National Guard Denied 6 Times In Riots': "Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund ... says he requested assistance six times ahead of and during the attack on the Capitol. Each of those requests was denied or delayed, he says." —Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, January 11, 2021
'Ex-Capitol Police Chief Sounds Alarm That Jan. 6 Was 'Cover-Up'': "Ex-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund ... believed officials were aware of the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection before it happened and covered it up. ... intelligence officials in power were aware of the attack in advance and covered it up by failing to disseminate the information to those who needed it. ... 'If I was allowed to do my job as a chief, we wouldn't be here. ... This didn't have to happen. Everything appears to be a cover-up.' ... he was denied National Guard service in advance of the attack and was denied access to National Guard troops for 71 minutes during the attack." —Anna Skinner, MSN, August 4, 2023
'Unearthed Jan. 6 Footage Shows Pelosi "Take Responsibility" For Not Having Authorities "Prepare For More"’: " ' ... I [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)] take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more.'” —Zach Jewell, June 11, 2024
'Shocking double standards for bringing U.S. rioters to justice': " ... The January 6 riot involved no guns or fires among protesters ... In contrast, the [574] 2020 riots involved guns, incendiary devices, lasers, paint bombs, and fireworks that were used to torch buildings and cars, hurt police officers, and destroy meaningful parts of many U.S. cities. ... the left and the media continue to falsely claim law enforcement officers were killed on January 6." —Matt A. Mayer, July 29, 2021
Democrats hiding video: "U.S. Capitol Police don't want all 14,000 hours of January 6 videos shown because they (1) show grotesque professional police misconduct and (2) demolish the 'thousands of armed insurrectionists' false narrative." —J. Michael Waller, January 7, 2022
Which is it? "Contradictory incompatible claims both that the January 6 capitol incursion was preplanned and that it was incited by a speech by the President on January 6th." —Democrat narrative
"'They lied about everything' – a 96-Page DC Police report ... According to attorney Joe McBride who uncovered the report, the government knew MAGA was coming to DC and so they entrapped them. It was all a setup. ... McBride notes that the report covered First Amendment protests ... the police knew Antifa was coming. ... 'it's more evidence that undercuts the idea that law enforcement was completely unprepared – They had no idea what was going to happen that day.'" —Joe Hoft, March 15, 2023
Why Did Pelosi Block the National Guard from Getting Deployed on January 6th?: "Former President Donald Trump authorized up to 20,000 National Guard soldiers to protect the Capitol two days before January 6th. After he did this, it was up to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Mayor of Washington D.C. Muriel Bowser to approve the ... request. They blocked this request on multiple occasions. Why?" —Sean Hannity
"New book [Courage Under Fire] by ex-capitol police chief [Steven A. Sund] confirms GOP's report on Pelosi's culpability for January 6, reveals FBI, DHS, and his own agency KNEW FOR WEEKS about planned attack." —Cullen Linebarger, January 2, 2023
—Congressman Andy Biggs, January 6, 2022
["Unconstitutional because Congress has no power to conduct criminal investigations (separation of powers), unprecidented, excluded minority Republicans, no rules of evidence, no due process, no defense allowed, no defense witnesses, violating priviledge, no discovery, no cross examination, no rebuttal witnesses, editing video to mislead, omitting exculpatory evidence, refusal to address what role did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have in preventing law enforcement from protecting the Capitol, and finally obstruction of justice by destruction of all the evidence collected, a TV prime time Stalinist show trial with dismal ratings staged by a former ABC News president, conducted with intent of future election interference." —Jennifer White]
January 6 Committee = 'Sham Trial': "All I can think of is this is a Soviet-style propaganda trial, like a show trial ... They put this tape together using propaganda, selected words and clauses cut and pasted to smear the people they want to smear and to get the outcome." —Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., who spent time working in Communist Yugoslavia earlier in her career [And once the January 6 Committee was done with their hearings, they destroyed the collected evidence (now "missing") so that exculpatory evidence would not be available for use by defense attorneys.]
Liz Cheney was resoundingly defeated (66.3% to 28.9%) in the August 16, 2022 Wyoming congressional primary election: "Congresswoman, I served with Abraham Lincoln. I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. Liz Cheney, you're no Abraham Lincoln." —with apologies to Senator Lloyd Bentsen for reusing his ultimate putdown
"What terrifies the Left and the establishment is that everyone who sees ‘2000 Mules’ finds it convincing. Even Democrats! That's why its rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 100% ... " ... "The whole country did not see what happened on November 3, 2020. It was carefully concealed from them. That's why I made '2000 Mules.' It reveals the true insurrection." —Dinesh D'Souza, June 13, 2022
Storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 – ACQUITTED: " ... federal judge determined it was rational for the defendant to believe police were allowing the protesters to enter the Capitol building." —Liz George, April 8, 2022
Whitmer kidnapping acquittal, mistrial: "Two defendants acquitted in Michigan governor kidnapping case; mistrial declared for 2 others. ... Defense attorneys claimed federal law enforcement manufactured the alleged kidnapping conspiracy through confidential informants and undercover [FBI] agents." —Brian Vitagliano, CNN, April 8, 2022
'Cruz forces FBI director to admit agent who oversaw Whitmer kidnap plot investigation now in charge of DC office': "[Steven M. D'Antuono] The [FBI] Special Agent in Charge of that ... disastrous [attempted kidnapping and murder of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer] case ... {misconduct [entrapment] that led to every defendant being acquitted or having a mis-trial on every charge} ... has now been sent to the Washington DC [FBI] Office and now leads the investigation regarding January 6th." —Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Senate hearing, August 4, 2022
In other news: "FBI arrests Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate on Jan. 6 charges." —NBC News, June 9, 2022
"It's too coincidental to be a coincidence." —Yogi Berra
Casu Consulto: "Accidentally on purpose, i.e., done deliberately while appearing to be unintentional." —Idiom
Doth protest too much: " ... no basis ... cast the blame ... a favorite bogeyman ... a leftist false-flag operation ... made clear that the threat of violence from white supremacists and other domestic extremist groups far outweighs that posed by anti-fascist activists [sic] ... an all-purpose slur ... antifa barely exists [sic] ... baselessly blame these 'radical leftists' for any acts of violence or property damage that occurred during the largely peaceful wave of nationwide protests [sic] ... no legal authority ... baseless and conspiratorial voter fraud allegations ... false-flag narrative ... without evidence ... trying to divert the blame ... " —Caitlin Dickson, 'Yahoo! News', January 7, 2021
'January 6': "How Democrats used the capitol protest to launch a war on terror against the political right." —Julie Kelly, December 28, 2021
Domestic terrorism unit: "The U.S. Justice Department is creating a new unit to counter domestic terrorism following the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack, a senior official said on Tuesday, as it faces a growing threat from white supremacists and anti-government activists." —Sarah N. Lynch, 'Reuters', January 11, 2022
Civil action for deprivation of rights: "Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress ... " —42 U.S. Code §1983
Seditious conspiracy: "According to the United States intelligence community, domestic terrorism from white supremacists is the most lethal terrorist threat in the homeland." ... "We know now that we must confront and defeat political extremism, white supremacy, and domestic terrorism." ... "Don't dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists." ... "White supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat."[sic] —Joe Biden, c. January, 2022
['Most lethal?': "According to the FBI, white supremacists were responsible for 49 homicides in 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016 ... more than any other domestic extremist movement."]
"Happy 4th of July aka Independence Day, our United States national celebration of the insurrection of 247 years ago." —Lloyd Chambers, July 4, 2023
"Freedoms of speech and press do not permit a State to forbid advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action·" —U.S. Supreme Court in Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969
Chicago Mayor finally admits: " ... the core of what happened [Michigan Avenue ‘Miracle Mile’ looting] – that's organized criminal activity ... It was a planned attack." —Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, August 12, 2020
Causing a crime wave: "The number one problem in almost all the cities is George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal [Democrat] district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up." —Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
[Far left prosecutors backed by George Soros: Kim Foxx, Chicago; George Gascón, Los Angeles; Chesa Boudin, San Francisco; John Chisholm, Milwaukee; Larry Krasner, Philadelphia; Alvin Bragg, New York.]
'George Soros-backed district attorneys are ruining America': "Is there going to be an individual I divert, or I put into [a] treatment program, who's going to go out and kill somebody?... You bet. Guaranteed. It's guaranteed to happen. It does not invalidate the overall approach." —John Chrisholm, Milwaukee County District Attorney, past comments on criminal justice reform efforts, 'Milwaukee Journal Sentinel', 2007
Rogue Prosecutors and the Rise of Crime: "Over 1/3 of shoplifting crimes in New York City last year involved just 327 people, collectively arrested over 6,000 times." —Rep. Mike Johnson, (R-LA), April 17, 2023
"[George Soros backed radical Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón] has implemented a lot of bad ideas. ... He is not charging obvious crimes. He is advocating on behalf of people to be released from prison sooner than they should. He is not meeting with victims. [Interviewer Lawrence Jones: Is he upholding state and federals laws right now?] No, absolutely not. Our District Attorney is nullifying important laws, and he is doing it explicitly and unapologetically." ... "We are not focused on victims, we are not focused on public safety, and in Los Angeles County you know, my boss, George Gascón, has a soft spot for criminals ... He has created an environment where crime thrives here in Los Angeles County by explicitly telling the criminal community you can commit crimes, certain crimes I will not prosecute you at all ... " —John McKinney, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney, c. January 30, 2022
'Soros-linked Manhattan District Attorney – No Incarceration Except for Homicide and a Few Other Cases': "Alvin Bragg ... plans to ensure jail release for all suspects accused of crimes in Manhattan except in homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and felony sex crime cases." —Joel B. Pollak, January 4, 2022
'George Soros has blood on his hands for the rise in killings nationwide': "George Soros is a major cause for the systematic decline of American law enforcement. The mindset of his DAs — that criminals are victims — has done immeasurable harm, especially to poor minorities in our inner cities. Meanwhile, the complex network of nonprofits Soros uses to disperse his funds makes it nearly impossible to track what he's doing to undermine our justice system. ... " —Ray Kelly, former New York City Police Commissioner
"Attorneys general should also bring RICO-like charges against the Soros machine and his prosecutors." —Media Research Center report, 2024
'America's murder capitols are all run by Democrat mayors': "All 16 cities with record high homicides in 2021 have Democrat mayors." —Dianne Hermann, December 31, 2021
[Chicago 774; Philadelphia 499; New York City 462; Houston 400; Los Angeles 349; Baltimore 334; Memphis 332; Detroit 323; Indianapolis 215; Washington, DC 198. —New York Post, 2020 Total Homicides]
Murders: "6,347 in Democrat run cities, a rate of 15.7/100,000; in Republican run cities, murders 7.94/100,000, a rate of half as much." —Larry Kudlow, October 12, 2022
Shoplifting: "A $94.5B problem for US retailers ... 1.4% of retail revenue in 2021." —Ariel Zilber
"Shoplifters now [2022] walk away with $2 billion worth of merchandise each year just from Target, and that’s half a billion more than 2019." —Stuart Varney, November 16, 2022
'Soros seizes airwaves': "The FCC uniquely expedites leftist George Soros backed acquisition of the bankrupt second largest U.S. radio company with 220 radio stations in 40 markets, just before the 2024 Presidential election." —paraphrasing House Oversight Committee findings, September 27, 2024
★ Changing the way votes are counted = Election Tampering: [Soros supported] "Ranked choice voting is a scheme to disconnect elections from issues and allow candidates with marginal support from voters to win. It obscures true debates and issue-driven dialogs among candidates and eliminates genuine binary choices between two top-tier candidates. It also disenfranchises voters, because ballots that do not include the two ultimate finalists are cast aside to manufacture a faux majority for the winner." —Heritage Foundation
Why aren't we allowed to talk about George Soros's Plan To Remake America?: "Is any American city safe from the Soros 'Destroy America Project'?" — Rudy W. Giuliani, Video Podcast, January 29, 2022
Union Pacific Railroad Train Thefts in Los Angeles – Marauders loot daily 90 huge shipping containers each full of packages: "The no-cash bail policy and extended timeframe for suspects to appear in court is causing re-victimization to UP by the same criminals. In fact, criminals boast to our officers that charges will be pled down to simple trespassing – which bears no serious consequence. ... Like our customers, [Union Pacific] is now contemplating serious changes to our operating plans to avoid Los Angeles County." —Union Pacific Railroad, January 17, 2022
Shocked: "It looks like a third world country. ... that's just not acceptable. ... I can't take it – I can't turn on the news any more. What the hell is going on? Clean it up!" —California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) in Los Angeles, while viewing the results of the Union Pacific train robberies resulting in the tracks being strewn with thousands of stolen delivery boxes, January 20, 2022
Companies are losing due to organized crime [flash mob shoplifting]: "$719,548 per $1 billion." —National Retail Federation, January 12, 2021
"Murder rate at 25-year high." —FBI, c. 2021
"New York Mayor [Eric Adams] says he felt 'unsafe' taking the city's subway." —Madeline Leesman, 'Townhall', January 19, 2022
New York City subways: "26 lines, 468 subway stations." —Blue Bloods S1:E2
Carjackings soar by up to 510% in 2021: "Chicago: 1,800+; New York City: 500; Philadelphia: 800+; New Orleans: 281." —CPD, NYPD, Philadelphia PD Tracking
Police officers killed in 2021: "Intentional killings reach 20-year high, FBI says.—Emma Tucker and Priya Krishnakumar, CNN wire on ABC 7 News, January 14, 2022
National Fraternal Order of Police: "'Historic' 346 officers shot in line of duty in 2021. 'Ambush-style attacks' against officers were up 115%." —Audrey Conklin, January 4, 2022
"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." —President Ronald Reagan, 1968 Republican National Convention
Making America Unsafe: "We will work to end cash bail." —The Biden White House, October, 2021
"California store owner prices all items at $951 so thieves can be prosecuted." —Omid Kamran ;-)
"Hell of a job, Democrats— you've managed to bring back the 1918 Pandemic, the 1929 Depression, the 1968 Race Riots and the 1973 Gas Lines all at the same time." —Joel Fischer, November 29, 2021 [Don't forget the 1982 Inflation]
Destroying the black middle class: "They are bullies, cowards, Marxists. ... We are under attack. It's the evil of trying to destroy our middle class. ... I lived in the middle class ... I grew up in it and I saw how the leftists, the elitists ... destroyed my middle class. It went from 50% of business ownership down to 3.8%." —Burgess Owens, former Super Bowl champion, June 4, 2020, subsequently becoming a Utah U.S. Congressman
"A vastly expanded welfare state in the 1960's destroyed the black family, which had survived centuries of slavery and generations of racial oppression." —Thomas Sowell
■ "The lessons of history ... show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief [welfare] induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. ... . The federal government must and shall quit this business of relief." —President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1935
"More and more African-Americans and other people are waking up to this foolishness. They are realizing that liberals have destroyed the black community. Now it's time for the black community to destroy the liberals. ... Eliminate the state income tax and that's going to put more money back in their pockets ... They are going to vote for someone like me than someone who's pushing this divisive rhetoric about [Critical Race Theory]. ... It teaches racism and we need to ban that. ... Democrats for years have taken advantage of African-Americans and have done nothing for them. ... They are just taking your vote for granted. ... " —Vernon Jones, (R), Georgia gubernatorial candidate, former Democrat Georgia state Representative, November 5, 2021
"The black family survived centuries of slavery and generations of Jim Crow, but it disintegrated in the wake of the liberals' expansion of the welfare state." —Thomas Sowell
Welfare = Fatherlessness: "Black families survived slavery. We survived poll taxes and literacy tests. We survived discrimination being woven into the laws of our country. What was hard to survive was Johnson's 'Great Society,' where they decided to put money – where they decided to take the Black father out of the household to get a check in the mail. ... " —Senator Tim Scott (R-FL), Republican Presidential Debate, September 27, 2023
It makes no sense: "The urban Black community which was religious and family oriented, with roughly half engaged in successful entrepreneurial small business in the mid-20th century period, has now [with notable exceptions, including a growing vibrant educated suburban Black middle class, and also typically highly successful Nigerian immigrants] been largely destroyed since the success of the 1960's civil rights movement. Was this surprising outcome resulting in poverty, welfare dependency, fatherless black families, failing inner city schools strangled by teachers' unions, few Black businesses remaining, rampant urban black male on black violent crime, violent urban riots with arson and looting, and large numbers of black men in prison under Joe Biden's 1994 crime bill, all a result of bad welfare and other misguided public policies, unfortunately written into law, or could this terrible outcome especially in inner cities run by Democrats have been a deliberate but an unrecognized and unreported effort to counter the civil rights movement by racist lawmakers? Recall that the Democrat Party historically was the party of slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow, with then, for example, the Democrat Leader in the United States Senate, Robert Byrd, an 'Exalted Cyclops' of the Ku Klux Klan. ... What is one to think now at a time when leftist urban riots are tolerated, rapidly growing competition for unskilled jobs by massive illegal immigration is being encouraged, [Bill] Clinton's highly successful welfare reform policies ['workfare'] are being systematically reversed, and there is a herculean effort to vastly expand the failed welfare state, reverse tax policies that advantaged lower income workers, and to persuade blacks to be victims? ... Hopefully this train of thought is a preposterous conspiracy fantasy fit only for some obscure novelist's musings, not actual but unrecognized, perhaps ongoing intentional and despicable racist policy written into law to deliberately harm and undermine urban black communities. Is this sad result merely a tragedy and a stupidity, or could any evidence of such malevolent intent be found?" —Diana Washington
"No one – not a single solitary person defended or excused the death of George Floyd, so why is this rioting happening? Because that is what the media wanted ... Black America, wake up, enlighten yourselves. Do not be owned by a mainstream media agenda." —Candace Owens
["Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison has said he would not call George Floyd’s death a hate crime because there was no evidence that Derek Chauvin [the police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd] factored in race as he knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for nine minutes."]
Noticing the terrible outcomes resulting from 'Defund the Police': "The CDC's cause-of-death statistics show both black deaths by homicide —["2020 saw the biggest spike in murders in American history—30 percent"]— and black deaths by motor vehicle accidents exploding to historically high levels —["The number of Black people killed in traffic crashes rose 23% in 2020 compared to the year prior."]— during the racial reckoning following George Floyd's demise in May 2020, most likely due to less policing of blacks." —Steve Sailer, December 27, 2022
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." —Benjamin Franklin
One hundred to one liberal bias on campus: "... study of the political affiliation of 12,372 professors in the two leading private colleges and two leading public colleges in 31 states. ... donations to political candidates (using the Federal Election Commission database) ... only 22 Republican donors, compared with 2,081 Democratic donors." —Langbert and Stevens
"À Chacun Son Goût." —There's no accounting for taste.
Bias of 375 to 1: "Political contributions from Twitter employees in 2020 [election] cycle: $220,507 to Democrats, $589 to Republicans." —Center for Responsive Politics
"A stunning 99 percent of online political contributions made by Twitter employees in 2021 went to Democrats." —Federal Election Commission data (Conor Skelding, 'NY Post', December 4, 2021)
Biased reporting: "NPR ... Newsroom in Washington ... Party registration ... 87 Democrats to 0 Republicans. ... That’s not going to produce a non-partisan product. ... The PBS NewsHour, over a six month period, they used the term ‘far right’ 162 times, they used the term ‘far left’ 6 times. They covered the Democratic and Republican conventions, 72% of the coverage of the Republicans was negative, 88% of the coverage on the Democrats was positive. ... Clearly there has been a bias for decades." —Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX)
Why the U.S. is a constitutional republic instead of a democracy?: "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." —John Adams, April 15, 1814
"To view the opposition as dangerous is to misunderstand the basic concepts of democracy. To oppress the opposition is to assault the very foundation of democracy." —Aung San Suu Kyi, Letters from Burma
"Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion." —Edmund Burke
'The left undermines fundamental American values': "Marxist philosophers, the Frankfurt school in [1923] Germany ... theory that beyond just economics, the bourgeoisie use faith, family, and culture to oppress the working class. So the Marxists had to attack those things too. And that's exactly what they have been doing." —Steve Hilton, July 3, 2022
"Leftists on campuses [are] undermining America." —Walter E. Williams, October 24, 2017
"We are in the midst today of a very fierce battle between the progressives, or the socialists, the radicals, who want to tear apart our history, tear apart our culture, tear apart our religions, tear apart our families, tear apart our economy. So we have a fight on our hands. A serious fight. It is a fight for the soul and existence of America." —Larry Kudlow, William F. Buckley, Jr. Prize presentation, Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California, September 30, 2022
'Far left woke extremism has infected America': "We're not gonna make America great again. It was never that great."[sic] —New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, August 15, 2018
The American Revolution 'was effected before the war commenced': "Radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution." —John Adams
"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." —Will Rogers
"People may get an education from reading the fine print, but what they get from not reading it is usually experience." —Vesta M. Kelly
"It won't happen again until the next time." —Radio advertisement for silver coins
"My courage and my resolution is firm; but my hopes fluctuate, and my spirits are often depressed." —Mary Shelley's Dr. Victor Frankenstein
"That's right people ... Skynet 2.0 doesn't want to wipe us out, it wants to sell us stuff." —Comment about robotic telemarketing phone calls
T-shirt slogans:
• "God is Dead." —Nietzsche, 1882
• "Nietzsche is Dead." —God, 1900
"Priests and nuns also have the vice of porn on the web. Beware: the devil enters from there and weakens the soul." —Pope Francis, October 26, 2022
Useful idot: "Not to share one's wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs." —'Marxist' Pope Francis quoting John Chrysostom
☭ Communist Manifesto (ten planks):
● 1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
● 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
● 3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
● 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
● 5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
● 6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
● 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
● 8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
● 9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country.
● 10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
—Karl Marx, 1848
Substituting Race for Class: "Communism Never Dies – It Just Gets Rebranded." —Monica Crowley, Former U.S. Assistant Treasury Secretary
☭ "A lie told often enough becomes the truth." —Vladimir I. Lenin
The leftist fallacy: "I mean well, therefore I do good."[sic] ... "Truth is not a left-wing value. It is a liberal value and a conservative value." —Dennis Prager, who distinguishes liberals from leftists
"Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction [sic] that’s getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done. ... We all have different truths. ... " —Katherine Maher President and CEO, NPR (formerly Wikimedia Foundation), YouTube/TED, June 28, 2022
[“She [Katherine Roberts Maher (linked Wikipedia page astoundingly is criticized by Wikipedia as "This article relies excessively on references to primary sources.")] left really an incredible paper trail. She said that she’s against the idea of objective truth. She said that she views the first amendment as an impediment to censoring disinformation and bad information that she would not like to see on the Internet ... She is anti-truth, anti-merit, anti-first amendment to the core. ... ” —Chris Rufo, April 2024]
"Big tech still silencing conservatives on social media plus NPR new CEO questions 1st amendment." —Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), May 10, 2024
'The failed values system of the left': "Leftism indulges and exacerbates the worst impulses of man: Envy, resentment, and hostility towards the success of others." —Charlie Kirk
"Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good." —Thomas Sowell
Marxism (aka Communism/Socialism/Leftism/Progressivism) vs. Capitalism (aka Free Markets):
"The acid test for any two competing socioeconomic systems is which side needs to build a wall to keep people from escaping? That's the bad one!" —Elon Musk, June 5, 2022
"The problem in Venezuela is not that Socialism has been poorly implemented, but that Socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, whereever true Socialism or Communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those that preach the tenents of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems." —U.S. President Donald J. Trump, address to the United Nations General Assembly, 2017
The Great Reset: "You'll own nothing, and you'll be happy [sic]. This is how our world could change by 2030." —World Economic Forum, November 18, 2016
"There are a lot of Democrats and Independents who are starting to connect the dots between the policies of the Democratic left and what they have delivered ... failing schools, rampant homelessness, rising crime, skyrocketing energy costs, water shortages, unaffordable housing, high unemployment, crushing regulations and taxes, failing businesses, fleeing families. That's what the Democratic left delivers ... " —Tom McClintock, California Congressman, November 28, 2020
"Our top 10 cities ... a combined population of 25 million Americans; not a single Republican is mayor of those cities. You're looking at homelessness, hopelessness, and an increase in crime and drugs. Think about that – this isn't just a Washington problem and a Joe Biden problem. The democratic party is an existential threat to our security, our prosperity, and our opportunity." —Kellyanne Conway, November 8, 2021
" ... the States were supposed to be a check on the federal government, and anytime you get concentration of power in one entity it becomes oppressive and our liberties are undermined, our freedoms are undermined. And so the Biden Administration is ... trying to undermine federalism and concentrate power in D.C., whether that's tax and spend policy, whether it's nationalizing our elections, and now whether it's trying to dictate to the States what they can and can't do. It completely undermines federalism. I'm going to do everything I can to keep fighting back ... " —Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General, August 7, 2021
Democrat Policies Have Created a Blue-State Exodus – Turns out Americans aren't huge fans of strict lockdowns, high taxes, and rising crime: "Between January 1, 2020, and December 7, 2020, 3.57 million people left New York City ["Leftugees"], resulting in nearly $34 billion in lost tax revenue from residents." —David Keltz, The American Spectator, May 23, 2021
Last appearance before the House of Commons: "What the honorable member [Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrat member of Parliament for Southwark and Bermondsey)] is saying is that he would rather that the poor were poorer, provided that the rich were less rich ... So long as the gap is smaller, they would rather have the poor poorer. You do not create wealth and opportunity that way [i.e., with socialist policies]. You do not create a property-owning democracy that way." —British Prime Minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher, November 22, 1990
"'8 steps to topple a nation'/'8 steps to socialism':
1) Healthcare — Control healthcare and you control the people.
2) Poverty — Increase the Poverty level as high as possible, poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
3) Debt — Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.
4) Gun Control — Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state.
5) Welfare — Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income).
6) Education — Take control of what people read and listen to — take control of what children learn in school.
7) Religion — Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools.
8) Class Warfare — Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor." —Internet meme, falsely attributed to Saul Alinsky
['As currently implemented by the American left, Step 2 actually includes both poverty and crime plus homelessness, a drug epidemic, and mass illegal immigration, also energy scarcity (according to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)); Step 6 education and media with censorship and propaganda; Step 7 religion (substituting an apocalyptic global warming cult) and family; Step 8 CRT (critical race theory, oppression vs. oppressed, with discrimination according to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)), class (with wealth redistribution), gender and sexual orientation, with authoritarianism and cancel culture.' —Mark Landon]
[Steve Hilton makes the point that the Democrat party has been completely captured by leftist activists who are concerned only with their ideology of climate, race, and gender, and consequently don’t care at all about the impracticality of their disastrous policies.]
"If you can save 50% of your take-home pay starting at age 20, you'll be wealthy enough to retire by age 37." —Mr. Money Mustache
Retirement: "You rust out before you wear out." —Attributed to Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller
"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." —Andre Gide
" ... shark bites are very rare ... More people are killed by toasters and cows in a year than by sharks. The average American is approximately one million times more likely to die from a heart attack than a shark bite." —David Shiffman, shark researcher at the University of Miami
'How Not To Die – The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting, and Reversing Our Top 15 Killers': "A diet centered around whole plant foods is the healthiest." —Michael Greger, M.D.
"One of the best openings in a book. 'Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics' Introduction: Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now is our turn to study statistical mechanics. ... " —Elon Musk, Twitter
"The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets." —Will Rogers
"The wages of sin are death, but after they take the taxes out, it's more like a tired feeling, really." —Paula Poundstone
"There are two systems of taxation in our country: one for the informed and one for the uninformed." —Judge Learned Hand, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Photography: "The negative is the score, the print the performance." —Ansel Adams
"We do not see things the way they are. We see things the way we are." —Anaïs Nin
"Take only photographs and leave only footprints." —Anonymous
"Just destroy all the tapes." —Richard Nixon
Biden is so economically illiterate that Amazon's Jeff Bezos (also 'Washington Post' owner) is calling the President out as a liar or fool and the Chinese Communist Party is agreeing with his nonsense:
"Now US president finally realized that capitalism is all about exploitation[sic]. ... " —China State Media, July 2, 2022
["No, capitalism is all about buyer and seller preferences which must sufficiently disagree to the extent that both feel that they are better off after the sale, i.e. the buyer values the product or service more than the money, and the seller values the money more than the product or service. The opposite of exploitation." —Understanding free market capitalism]
Federal Reserve Bank: "The Fed’s full history (1914 to present) has been characterized by more rather than fewer symptoms of monetary and macroeconomic instability than the decades leading to the Fed’s establishment." —Selgin and White
"No economist I know thinks of the economy as being anything like a machine." —Paul Krugman
"We need decentralization because only thus can we ensure that the knowledge of the particular circumstances of time and place will be promptly used." —F. A. Hayek
"A lie will fly around the whole world while the truth is getting its boots on." —Jonathan Swift
" ... so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation." —CNN's new Chief Chris Licht, c. December 19, 2022
Fake News: "That [Steele dossier] is a garbage document ... it never should have been presented ... Trump's right to be upset (angry) about that [Russia collusion hoax and FBI vendetta]." —Bob Woodward
[Also see, "Media Mistakes in the Trump Era: The Definitive List" by Sharyl Attkisson.]
"I am prepared to accept that not everything in the dossier is 100% accurate." —Christopher Steele, 'This Week', ABC, October 17, 2021
Steele dossier: "Obvious fabrications ... [Trump is] ... someone who has been involved with beauty contests for many years and has met the most beautiful women in the world. I find it hard to believe that he rushed to some hotel to meet girls of loose morals, although ours are undoubtedly the best in the world. ... People who order fakes of the type now circulating against the U.S. president-elect, who concoct them and use them in a political battle, are worse than prostitutes because they don't have any moral boundaries at all." —Russian President Vladimir Putin
House Intelligence Committee testimony under oath in 2018, contradicting his misleading statements to the public: "I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting [or] conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election." —James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence in the Obama administration
Mueller Report from April 2019: "The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities." —Report of the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election
★ 'Criminally negligent investigation against the Trump campaign' = Election Tampering:
"We had specific intelligence that Hillary Clinton was creating a plan to vilify Donald Trump — to falsely accuse him of ties to Russia. The intelligence community and FBI knew this and President Obama, [and] Vice President Biden were briefed by John Brennan, James Clapper, and Jim Comey in early August of 2016. ... It all should have stopped at that point. Everything related to the Steele dossier was known to be untrue but yet it was the predicate for moving forward with an unjust, unfair, and ultimately now – everyone accepts – a criminally negligent investigation against the Trump campaign. It was a crime to investigate Donald Trump because there was no probable cause, as FBI Director Christopher Ray has admitted under oath. There was no probable cause for those FISA applications because they use the Steele dossier and it was false. It was phony. ... An investigation that went on for four years and misrepresented everything to the American people. And that's why everyone associated with the Steele dossier – with it's creation, it's peddling to the FBI, and its use by law enforcement authorities against the Trump campaign illegally is in criminal jeopardy right now." —John Radcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, November 7, 2021
"I would love to see his [President Trump's] phone records to see whether he was talking to Putin the day that the insurgents invaded our capital." —Hillary Clinton, January 18, 2021
★
Installing Leftist activist election personnel = Election Tampering:
☭ "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." —Joseph Stalin
'Zuckerbucks': "Mark Zuckerberg spent $419M on nonprofits ahead of 2020 election — and got out the Dem vote." —William Doyle, 'New York Post', October 13, 2021
★ 'Rigged' 2020 Election = Election Tampering: "My book explains, among other things, how [Facebook CEO, Mark] Zuckerberg spent hundreds of millions of dollars targeting Democrat counties in ways that significantly drove up Biden's margin, enabling his victory. 
The funds weren't for campaign spending, mind you, but for a targeted private takeover of the government administration of election operations. ... Tech Oligarch ... Zuckerberg ... money was ... targeted toward Democratic cities and counties in swing states. ... to blue counties where you can squeeze votes out by putting ... left-wing activist into the governmental election offices ... through disparate funding ... targeting Democratic groups with that funding. It ended up making a huge difference in the election ... really profound effects ... The election came down to 43,000 votes across three states. So, a little bit of changes in one state or another can have a profound effect on who is President, who controls the Senate, and how Washington D.C. is run." —Mollie Hemingway
["Over the last two years, 24 state Legislatures have adopted laws banning or restricting the use of private, third-party grants and other allegedly non-partisan contributions to 'assist' local officials in administering elections." —John Haughey, January 26, 2023]
"Wisconsin voters approve [constitutional] amendment to ban private funding for elections ... that bans the use of private money for election administration." —Leif Le Mahieu, April 3, 2024
'How Soros-backed organizations leverage waves of new immigrants to ‘Sway’ Elections': "A network of left-wing organizations backed by billionaire George Soros is working to naturalize and mobilize immigrants and refugees in order to activate them as voting blocs in swing states, boasting that they could 'sway the outcome of national, state, and local elections.'" —Spencer Lindquist, September 24, 2024
■ Presidential Election, 2020: "Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is." —Hillary Clinton, 2020
"I will never be out of the game of politics." —Hillary Clinton, 'Good Morning America', ABC, October 11, 2021
"Arrest illustrates how the Steele dossier was a political dirty trick orchestrated by Hillary Clinton. ... The dossier was generated by the Clinton campaign. Its principal author was former British spy Christopher Steele. Steele’s main source was [Igor] Danchenko, a Russian native based in the United States ... " —Andrew C. McCarthy, November 4, 2021
★ Actual Russian Interference = Election Tampering: "We have interfered (in U.S. elections), we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do." —Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, November 7, 2022, 'Formally accused of sponsoring Russia-based troll farms that seek to influence U.S. politics.'
Not accepting election results: "... refuse to ... respect the results of this election. ... That is a direct threat to our democracy." —Hillary Clinton, 10/25/2016
"From the inception of our country, race has been the most singular target of voter suppression." —Stacy Abrams, Voter-Suppression Documentary Producer
Voter ID: "No one has ever objected to having to prove who you are to vote ... " —Stacey Abrams, CNN, June 17, 2021
"Leftists are gangsters. From Barack Obama to Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton and all the angry legions shouting in the streets today, they want to control all the fruits of our labor and everything you and I do in our lives. They are a sly, clever group of people, and their goal is to steal the most valuable thing the world has ever produced: America. They don't just want to raise your tax rate a couple of points. They want to take your stuff. All of it. They want to remake America into a society where their 'progressive' gang controls the entire wealth of the country, and citizens become serfs of the state." —Dinesh D'Sousa, March 18, 2022
'Most terrifying poll result I've ever seen': "Americans ... [in the] elite 1% ... a startling number ... say it's OK to win an election by cheating. ... Among all Americans, just 7% said they would want their candidate to win by cheating. But that number rose to 35% among the elite 1% ... —individuals who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees— ... and skyrocketed to 69% among those who are part of the politically obsessed 1%, meaning they talk about politics every day." —Scott Rasmussen, March 21, 2024
"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses." —George Washington Carver
"Failure is success in progress." —Albert Einstein
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." —Falsely attributed to Winston Churchill
"I'd rather be a failure at something I loved than a success at something I hated." —George Burns
"Welcome to Washington, D.C., the city that you pay for." —Tucker Carlson
"I'm not a member of any organized party. I'm a Democrat." —Will Rogers
Loss of privacy online: "Crosses the creepy line." —Eric Schmidt while Google's CEO
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And by that I mean it’s an opportunity to do things you did not think you could do before." —Rahm Emanuel, Obama's White House Chief of Staff
"Put down the can opener, and step away from that can of worms." —Ctein's famous advice
"Under capitalism everybody provides for their own needs by serving others." —Ludwig von Mises
"Pick up the film camera again ... Life is an experience, and I don't want to spend it in front of a computer." —snaggs
"Film is to digital as a symphony orchestra is to a kazoo." —Brian C. Miller
['But, nostalgia aside, digital photography keeps rapidly improving and has by now greatly surpased film in image quality, mostly ... and convenience.']
"The density of Saturn (mostly made of hydrogen and helium) is less than water, so if you put Saturn in a bathtub it would float, but it would leave a ring." —Astronomy joke from 'How the Universe Works'
"There is an uncertainty relationship between truth and clarity." —Niels Bohr, founder of quantum mechanics
Missing something?: "We can't see 95.1% of the universe: Dark energy 68.3% – faster expansion – cosmological constant; Dark matter 26.8% – gravity bending light; Only 4.9% visible matter." —Physics
Hubble space telescope mirror launched into space with the wrong focal length: "Astronomers are crying everywhere. ... For this level of failure, arguably the biggest screwup in the history of science, and I was leader of the team. So yeah, it was bad. ... I'm not waiting a minute longer than I have to to get this telescope fixed!" —Charlie Pellerin
Astronomers have discovered that there are supermassive black holes at the center of most galaxies: A 4 million solar mass black hole in the 
center of our Milky Way [LEFT: first image (combining multiple radio telescopes – 'Event Horizon Telescope', Courtesy NASA)], 140 million solar mass black hole at the heart of our nearest neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy (with which our Milky Way galaxy will collide and merge in approximately 4 billion years), and an approximately 20 billion solar mass black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy! [RIGHT ("). A thousand times bigger than ours, but a thousand times further away.] —How the Universe Works: Black Holes
Neutrinos as drivers of supernovae: "Stars exploding as supernovae are the main sources of heavy chemical elements in the Universe. In these star explosions, radioactive atomic nuclei are synthesized in the hot, innermost regions during the explosion ... such stellar death events can be initiated and powered by neutrinos escaping from the neutron star left behind at the origin of the explosion." —Max-Plank-Gesellschaft, June 26, 2017 ["For example, the iron in your blood, and the calcium in your bones came from supernova star explosions."]
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." —Albert Einstein
• "Blazar = 'a region at the center of a galaxy powered by an enormous black hole that emits extremely powerful jets of radiation in the direction of the Earth';
• Pulsar = '(from pulsating radio source) is a highly magnetized rotating (extremely high density) compact star (usually a neutron star but also a white dwarf) that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles';
• Magnetar = 'a type of neutron star, believed to possess an extremely powerful magnetic field and to be a candidate for causing many fast radio bursts';
• Quasar = '(from quasi-stellar object) an extremely bright and distant point-like Active Galactic Nucleus, farther away from Earth than any other known object in the universe, visible to radio telescopes, fueled by a supermassive black hole';
• Cepheid Variable = 'a star of known instrinsic brightness which brightens and dims periodically (useful as a cosmic yardstick out to distances of a few tens of millions of light-years);
• Type Ia Supernova = 'thermonuclear explosion of known intrinsic brightness (useful for calibrating vast distances to other galaxies) that destroys an overweight carbon-oxygen white dwarf star that has accreted matter from a companion star.'"
—Astronomical Exotics
Sunlight: "10 quadrillion photons per blade of grass per second." —'Our Universe' (TV Series, 2022)
"Billions & Billions." —Carl Sagan
"The Universe is a Hydrogen Sonata." —Elon Musk, Twitter
Q. "How many molecules are there in a rubber tire?"
A. "Only one!" —NOVA 'Elements'
["Rubber consists of long chain polymers that have been Vulcanized (which means that Sulfur has been used to cross link all the polymers into a single molecule)."]
"No consistent system of axioms whose theorems can be listed by an effective procedure (i.e., an algorithm) is capable of proving all truths about the arithmetic of natural numbers. For any such consistent formal system, there will always be statements about natural numbers that are true, but that are unprovable within the system." —Kurt Gödel's incompleteness theorem, 1931
"There is no doubt that our first order of business is going to be to get our deficits and debt under control." —President Barack Obama, October 29, 2012
"Why are there no speaker jacks on a stereo camera?" —Richard Ide
"The quickest way to take the joy out of a hobby is to make it a business." —Dave W. Thomas
"When a passion turns into a career, it eventually takes fun out of it. ... In the end, you will lose your hobby." —T. Kamiya
"Cats look down on us. Dogs look up to us. Pigs treat us as equals." —'Call the Midwife'
"A dog thinks that it's owners are family, but a cat thinks they're staff." —Anonymous
"The smallest hole will eventually empty the largest container. Unless, of course, it is made for drainage in which case it will clog." —One of Murphy's numerous Laws
"Wasn't there an old saying 'f/8 and be there!'?" —Anonymous photographer's advice
World War II Secrecy Billboards
Secrecy of the project to create an atomic bomb: "What you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here." —Manhattan Project Signs, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
"Dozens of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to credit card companies 'pressuring the company to start monitoring gun purchases.' —Sara Carter Staff, September 15, 2022
"Why did FEMA/DHS buy 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition?" —Concerned Citizen, March 11, 2013
■ 'Public Union/Public Enemy': "All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining ... cannot be transplanted into the public service. The very nature and purpose of Government make it impossible." —President Franklin D. Roosevelt
"A single human lifetime is no longer long enough to look at as many photographs as are made in one single 24-hour day." —Michael C. Johnston
"Ten percent of all photos ever taken were shot in 2011." —Fortune magazine, September 24, 2012, page 166
"Every day, more photo's are taken with the iPhone than any other camera." —Apple
"Over three trillion photos were taken worldwide on iPhone last year." —Caron Thor, Apple, September 7, 2022
'Drowning in Data': "With the ubiquity of smartphones, social media, IoT devices, and cloud storage, global data creation is estimated at around 120 zettabytes (1 zettabyte = 1 trillion gigabytes) per year." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., November 7, 2024
iPhone tip: "Don't unlock the iPhone to take a picture. Use the „camera button“ (low right corner on the lock screen) or swipe from right to left (without swiping up or down ;-) — it's not always faster, but more consistent to get to the camera." —Christian Beck [Also, the Volume UP botton on the left edge of the iPhone triggers the Camera app to make an exposure; a long hold will be a burst.]
Creative destruction: "The number of industries that the iPhone has destroyed is really quite extraordinary. Pocket cameras, calculators, stand-alone GPS, and literally dozens of others. ... " —Allan Stam [" ... all the things that it replaced. [Michael C. Johnston] pictured a little heap of objects that would fit on the kitchen table—an old Ma Bell phone, a camera, a flashlight, a calculator, a Rolodex, a stack of LPs, a GPS navigation device, paper books, board games, a light meter, a calendar, maps, a clock, a timer, a stopwatch, a dictionary, a compass, a radio, a news magazine, etc."]
"Now that we have hands-free cell phones, people that make deliveries are able to spend their day chatting with friends while making deliveries." —Very common observation
"Do we see sometimes us going overboard in our campaign, are there mistakes that are made, areas where there is no doubt that somebody could dispute how we are presenting things? You know, that happens in politics ... " —President Obama, CBS '60 minutes' interview outtake
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.—Bertrand Russell
"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence." —Attributed to Charles Bukowski
"Six words captures [Mr. Obama's approach to the middle east]: Praise Muslims, Ignore Christians, Blame Jews. ... Just look at his background ... most of his life, literally from the cradle up, in the hard left milieu in which it is an article of faith, a fundamental dogma, that Israel is a capitalistic oppressor and the Palestinians are noble freedom fighters and then you have his time with the Reverend Wright. In Rev. Wright's Church and in that segment of the left it's virulently anti-semitic. ... The Palestinians have had one chance for peace after another (1948, 1956, 1967, 1973) ... it has never been Israel that has prevented peace. It has been Palestinian intransigence. ... Israel is an island of civilization – of our civilization – surrounded by brutal states and barbarous societies. Only Israel has womens' rights, the rule of law, property rights, serious education, civil society, prosperity and for all the oil money pored into the middle east you have a vast wasteland beyond Israel's borders. Stand up on a hilltop, a mountain top in northern Israel. You can tell where the arab world begins because the green turns brown. Israel has earned its keep and the Israel haters on the far left are utterly out of touch with humanity and decency." —Lt. Col. Ralph Peters
'Whoopi Goldberg apologizes after she's pummeled from all sides for insisting Holocaust was "not about race"': "Whoopi Goldberg [Caryn Elaine Johnson] is in hot water for comments many have deemed anti-Semitic." ... " regarding her comments on [the ABC television program] The View—for which she received a two-week suspension." ... "They weren't and she's not. She is right about one thing — Jews ['a religion and a people'] are not a race. "She was wrong about everything else ... " ... ["Having written a book on anti-Semitism, Dennis extends Whoopi some grace ... "] —Dennis Prager, February 3, 2022
"When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
When the canceled iron dome missile defense funding for Israel was restored, AOC burst into tears: "When you [Democrats] vote to let terrorists kill Jews, that is anti-semitism." —Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, September 23, 2021
Q. "There were funds allocated to continue backing Israel, which hurts my heart, because it's an ethnic genocide. [sic]" —Anti-semitic university student
A. "Your voice, your perspective, your experience, your truth[sic] – should not be suppressed." —Vice President Kamala Harris, Fairfax, Virginia, September 28, 2021
["It's getting worse: Iran is using that [Kamala Harris] video to help spread its anti-Israel propaganda." —Stuart Varney]
'How to bring on a nuclear war starting in the middle east': "President Joe Biden will force Israel to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iran by offering the Iranian regime a new nuclear deal that guarantees it will develop nuclear weapons, something Israel and its Sunni Arab neighbors cannot allow and survive." —Joel B. Pollak, March 11, 2022
['Never again': "But there is extreme danger of Biden's insanity, incredible weakness, stupidity and treachery (with his removal of American support, sanctions, and other deterrence) leading to rapid escalation with the much smaller Israel only seeking (as it has done in the past against other nations) to destroy Iran's threatening nuclear facilities, but despite Israel's 'Iron Dome' missile defenses, Iran (and/or its terrorist proxies) counterattacking successfully against Israel's population with Iran's ballistic missiles (or Israel concluding that Iran already has the nuclear capability they have long promised to use), forcing Israel on hair trigger to use nuclear weapons defensively to wipe out Iran to avoid Israel's own anihilation (as Iran continually threatens) in Biden's middle east war." —Beth Simon, March 18, 2022]
"... Government spending is taxation. ... You need sound money, free trade, minimal regulations, low rate flat taxes, and spending restraint. You get those five ... this economy will roar and we'll bring that deficit right down with it." —Arthur Laffer
"Free trade is not based on utility but on justice." —Edmund Burke
Tit for tat: "You screw us, and we screw you." —Donald J. Trump, reciprocal trade tariffs, February 23, 2024, Rock Hill, South Carolina
■ "If there is one message that I want our colleagues to understand today, and our constituents, it is that on this day your member of Congress could have drawn the line to say to the President of the United States: Do something about this US-China trade relationship that is a job loser for the United States." —Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), C-SPAN, Capitol Hill June 27, 1996
■ "The Chinese have enjoyed a huge trade surplus with the United States ... What does this mean for America? It means a huge job loss. We have suffered dramatically." —Senator Charles Schumer, (D–NY), C-SPAN, April 6, 2005
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." —Chinese Proverb
Pick a law you want to repeal: "Occupational licensing. People shouldn't have to get a permission slip from the government in order to do their job. Some states require licenses to be a florist, locksmith, tree trimmer, sign language interpreter, and more. Absurd!" —Connor Boyack
"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law." —Winston Churchill
'Future of America and Civilization Is at Stake': "We have 428 regulatory agencies ... America is being smothered by overregulation. ... I call it slow strangulation by overregulation ... The federal government is spending America into bankruptcy, which is crazy. Naturally that leads to inflation when the government spends more than it brings in – that’s what causes inflation." —Elon Musk, Folsom, Pennsylvania, October 17, 2024
‘Everyone Is Under Investigation’: "Over 40% of the companies in the S&P 500 [by market capitalization] are under investigation by the [United States Department of Justice], which is absolutely insane ... " —Mornings with Maria, October 17, 2024
Chesterton‘s fence: "Never destroy a fence, change a rule, or do away with a tradition until you understand why it was there in the first place." —G.K. Chesterton
"It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life." —Alexis de Tocqueville
"I can tolerate risk – it's losing money that bothers me." —Lbill
"A foole and his money is soone parted." —J. Bridges, 1587
Q. "Is this a game of chance?" —Mark
A. "Not the way I play it ... no." —W. C. Fields
"You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either." —Galen Rowell
Don't Gossip: "Saying truthful bad things causes you to be perceived as bad, so if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. The religious prohibition against gossiping ('bearing false witness') and the common advice about saying good things or keeping quiet has been subjected to scientific investigation and found to be correct because it causes people's judgment processes to be strongly influenced to the detriment of the gossiper. When you say specific negative things about someone, people make and gain impressions using an unconscious and irrational psychological effect that causes the listener to attribute the specific negative traits more to you, the innocent person who is gossiping, than to the guilty person being gossiped about, and this is not overcome by the listener knowing the negative gossip to be correct and to apply only to the person being gossiped about! This boomerang effect in interpersonal communications is called spontaneous trait transference. Trait transference works the same with positive statements, so that saying good things about someone rubs off on you as the person saying the good things. Perceptions are trait-specific, so for example, deceit, cruelty, immorality, etc. are separate — accusing someone else of lying, make you thought of as a liar — not just a non-specific 'bad' person." —Rev. Charles P. Miller
"We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question that divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct." —Niels Bohr
"Macs WANT to be anthropomorphosized." —Nick May
"If not us, then who? If not now, then when?" —John Lewis, 1961
"Washington, D.C., [has] all the charm of a northern industrial city and all the efficiency of a southern town." —John F. Kennedy
"I try to be cynical, but it's hard to keep up." —Lilly Tomlin
"The stone age did not end for lack of stone." —attributed to the former Saudi Oil Minister, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani
Monopolies: "We don't care; we don't have to. We're the phone company." —Lily Tomlin's character, Ernestine
The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy: "On 23 December 1924 ... Germany’s Osram, the Netherlands’ Philips, France’s Compagnie des Lampes, and the United States’ General Electric ... founded the Phoebus cartel ... to engineer a shorter life span for the incandescent lightbulb ... at 1,000 hours ... the cartel thus hatched the industrial strategy now known as planned obsolescence." —Markus Krajewski, IEEE Spectrum, September 24, 2014, Updated December 28, 2023
["Innovation and competition eventually eliminates monopolies (except when the monopoly keeps improving customer value more rapidly than any potential competitor.). So the incandescent lightbulb cartel has been twice replaced, first by compact fluorescent bulbs, and again by long life, much more energy efficient light emitting diodes (LED's)." —J. Quincy Magoo]
"Its a dangerous business going out your front door." —J.R.R.Tolkien
"The Google policy on a lot of things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it." —Eric Schmidt, Google Executive Chairman
"The only free cheese is in a mousetrap." —Gekko
" ... conservatives ... have no place in the State of New York." —New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, January, 2014
"There's no doubt that there's some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black president." —President Obama
"Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out." —Richard Feynman
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquent, it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." —George Washington
"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." —Thomas Paine
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home." —James Madison
"Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate." —"Shmoo"
"Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don't need an appointment." —Catherine Aitken
"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity, nothing exceeds the criticisms made of the habits of the poor by the well housed, well warmed, and well fed." —Herman Melville
"If you tax people who work and pay people who don't work, don't be surprised if you find a lot of people not working." —Arthur Laffer
"If you are not rich or if you are not financially secure, blame yourself." —Herman Cain
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." —Thomas Jefferson
"I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know." —Socrates
"The more I know, the more I know I don't know." —Paraphrasing Socrates
"I call my lawyer and say, 'Can I ask you two questions?' He says, 'What's the second question?'" —Henny Youngman
"Anybody who thinks talk is cheap has never argued with a traffic cop." —Henny Youngman
"I thought talk was cheap until I saw our telephone bill." —Henny Youngman
"The original idea of the index fund—own the entire U.S. stock market, own it at low cost, hang on to it forever ... " —John C. Bogle
The Expert Problem: "Even if skilled experts in the field exist, as a non-expert you have no reliable way of knowing who the best experts are." —JoMoney
"Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend what is left after saving." —Warren Buffett
"There's a Chinese proverb that says 'Wealth does not pass three generations.' [Or, 'Rags to rags in three generations.' Or, 'Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.'] The first generation earns it, the second preserves it, and the third squanders it, having never witnessed the work that went into building it." —brian2013
"Proverbs are the wisdom of the people." —Italian proverb
"You don't have to see the whole staircase to take the first step." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." —Arthur Schopenhauer
"History is actually written by those with far too much time on their hands." —Sejanus Aelianus
"When I think I'm somebody, I'm offended, and when I remember I'm nobody, I'm not." —Mike Tyson
U.S. Fatalities: "35,092 motor vehicle fatalities in 2015." —Wikipedia
"15,872 homicides in 2014." —CDC
"List of Murderers Released to Murder Again!" —Repeat offender statistics
NYC shootings up 86% as of May, 2021: "If we want to reduce violent crime, if we want to reduce the number of people in our jails, the answer is to stop building more of them ... " —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"7,881 black homicide victims in 2016 (up from 7,039 in 2015)." —FBI Uniform Crime Reporting
Violence and murder in New York City spiked significantly: "We now have fewer people in our jails than any time since World War II, and we are safer for it and better for it." —Democrat New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, July 2020
'Defund police' – Why are murderers up 800% in Portland Oregon in 2020?: "We must re-imagine what public safety looks like." —Vice President Kamala Harris, former California Attorney General, former San Francisco District Attorney ["Kamala Harris encouraged Americans to donate to the so-called Minnesota Freedom Fund which bailed out the rioters, looters, assaulters, and anarchists from jail." —President Donald J. Trump]
● "Suck it up. Defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police." —Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO),'Squad' member, who just spent $70,000 on her armed private security
● "You don't have one bad apple. You don't have four bad apples. You have a system-wide problem in that police department ... And only by completely dismantling that system and rebuilding it intentionally with the community members at the table do you have any hope of getting it right." —Failed Senate and presidential candidate Robert Francis 'Beto' O'Rourke (D-TX)
● "The 'defund the police' movement, is one of reimagining the current police system to build an entity that does not violate us, while relocating funds to invest in community services." —Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN),'Squad' member
● "Defunding police means defunding police ... It does not mean budget tricks or funny math. ... The fight to defund policing continues." —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY),'Squad' member
"From chaos, dictatorship arises. That is the lesson of human history." —Candace Owens
"I can't imagine thinking that the way to solve the problem of people stealing basic necessities out of desperation is to prosecute them." —Cynthia Nixon ["Walgreens Closes 17 San Francisco Stores Due To 'Out Of Control' Shoplifting."]
"Forty-nine of every 50 muggings and murders in [New York City] were the work of black or Hispanic criminals. ... Blacks and Hispanics commit 96 percent of all crimes in the city." —Patrick J. Buchanan
"Nearly all of the loss of life and shooting victims are centered in the Black and brown communities." —Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michael Moore, January 3, 2021
"Gun violence is surging in cities, and hitting communities of color hardest: [In New York] ... in June, 97% of the shooting victims were minorities ... " —NBC News, July 9, 2020
"In Chicago there are 646 murders [2023], 3.9% involved white people. ... How many of the assailants were white? Four." —Charlie Kirk, January 12, 2024
"I think defunding the police has got to be one of the dumbest ideas ever ... " —Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, [R], June 1, 2021 ["Poll finds only 18 percent support 'defund the police.'" ... "Related stupidity: arresting criminals and immediately releasing them from jail to reoffend ('ending cash bail'), early release of convicted dangerous violent felons from prison, electing George Soros sponsored district attorneys committed to not prosecuting criminals, failing to suppress 574 leftist 2020 riots, looting, and arson in many American cities, or opening the southern U.S. border to illegal immigration of previously deported convicted dangerous violent criminals, gang members, and repeat offender murderers and rapists?" —Michelle Brown]
'Cities Will Set Murder Records Because of the "Soros Effect":' "It's no secret that [George] Soros, with an estimated net worth of $8.6 billion, has been financing a multitude of progressive-left politicians and causes for years. It’s also no secret that electing radical, criminal-friendly district attorneys is at the top of his list of priorities. Soros-backed DAs in major U.S. cities have instituted brazenly lax enforcement policies that have helped unleash an unprecedented wave of crime across urban America. ... 12 major U.S. cities have already posted record-setting murder rates in 2021." —WABC Investigative Report, December 15, 2021
"Our prisons are filled today almost exclusively with fatherless men." —Heather Mac Donald, Manhattan Institute
"Seventy percent of black kids enter life without a father in the home, and Obama even once said a kid raised without a father is five times more likely to be poor and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of school, 20 times more likely to end up in jail. Now the question ought to be why have we gone from having 25% of black kids born outside of wedlock ... in 1965, to 70% now. Are we having a discussion about whether the welfare state has incentivized women to marry the government, and allowed men to abandon their financial and moral responsibility?" —Larry Elder, December 21, 2020
"90% of school shooters come from fatherless homes." —Ned Ryun, American Majority CEO, September 2, 2022
" ... make sure that kids hear words; a kid coming from a very poor school, a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken ... " —Joe Biden, September 12, 2019
Stop and Frisk: "Ninety-five percent of your murders – murderers and murder victims – fit one M.O. You can just take a description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops. They are male, minorities, 16 to 25 ... That's true in virtually every city ... People say, 'Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.' Yes, that's true. Why? Because we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods ... Because that's where all the crime is. And the way you get the guns out of the kids' hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them." —Michael Bloomberg, Former New York City Mayor, Aspen Institute, 2/10/2015 Speech
Michael Brown saying 'hands up don't shoot.': "We found it was a complete and total lie. The fact is police shootings against blacks, according to the CDC, are down 75% in the last 45 years. ... The police are more hesitant, more reluctant to use deadly force against blacks than on whites. If you look at black men who've been killed unarmed last year, there were 17. You were more likely as a black person to be injured by lightning than to be killed as an unarmed black man by cops. By contrast, there were 500 whites that were killed, not all of whom were unarmed. ... The whole thing is bogus." —Larry Elder, Salem Radio, 2017
Hands up don't shoot: "71% of 233 blacks fatally shot by police in 2016 (down from 259 in 2015) were carrying a knife or gun." —Washington Post Fatal Force Database
Black people are not disproportionally targeted by police: "Justice Department statistics show that blacks are in fact killed 2 1/2 times more often than whites are by police. ... But that is far less than what the data would predict, given black crime rates. Take New York City, for example, ... blacks are 35 times more likely to commit robberies than whites, 38 times more likely to commit murders, and 51 times more likely to engage in shootings" ... "blacks were murdered, approximately 93 percent by other blacks." —Peter Kirsanow, Attorney and member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
"Women shall be presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged." —Legislative language
"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!" —Eleanor Roosevelt
"A picture is worth a thousand words; A missed picture is only worth a sigh." —Araldite
"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." —Anonymous
"Intellectual work is misnamed; it is a pleasure, a dissipation, and is its own highest reward. The poorest paid architect, engineer, general, author, sculptor, painter, lecturer, advocate, legislator, actor, preacher, singer, is constructively in heaven when he is at work; and as for the magician with the fiddle-bow in his hand, who sits in the midst of a great orchestra with the ebbing and flowing tides of divine sound washing over him – why, certainly he is at work, if you wish to call it that, but lord, it's a sarcasm just the same. The law of work does seem utterly unfair – but there it is, and nothing can change it: the higher the pay in enjoyment the worker gets out of it, the higher shall be his pay in cash also." —Mark Twain, 'A Connecticut Yankee'
"An awful lot of electrons were terribly inconvenienced in the making of this post." —Dr Croubie
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." —Arthur Schopenhauer
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win." —Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi
"Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it." —Jonathan Swift, 'The Examiner', No. XIV, November 9, 1710
"As Abraham Lincoln once said, 'the problem with quotes on the Internet is that they are very hard to verify.'" —thecoller, at r/formula1 on Reddit
'536 A.D. was the worst year to be alive': "Glacier cores reveal Icelandic volcano that plunged Europe into darkness. ... A mysterious fog plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia into darkness, day and night—for 18 months. 'For the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during the whole year,' wrote Byzantine historian Procopius. Temperatures in the summer of 536 fell 1.5°C to 2.5°C, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Snow fell that summer in China; crops failed; people starved. The Irish chronicles record 'a failure of bread' ... Not 1349, when the Black Death wiped out half of Europe. Not 1918, when the flu killed 50 million to 100 million people, mostly young adults." —Ann Gibbons, 'Science', November 15, 2018
"I don't foresee any Black Swans appearing in the future." —Brad baw703916
"Complexity is easy; Simplicity is hard." —Edmund Keane
■ "We are spending more money than we have ever spent before and it [the 'New Deal'] does not work ... we have never made good on our promises ... I say after eight years of this [FDR] administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started ... and an enormous debt to boot." —Henry Morgenthau, Jr., U.S. Treasury Secretary, 1939 [when the federal government spent 4.3% of GDP vs. 26% in 2009]
"... The [two trillion dollar federal Covid-19 pandemic] stimulus plan ... will hurt the economy. It won't help the economy; it will make the recovery slower than it otherwise would have been, which is really a shame. It will increase debt besides. ... This stimulus plan will
make things worse, not better. What we need to do is let people who work and produce keep their income, not have the government take it. And by putting that stimulus package in, just like in the 2008-2009 period, and in the great depression, it will make the economy worse not better. ... Government spending is taxation. Government doesn't create resources ... they re-distribute resources. Whenever the government spends a trillion dollars, it takes a trillion dollars from workers and producers ... So government spending is taxation and as such government spending will reduce the growth rate of the U.S. and will hurt the economy in bad bad times. ... We need free markets more than ever." —Arthur Laffer, April 2, 2020
"Welfare Nation: In the 4th quarter of 2011 more Americans were on welfare than working full-time, with 108.6 million Americans receiving welfare while only 101.7 million were working full-time." —Data from U.S. Census Bureau
"Secret Service: Nearly one hundred billion dollars stolen in pandemic relief funds ... most ... from unemployment fraud." —The Associated Press, NBC News, December 22, 2021
Obama's pastor preaches:
"No no no, Not God bless America, God damn America. That's in the Bible." —Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Chicago, April 11, 2003
"Now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back into our homes' front yard. America's chickens are coming home to roost." —Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Chicago, September 16, 2001
"The government lied about inventing the HIV virus [sic] as a means of genocide against people of color." —Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Chicago, April 11, 2000
"Our problem is not that [Obama] is a bad person. Our problem is that he is a bad President. These are tired and old big government ideas that have failed every time and everywhere they have been tried. These are ideas that people come to America to get away from." —Senator Marco Antonio Rubio (R-FL), son of Cuban refugees
"... We stand for free peoples and free markets." —Condoleezza Rice, Former U.S. Secretary of State
" ... we are an imperfect union and have been since the beginning. I've seen for myself how the original sin of slavery weaved white supremacy into our founding documents and principles." —Biden's United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, National Action Network speech, April 14, 2021
"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." —James Madison, 'The Federalist No. 45'
"The Federal Government can do most anything in this country." —Congressman Pete Stark, (D) California
"I have altered our agreement; pray I don’t alter it further." —Darth Vader
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries ... and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it." —Niccolo Machiavelli
"Disclaimer: I am making all of this up." —Anon.
"Don't Steal – The government hates competition." —Bumper Sticker
"Something frightening poses a perceived risk. Something dangerous poses a real risk." —Swedish physician Hans Rosling, et al.
'You Have the Right to Remain Innocent' – It is never to your advantage to talk to police: "A suspect who has received and understood the Miranda warnings, and has not invoked his Miranda rights, waives the right to remain silent by making an uncoerced statement to the police." —United States Supreme Court in Berghuis v. Thompkins, 560 U.S. 370 (2010) – FBI: "You Have to Speak Up to Remain Silent"
[Police are allowed to lie {U.S. Supreme Court in Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731 (1969)} and almost all people in law enforcement and lawyers (including district attorneys) warn their children/family never to talk to police because talking to police never helps, and information revealed during interrogations which coincidently matches the details of crimes causes innocent people to be falsely convicted, and because intense, prolonged, and deceptive interrogations (surprisingly) cause innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit.]
Coercive Plea Bargaining – Why Innocent People Plead Guilty: "If all criminal defendants insisted on a jury trial, the criminal justice system would collapse." —Hanna Wilson
"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." —West Point Cadet Honor Code
"I have wondered at times about what the 10 Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." —Ronald Reagan
"To do creative work I must be completely free." —Nikola Tesla
"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify." —Henry David Thoreau
"Biggest most blatant lie I can ever remember from a President.": "We will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what." —Obama, June 15, 2009
"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil." —Socrates
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." —Thomas Paine, 'The Crisis', 1776
Film vs. digital fashion photography: "I'm still looking for that perfect woman but I want mine airbrushed, not Photo-Shopped." —Tom Cheshire
"Never try to impress a woman, because if you do she'll expect you to keep up the standard for the rest of your life." —W. C. Fields
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
"If it can be written or thought, it can be filmed." —Stanley Kubrick
" ... the heart and mind are the true lens of the camera." —Yousuf Karsh
"You press the button, we do the rest." —George Eastman
"It's about time we started to take photography seriously and treat it as a hobby." —Elliott Erwitt
"You have lots of hobbies, but you don't do any of them." —Mother-in-law
"It's life ... activities available, just add meaning." —A Beautiful Mind (motion picture)
"Luck favors the prepared." —Louis Pasteur
"The more I practice, the luckier I get." —Arnold Palmer
"At a gallery opening in New York, years ago ... Ernest Hemingway said to Irving Penn, 'I like your photographs, what kind of camera do you use?' Penn replied, 'I like your novels, what kind of typewriter do you use?'" —Steve Porte
"Nice pen, bet you write good stories with it." —Nikonparrothead
"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed." —Mark Twain
"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." —Thomas Jefferson
Evil: "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." —Voltaire, 'Questions sur les miracles', 1765
"As the press of this country now exists, it would seem to be expressly devised by the great agent of mischief, to depress and destroy all that is good, and to elevate and advance all that is evil in the nation. The little truth that is urged, is usually urged co rsely, weakened and rendered vicious, by personalities; while those who live by falsehoods, fallacies, enmities, partialities and the schemes of the designing, find the press the very instrument that the devils would invent to effect their designs." —James Fenimore Cooper, 'The American Democrat', 1838, p. 134
Percent saying they have a 'Great Deal' or 'Quite a Lot' of confidence in:
"NEWSPAPERS 21%; TELEVISION NEWS 16%" —Gallup poll, July, 2021
"I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who." —Kipling
"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." —Isaac Newton
"Private property and freedom are inseparable." —George Washington
"Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist." —John Adams
"Windows 8 ... weak on tablets, terrible for PCs ... misguided ... smothers usability ... a monster that terrorizes poor office workers and strangles their productivity." —Jakob Nielsen
"Neurotics build castles in the sky; Psychotics live in them; and Psychiatrists collect the rent." —Anonymous
"Some 94% of U.S. healthcare organizations have suffered a data breach in the past two years, and 45% have admitted to experiencing 5 such breaches over the same period. ... 73% of healthcare providers surveyed admit that they still have insufficient resources to prevent and detect data breaches ... and 67% of organizations don't have controls to prevent and/or quickly detect medical identity theft." —Ponemon Institute
"I think people wouldn't have such a low opinion of mold if it was shiny." —Anonymous
"Please do not feed the animals ... the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves." —National Park Service (posted sign)
"Philanthropists ignore the fundamental cause of poverty, including poor health care, around the world: lack of capitalism. Wherever and to whatever extent capitalism exists, the productive ability of individuals is unleashed, enabling them to make their lives progressively better. The West used to be as poor as Africa today; it is capitalism that made us rich. ... Anyone who is truly committed to helping the world’s poor should first and foremost use their charitable dollars and their public platforms for the promotion of capitalism." —Yaron Brook, Ph.D.
Fighting poverty with capitalism: "Businessmen ... do the right thing by not giving money to charity ... [because] ... the value added to the world ... creating better products and services for all of us ... the multiplier effect [of investment] ... is much greater than the value he will ever add in any kind of charitable activity." —Yaron Brook, Ph.D. with John Stossel
"I know that, at this very moment, there are radio signals from other civilizations passing through this room which we could detect if we but pointed our antennas in the right direction and tuned to the right frequency." —Frank Drake
" ... I'm terrified about what will happen to interest rates once financial markets wake up to the implications of skyrocketing budget deficits ... my prediction is that politicians will eventually be tempted to resolve the crisis the way irresponsible governments usually do: by printing money, both to pay current bills and to inflate away debt. And as that temptation becomes obvious, interest rates will soar. It won't happen right away ... But unless we slide into Japanese-style deflation, there are much higher interest rates in our future." —Paul Krugman, 2003
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich." —William John Henry Boetcker, 1916
"No poor man ever gave me a job." —Ronald Reagan
"Anything wise can be attributed to Lincoln, and anything funny can be attributed to Twain." —Winston Churchill
"Welcome to New York ... Everybody here was someone else before." —Taylor Swift, 1989
[Remember to listen to music!]
What Obama's favorite soak-the-rich tax advocate really thinks: "I will not pay a dime more of individual taxes than I owe, and I won't pay a dime more of corporate taxes than we owe. And that's very simple ... I will do anything ... to reduce Berkshire's tax rate ... For example, on wind energy, we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That's the only reason to build them. They don't make sense without the tax credit." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway CEO, 2013
'Save the Whales – Stop Offshore Wind Projects': "The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world's most endangered large whale species; the latest preliminary estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 remaining. ... Many of the Offshore Wind Projects are directly in the migratory path of the whales ... [The whales are vulnerable to ocean noise pollution, vessel strikes, shifts in prey locations, and habitat degradation, according to NOAA.] More whales are killed by ship strikes than by any other cause. ... " —'Cape Charles Mirror', December 11, 2022
"If solar power scaled like computer-tech, a single postage-stamp-size solar array would power the Empire State Building. That only happens in comic books." —Mark P. Mills, Foundation for Economic Education, 41 Inconvenient Truths on the 'New Energy Economy'
"If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up." —Ferris Bueller
"I can see Russia from my house!" —Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor, actually never said this.
[This hilarious satirical statement was made by comedian Tina Fey on 'Saturday Night Live,' impersonating Sarah Palin. The Christian Science Monitor ranks this political misquote as one of the 10 most famous things never actually said.]
"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." —Al Gore
"Let them eat cake." —Falsely attributed to Marie Antoinette
"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better· This is a most valuable, a most sacred right – a right, which we hope and believe is to liberate the world. Nor is this right confined to cases in which the whole people of an existing government may choose to exercise it. Any portion of such people, that can, may revolutionize, and make their own of so much of the territory as they inhabit." —Abraham Lincoln, Speech to Congress, January 12, 1848
"Any single man must judge for himself whether circumstances warrant obedience or resistance to the commands of the civil magistrate; we are all qualified, entitled, and morally obliged to evaluate the conduct of our rulers· This political judgment, moreover, is not simply or primarily a right, but like self-preservation, a duty to God. As such it is a judgment that men cannot part with according to the God of Nature. It is the first and foremost of our inalienable rights without which we can preserve no other." —John Locke
"There are but two parties now: traitors and patriots." —Ulysses S. Grant, during the Civil War
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants·" —Thomas Jefferson
"For God's sake, let's always keep Vanguard a place where judgment has at least a fighting chance to triumph over process." —Jack Bogle
"There's no place like this place anywhere near this place so this must be The Place." —Ken Hamilton's mother
Productivity recommendations: "In general, always pick common sense as your guide. If following a company rule is obviously ridiculous in a particular situation, such that it would make for a great Dilbert cartoon, then the rule should change." —Elon Musk, April, 2018
["There have been hundreds of automotive startups, both electric and combustion, but Tesla is the only American carmaker to achieve high volume production and positive cash flow in the past 100 years." —Elon Musk, November 11, 2021]
"'Cause I don't care too much for money; Money can't buy me love" —The Beatles, 'Can't Buy Me Love'
"Somebody said to me, 'But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.' That's a huge myth. John [Lennon] and I literally used to sit down and say, 'Now, lets write a swimming pool.'" —[Sir James] Paul McCartney
"In the U.S., the richest 1 percent of men lives 14.6 years longer on average than the poorest 1 percent of men, while among women in those wealth percentiles, the difference is 10.1 years on average." —MIT News
'Great rebirth of American freedom': "We will build a future where we are free of violence and free of crime and free of fear ... [there is a] Marxist revolution going on [in the United States] ... we have to stop it fast. ... we must ... save our country. ... [we] can't just sit by and wait for the courts to save America [from the] radical left barbarians who are trying to burn down every right and every liberty that we hold dear. ... " —Donald J. Trump, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 14, 2023
From Prison — The Democrats' Scheme for an American Marxist Counterrevolution:
The blueprint for "Obamacare [was] written in prison by convicted felon [Robert Creamer, the husband of Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and also a lobbyist for George Soros' 'Open Society Institute']." —Logan Inkosovo
[Robert Creamer's jailhouse book (while serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion) "[Listen to Your Mother:] Stand Up Straight! [How Progressives Can Win] advanced the notion ['deeply influenced' by Saul Alinsky] that the Democratic Party could win a permanent majority in Congress by doing the following:
● passing a national health care bill, thereby turning more people into wards of an ever-expanding government, and of the party that works to grow government; and
● giving amnesty to all illegal immigrants, thereby creating, virtually overnight, a large new constituency of Democratic voters."]
"[Obamacare] is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress ... it is just beyond comprehension ... " —Senator Jay Rockefeller, Democrat, West Virginia, Obamacare architect
" ... our ultimate goal is to ... get a path to citizenship for all 11 million or however many undocumented there are here." —Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), November, 2022
"Medicare is setting as many as 11 billion prices on any given day. ... Is there any chance that Medicare is going to get these prices right? ... " —John Goodman, September 30, 2024
Obamacare: "This bill takes what I call the spaghetti approach – which is take a bunch of ideas that might work and throw them against the wall and see what sticks." — Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber, M.I.T. Professor and Healthcare Economist
Rep. Kevin Brady's Obamacare Organization Chart
"I am a CPA. My clients are unable or unwilling to jump through the 'hoops' the regulators have established. Hence they are just sitting on the sidelines rather than investing and creating jobs." —Terrence Nemec
"We are heading for hard times. We are dismantling this country. We are getting soft. We have the government as our biggest competitor. The government needs to get out of the way and let us work." —Goya Foods President/CEO Robert Unanue, November 18, 2021
"After the second world war we cut our government spending by 60% and the economy boomed. We cut ourselves all the way to a big surplus." —George Gilder
"You cannot cut your way to deficit reduction. [sic]" —Nancy Pelosi
"Good Grief!" —Charlie Brown
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." —Samuel Adams
"In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority." —Edmund Burke [That is one of the fundamental reasons why our founding fathers made the United States a constitutional republic, not a democracy.]
"Government is simply the biggest corporation, with the sole monopoly on violence." —Elon Musk, 2021
"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves." —Henry David Thoreau
" ... all adults should own their lives and property, and have the right to make their own choices as to how they live their lives, as long as they respect the same right of other people." —Judge James P. Gray
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual·" —Thomas Jefferson
The Golden Rule (negative form): "That which is hateful to you, do not unto another: This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary — [and now] go study." —Hillel, first-century-BCE rabbinic sage [in response to a challenge "to teach the entire Torah while his listener stood on one foot"]
Take the Human Respect Test: "Are you okay if someone gets killed over this?" —Mike Sertic, Advocates for Self-Government
"A Massachusetts woman this week won the right to wear a colander on her head in her driver's license photo after citing religious reasons. Lindsay Miller identifies as a 'Pastafarian' and member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which some critics call a parody religion." —Andrea Noble
"I, like most of the American people, don't begrudge people success or wealth ... That's part of the free market system." —U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama, II
"I am not a crook." —U.S. President Richard Milhous Nixon
"I am a capitalist." —U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, September 25, 2024
"Academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” —Henry Kissinger, et al
"I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes." —Anon.
Innominate: "Patient complains, 'I have this nameless dread, doctor.' Dr. replies, 'don't worry, we have names for everything.'" —Joke
"Any fool can take a picture but a photographer that can make an ugly [person] look good will have a job for life" —Groucho Marx
"If you don't want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you won't have to work." —Ogden Nash
"The universe is big. Really big." —Douglas Adams
"The American Republic will endure until the day the Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's money." —Alexis de Tocqueville
Politician: "I can't be bought, but occasionally I can be rented." —Old Washington saw
"The production of a perfect picture by means of photography is an Art; the production of a technically perfect negative is a science." —Ferdinand Hurter & Vero Charles Driffield, 1890
"If it sells, it's art." —Frank Lloyd Wright
On internet advertising vs. privacy: "If you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." —blue_beetle
Orwellian VPN Block message: "YouTube (owned by Google) does not let you watch videos anonymously." —YouTube Privacy Warning
"Nobody is listening to your telephone calls." —President Obama, "The Drone Ranger"
Pick a law you want to repeal: "The USA PATRIOT Act. This deceptively named piece of legislation ushered in the surveillance state in post-9/11 America, making it easier for the government to spy on people who aren't suspected of committing a crime." —Connor Boyack
"There’s a photograph everywhere and it's the photographer's job to find it." —Anonymous
Death Panel: "Some people live. Some people die." —Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, comments on giving Sarah Murnaghan, a dying 10 year old Pennsylvania girl with end-stage cystic fibrosis, a death sentence by deliberately refusing her a life saving adult lung transplant (Sebelius' action was subsequently overruled by a judge)
Baracknophobia: ■ "There hasn't been a bigger con man in the White House than Barack Obama." —Ralph Nader, June 2013
"Lie back and think of Mars." —Elon Musk, Twitter
"The biggest of all rockets blasts off, Artemis I is on its way ... to the moon. Each [NASA] launch costs $4 billion." —Stuart Varney, November 16, 2022
"When starships transporting colonists first depart the solar system, they may well be headed toward a Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite discovered planet as their new home." —George R. Ricker, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
[Since the sun is in motion, orbiting around the milky way, the elliptical orbits of the planets become approximately helical. (Image, Right; Courtesy DjSadhu.)]
"There are many things the government can't do, many good purposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people." —Lord Acton
"I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally." —W. C. Fields
"The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design." —Freidrich Hayek
"If I could say it in words, I wouldn't need a camera." —Lewis Wickes Hine
Robert Frost's response when asked to explain a poem: "You want me to say it worse?"
"If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint." —Edward Hopper
"Civility is not a sign of weakness." —JFK
"[President Obama] has been an unmitigated disaster to the country." —Former Vice President Richard Cheney (in a 75 minute speech given just three weeks after receiving a heart transplant)
"The history of taxation shows that taxes which are inherently excessive are not paid. The high rates inevitably put pressure upon the taxpayer to withdraw his capital from productive business." —Andrew Mellon, U.S. Treasury Secretary during the 1920's
"For a few hundred dollars, you can get equipment that is 95% perfect. You will go broke trying to get that last 5%." —David Charlap's grandfather
"Aren't you glad you married me, Blanche?" —What grandpa used to say to grandma
"Although the moon is smaller than the earth, they are about the same distance apart." —Nathan Tenny
"If you believe everything you read, better not read." —Japanese proverb
"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it." —Ellen Goodman
"A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." —George Carlin
"I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!" —With apologies to 'Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs'
"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. ... Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had." —Michael Crichton
"My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize." —Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), Congressional Hearing [He was being serious – he actually thought this was possible.]
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." —Albert Einstein
Predicting the future: "Aspidomancy by sitting in a drawn circle; Cephaleonomancy by boiling a donkey's head; Anthropomancy by human sacrifice; Apantomancy by chance encounters with animals; Chresmomancy by the ravings of lunatics ... " —Nova
"We are bits of stellar matter that got cold by accident, bits of a star gone wrong." —Sir Arthur Eddington
"If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?" —Laurence J. Peter
Any Pro tips to help with Decluttering?: "Move overseas. Your shipment will be lost. Collect the insurance. This is the ultimate pro tip. I can tell from firsthand experience that it works well." —livesoft
"Three moves is as good as a fire." —How to lose a lot of your things
"A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures." —Daniel Webster
The smart lazy kind: "Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." —Robert Heinlein
"You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play." —Warren Beatty
"All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific." —Jane Wagner, The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe, performed by Lily Tomlin
■ " ... you can't do by executive order unless you're a dictator." —Joe Biden, October 15, 2020
"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" —Oliver Hardy (of Laurel and Hardy)
"Technology is anything that wasn't around when you were born." —Alan Curtis Kay
"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." —Alan Curtis Kay
"If others would think as hard as I did, then they would get similar results." —Sir Isaac Newton
"Consensus is the absence of leadership." —Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister
Our Internet Surveillance State: "The Fourth Amendment does not protect communications held in electronic storage [sic], such as email messages stored on a server, because internet users do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communication." —Office of Chief Counsel, IRS Criminal Tax Division, 2009
"The only thing a thief steals that can't be replaced is whatever faith you had left in other people." —Anonymous
"It’s more important for a photographer to have very good shoes than to have a very good camera." —Sebastião Salgado
Scientific method: "In general we look for a new law by the following process. First we guess it. Then we compute the consequences of the guess to see what would be implied if this law that we guessed is right. Then we compare the result of the computation to nature, with experiment or experience; compare it directly with observation, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong." —Richard Feynman
Climate models fail to predict actual measured temperature data or agree
with each other, and so many wrong models should not inspire confidence.
Courtesy of Alex Epstein.
Nobel Prize Winning Physicist – Climate Alarmism Based on 'Pseudoscience': "Climate models have many shortcomings and are not remotely plausible as policy tools. They do not only exaggerate the effect of greenhouse gases, they also ignore the fact that enriching the atmosphere with CO2 is beneficial." —World Climate Declaration – 'THERE IS NO CLIMATE EMERGENCY'
"This is the issue, the changing climate, I won't deny that, but it is not an emergency, it's not a crisis, and if you exaggerate the magnitude, the certainty, and the urgency of what you think is a climate threat you're going to get bad policies. They'll be needlessly disruptive, needlessly expensive, and we will not be serving the country well by promoting alarm. The 'crisis,' the apocalyptic language is just over the top ... it's a disservice to people. First, because the evidence is not there, but more importantly, if scientists are saying the evidence is not there, you should hear from them, you should listen to them and they're being silenced. So they are not deniers of science. They are deniers of alarmism." —Steven Koonin, Ph.D., Former Obama Energy Department, Chief Scientist, July, 2023
"I love simulated data. It turns the impossible into the possible!" —FinancialDave
"We can use words to denote not only objects and events in the outside world but also more abstract concepts. This ability leads to another strikingly human characteristic, one that is seldom mentioned: our almost limitless ability for self deception ... Whatever the answer, the only sensible way to arrive at [nature's secrets] is through detailed scientific research. All other approaches are little more than whistling to keep our courage up. Man is endowed with a relentless curiosity about the world. We cannot be satisfied forever by the guesses of yesterday, however much the charms of tradition and ritual may, for a time, lull our doubts about their validity. We must hammer away until we have forged a clear and valid picture not only of this vast universe in which we live but also of our very selves." —Francis Crick, 1989
"If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything." —Ronald Coase
"47 of ... 53 ... 'landmark' ... cancer research ... publications ... could not be replicated." —Sharon Begley, 2012
"More than 10,000 research papers were retracted in 2023 – a new record. The number of articles being retracted rose sharply this year. Integrity experts say that this is only the tip of the iceberg. ... Publishers struggle to clean up a slew of sham papers, and peer review fraud." —Richard Van Noorden, ‘Nature’, December 12, 2023
"Half of all published studies turn out to be incorrect, and it was found that 84.7% of statistics [sic] are entirely made up!"
LOL: "A leading scientific journal faces humiliation after it published a completely fake paper, purportedly written by Chinese researchers, which contained AI generated images of a rat with a p***s bigger than its own body." —Modernity News February 17, 2024
["When my daughter was a small child, I would intersperse funny nonsense with teaching her, to get her to question and think about whether what she was being told made sense, or was 'completely silly', so she would develop a healthy scepticism. Hopefully, such hilarious AI fakery will help combat believing fake news and outright lies by a naively gullible populous." —DrDr ]
"There is a 0.273972% chance that it's your birthday." —pseudostat
"If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment." —Ernest Rutherford
Lacking falsifiability: "Not even wrong." —Wolfgang Pauli
"Superstition is the religion of feeble minds." —Edmund Burke
"The large print giveth, but the small print taketh away." —Tom Waits, Small Change
"He who believes that the past cannot be changed has not yet written his memoirs." —Torvald Gahlin
"The single most useful [photography] advice I ever got was to make sure that I have the lens pointed at something that's actually interesting." —Matt Laur
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty." —Patrick Henry
"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon." —Thomas Paine
"No people will tamely surrender their liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and virtue is preserved·" —Samuel Adams
"I believe each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with himself and the fruit of his labor, so far as it in no wise interferes with any other man’s rights—that each community, as a State, has a right to do exactly as it pleases with all the concerns within that State that interfere with the rights of no other State, and that the general government, upon principle, has no right to interfere with anything other than that general class of things that does concern the whole." —Abraham Lincoln, July 10, 1858
"The era of big government is over." —William Jefferson Clinton, State of the Union Address (when government was half the size)
"Film is cheap. Opportunities are priceless." —Mongo
"The more I know about people, the better I like my dog." —Mark Twain
"I love mankind... it's PEOPLE I can't stand!!" —Linus
"It costs 1.75 trillion dollars [per year] to comply with just [United States] Federal regulations – that is a number larger than just eight economies in the world." —Senator Ron Johnson (R) Wisconsin, November 7, 2011
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first." —Thomas Jefferson
"Laws and regulations try to do something not possible, i.e., to dictate a deterministic algorithm for how you must behave. This, beyond the comprehension of lawmakers, is actually an unsolved and impossibly hard artificial intelligence problem. So almost all such attempts are so very flawed, and reality is so much more intricate than contemplated, that you need not break the rule, as with some study and thought you can probably find or create an allowed fact pattern and valid interpretation within the inevitable ridiculous complexity that lawfully achieves the result you desire, even if opposite the authoritarian rulemakers' intention. Also, unlike most who quickly acquiesce, an intelligent, determined, highly motivated individual with a word processor who will never give up can be enormously expensive and time consuming for a bureaucracy to attempt to mess with." —A. Freeman
"The pioneers of a warless world are the [youth] who refuse military service." —Albert Einstein
To save the soul of America: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"I had the great privilege to have heard the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. give his inspirational 'I have a dream' speech in person in 1965, and I can tell you that the strange $10 million Boston MLK huge bronze statue (to which his family objects) looks like Martin Luther King about as much as 'diversity equity and inclusion' (race based discrimination) looks like Dr. Martin Luther King's dream." —Angela Frankel
"America must be colorblind. " —Andre Archie, Professor of Philosophy at Colorado State University
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety." —Benjamin Franklin
'Intense emotional investment in political figures': "A lot of people believe that their freedom and happiness depend entirely on the success of a politician. Both sides are guilty of this. But not only is it a totally flawed way of thinking about politics, it's also dangerous." —Connor Boyack, July 22, 2024
"There is nothing in the world which cannot be misunderstood or abused." —Alfred Nobel (with 355 patents, including for his invention, dynamite, that was not used to build the Central Pacific Railroad)
"[Walt Disney] lacked imagination and had no good ideas." —Kansas City Star editor who fired Disney in 1919
Did you know that breathing into a paper bag to treat hyperventilation syndrome was invented by New York City physician Alexander Winter, M.D.? (The medical journals refused to publish his article about the easy treatment he had created [to help anxious World War II military recruits], but eventually the Journal of the American Medical Association published his letter to the editor describing the simple cure which is now almost universally known and often shown being used in movies and TV dramas.)
Flight Risk: "The U.S. has not had a fatal plane crash involving a major American airline in more than 14 years." —'The New York Times', Augist 21, 2023
Surprising relative death risk factors: "(1) Diet low in whole grains, (2) Diet low in fruits, (3) Diet low in nuts and seeds, and (4) Diet low in vegetables are EACH claimed to be a higher cause of deaths than (5) Drug use! While hypertension is the big killer." —Our World in Data (Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Global Burden of Disease, 2019)
"I typically prefer buying the best since I have done so many times the most expensive route: buy cheap, buy better and buy best and you end up having 3 of each item ... " —Samuli Vahonen
"On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time." —George Orwell
"There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist." —Indiana Jones
"Is this the right room for an argument?" —Monty Python's Flying Circus
"We shall consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves." —Thomas Jefferson
"Don't ever sign your name to debt where you have no ownership of the asset securing it." —Tamarind
Rule #1: "Never be a burden on your kids." —Point
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." —Will Rogers
"It is preposterous that businesses are under attack in the United States of America" —Steve Wynn
ESG Bill veto, putting retirement funding in jeopardy: "This Administration continues to prioritize their radical policy agenda over the economic, energy and national security needs of our country, and it is absolutely infuriating, ... Despite a clear and bipartisan rejection ... from Congress, President Biden is choosing to put his Administration’s progressive agenda above the well-being of the American people." —Senator Joe Manchun (D-WV), March 20, 2023
"Friedman Doctrine: The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits." —Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman, 'The New York Times', 1970 [Contradicting the woke corporate conflicts of interest of 'ESG'.]
"There is no such thing as a profit; there are only costs." —Peter Drucker
[Profits are the cost of capital – would you invest in a company without them? – as wages are the cost of labor.]
"Start every day with a smile, and get it over with." —W. C. Fields
"Results are uncertain even for the more experienced photographers." —Matthew Brady
"If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera." —Lewis Hine
"The quickest way to make money at photography is to sell your camera." —Anon.
"What are you going to do with them after you look at the pictures?" —Tita
"You have a lot of hobbies, but you don't do any of them." —Tita
"Few people have the resources to resist authority." —Yale Professor Stanley Milgram, "The Perils of Obedience"
"Everyone has a plan, until they get hit." —Mike Tyson
"To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age. 'Tis much better to do a little with certainty, and leave the rest for others that come after you, than to explain all things by conjecture without making sure of anything." —Sir Isaac Newton
"The important thing is never to stop questioning." —Albert Einstein
"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'." —Yoda
Build Back Better Blunder = $trillions: "But whether they know it or not they overwhelmingly support it." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, October 12, 2021
Huge trainwreck: "We have to pass the [Obamacare] bill so that you can find out what is in it ... " —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
■ Unions warn in a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi that Obamacare will "shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class. ... Perverse incentives are causing nightmare scenarios. ... [Obamacare] will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans." —James P. Hoffa, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; Joseph Hansen, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; and Donald “D.” Taylor, president of UNITE-HERE
Obamacare Taxes: "Within the 2013 to 2022 budget period, there seems little debate that the health-care law has about $1 trillion in taxes." —Washington Post Fact Checker
"You can't derail something when it has already left the station." —Covered California executive director Peter Lee to "rebut mounting criticism over the rollout of Obamacare nationwide."
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." —Dalai Lama
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." —Pablo Picasso
'12 RULES TO LIVE BY':
• Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
• Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.
• Don't take yourself too seriously.
• Don't let criticism worry you. You can't please everybody.
• Don't let your neighbors set your standards; be yourself.
• Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
• Don't borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.
• Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
• Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about places.
• Don't hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
• Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
• Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
"It's not about the ones who say no, but about the ones who say yes. Your life isn't made up of people who aren't in it." —David Geffen
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world." —Albert Einstein
"It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission." —Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
Social Security: "The Social Security Act was signed by FDR on 8/14/35. Taxes were collected for the first time in January 1937 and the first one-time, lump-sum payments were made that same month. Regular ongoing monthly benefits started in January 1940." —Social Security History FAQ
"B(a) = PIA(a) x (1 - e(n)) x (1 + d(n)) x Z(a) + max((.5 x PIA*(a) - PIA(a) x (1+d(n))) x E(a,q,m), 0) x (1- u(a,q,n,m)) x D(a)" —Social Security Benefit Amount
■ 'Joe Biden has advocated cutting Social Security for 40 years': "When I argued that we should freeze federal spending, I meant Social Security as well. I meant Medicare and Medicaid. I meant Veterans Benefits. I meant every single solitary thing in the government. And I not only tried it once, I tried it twice, I tried it a third time, and I tried it a fourth time." —Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Capitol Hill, January 31, 1995
When asked what camera he uses: "Whatever I can carry." —Ansel Adams, at about age 80
Soft bigotry of low expectations: "I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, I observed in different countries that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves and became richer." —Benjamin Franklin, 1766
Success Sequence: "Finish high school, get a full-time job and wait until age 21 to get married and have children. ... of American adults who followed these three simple rules, only about 2 percent are in poverty and nearly 75 percent have joined the middle class ... " —Ron Haskins, Brookings Institution
"This is America; work hard, believe in yourself, invest in yourself, finish high school, don't have a kid outside of wedlock, get married before you have a kid, and you will not be poor. This is a message that white liberals ought to be giving, but they're not." —Larry Elder, December 21, 2020
"Waste not, want not. ... Acting rich is the best way to stop being rich." —Finridge
"Fed report finds 75% of $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program didn't reach employees." —Joe Mueller, July 8, 2022
"We have suggested as a fundamental guiding rule that the investor should never have less than 25% or more than 75% of his funds in common stocks, with a consequent inverse range of between 75% and 25% in bonds." —Benjamin Graham (Warren Buffett's mentor), writing in 'The Intelligent Investor,' 1973
"All predictions are wrong, but every prediction is wrong in its own way." —livesoft
"Never mix investing and politics. Your emotional reaction to who won or lost the election is almost always misleading when making investment decisions." —Paraphrasing Barry Ritholz
"Best advice I ever got ... 'Let me tell you all you need to know about the investment business: Nobody knows nuthin'.' " —John C. Bogle, Founder, Vanguard Investments
"The honest answer is: nobody knows." —JDave
"It's not supposed to be easy. Anyone who finds it easy is stupid." —Charlie Munger
"In finance, if you're certain of anything, you're out of your mind." —William Bernstein
The ultimate stock market prediction: "It will fluctuate." —John Pierpont Morgan
"I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people." —Sir Isaac Newton
[Isaac Newton was not just one of the world's three greatest physicists, he was also Master of the British Royal Mint.]
"You can afford any car when your net worth increases or decreases by that amount on an average market day. It's the livesoft rule." —Nicolas
"Risk is what's left over when you think you've thought of everything. Thinking too hard can sometimes make more risk in investing, not less." —Wanderingwheelz
"Don’t spend, invest. Don’t consume, produce. ... Long-term capital accumulation is the secret to everything. ... " —Stuart Varney, July 30, 2024
"It is always wise to expect the unexpected." —John Bogle
Lawlessness in America: "There ain't no rules around here – we're trying to accomplish something – and therefore when the deal goes down, all this talk about rules – we make them up as we go along ... " —Alcee Hastings, Chairman, Rules Committee, U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat, Florida, March 20, 2010
"If you don't tie our [Congress'] hands, we'll keep stealing." —Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.)
"The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it." —H. L. Mencken
"Don’t worry about the unsustainable. The unsustainable won't last.” —Herb Stein
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." —Thomas Jefferson
" ... it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the [health care] legislation together to control the people." —Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the longest serving member of the House of Representatives
"It's legal to hunt humans ... " —Dianne Feinstein, Senator (D-CA)
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." —Gideon J. Tucker in Final Accounting in the Estate of A. B., 1866
"When the capital development of a country is the byproduct of the operations of a casino, the job is likely to be ill done." —John Maynard Keynes
"All electronics gear works on smoke. If you let the smoke get out, it stops working." —Robert Wallis
"There is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in." —Leonard Cohen
"The bigger the government the smaller the citizen." —Dennis Prager
Washington's War on Prosperity: "There will be a time for them to make profits ... Now is not that time." —Barack Hussein Obama, II, 44th President of the United States
"I don't worry about the constitution ... it doesn't matter to me." —Rep. Phil Hare (Democrat - Illinois)
"Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew." —Will and Ariel Durant, 'The Lessons of History'
🇺🇸 "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free·" —Ronald Reagan, 40th President of United States
"The Left threatens our future. ... The left never gives up. We can't either. We have no choice. The left is relentless. ... We're standing on the edge of a Chinese Social Credit system. The Democrats would love to be able to control your bank account. ... " —Carl Jackson, August 11, 2023
"Freedom is never granted. It is earned by each generation." —Hillary Clinton
"In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress." —John Adams
"Gentlemen: You have undertaken to cheat me. I won't sue you, for the law is too slow. I'll ruin you."
Yours truly, —Cornelius Vanderbilt
"I was tired yesterday and I'm tired again today. I'm retired." —Sleepless
"My get up and go got up and went." —Idiom
"I love a good nap. Sometimes it's the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning." —JoeRetire
"One small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." —Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012, R.I.P.
" ... President Obama['s] ... decision to cancel ... America’s only path to low Earth orbit ... will have wasted our current ten plus billion dollar investment ... and ... lost the many years required to recreate the equivalent of what we will have discarded. ... to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature. ... the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity. ... " —Neil Armstrong, Commander, Apollo 11, James Lovell, Commander, Apollo 13, and Eugene Cernan, Commander, Apollo 17
"By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon, and it will be American." —Newt Gingrich, presidential candidate, January, 2012
"Under my plan of a cap and trade [carbon dioxide tax] system electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." ... "if somebody wants to build a coal fired plant they can, it's just that it will bankrupt them ... " —Barack Hussein Obama
"Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe ... " —Steven Chu, Ph.D., September, 2008, prior to taking office as U.S. Secretary of Energy
"The EPA does not anticipate that this proposed rule [destroying the coal industry] will result in notable CO2 emission changes, energy impacts, monetized benefits, costs, or economic impacts by 2022." —Environmental Protection Agency
Explaining the policy that the federal Environmental Protection Agency intended to "crucify" oil and gas companies like Romans conquering villages in the Mediterranean, stating, "... find the first five guys they saw and ... crucify them." —Al Amerdariz, the top EPA official for the oil rich Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana region 6. (For example, the EPA tried to crucify one of the best companies, filing baseless false charges that were thrown out of court, against Range Resources among the first drillers to discover the potential of the biggest gas field in America.)
"There's no such thing as ethical oil. There's only dirty oil and dirtier oil." —Al Gore, Former U.S. Vice President
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." —Sir Winston Churchill
"Hurry, before this wonderful product [petroleum] is depleted from Nature's laboratory!" —Advertisement for Kier’s Rock Oil, 1855
"With no assured source of [new] domestic [oil] supply in sight, the United States is confronted with a crisis of the first magnitude." —U.S. Geological Survey report to the Senate, 1916
Gasoline price up 41%, a hidden inflation tax, hurting the middle class: "Reaching a whole new level of stupid, the Biden administration asks OPEC (foreign oil) to increase production, while making every possible attempt to destroy CLEANER American oil and gas. Not just stupid, but anti-American." —Congressman Dan Crenshaw, Texas (R), former United States Navy SEAL officer, Tweet, August 11, 2021
The ultimate stupidity as LNG (CH4), that could pay off the national debt, roughly halves CO2 emissions (and fracked methane allowed the United States to be the only country that met the Paris Climate Accord goals): "White House halts major liquid natural gas project and new exports over climate concerns." —PBS Newshour, January 29, 2024
Trump geopolitics: "He understands that there’s nothing meritorious about transferring your climate guilt to polluting countries ... " —Senator Kevin Kramer (R-ND), June 14, 2024
"The country is going to hell. It's being run by incompetent people." —Former President Donald J. Trump, August 18, 2021
'What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen': "There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen. Yet this difference is tremendous; for it almost always happens that when the immediate consequence is favorable, the later consequences are disastrous, and vice versa. Whence it follows that the bad economist pursues a small present good that will be followed by a great evil to come, while the good economist pursues a great good to come, at the risk of a small present evil." —Frédéric Bastiat (1801–1850)
Biden's description of Obama: "I mean, you've got the first sort of mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a story-book, man." —Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) 2007
"Damning with faint praise." —Idiom
"If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." —Joe Biden, May 21, 2020
Offensive comment: "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. And I'm not joking," —Joe Biden
"
I oppose busing ... It's an asinine concept ... " ... "Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in ... a racial jungle ... " ... "My bill strikes at the heart of the injustice of court-ordered busing. ... " —Joe Biden, 1977
["In last night's debate [June 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida] ... California Sen. Kamala Harris attacked former Vice President Joe Biden for working with racist Democratic Senators Herman Talmadge of Georgia and Jim Eastland of Mississippi in pushing a ban on government-ordered and court-ordered school busing."]
"I did not oppose busing in America." —Joe Biden
"I'm beginning to get bored by my own talk here." —Joe Biden, June 11, 2020
"I'm going to get in trouble with my staff." —Joe Biden
"I also think about Joe Biden who says 'if you aren’t voting for me, you ain't black,' who argued that Republicans would 'put us back in chains,' who says there's no diversity of thought in the black community. Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own and you can’t tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin. Joe Biden is a backwards thinker in a world that is craving forward-looking leadership. There's no wisdom in his record or plan. Just a trail of discredited ideas and offensive statements." —Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron
"I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be." —Barack Obama, "comedian", April 29, 2013
"WARNING: Obamacare may be hazardous to your health." —Billboard in Times Square, New York City (parodying cigarette warning label), Heritage Foundation
" ... Obamacare has been struck down as an UNCONSTITUTIONAL disaster! Now Congress must pass a STRONG law that provides GREAT healthcare and protects pre-existing conditions. ... " —President Donald J. Trump, December 14, 2018
" ... on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy." —Douglas Adams
"It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone ... " —Marilyn Monroe
TRIGGER WARNING: More Bigotry
Iran's President says Israelis have no mideast roots: "They have no roots there in history. [sic]" —Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 1871, the Jewish population was double any other group in Jerusalem: "The Mohammedans are four thousand ... The Jews are eight thousand ... " —William H. Seward (former Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln), "Travels around the World," 1873 [Dennis Prager points out that Jews are the indigenous people of Palestine, who occupied what is now Israel more than 2,000 years before a single Muslim even existed.]
"Why UN resolution condemning Israel is Wiesenthal Center's top anti-Semitic incident of 2016." —Rabbi Marvin Hier and Rabbi Abraham Cooper
Disgusting, dehumanizing, extremely offensive:
All the Republican rats. Opinion by Ann Telnaes,
'Washington Post' Editorial cartoonist, Dec. 18, 2020
'Washington Post' depicts Trump supporters
as rats in Nazi propaganda style political cartoon (detail).
TRIGGER WARNING: War Crimes
"Remember, Gaza got withdrawal of Israeli settlements a decade ago and it's now become a haven for terrorism, warfare, and missiles going into Israel. So we have tried the anti-settlement thing. And by-the-way, I'm going to be blunt here, 'anti-settlement' means Jew free. We should have learned from World War II, we should not tolerate that anywhere in the world. ... When the U.S. is not active in the world, we get a replay of the 1930's when we nearly lost civilization. We have to be active. We make mistakes, but when we withdraw we see what's happening in the world today. It becomes more unsafe and eventually it comes right up to our shores." —Steve Forbes, January 1, 2017
[Planning the Holocaust: Adolf Hіtler meeting the Palestinian leader, Grand Mufti Haj Amin el Husseini, in Berlin, Germany, 1941. (Photo RIGHT)]
'Persia' until March, 1935: "The word 'Iran' means 'land of the Aryans.'" —Farsi
Hamas attack, October 7, 2023: "Deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust." —Joe Biden, October 11, 2023
"China deletes Israel from online maps." —National Post Wire Service, October 31, 2023
"The United Nations General Assembly rejected a motion to condemn Hamas, whose attack on Oct. 7 killed 1,400 Israelis." —Philissa Cramer, October 31, 2023
'I asked you 17 times':
Q. "At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?" —Rep. Elise Stefanik, (R-NY), House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing, December 5, 2023
A. "It can be, depending on the context." —Harvard University President Claudine Gay
'Stand with Israel – Condemn Terrorism': "On Saturday, October 7th, [2023] Hamas, a terrorist group backed by Iran, launched a brutal attack on Israeli civilians. They killed and ruined the lives of thousands of innocent Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Driven by hate and the goal of 'wiping Israel off the map,' they raped, murdered, and tortured Jews while killing Arab citizens and using Palestinian civilians as human shields. As of now, more than 1,300 people have died—including dozens of Americans. Unbelievably, many in the media and academia continue to demonize Israel and justify the horrific actions of this evil terrorist group. 'Social justice' activists across the U.S. are celebrating the terrorists' success, dancing in the streets, while Israel continues to fight for its existence. Now more than ever, we must voice our support for America's closest ally in the Middle East. We must condemn Hamas and remind Americans that there is never a justification for terrorism." —PragerU, October 14. 2023
["Is it possible to flood [the] Gaza tunnel network with Mediterranean Sea water [ ... or how about a malodorant non-lethal weapon to make the Hamas tunnels uninhabitable]?" —Redddit]
Hamas War Crimes: "On October 7, [2023] Hamas terrorists committed unspeakable atrocities ... Numerous witnesses have testified that sexual violence was widespread on that day ... the horror of watching a fellow concert-goer being gang-raped, then murdered. ... recovering lifeless bodies, naked with their legs spread. Yet some are flat-out denying that these atrocities occurred. Even worse, some might actually believe that these women — mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives — 'deserved it.' ... The silence on these war crimes is deafening. ... " —Sheryl Sandberg, CNN, November 20, 2023
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping Giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." —Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, after his attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
The Middle East Conflict Is Not Complex: "One side wants the other side dead. ... Don't let the left overcomplicate the Middle East conflict. Hamas is very upfront about their goal: to destroy Israel and wipe it off the map. Why are pro-Palestinian protestors denying this fact?" —PragerU
"Over 70% Palestinians still maintain Hamas ‘correct’ to commit Oct. 7 atrocities." —Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Poll, March 5–10, 2024
"Our strike [on Iran after it launched 181 balistic missiles at Israel (the greatest barrage in history), striking for the second time in 6 months] will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results. ... Whoever strikes us will be harmed and pay a price." —Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, October 9, 2024
'The Global War on the Jews': "Anti-Semitism surges ... The weeks since the barbaric October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel have witnessed physical assaults on Jews the world over ... This most modern of pogroms ... demonstrates exactly what is at stake as Israel ramps up its defensive war against Hamas in Gaza. The Islamist group and its Western enablers are pursuing or justifying a genocidal war against Jews, not merely a territorial dispute with Israel. ... " —'The Wall Street Journal', October 30, 2023
"The difference between a radical anti-Zionist and a moderate anti-Zionist is that a radical anti-Zionist wants to kill you, and a moderate anti-Zionist wants a radical anti-Zionist to kill you." —@neontaster
Joe Biden was also threatening Israel (supporting terrorists) 42 years ago: "Don’t threaten us with cutting off your aid. It will not work. I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid." —Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Senate Foreign Relations Committee testimony, responding to Joe Biden's threats, June 22 1982
Biden tried to eliminate the 99% successful missile defense that saved Israel from the massive Iranian attack: "The President’s [Ronald Reagan] continued adherence to SDI [the Strategic Defense Initiative ‘Star Wars’ missile defense developed and tested by the United States and Israel that Democrats opposed and repeatedly tried to dismantle] constitutes one of the most reckless and irresponsible acts in the history of modern statecraft. [sic]” —Senator Joe Biden, 1986
"'Weak men create tough times': "Joe Biden has projected weakness by crafting a policy of appeasement to America's enemies." —Heritage Foundation
'Appeasing Iran Has Failed': "Obama and Biden's effort at détente with Tehran destabilized the entire region and emboldened Hamas. The horrors don't stop. ... the accumulating evidence that the killers from Hamas lacked even the humanity to grant their victims the mercy of a quick death. In far too many cases, the victims were tortured before they were killed. ... There are Jew haters among us. Moved by bloodlust and orgiastic fantasies of revenge, they thronged the streets and squares of Europe and marched across American campuses. ... embraced the central cause of the Nazi movement. Jew hatred for them is a passion so pure, so justified, that those who torture Jewish children and slaughter helpless babies are heroes. ... Iran is unappeasable, but this truth is too inconvenient for the Biden administration to admit. ... it is the mullahs and the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran who provided the resources, training and encouragement without which the Hamas leadership would neither have dared nor been able to unleash this evil on the world. ... Iran is at war with Israel and with the U.S. ... It wants ... a holocaust in Israel and the destruction of the U.S." —'The Wall Street Journal', October 17. 2023
October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel: "If you want to solve the problem, and you have to take in the whole truth, you then have to admit nobody's hands are clean. That all of us are complicit to some degree. [sic]" —Barack Obama
"I think [Obama] always had a deep hatred of Israel in his heart. He hid it very well. He called me to the Oval Office, and he said Alan, you know I have Israel’s back. I didn’t know he had a target on it. He has never been supportive of Israel. And finally, his true feelings have come out now that he’s no longer president, [and] doesn’t have to be elected." —Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz
"I am struggling with peoples' moral equivalency still. I mean Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me did so this week. The attack was only a month ago. A more savage attack than we've ever seen in reverse. There's a big difference between collateral damage and what Hamas did." —Bill Maher, November 10, 2023
"Israeli Leaders Say ‘Now Is Time for War’ and Vow to Wipe Hamas ‘Off the Face of the Earth’ ... 'Every Hamas terrorist is a dead man'." —Nick Wadhams, October 11, 2023
" ... If the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025 ... There will be all hell to pay in the Middle East ... " —President elect Donald J. Trump
Shockingly evil support of terrorism from a lost woke generation lacking any understanding of right versus wrong:
"I feel like whatever Hamas did was for a good cause to get back our land. [sic: Hamas terrorists intending genocide committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by attacking a civilian population [THAT THEY RECORDED ON HORRIFIC VIDEO], mass murder, torture, brutal gang rape, and other unspeakable sexual atrocities (unforgivably ignored by silent feminist and 'women's rights' groups), incinerated families, burned and beheaded children and babies, 'roasted babies alive in oven', took hostages; exceeding anything in Israeli history, or since the Nazi holocaust.]" —Student ‘protester’, statement to TV reporter, New York City, October 27, 2023
"Pro-Hamas protesters should get ‘a taste’ of how the islamic world treats women." —Bill Maher
Appeasing terrorism: "Biden calls Israel’s response in Gaza over the top." —Kevin Liptak, CNN, February 8, 2024
'a*****e': "Netanyahu is a pain in my a**." —Joe Biden
"U.N. workers played a direct role in Oct. 7 Hamas attack ... At least 12 employees of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees ... the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA ... participated in or aided the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel ... " —Anna Schecter and Raf Sanchez, NBC News, January 29, 2024
"Hamas had command tunnel under UN Gaza headquarters ... " —Dylan Martinez, Reuters, February 11, 2024
"57.5% of Muslim American respondents to a new survey agreed that Hamas was at least somewhat justified in attacking Israel ... " —Cygnal poll, October 16 – 18, 2023
"The ‘War Against the Jews’ ... Is being waged by woke progressive young people, the modern day version of Hitler’s youth. Remember, Hitler came to power as a result of students, starting at Munich, Stalin came to power, the Ayatollahs came to power as a result of students, so we shouldn’t do what some people are saying ‘they’re only students, they’re young, they’re naïve.’ No, students have caused some of the greatest blood baths in the world and today the Hitler youth are on Harvard campus, and on Penn campus, and campuses all over the world are turning on Jews, and we have to focus on that problem ... " —Alan Dershowitz, Harvard University Professor Emeritus of Law, November 2, 2023
■ "We will never, ever tolerate antisemitism here in NY or anywhere in the world. The recent surge in attacks is horrifying. We stand with our Jewish communities in condemning this violence." —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D) New York, Twitter, May 23, 2021
"When I was in office we were known as the Peace Presidency because Israel's adversaries knew that the United States stood strongly with Israel and there would be swift retribution if Israel was attacked. Under Biden, the world is getting more violent and more unstable because Biden's weakness and lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies." —Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States, May 11, 2021
Middle east peace: "The Palestinians continue to teach their school kids that it's great to murder Jews. They continually pay out great sums of money in pensions to people who murder Jews and do terror attacks and they continuously delegitimize Israel as a nation. This is not about land ... This is about the existential life of Israel. And it comes down to this: this is not a political, diplomatic; this is not an economic, or even a military issue. It is – and let me be blunt – and it is going to shock people to say it – this is ultimately a theological question – you cannot avoid it. It comes down to whether that land was given through the promise of Isaac or Ishmael. And that goes back a lot further than the Balfour agreement, UN resolution, 1967, 1973, Oslo in '93 – you can go through all of those and say those were the markers. No they weren't – this goes back to Abraham, and if you don't take it back there, you're not going to see it resolved successfully, because that's where it originated." —Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
'Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks': "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gave the final go-ahead last Monday in Beirut. DUBAI—Iranian security officials helped plan Hamas's Saturday surprise attack on Israel and gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut last Monday, according to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed militant group. Officers of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] had worked with Hamas since August to devise the air, land and sea incursions—the most significant breach of Israel's borders since the 1973 Yom Kippur War—those people said. Details of the operation were refined during several meetings in Beirut attended by IRGC officers and representatives of four Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas ... " —'The Wall Street Journal', October 8, 2023
No mention of terrorist sponsor, Iran: "The bloody hand of the terrorist organization, Hamas, a group, whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This is an act of sheer evil. More than 1,000 civilians slaughtered in Israel, among them 14 American citizens killed. It must be crystal clear, we stand with Israel, and we will make sure that Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack." —Joe Biden, The White House, October 10, 2023
"The opposite of peace through strength is chaos through weakness, and we have weakness in this White House." —John Radcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, October 12, 2023
"The embarrassing, shameless left-wing of the Democrat Party. They can't even condemn the beheading of [40] babies. More than 1,200 now confirmed dead in Israel ... " —Stuart Varney, October 11, 2023
'Black Lives Matter Organization Praises Hamas, Sparks Backlash': "Black Lives Matter Grassroots stands in solidarity with our Palestinian family who are currently resisting 57 years of settler colonialism and apartheid. [sic]" —Newsweek, October 10, 2023
'Never again(?)': "Massive war crimes in Israel & the radical left celebrates." —Senator Ted Cruz, October 11, 2023
‘Biden declares embargo on weapons to Israel, sympathizes with pro-Hamas protesters’: "If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah ... to deal with that problem." —Joe Biden, CNN, May 8, 2024
"Why have you cut off weapons to Israel? This administration, you [US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken] and President Biden funded the October 7th attacks by flowing $100 billion to a homicidal genocidal regime that funded those attacks. ... You funded our enemies and you undermine our friends. And the world is much much more dangerous as a result and Americans ate at greater jeopardy as a result." —Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Senate testimony, May 21, 2024
■Biden‘s disgraceful treachery during wartime, breaking his pledge to support Israel: "The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally, our only true true ally in the entire region, is absolutely preposterous. It is just beyond my comprehension that anyone would do that." —Joe Biden, PBS NewsHour, November 1, 2019
‘Biden is abandoning Israel and helping Hamas’: "It seems to me that President Biden is letting Hamas win. ... An astonishing reversal of decades long policy. In effect, Biden is saving Hamas. ... Biden is helping Hamas survive. .... It takes your breath away when the President should abandon our oldest and best ally in the entire Middle East and support Hamas, which is a terrorist group." —Stewart Varney, May 9, 2024
"We saw how World War II started because of Chamberlain’s appeasement. Biden is passing [Neville] Chamberlain in the appeasement category." —Governor Douglas James Burgum (R-ND), May 10, 2024
'Open Letter from Retired U.S. Military Leaders in Support of Israel': "A strong Israel is vital to the United States national security, and it is imperative that America unequivocally stand by this indispensable ally. ... " [MORE] —Retired U.S. Military Leaders, May, 2024
"Never again is now. ... God bless America." —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, May 23, 2024
"Lawyer sues terrorists into bankruptcy." —Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
Bill Ackman demands list of Harvard students blaming Israel in war with Hamas: "I have been asked by a number of CEOs if Harvard would release a list of the members of each of the 
Harvard organizations that have issued the letter assigning sole responsibility for Hamas' heinous acts to Israel, so as to insure that none of us inadvertently hire any of their members. If, in fact, their members support the letter they have released, the names of the signatories should be made public so their views are publicly known. One should not be able to hide behind a corporate shield when issuing statements supporting the actions of terrorists, who, we now learn, have beheaded babies, among other inconceivably despicable acts." —Bill Ackman, Billionaire hedge fund CEO, October 10, 2023
"Every employer should view an Ivy League degree as an explicit warning that you are likely about to hire a grenade with the pin already pulled." —John Papola
'Hundreds of Harvard faculty sign 'Harvard against terrorism' letter rebuking university ... response to Hamas war crimes' – 'disturbing rise of antisemitism': "Harvard faculty say student statement ['We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence. ... '] was 'nothing less than condoning the mass murder' of Israelis." —Brianna Herlihy, October 15, 2023
[Note that almost none of the Harvard University's 'liberal arts' ('humanities' and 'social sciences') professors signed the faculty letter against terrorism.]
Condemning 'Squad' member Rep. Pramila Jayapal's comments about Israel: " ... We will never allow anti-Zionist voices that embolden antisemitism to undermine and disrupt the strongly bipartisan consensus supporting the US-Israel relationship." —Statement by 43 House Democrats, July 18, 2023 [so 169 House Democrats did not support this statement]
"We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. ... And we will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally, the State of Israel. ... We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem." —President Donald J. Trump, December 28, 2016
'The majority of Israelis support Donald Trump': "66% of Israelis favor Trump to win [the U.S. 2024 Presidential election]; 17% favor Harris." —@VividProwess on X, citing Israel Channel 12 Poll, October 29, 2024
"There's plenty of money in the world, plenty of money in this nation, it's just in the wrong hands. [sic]" —Bill De Blasio, Mayor, New York City (D), January, 2019
An appallingly terrible idea that would empoverish everyone: "I am proposing a tax on the wealth of the richest Americans." —Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) Mass., January, 2019
Preaching class warfare: "I want these billionaires to stop being free loaders [sic]. I want them to pick up their fair share [sic]." —Senator Elizabeth Warren
"I see people say 'the rich have to pay their fair share.' ... The top 1% of Americans pay 37% of all the income taxes. The top 1% basically pay more then the lowest 90%. So who's carrying the freight here? The most successful are not only paying their 'fair share,' they are paying the most, by far. Attempt to tax them, they will avoid the taxation and they will stop investing and taking risks. It's a nonstarter. ... I don’t know where these people [are coming from] ... 'Pay your fair share' ... What are you talking about? The most successful already pay all the taxes ... give them an incentive to take risk." —Larry Kudlow
Calling for the destruction of America's economy: "It's way past time to put an end to the era of shareholder capitalism." —Joe Biden, July 9, 2020
["To the contrary, shareholder capitalism should be expanded by giving company ownership as an incentive reward for success to motivate employees." e.g., KKR executive Pete Stavros' economic model]
"I have never known much good done by those who profess to trade for the public good." —Adam Smith, 1776
"Competition is merely the absence of oppression." —Frédéric Bastiat
" ... the full Obama agenda of building back better." —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, September 28, 2021
"Look at the Democrat debate. We have a Socialist there and none of the Democrats want to distance themselves from the Socialist. These people are Communists. The Democrat Party is dead. There are no Democrats left. They're all Communists and all they want to do is take other peoples' money and rob people of the American Dream ... " —Sandra Lynn 'Sam' Sorbo, October 16, 2015
"Democratic Socialism is the Scenic Route to Serfdom." —Cato Video
Without income inequality, there is a lack of investment capital to help make the country rich: "These days, the American dream is more apt to be realized in South America, in places such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina where incomes are actually more equal today than they are in the land of Horatio Alger. Who's the banana republic now?" —Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, 2011
"We believe in the American dream, not in the socialist nightmare." —President Donald J. Trump
Fatal Conceit: The erroneous socialist idea that "man is able to shape the world around him according to his wishes." —F. A. Hayek
Summary of American Leftists' Strategy of using 'Premeditated Lawlessness' and chaos to seize power permanently:
"Make cities unsafe, riot, loot, burn the cities, encourage homelessness, legalize quality of life crimes, leave windows broken, defund the police, release criminals immediately with 'cashless' bail to reoffend, refuse to prosecute crimes, disarm the citizens to make them defenseless, keep violent gang membership lawful, fund cartels via drug prohibition, resulting in an epidemic of >100,000 overdose deaths yearly due to erratic illegal narcotic dosages taken by addicts (avoidable deaths that would be prevented if pharmacists dispensed FDA approved pharmaceuticals prescribed to addicts, as in Portugal), demolish the statues, rewrite history, attack America's founding documents, principles, and fathers falsely as 'racist', indoctrinate students to hate themselves, other races and the United States to create self-segregated waring tribes ('oppressed' vs. 'oppressors') instead of a diverse harmonious 'melting pot', force inner city chaos to the suburbs by federalizing zoning, extort States and municipalities by creating then threatening to withhold federal subsidies to exercise federal powers denied by the constitution, reject Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'dream', instead promote racial discrimination as 'equity', corrupt the ideology of academia, educators, corporate and political leaders to undermine the culture, indoctrinate employees, with companies like AMEX telling workers falsely that 'capitalism is racist' in 'corporate festivals of self loathing', partisan press, fake news, censor, cancel culture, stifle debate, disincentivize the nuclear family, marriage and fatherhood, subsidize not working, promote gender dysphoria, destroy women's sports, mandate predator access to women's bathrooms and prisons, denegrate capitalism, free markets, merit and success, strangle the economy with regulations promulgated by a deep state permanent unelected bureaucracy, destroy America's energy independence, empower America's enemies, make the electrical grid dependent upon unreliable (intermittant, when the sun shines, or the wind blows in non-icing conditions) 'renewable' energy sources, oppose reliable (continuous) energy such as nuclear [using newer safe modular reactor designs where a meltdown becomes impossible], hydropower, and carbon captured fossil fuel, mandate expensive, limited range electric vehicles using large packs of lithium ion batteries that burst into flames if punctured in a crash, that America lacks both the mining resources to manufacture and electricity to power, oppose creation of new American mines to send manufacturing to China, mandate expensive solar power, wind power, and electric vehicle infrastructure that requires burning vast quantities of coal in China to manufacture (while pretending that this is 'green'), prevent fracking (and disallowing subsitution of cleaner natural gas for coal and oil, the method used by the United States to successfully and uniquely meet the CO2 reduction goals of the Paris Climate Accord), make gasoline, natural gas, and fuel oils unaffordable which most hurts the poor, create foreign dependency on hostile countries by shifting fossil fuel production from the U.S. to the unstable middle east and Russia, and manufacturing to China, disrupt the U.S. economy with unaffordable 'green new deal' measures that admitedly actually fail to significantly reduce 'climate change', confiscatory taxation sufficient to decimate U.S. capital investment and innovation, to imperil tax revenues resulting from reduced economic activity, to impoverish the middle class, to make it difficult for parents to be present to care for their children, to make American companies uncompetitive, and to offshore employment, increase minimum wage to make uneducated and unskilled people unemployable, while raising prices, and while surging unskilled illegal immigration, oppose school choice to empower educational bureaucracies and teacher unions to oppress minorities, damage the quality of American education, neglect exceptionally talented students which stifles future innovation, and provide our international opponents with a competitive advantage, permit big tech and media companies to censor users, competitors and the news, and to invade privacy, ignore court decisions, politicise law enforcement, deny due process and equal protection, fabricate evidence, have political show trials, put on trial and jail political opponents to interfere with elections, spy on Americans, investigate without predicate, impeach at a whim, politicise the judiciary, political prosecutions and prisoners, sanctuary cities, open the U.S. Southern border causing the largest Covid-19 super-spreader event, prohibit States from enforcing laws, obstruct and void immigration law + amnesty to alter voter demographics, count illegal aliens in the census to shift the composition of the house of representatives and electoral college, encourage fraudulent voting, delegitimize elections, federalize elections and police powers, pack the Supreme court, end the Senate fillibuster, and add 4 Democrat D.C.+P.R. Senators to create perpetual one party rule, leaving the minority permanently powerless and disenfranchised, unconstitutional executive orders, regal presidency, fabricate administrative authority, never let a crisis go to waste, mandate lockdowns and shutdowns, centralize power, undermine the Constitution, end separation of powers and checks and balances, unaffordable wasteful wild out-of-control socialist spending of TRILLION$ to debauch the currency ... " —Carol Simmons
"Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. ... There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and it does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." —John Maynard Keynes, 1919
"More liberty, more freedom, belief in the Constitution, lower taxes, less bureaucracy, less regulation, constitutionalists on the bench, secure borders, legal immigration, energy independence, law and order, safety and security, school choice, free and fair trade, peace through strength, second amendment, pro-life." —'Make America Great' agenda
2024 GOP PLATFORM — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
1. Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion
2. Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history
3. End inflation, and make America affordable again
4. Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!
5. Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower
6. Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!
7. Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms
8. Prevent World War three, restore peace in europe and in the middle east, and build a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in America
9. End the weaponization of government against the American people
10. Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders
11. Rebuild our cities, including Washington DC, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.
12. Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world
13. Keep the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency
14. Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age
15. Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations
16. Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children
17. Keep men out of women’s sports
18. Deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again
19. Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship
20. Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success
"There's not a huge difference between people who want something and people who are getting it, other than the ability to take a risk." —Sam Parr
NCAA, wokeness – 'Cheating', while mainstream media coverup controversy: "Parents of the UPenn women's swim team are demanding the NCAA change [biologically erroneous and discriminatory] rules [that one year of hormore therapy (testosterone suppression medication) after puberty erases permanent male-female differences] that have permitted transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete [unfairly against women]. 'At stake here is the integrity of women's sports.'" —Shawn Cohen, 'Daily Mail', December 15, 2021
"The art market has no better an idea of what constitutes a good photograph than anyone else does." —Michael C. Johnston
"Collector eats world-famous $6,200,000.00 banana." —CNN
[Art?: "The World's Most Expensive Banana: Maurizio Cattelan's 'Comedian' Sells for $6.2 Million | Sotheby's" ... “The artwork comes with instructions as to how to replace the banana when it goes bad.”]
"44% of Philadelphia public school teachers who have school-age kids put their kids in a private school." —Larry Elder, July 20, 2020
"Be yourself. No one can say you're doing it wrong." —Charles M. Schulz
"Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." —Oscar Wilde
"Be yourself. It's not just 'enough.' It's more than you'll ever need." —Graham Wood
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." —Thomas Jefferson
"One out of three people still believe Hillary Clinton was the legitimate winner in 2016. One out of three, a different group, think that Donald Trump was the legitimate winner in 2020. So only one out of four voters think the right person was declared President in each of the last two elections." —Scott Rasmussen, Public Opinion Pollster, June 21, 2021
God Save the Queen: "We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics." —Joe Biden, October 24, 2020
Pants on Fire: "Joe [Biden], speaking to a reporter, while running for president in 1988: 'I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do, I suspect. I went to law school on a full academic scholarship, the only one in my — in my class to have a full academic scholarship. In the first year in law school I decided didn't want to be in law school and ended up in the bottom two-thirds of my class, and then decided I wanted to stay, went back to law school, and in fact ended up in the top half of my class. I won the international moot-court competition. I was the outstanding student in the political science department at the end of my year. I graduated with three degrees from undergraduate school and 165 credits — I only needed 123 credits. And I'd be delighted to sit down and compare my IQ to yours if you'd like Frank.'
The problem is that literally nothing in that statement is true. None of it. Biden Said He Received Full Scholarship, Graduated Top of His Law School Class — He Lied." —John Salvatore
[Biden is just a terrible liar: "Biden now concedes that he did not graduate in the top half of his law school class, that he does not have three degrees from college, and that he was not named outstanding political science student in college." —TV reporter, during previous failed Biden presidental run]
["Biden actually went to school on a half scholarship, and ended up near the bottom of his class, and earned only one degree, not three. Now Biden says it is right and memory failed him." —Sam Donaldson]
'Embellishment': "Biden, storyteller in chief, spins yarns that often unravel, leading to criticism: House nearly destroyed by fire; Exaggerated biography that Biden tells includes having been a fierce civil rights activist who was repeatedly arrested; Award-winning student who earned three degrees; and, Raised in the Puerto Rican community at home, politically." —Michael D. Shear and Linda Qiu, 'New York Times', October 11, 2022
"The fact that so many successful politicians are such shameless liars is not only a reflection on them, it is also a reflection on us. When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy." —Thomas Sowell
"Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty. ... H.R. 1 and S. 1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic." —'Flag Officers 4 America' Open letter from 120 retired Generals and Admirals
"Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud." —The Carter-Baker Commission
"We have to focus on the single most sacred right we have ... The right to vote. The right to vote. ... The struggle is no longer just who gets to vote or make it easy for eligible people to vote. It's about who gets to count the vote – whether your vote counts at all ... It's a sinister combination of voter suppression and election subversion ... It's un-American, it's undemocratic, it's unpatriotic and sadly, it is not unprecedented." —Joe Biden, January 12, 2022
■ Eliminating the filibuster would be 'A Doomsday for Democracy': "Bottom line is very simple: The ideologues in the Senate want to turn what the Founding Fathers called 'the cooling saucer of democracy' into the rubber stamp of dictatorship. We will not let them. They want, because they can't get their way on every judge, to change the rules in mid-stream, to wash away 200 years of history. They want to make this country into a banana republic, where if you don't get your way, you change the rules. Are we going to let them? It'll be a doomsday for democracy if we do." —Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), 2005
■ Ending the filibuster: "I think this is the single-most significant vote any one of us will cast in my 32 years in the Senate ... and we should make no mistake. This nuclear option is ultimately an example of the arrogance of power. It is a fundamental power grab by the majority party ... designed to change the reading of the constitution ... the Senate ought not act rashly by changing its rules to satisfy a strong-willed majority acting in the heat of the moment." ... "It is not only a bad idea, it upsets the constitutional design and it disservices the country ... No longer would the Senate be that 'different kind of legislative body' that the Founders intended. ... " ... "Mark my words. history will judge this ... majority harshly. Harshly. If it makes this catastrophic move." —Joe Biden, U.S. Senate, May 23, 2005
'Seems like yesterday, the first time I got arrested'[sic]: " ... I support changing the Senate [filibuster] rules ... Will you stand against voter suppression?[sic] Yes or no. ... Will you stand against election subversion?[sic] Yes or no. Will you stand for democracy?[sic] Yes or no. ... Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?[sic] This is the moment to decide ... " —Joe Biden, Atlanta, Georgia, January 11, 2022 ["I've never heard a speech this grotesque, revolting, and vulgar ... It was shameful and horrifying." —Deroy Murdock, 'National Review Online', Contributing Editor, January 17, 2022]
["Biden's first year in office a 'failure'. ... The president has failed badly ... he went far left – he embraced ... socialism ... tone-deaf ... nasty ... divisive and insulting: you don't agree with me? You're a racist." —Stuart Varney]
Biden's Approval Rating: "33% Approve; 53% Disapprove." —Quinnipiac University, January 7-10, 2022, Survey of 1,313 adults (±2.7%)
"Those who think they can, and those who think they can't, are both right." —Henry Ford
Clarke’s Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." —Arthur C. Clarke
Clark’s Law: "Any sufficiently advanced cluelessness is indistinguishable from malice." — J. Porter Clark
"Don't attribute to malice what can be more easily explained by incompetence." —lstone19
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." —Edward Weston
"Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible." —Albert Einstein
"My husband has bet me $20 you won't say even three words to me. What do you answer to that?" Calvin ["Silent Cal"] Coolidge: "You lose."
"You're guaranteed to miss 100% of the shots you don't take" —Wayne Gretzky
"Scarcity is a myth perpetrated by those that want the protection racket of regulation." —Andy Kessler
"Mom said not to show people that you're clever. Because if they're not clever they don't like it." —Peter, 'Doc Martin' S1:E6
"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." —Doug Larson
"Humans are impatient herd animals ... " —Thom Hogan
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." —'K', Men in Black
"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." —Douglas Adams
"[Obama] was a social activist in the Saul Olinsky school that says rich people are mean, businesses are terrible, take down the power structure, go after them ... " —Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, 11/3/2010
"[Obama] is embarassed by America and our success and ... the feeling is mutual." —Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota Governor, 11/3/2010
'Turn on, tune in, drop out': "If you remember the 1960's, you really weren't there." —Charlie Fleischer
A deadly problem getting worse by the week: "El Paso is awash in fentanyl in the schools, on social media, [and] on the streets. They've had a six fold increase in fentanyl deaths there. ... Two out of every five fentanyl pills there seized on the street in El Paso have a lethal dose of fentanyl in them." —John Daniel Davidson, the Federalist, according to the outgoing head of the DEA in El Paso, Texas, October, 2021
Sobriety - drugs and alcohol: "Clean and sober is one of the biggest damn mistakes this country ever made. ... we all need to self medicate periodically. [sic]" —California Governor Gavin Newsom, c. 2019
Massive casualties from easily avoidable overdoses, disease transmission, and shootings in America's war on drugs: "The addiction rate of people put on prescription opioids was about 1%. It's very rare that a doctor prescribes a pain killer for a patient in pain who then gets hooked and becomes a heroin addict. ... our opioid overdose problem is not a product of the patient-doctor relationship. It's a product of drug prohibition ... " —Policy Report: The Myth of an Opioid Prescription Crisis
Drug decriminalization: "Portugal enacted one of the most extensive drug law reforms in the world when it decriminalized low-level possession and use of all illicit drugs nearly a decade and a half ago. Results of the Portuguese experience demonstrate that drug decriminalization – alongside a serious investment in treatment and harm reduction services – can significantly improve public safety and health." —Drug Policy Alliance
"If you haven't become addicted, it's coming soon to a website near you." —Anna Lembke, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Chief, Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic, Stanford University
"We have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future, for the temporary convenience of the present ... government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." —President Ronald Reagan, January 21, 1981
"We have four basic general areas of policy: The one everyone focuses on is low rate flat taxes; our second policy was sound money – the value of the dollar maintained itself over time; the third area which was free trade; and the fourth area is what we call 'incomes policies' – these are all the indirect ways government can effect businesses – regulations or minimum wage, union activity – all four of those are equally important; you can't have a healthy economy with any one of those being out of kilter." —Arthur Laffer
"In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party. But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican. Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold ... " —Elon Musk, May 18, 2022
"There is, I would argue, a direct line from the Laffer curve, to January 6, to Buffalo. [sic]" —Paul Krugman, 'The New York Times', May 16, 2022
["Only a really sick mind would come up with that ... jerk." ... " ... crazy ... really wacked out far left guy who is a hater. He is just what Elon Musk is talking about, 'a hater'. ... Is that not the worst the American spirit embodiment, the American psyche, or the American culture you have ever heard? ... No wonder people are running away from that crowd. ... That’s the hatred that’s driving a Musk to Republicans. ... This is the kind of hatred that people don’t want ... "—Larry Kudlow, May 18-19, 2022; "Unfortuately from Paul Krugman it's expected. It's just the type of slur when they don't have facts, when they don't have truth, they say things like this. ... I think he's a bad economist. ... " —Arthur Laffer, May 18, 2022]
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." —Frank Lloyd Wright
"A conservative is a liberal who got mugged." —Frank Rizzo
"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions." —Anon.
"I love America, but I can't spend the whole year here. I can't afford the taxes." —Mick Jagger
"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need." —Will Rogers
"Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game." —Donald Trump
"Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work." —Robert Orben
"Always borrow money from a pessimist — he doesn't expect to be paid back." —Anonymous
"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." —Will Rogers
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right." —Isaac Asimov
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." —Variously attributed to Yogi Berra, Albert Einstein, Chuck Reid, and Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut
"Government is actually the worst failure of civilized man. There has never been a really good one, and even those that are most tolerable are arbitrary, criminal, grasping, and unintelligent." —Henry Louis Mencken
"Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." —Henry Louis Mencken
"Every election is a sort of advance auction of stolen goods." —Henry Louis Mencken
"The left-wing mob is trying to demolish our heritage so they can replace it with a new repressive regime that they alone control. They're tearing down statues, desecrating monuments, purging dissenters. ... The left is not trying to promote justice or equality, or lift up the downtrodden. They have one goal, the pursuit of their own political power. ... And if you give power to people that demolish monuments and attack churches, and seize city streets, and set fire to buildings, then nothing is sacred and no one is safe." ... "We embrace the noble vision of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and believe that people should not be judged based on the color of their skin, but the content of their character." —President Donald J. Trump, Turning Point USA event, Phoenix Arizona, June 23, 2020
[Reacting to mob desecrating and attempting to tear down the Freedmen’s Monument in Lincoln Park, Washington, DC, dedicated by Frederick Douglass in 1876, paid for by freed slaves to honor Lincoln, a statue depicting President Abraham Lincoln emancipating the slaves from bondage.]
"Celebrate the progress America has made on delivering its promise of equality and opportunity and highlight the resilience of its people ... in the spirit of 1776, the date of America's true founding." —Civil Rights Leader, Robert L. Woodson
"An expert is someone who has made every possible mistake in a narrow field." —Neils Bohr
"The lady of the house has to be a pretty swell sort of person to put up with the annoyance of a photographer." —The Little Technical Library: Developing, Printing, and Enlarging
Be the best: "And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better. If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can't be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be the best little shrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are." —Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Barratt Junior High School, Philadelphia, October 26, 1967
"A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities." —Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address
The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." —President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
Call for Censorship Commission: "We're going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment so that you can't just spew disinformation and misinformation. [sic]" —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Instagram @AOC, January 14, 2021
Demand for Censorship: "We have to turn down the ability of these conservative influencers to reach these huge audiences. There are people on YouTube, for example, that have a larger audience then daytime CNN." —Former Facebook executive Alex Stamos
Enemies list: "Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future?" —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Enemies list: "You better believe it. We just launched the Trump Accountability Project to make sure anyone who took a paycheck to help Trump undermine America [sic] is held responsible for what they did." —Hart Sevugan
■ "An enemies list is ugly, undemocratic and un-American. ... action to silence a critic is unlawful." —Representative Adam Schiff, Twitter, August 15, 2018
Intimidating Republicans: " ... future employers might see your character defined during adversity." —Jake Tapper, November 9, 2020
"If you're not taking flak, you're not over the target." —Air Force saying
"Let's remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division [sic]." —Michelle Obama, November 7, 2020
"Anything more than 500 yards from the car just isn't photogenic." —Edward Weston
"The Space Elevator will be built about 50 years after everyone stops laughing." —Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"You do not take a photograph. You make it." —Ansel Adams
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?" —Charles Bukowski
"A photograph must be more interesting than the thing photographed." —Gary Winogrand
"Photography has been my way of bearing witness to the joy I find in seeing the extraordinary in ordinary." —Harold Feinstein
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." —Maya Angelou
"A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people." —Annie Leibowitz
"The photograph fulfills my deep need to stop things from disappearing." —Dorothy Bohm
"The creative adult is the child who survived." —Ursula Leguin
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." —Charles Darwin
"If you keep on talking that much sense, you're going to break the Internet." —Grevture
"In 46 years as a photographer, I have never yet taken a good picture at a time when I did not have my camera with me." —Dave Jenkins
"Don't let anybody tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs. [sic]" —Hillary Clinton, 2014
"There are no bad pictures; that's just how your face looks sometimes." —Abraham Lincoln
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. ... " —C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology (Making of Modern Theology)
Vaccinate your children!: "Measles killed 110,000 children worldwide in 2017, most of them under age 5." —World Health Organization
"Never forget that professionals built the Titanic." —Father Brown
Titanic exhibit closed due to water damage.
"That's not fake. It's real plastic." —Andy Warhol
"When picking between two evils, I choose the one I haven't tried before." —Mae West
"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted." —Mae West
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." —Jessica Rabbit
"You're only as old as who you feel." —Vera S1:E2
"Keep sharp knives away from younger people, and keep sharp lenses away from older people." —SkyRunR
■ "We live in a democracy. We don't live in a monarchy. I'm not the king. I'm the President. And so, I can only implement those laws that are passed through Congress." —Barack Obama, Univision Radio, October 25, 2010
"You can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect that they will only bite your neighbors." —Hillary Clinton
"For those few people knocking me for tweeting at three o'clock in the morning, at least you know I will be there, awake, to answer the call!" —Donald J. Trump
" ... the stupidity of the American voter ... was really really critical for [the Obamacare law] to pass" ... "a very clever ... exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the American voter." —Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber, M.I.T. Professor and Healthcare Economist
"Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA [Obamacare] will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class." —Highly publicized warning letter to Senator Harry Reid and Representative Nancy Pelosi from labor leaders including Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., July 2013
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." —Albert Einstein
"There was nobody at NSA who really had a full idea of how the program was operating at the time." —Anonymous intelligence official
"We should bleed America economically by provoking it to continue in its massive expenditure on its security, for the weak point of America is its economy, which has already begun to stagger due to the military and security expenditure." —al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, 9/12/2001, explaining how they plan to do to the United States exactly what the U.S. did to collapse the Soviet Union
☭ "Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted." —Vladimir I. Lenin aka Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Влади́мир Ильи́ч Улья́нов)
The Wealth of Nations: "Everywhere that capitalism ... took hold, national wealth began to increase and poverty began to fall. Everywhere that capitalism didn't take hold, people remained impoverished. Everywhere that capitalism has been rejected since then, poverty has increased." —Charles Murray
■ "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. ... It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government's reckless fiscal policies ... Americans deserve better." —Senator Barack Obama, 2006
"Ask any manufacturer what holds him or her back and they will tell you that they can't operate in a fog of total uncertainty concerning how they will be taxed or how government spending will impact them or their customers directly ... And as to asking their opinion of the impact of regulation on their businesses – from the Affordable Care Act to the thousands of other regulations enumerated in the Federal Register – don’t even go there, unless you delight in hearing profanities." —Richard Fisher, President, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank
"Psychotics think two and two make five. Neurotics know that two and two make four – but they can't stand it." —Anonymous
"You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people." —Will Rogers
"The market is the most efficient mechanism anywhere in the world for transferring wealth from impatient people to patient people." —Warren Buffett
Survival of the fittest: "Of all the companies on the Fortune 500 in the year 2000, more than half no longer exist." —C3.ai, December 9, 2020
"I'm an indexer. I own the market. And I'm happy." —John Bogle
"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." —Oscar Wilde
Origin of the criminal conspiracy: "It's time for Trump to answer serious questions about his ties to Russia. [sic]" ... "Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank. [sic]" —Hillary Clinton, Tweets (completely knowingly false and baseless), October 31, 2016
[Inauguration Day!] The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun: "The effort to impeach President Donald John Trump is already underway." —Washington Post, Headline, January 20, 2017
Coup d'état attempt began within 10 days after Trump inauguration: "#coup has started. First of many steps. #rebellion. #impeachment will follow ultimately. #lawyers" —Mark S. Zaid, Lawyer for impeachment "whistleblower" (@MarkSZaidEsq) January 31, 2017
"Viva le Resistance." —Kevin Clinesmith, FBI lawyer, who later pled guilty to falsifying evidence
★ Coup d’état: = Election Tampering: "The fact is President Obama knew everything. Vice President Biden, as dumb as he may be, he knew everything. And everybody else knew everything ... and Comey and Brennan and Clapper. They all were terrible, and they lied to Congress. They spied on my campaign, which is treason. They spied both before and after I won. Think of that. Using the intelligence apparatus of the United States to take down a President, a legally elected President, a duly elected President of the United States. It's the single biggest political crime in the history of our country ... We caught them. ... They're all guilty as hell. ... It goes right to Obama, and it goes right to Biden." —President Donald J. Trump, August 16, 2020
"They spied on my campaign. They got caught." —Donald J. Trump, June 2, 2022
"Trump really was spied on." —Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, February 14, 2022
'Clinton's campaign paid tech firm to 'infiltrate' Trump servers' – 'Trump accuses Hillary Clinton campaign of TREASON after Special Counsel John Durham said they paid tech firm to hack into his White House and Trump Tower servers to find Russia links:' 
"The latest pleading from Special Counsel ... Durham provides indisputable evidence that my campaign and presidency were spied on by operatives paid by the Hillary Clinton Campaign in an effort to develop a completely fabricated connection to Russia. This is a scandal far greater in scope and magnitude than Watergate and those who were involved in and knew about this spying operation should be subject to criminal prosecution. In a stronger period of time in our country, this crime would have been punishable by death. ... " —Donald J. Trump, February 12, 2022
["Can you imagine that, what should be the biggest story of our time, bigger than Watergate, is getting absolutely no mention, ZERO, in the New York Times, Washington Post, ABC Fake News, NBC Fake News, CBS Fake News, ratings-dead CNN, and MSDNC. This in itself is a scandal, the fact that a story so big, so powerful, and so important for the future of our Nation is getting zero coverage from LameStream, is being talked about all over the world. Just like they wouldn’t talk about the many Biden corruption scandals prior to the Election, (or for that matter now!), they won't talk about this, which is potentially even bigger. It shows how totally corrupt and shameless the media is. ... " —Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America, February 14, 2022]
'Only two campaigns have ever paid the tech firm in question': "Biden had firm at center of Trump hacking scandal on campaign payroll. The campaign paid Neustar Information Services ... According to [Justice Department Special Counsel John] Durham, Neustar's chief technology officer, Rodney Joffe, accessed sensitive web traffic data that the company maintained on behalf of the White House executive office in order to collect 'derogatory' information about Donald Trump. Joffe allegedly provided the information to Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who in turn gave it to the CIA during a meeting in February 2017." —Chuck Ross, February 15, 2022
"Our Legal System is CORRUPT, our Judges (and Justices!) are highly partisan, compromised or just plain scared, our Borders are OPEN, Inflation is RAMPANT, gas prices and food costs are 'through the roof,' our Military 'Leadership' is Woke, our Country is going to HELL, and Michael Sussmann is not guilty. How's everything else doing? Enjoy your day!" —Donald J. Trump, Truth Social, May 30, 2022
Lawyer Michael Sussman who infected FBI with Hillary Clinton's Russia hoax was acquittal: "If anything, it makes me want to fight even harder. If we don't win, our country is ruined. We have bad borders, bad elections, and a court system not functioning properly. Our country is being systematically destroyed." —Donald J. Trump, June 2, 2022
Willful blindness: "It is astonishing that the media refuses to see what is one of the biggest stories in decades. The Obama administration targeted the campaign of the opposing party based on false evidence." —Jonathan Turley, Professor of Law, George Washington University, The Hill, July 25, 2020
'CNN implosion': "Caller After Caller After Caller Mocks CNN's Brian Stelter During Merciless C-SPAN Interview. CNN host Brian Stelter was skewered ... on C-SPAN's Washington Journal by a stream of callers who derided him and his left-wing network as liars and propaganda ministers. ... During a segment where the show took calls from viewers, Stelter was viciously mocked for the left-wing propaganda that he and CNN spew on an hourly basis. ... 'Mr. Stelter is the biggest minister of misinformation I have ever heard' ... 'There was zero collusion from the Trump administration and Russia.'" —Samantha Chang, June 11, 2021
Pulitzer prizes for fake news: "Do not believe any article or story you read or see that uses 'anonymous sources' ... Only accept information if it has an actual living name on it. The Fake News Media makes up many 'sources say' stories. Do not believe them!" —Donald J. Trump [U.S. 2022: "Just 26% ... trust ... news media." —Reuters Institute report]
100 DAYS OF HOAXES: "Cutting Through the Fake News." —The White House, April 29, 2025
TV's Corporate Masters:
"ABC = Disney; CBS = CBSViacom; NBC = Comcast; CNN = AT&T; Yahoo! News = Verizon"
—Lou Dobbs
"I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve." —Jane Austen
"I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other." —Jane Austen
"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." —Jane Austen, 'Emma'
"There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know." —Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, February 12, 2002 ["But, there are also unknown knowns, things that are known, just not by us, or that we have failed to learn, forgotten, or misunderstood, or are too difficult, obscure, or complex, or that we are too lazy or lack the time or patience or prerequisites to learn, or that have been withheld from us by censorship, intimidation, cancel culture, or secrecy, classification, redaction, by being 'under investigation', 'need to know', compartmentalization, or paywalls, or obscured by disinformation or propaganda, or are too upsetting, or truths that our beliefs prevent us from accepting, or a myriad of other ways of remaining ignorant, or that could be known but aren't, or that we pretend not to know." —Karen Smith]
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" —Mary Oliver, from poem, 'The Summer Day'
"Arguing about camera systems is a highly sublimated form of tribal warfare. It's also way easier than making a compelling photograph." —Howard Cubell
"Work like hell, tell everyone everything you know, close a deal with a handshake, and have fun." —'Doc' Harold Edgerton, MIT Professor who invented electronic strobe flash photography
"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day." —Robert Frost
Nikola Tesla, b. July 10, 1856: "Inventor of radio (1891), wireless communication, remote controls, practical electrical power [polyphase alternating current], neon signs (1893), arc light, the speedometer, RADAR, the microwave oven, the fluorescent lamp (1890), X-rays, hydroelectric power (1896), SONAR, the magnetometer, secure communications, the guided weapon, the gas-turbine rotary wing aircraft (1924) and ... the spark plug in 1897 ... " —Nikola Tesla descendent
"An optimist says 'the glass is half full.' A pessimist says 'the glass is half empty.' But the engineer says 'the glass is twice as large as it needs to be.'" —tarnish
"We don't stop playing with trains because we get old; we get old because we stop playing with trains." —Belmondo
"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." —attributed to Mark Twain
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life." —Charles Dederich
"Today is yesterday, tomorrow." —Anonymous
"Today is the tomorrow you dreamed about yesterday." —Joseph S. Wisniewski
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it." —Niels Bohr
"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." —Neils Bohr
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." —Yogi Berra
"Predictions are preposterous." ... "I can't predict the future and I don't have respect for people who try to." —Jackie Mason
"The world wouldn't be – In such a snarl – If Marx had been Groucho – Instead of Karl." —Irving Berlin
"The only thing new in this world is the history that you don't know." —Harry S Truman
■ Danger of government regulation in America: "A network of small, complicated rules. It does not break wills, but softens them. It does not tyrannize, it hinders, represses, stupefies, and finally it reduces each nation to being nothing more than a flock of timid animals, of which the government is shepherd." —Alexis De Tocqueville, "Democracy in America," 1840
"The recession of 1914 gave [President Woodrow] Wilson and the Democrats the stigma of having regulated prosperity out of the economy." —Carl J. Mayer, Personalizing the Impersonal: Corporations and the Bill of Rights, 41 Hastings L.J. 586 (1990)
"Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." —Thomas Jefferson
"Outside its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or economically as the private sector." —Ronald W. Reagan
"Whatever you are, be a good one." —Abraham Lincoln
"No matter where you go, there you are." —Air Force Lt. Col. C. Gordon Furbish
"Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none." —Thomas Jefferson
"If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians." — Warren Buffett
■ "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery ... I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." —President Abraham Lincoln, inaugural address, 1861
"You know you can't please everyone so you got to please yourself." —Rick Nelson
"Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera." —Yousuf Karsh
"It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter." —Alfred Eisenstaedt
"Art is making something out of nothing and selling it." —Frank Zappa
■ "A strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable." —President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Steve: "Don't you ever sleep???????"; Paul: "I have a condition called insomnia photografica. Nothing serious. My doctor says I can live to be a hundred years old. Thanks for your concern!"
"Real cost of government – the total tax burden – equals what government spends plus the cost to the public of complying with government mandates and regulations and of calculating, paying, and taking measures to avoid taxes." ... "Anything that reduces that real cost – lower government spending, elimination of costly regulations on individuals or businesses, simplification of explicit taxes – is a tax reform." —Milton Friedman, 1999
"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this [White] house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." —John Adams, writing to his wife Abigail, on Nov. 2, 1800, his second day as President
"Nothing in President Obama's statement came close to being correct." —The Washington Post, March 4, 2013, "Four Pinocchio's"
"People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it." —Walter Langer, Psychoanalyst
"At some point when messages get repeated over and over people just start believing them rather than trying to figure out if they're true or not." —Thom Hogan
Liar, Liar, pants on fire: "We will not be adding more to the national debt." —Barack Hussein Obama, II, 2/18/2010 [the month that Obama added a record $223 billion to the national debt – more than previous entire years!]
■ " ... driving up our national debt ... adding ... trillion[s of] dollars ... that's irresponsible, its unpatriotic." —Barack Hussein Obama
Another whopper: "You got their plan, which is let's have dirtier air, dirtier water, [and] less people with health insurance ... [sic]" —Barack Hussein Obama
Biden's ridiculous claim: "Joe Biden was not arrested in South Africa while trying to see Nelson Mandela [in prison], his campaign has conceded. The US presidential contender had repeatedly said he was arrested during a trip there in the 1970's ... " —BBC News, February 26, 2020
" ... it is not because we care about children, and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power, and we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year." —Robert Chanin, who was the head lawyer for the National Education Association, Teacher's Union (the largest Labor Union in the United States)
The Biggest Threat to America Is America Itself: "Greeks have higher high school graduation rates. ... Fifteen-year-olds in Russia, Poland, Latvia and many other countries are better at math than their American counterparts ... As for reading, one-fifth of American 15-year-olds can't read at the level expected of a 10-year-old. How are those millions of Americans going to compete in a globalized economy?" —Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, June 23, 2021
"Put not your trust in princes ... " —Psalm 146:3
[What are the other things?] "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard ... " —President John F. Kennedy, Rice University, September 12, 1962
[If you would like one of the special lunar Hasselblad cameras actually used on the moon by the Apollo astronauts, they are available for free. You just need to retrieve a lunar camera for your collection from where they were left behind, on the surface of the moon. — Moon rocks were returned to the earth instead!]
America's goal in the Cold War: "My idea of American policy toward the Soviet Union is simple, and some would say simplistic ... It is this: We win and they lose." —Ronald Reagan to Richard V. Allen, 1977
"[The Chinese government is] trying to stop history, which is a fool's errand. They cannot do it. But they're going to hold it off as long as possible." —U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's assertion that the repressive Chinese system will eventually collapse
"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you." —Joseph Heller, "Catch-22"
"Do not fold, spindle or mutilate." —From an IBM punch card
"Ne-ver mind ... " —Emily Litella
"Go west, young man, go west!" —John L.B. Soule, Terre Haute Express, 1851
■ "One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as 'that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you're right.' If you don't have that, if you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated. The greatest crimes in history have been perpetrated by such religious and political and racial fanatics, from the persecutions of the Inquisition on down to Communist purges and Nazi genocide." —Saul Alinsky
"May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." —Dwight D. Eisenhower
The politician's prayer: "May the words I utter today be tender and sweet, because tomorrow I may have to eat them." —Senator John McCain
"The only known cure for presidential ambition is embalming fluid." —Senator John McCain
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself." —Albert Einstein
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." —Epictetus
"Photography is 90% mental, the other half is the equipment." —paraphrase of Yogi Berra by RBFresno
"Personally I never liked a photo just because it was in focus or properly exposed. Achieving that shouldn't make you feel like a photographer – you need to take the medium well beyond that. Shock, inspire, create beauty, make a social commentary, etc. – that's photography." —Graham Mitchell
Nikon mirrorless camera autofocus settings: " ... went to the Z6/Z7 Reference Manual and found all of the settings that affect AF and multiplied together the numbers of options. ... There are 14 settings, some of which have only 2 options, but one has 7 options ... The total came to 1,290,240. Who says these cameras aren't complicated?" —DeSch
"Riding a Harley, playing a guitar though a vacuum tube Marshall amplifier, listening to an album on vinyl and shooting a rangefinder ... all some of lifes great choices." —millsart
"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes." —Mahatma Gandhi
"If you want to succeed, double your failure rate." –Thomas Watson, IBM President
"Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal." —President Richard Nixon
"'Richard Nixon, if he were alive today, would feel vindicated that all the crimes he committed against me – which forced his resignation facing impeachment – are now legal.' (Thanks to the Patriot Act and other laws passed in recent years.)" —Daniel Ellsberg
"I know a man who doesn't pay to have his trash taken out. How does he get rid of his trash? He gift wraps it, and puts in into an unlocked car." —Henny Youngman
"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." —Robert McCloskey, U.S. State Department spokesman, at a press
briefing during the Vietnam War
"Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." —Bob Seeger
"Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy." —Sir Isaac Newton
"Never install version point zero of anything." —Gates' Law
■ New Deal failed: "We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work." —Henry Morgenthau, Jr., U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under FDR, 1939
"We didn't admit it at the time, but practically the whole New Deal was extrapolated from programs that Hoover started." —Rexford G. Tugwell, New Deal Architect
"Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so."—Ronald Wilson Reagan,
"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." —Albert Einstein
"What is harder, is trying to photograph the past." —Paul VanAudenhove
"A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true." —Sir Isaac Newton
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." —Upton Sinclair
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." —The Tenth Commandment
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." —Winston Churchill
"Greed has fed more mouths than charity ever could." —Rush Limbaugh
■ "An across-the-board, top-to-bottom cut in personal and corporate income taxes ... to expand the incentives and opportunities of private expenditures." —President John F. Kennedy (D), Speech advocating income tax cuts to grow the economy, New York Economic Club, December 1962
"Lower taxes, less government spending on domestic programs and fewer regulations mean a better economy for everybody." —Larry Elder
"In both spirit and substance, our tax system has come to be unAmerican. By lowering everyone's tax rates all the way up the income scale, each of us will have a greater incentive to climb higher, to excel, to help America grow. The power of these incentives will send one simple straightforward message to an entire nation. America go for it." —President Ronald Reagan, 1985
Freedom from the Income Tax: "Could America exist without an income tax? The idea seems radical, yet in truth America did just fine without a federal income tax for the first 126 years of its history. Prior to 1913, the government operated with revenues raised through tariffs, excise taxes, and property taxes, without ever touching a worker’s paycheck." —Ron Paul
"National corporate tax rates: United States 35%, France 33%, China 25%, United Kingdom 19%, Germany 15%, Ireland 13%." —Deloitte, 2017 [United States corporate tax rate was lowered to a more internationally competitive 21% in 2018 .]
Dynamic business strategy by ice hockey analogy: "Go [/skate] to where the puck is going, not where it has been." —Walter Gretzky
"Difficult to predit the future is!" —Yoda, "Star Wars"
Quantum nonlocality: "No spooky action-at-a-distance. [sic]" —Albert Einstein
What Einstein thought of as 'Spooky action at a distance': "Explorers of quantum entanglement win the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics." —Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
[But, "While it's one of the weirdest and coolest phenomena in physics, there is no way to use quantum entanglement to send messages faster than the speed of light." —Chad Orzel]
"Nobody understands quantum mechanics." —Richard Feynman
"Why would anyone want to photograph an indisputably colorful world in monochrome? If color film had been invented first, would anybody even contemplate photographing in black and white?" —Russell Miller
"Black and white ... creates a nostalgia for the present." —'American Masters' Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
[Caution – widespread complicated misinformation: According to a detailed disclosure by Woody Allen's son, a psychotherapist.]
"When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!" —Ted Grant
"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." —Ansel Adams
"Nostalgia and coolness is a bit like not pulling your socks up at school because you are a rebel and also because none of your friends do." —Tom Caldwell
"A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you." —Brigitte Bardot
Required consent dialogue: "My legislation would enact affirmative consent standards in all colleges and universities. What does that look like? We must move from 'no means no' to 'yes means yes.' Without an affirmative yes, it's sexual assault." —Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Twitter, October 19, 2021
"As the famous inventor Thomas Edison said, 'The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you can't track down who actually said them.'"
"Nothing in life prepares you to be famous." —Jeff Foxworthy
"Above all, try something." —Franklin D. Roosevelt
"This is my last election ... After my election, I have more flexibility." —Barack Obama ... "caught on an open microphone, telling outgoing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that he would be more amenable to Russian interests on the issue of missile defense if he survived the November [2012] elections."
"Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!" —President Merkin Muffley
"The private sector is doing fine." —Barack Obama, June, 2012, while 23 million Americans lack full time employment and the Federal Reserve reports that Americans' median net worth shrank from $126,000 in 2007 to $77,000 in 2010.
"Our young men should spend more time considering the composition and merit of their images, and less time with magnifying glasses counting how many bricks and shingles they can resolve."—From an 1841 Paris newspaper article on Daguerrotype photography.
"This notion that somehow we caused the deficits is just wrong. It's just not true. [sic]" —President Barack Hussein Obama II, June, 2012.
"This [California] budget is a slow-motion train wreck, and you’re driving the bus." —Senator Tom Berryhill
"You might keep your ear to the ground for a bit before pulling the trigger." —Louis Meluso
"You can have too many lenses but never enough!" —Marc S.
"It's Déjà Vu all over again!" —Yogi Berra
Did you know?: "The sizes of such things as candles and candelabras, paper, nuts and bolts, tools, etc. are different in the United States versus Europe. They can't even agree on which side of the road to drive on." —English versus metric
History: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." —George Orwell
"There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them." —George Orwell
"There's a sucker born every minute." —George Hull
"A millimeter makes all the difference [in how you position your camera.]" —Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Optimism is the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome." —Mayo Clinic definition
"A gaffe is when a politician is caught telling the truth ... " —CNN
"So it's not that I don't believe in your future, it's just that I've been waiting for it so long that it seems like it's almost the past."—Skot Nelson
"I never worry about the future; it comes soon enough." —Albert Einstein
"One who makes no mistakes makes nothing at all." —Giacomo Casanova
"Do one thing every day that scares you." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." —Abraham Lincoln
"If I'd followed all the rules, I'd never have gotten anywhere." —Marilyn Monroe
"Life is either daring adventure or nothing at all." —Helen Keller
"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." —Mae West
"I've found that it's much easier to get close to wild animals when I act more like a prey species than like a predator (don't try this with large meat-eaters). After an hour or so of prey-like behavior they figure out I'm not a threat and treat me like background scenery." —Douglas Herr, Nature Photographer
"[The electric car] has been long recognized as the ideal solution ... cleaner and quieter ... much more economical." —New York Times, November 12, 1911, over a hundred years ago.
California mandates only electric cars by 2035: "California's record of rolling blackouts – unprecedented in size and scope – coupled with recent requests to neighboring states for power begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand, when you can't even keep the lights on today." —EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to California Governor Gavin Newsom, September, 2020
"I guess it's like Belloc said to Indy in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, 'Bury it in the sand for 1,000 years and it becomes priceless.'" —Maggie Osterberg
"I’m not saying we won't get our hair mussed, but 10 to 20 million [dead] tops!" —Gen. Buck Turgidson
The Information Revolution: "The explorers of the modern era are the entrepreneurs, men with vision, with the courage to take risks and faith enough to brave the unknown. These entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States. They are the prime movers of the technological revolution." —President Ronald Reagan, speaking to students at Moscow State University, U.S.S.R., 1988
■ "The constitutional lawyer in the White House [President Obama] seems determined to demolish the foundations of our civil liberties." —Noam Chomsky
"Welcome to the wonderful world of software subscriptions, the gift that goes on taking." —Neil Maller
"Tell me what other profession would have allowed me to enter both the lions' cage at the Vincennes Zoo and Picasso's studio?" —Robert Doisneau, Photographer, 1912–1994
African Safari: "28 Land Cruisers surrounding a sleeping lion in the Ngorongoro." —Thom Hogan
"Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company." —President George Washington
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace." —Samuel Adams
"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding." —President James Madison, who kept the notes at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787
Oyez! Oyez! Oy Vey: "Modern cell phones ... are now such a pervasive and insistent part of daily life that the proverbial visitor from Mars might conclude they were an important feature of human anatomy." —U.S. Supreme Court
"We have perfect cameras. We have perfect lenses. We make perfectly clean pictures. And very often they are perfectly boring. ... " —Jaap Veldman
"A new U.S. poll shows Americans think President Barack Obama is the country's worst president since World War II." —Voice of America, July 2, 2014
"No photographer is as good as the simplest camera." —Edward Steichen
"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen [pounds] nineteen [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness ... Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." —Wilkins Micawber, character in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield
"Worse than not knowing what you're good at is knowing what you do best, but not liking doing it and wanting to do something that you know you aren't as good at or even unsuited to doing." —Dave Lumb
"Every person alive is host to about 100 trillion bacterial cells. They outnumber human cells 10 to one and account for 99.9 percent of the unique genes in the body." —Jane E. Brody
"Price, Quality, Speed – pick any two." —Anonymous
How to get the great shot: "f/8 and be there." —Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig
"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult." —Warren Buffett
"No helmet system can protect you from serious brain and/or neck injuries including paralysis or death. To avoid these risks, do not engage in the sport of football." —Warning on football helmet
"There is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system." —Milton Friedman
Climate catastrophe eco-anxiety: "71% of children aged 7-12 are afraid of climate change. Schools and the media ... fill their heads with fear. ... "
● Is There Really a Climate Emergency?
● Religion of Green
● Fossil Fuels: The Big Picture
● Are Pipelines Safe?
● How Much Energy Will the World Need?
● Do wind turbines and solar farms hold the keys to saving the environment?
● Confessions of an Environmentalist
● Nuclear Energy: Abundant, Clean, and Safe
● How Dangerous Is Nuclear Waste?
—More Prager University five minute Videos
"You’re going to hear Governor Gavin Newsom [who cut $100 million from California's fire prevention budget
in 2024], Mayor Karen Bass [who cut $17.6 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget (and ‘a leaked memo revealed that one week before the fires ... ordered the fire department to cut an additional $49 million from their firefighting budget’)], and the Democratic Party tell you that there’s nothing that could have been done to prevent the fires from destroying Los Angeles. Those will be lies. They could have prevented them. ... " [MORE] —Michael Shellenberger, January 9, 2025
["Half the fires in Los Angeles are started by the homeless [especially by methamphetamine addicts]." —Michael Shellenberger]
"We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor .... " —Sara Foster, January 8, 2025
"The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must ‘clean’ the forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalist, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers ... " —Donald J. Trump, Twitter, November 3, 2019 [Years before Los Angeles burned down!]
'THERE IS NO CLIMATE EMERGENCY'
– 'IPCC is spreading dangerous misinformation': "The popular narrative about climate change reflects a dangerous corruption of science that threatens the world’s economy and the well-being of billions of people. Misguided climate science has metastasized into massive shock-journalistic pseudoscience. ... In my opinion, there is no real climate crisis. There is, however, a very real problem with providing a decent standard of living to the world’s large population and an associated energy crisis. The latter is being unnecessarily exacerbated by what, in my opinion, is incorrect climate science." —John F. Clauser, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum mechanics
"Climate worship is nothing more than rebranded paganism." —Sumantra Maitra, September 26, 2019
'Follow the Science' Leads to Ruin: "Climate policy needs to take into account the costs of draconian measures, which are enormous." —Bjorn Lomborg March 13, 2024
Solar and Wind are Expensive and Destructive: "The claim that cheap solar and wind energy is taking over from fossil fuels is a dangerous, expensive lie. There's a clear correlation between more solar and wind and much higher average power prices." —Bjorn Lomborg, May 8, 2025
"It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with the experiment, it's wrong." —Richard Feynman
Temperature record unreliable: "Trillions spent on ‘climate change’ based on faulty temperature data ... 96 percent of NOAA temperature stations [are] located in ‘urban heat islands,’ including next to exhaust fans and on ‘blistering-hot rooftops.’" —Lloyd Chambers, January 29, 2024
"Think Seeing is Believing? Think Again!"
Click on each image when you decide what color is 'the dress', and what color are the Crocs.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." —Charles Darwin
"Free association." —No charge
"As the saying goes, you can never be too rich, too thin [sic], or have too many backups." —Scott Citron
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." —Epictetus
"A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." —Richard Avedon
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be under the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." —President James Madison
"The one who dies with the most camera equipment wins!" —dotyj
Leica camera instructions: "Film goes here. Wind lever. Set aperture. Set shutter. Focus. Shoot." —Leitz Wetzlar
"We've had cameras without mirrors for a hundred years. When we say 'mirrorless' we actually mean that it is a digital camera with interchangable lenses, capable of a viewing system that views through the lens, and yet there is no reflex mirror." —BeBu Lamar
"I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." —President Thomas Jefferson
■ "For me simply by executive order ignore those Congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President" ... "I know that some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own. ... But that just not how our system works. That's not how our democracy functions. That's not how our Constitution is written." ... "This notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true." ... "The problem is that I'm the President of the United States, I'm not the Emperor of the United States. My job is to execute laws that are passed." ... "The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend that I can do something by violating our laws."—President Obama, 2011-2013
"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." —Samuel Adams
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." —President Thomas Jefferson
"The best thing about this group of candidates is that only one of them can win." —Will Rogers
'Vinyl [music] records are continuing their improbable comeback': "Now, at the end of 2021, vinyl sales have beaten CDs for two years running, currently representing 6.6% of all music sales—the highest level since 1988. Vinyl records now [2021] account for two-thirds of revenue from physical formats. ... The LP was nearly dead; long live the LP!" —Luddite Mike
"Big companies are like marching bands. Even if half the band is playing random notes, it still sounds kind of like music. The concealment of failure is built into them." —Douglas Coupland
" ... Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes." —'Ride a cockhorse to Banbury Cross,' by Mother Goose
"An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing." —Nicholas Butler
"I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." —Richard Feynman
"Do not trust any statistic you did not fake yourself." —Winston Churchill
"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." —Pablo Picasso
"Without heroes we are all plain people and don't know how far we can go." —Bernard Malamud
"Show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy." —F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Where there is no law, there is no liberty." —Benjamin Rush
Ma Bell Monopoly: "We don't care – we don't have to – we're the phone company." —Lilly Tomlin, SNL
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." —Thomas Jefferson
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something, and I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." —Edward Hale
"I detest the man who hides one thing in the depth of his heart and speaks forth another." —Homer
Politifacts 2013 Lie of the Year: "If you like your [health] plan you can keep it." —President Obama
"There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice." —Montesquieu
"Trolls ruin the Internet. We know who you are and we're watching you." —Anonymous
"I wouldn't mind being a doctor if I didn't have to be around sick people." —M.A.S.H.
Hint – 90 miles off Miami: "I think it would be unrealistic for me to map out exactly where Cuba will be ... " —President Obama, December, 2014
"Anger consumes and kills the soul." —Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
"It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." —Frederick Douglass
"The first half of our lives are ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children." —Clarence Darrow
■ "We have paid a heavy price for having a President whose priority is expanding his own power. The Constitution is treated like a nuisance." —Senator Barack Obama
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." —Barack Obama, September 25, 2012
"I think [Obama] is the worst president of my lifetime. I fundamentally disagree with him. I think he's doing a lot of things wrong." —Former Vice President Dick Cheney
"I do not believe that the president [Obama] loves America. ... He wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country. ... he criticizes America. His grandfather introduced him to Frank Marshall Davis who was a communist. [Giuliani also citing Obama's early life influences, friendship with terrorists such as Weather Underground Pentagon bomber Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Obama being a disciple of radical community organizer Saul Alinsky, 17 years with Chicago pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright who preaches 'God damn America' after the 9/11 attack, and Obama's stated desire to 'fundamentally transform America.'] ... This is an American president I've never seen before. ... The reality is, from all that I can see of this president, all that I've heard of him, he apologizes for America, he criticizes America ... I don't feel this love of America [from Obama]. I believe his initial approach is to criticize this country, and then afterwards to say a few nice things about it. ... I don't hear from him what I heard from Harry Truman, what I heard from Bill Clinton, what I heard from Jimmy Carter, which is these wonderful words about what a great country we are, what an exceptional country we are. ... Some people thought it was racist – I thought that was a joke, since he was brought up by a white mother, a white grandfather, went to white schools, and most of this he learned from white people. This isn't racism. This is socialism or possibly anti-colonialism." —Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor, 2/2015
Anti-Americanism: "The myth of America as the greatest nation on earth is at best outdated and at worst, wildly inaccurate." —New York Times Opinion, c. July 4, 2019
"If it be asked, what is the most sacred duty and the greatest source of our security in a Republic? The answer would be, an inviolable RESPECT for the Constitution and Laws." —Alexander Hamilton
"A Nation of well informed men who have been taught to know and prize the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved. It is in the region of ignorance that tyranny begins." —Benjamin Franklin
✓ "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." —President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
"I think that things must always be stated clearly. Yes, France is at war with terrorism, jihadism, and radical Islam." —Manuel Valls, French Prime Minister
"It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its laws ['sharia'] on all nations and extend its power to the entire planet." —Imam Hassan al-Banna, founder in 1928 of al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin ("The Muslim Brotherhood" with motto stating " ... Jihad is our way. Death in the service of God is the loftiest of our wishes. ... ")
President of Egypt, speaking to Imams, 2015: "It is inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire Islamic world to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing, and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible. That thinking, ideas that we have sanctified over the years is antagonizing the entire world. ... Is it possible that 1.6 billion Muslims should want to kill the rest of the world's inhabitants, that is 7 billion, so that they themselves may live? Impossible. I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You Imams are responsible before Allah. The entire world is waiting for your next move, because this Islamic world is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost. And it is being lost by our own hand." —Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egyptian President
"Muslims ... have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism." —Hillary Clinton, 11/2015
"Vast numbers of Christians do not believe that if you leave the Christian religion you should be killed for it. Vast numbers of Christians do not treat women as second class citizens. Vast numbers of Christians do not believe if you draw a picture of Jesus Christ you should get killed for it. So yes, does ISIS do Khmer Rouge-like activities where they just kill people indiscriminately who aren't just like them? Yes. And would most Muslim people in the world do that or condone that? No. But most Muslim people in the world do condone violence just for what you think. ... There was a Pew poll in Egypt done a few years ago – 82% said, I think, stoning is the appropriate punishment for adultery. Over 80% thought death was the appropriate punishment for leaving the Muslim religion. I'm sure you know these things. ... So to claim that this religion is like other religions is just naive and plain wrong. It is not like other religions. The New York Times pointed out in an op-ed a couple weeks ago that in Saudi Arabia just since August 4th, they think it was, they have beheaded 19 people. Most for non-violent crimes including homosexuality." —Bill Maher, c. September 10, 2014
"We will ... unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth." —President Donald J. Trump, January 20, 2017
"This is a war ... within Islam." —Jordanian King Abdullah, II, November, 2015
"Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as though he has killed all of mankind." —Quran
"The 'refugee' crisis: Hijra is a core part of jihad ... Islamic conquest through migration. The objective is to overwhelm non-Muslim territories with Muslim populations until they achieve domination through sheer numbers." —Monica Crowley
Rotterdam Mayor to Muslim immigrants living in Holland: "It is incomprehensible that you can turn against freedom ... But if you don't like freedom, for heaven's sake pack your bags and leave." ... "Stop seeing yourself as victims, and if you don't want to integrate, leave." —Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, a Moroccan-born Muslim and son of an Imam, 2015
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." —Abraham Lincoln
"Every joke has a bit of a joke. ... The rest is the truth." —Marat F
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." —Cicero
"First comes the spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter, and then we have spring and summer again ... In a garden, growth has its seasons as long as the roots are not severed, all is well and all will be well, and all will be well in the garden." —Chauncey Gardiner, 'Being There'
"To everything there is a season." —Ecclesiastes
"I like to watch TV." —Chauncey Gardiner, 'Being There' [Peter Sellers movie]
"Using 100% recycled electrons – because I care." —Roger Cole
"My friends know I always have my camera. I have explained that it is like them always having their cell phones. They might need to take a call; I might need to take a picture." —Mark Amos
"When someone shops for a sailing boat, they look for a very slender and graceful exterior, an extremely roomy interior with full standing height everywhere, and they want it for free." —Peter Norlin (1941-2012), Swedish yacht designer
"They say you can see if you will like sailing if you stand in a shower, tearing up $50 bills." —Edward Ingold
"[definition] Boat (noun): A hole in the water into which you pour money." —Anonymous
["B.O.A.T. is an acronym for 'break out another thou$and.'"]
"The two happiest days in a sailor's life are the day he buys a boat and the day he sells it." —Anonymous
"You're gonna need a bigger boat." —MrHollywood
Sounds Sirius: "When we take care of our daughter's cuddly needy yappy nippy squirmy lap dog puppy all day, so that she can go boating and ocean fishing down the shore with our son-in-law and granddaughter, are those the dogs days of summer?" —Grandma and Grandpa
"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." ("The more things change, the more they stay the same.") —Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
"How Doth the Little Busy Bee" —Isaac Watts
"I don't eat ramen noodles because I'm poor. No, I'm rich because I eat ramen noodles." —moewcat
"We judge photographers by the photographs we see. We judge cameras by the photographs we miss." —Haim Zamir
"You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." —John Lydgate, c. 1370–c. 1451
"If you don't know who the mark is, get up and leave the table, because it's you." —Old adage among professional poker players
Fourth amendment be damned: "Just because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home, doesn’t mean that we’re not going to walk in to that home and check to see if you’re being responsible and safe in the way you conduct your affairs." —Kamala Harris, San Francisco Gov TV, 2007
"When we look at the history of gun control in this country, it has been to keep guns out of the hands of black people." —Professor Jason Nichols, University of Maryland (Citing work by Adam Winkler at UCLA)
"Racism is foundational to the Second Amendment and its inclusion in the Bill of Rights." —ACLU tweet, July 25, 2021
"The second amendment is about rifles, not racism." —Jonathan Turley
'BLM has called for the end of the nuclear family': "We don't need traditional nuclear families for Black thriving. [sic] ... " —Associate Professor of Africana Studies Brittany Cooper, Rutgers University, December 1, 2021
"Seventy percent of black kids are raised without fathers and Obama said a kid without a dad is five times more likely poor, nine times more likely to drop out of school, and twenty times more likely to end up in jail. It is far and away the biggest problem in this country that is being ignored. ... The answer is to undo the welfare state." —Larry Elder
More malarkey!: "According to the intelligence community, terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today [sic], not ISIS, not Al-Qaeda, but white supremacists." —Joe Biden, June 2021
Fox News/Conservatives: "It doesn’t matter what they’re saying, I hate them." —Suburban Wife, February 21, 2024
Totally Condemning White Nationalists and Neo-Nazis: "You had people, and I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally, but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists, OK, and the press has treated them absolutely unfairly. Now, in the other group also, you had some fine people but you also had troublemakers, and you see them come with the black outfits and with the helmets and with the baseball bats. You got a lot of bad people in the other group too." —President Donald J. Trump, C-SPAN, August 15, 2017, after Charlottesville [Caution: Frequently misquoted.]
Exact opposite of what was actually said: "Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear he's more interested in pandering to his neo-Nazi base [sic] than being President of the United States for all Americans." —Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D), Twitter, August 15, 2017
"In one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul." —President Donald J. Trump, August, 2019
Biden – Trump rematch [false narrative – the 'Charlottesville Hoax' repeated]: "I had no intention of running for president again, and, until I saw those folks coming out of the fields in Virginia carrying torches and carrying Nazi banners and literally singing the same vile rhyme that they used in Germany in the early 1920's, or 1930's ... He [Trump] said 'there are good people on both sides,'[sic] and that's when I decided that I wasn't going to be quiet any longer." —Joe Biden, NATO, Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022
"We choose truth over facts." —Former Vice President Joseph Biden, August 8, 2019
" ... young black entrepreneurs ... don't have lawyers. They don't have accountants ... [sic] " —Joe Biden, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 1, 2021
"There is no difference between a black entrepreneur and a white entrepreneur in success, except the black entrepreneur usually doesn't have a lawyer, usually doesn't have an accountant ... [sic] " —Joe Biden, Orangeburg, South Carolina, December 17, 2021
"Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids ... " —Former Vice President Joe Biden, August 8, 2019
"I like kids better than people." —Joe Biden, U.S. Senate Ceremonial Swearing-In, January 06, 2015
"You're a lying dog-faced pony soldier." —Joe Biden [Also see: Joe Biden's 12 worst gaffes of all time.]
"You're a one horse pony. [sic]" —Joe Biden to Fox reporter, Wilmington Delaware, December 22, 2020
Confusing: "Those who say the blood of Liberty, the blood of Patriots, you know, and all the stuff about how we're gonna have to move against the government, well the tree of Liberty is now watering the blood of Patriots. What's happened is that there never been if you want any think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15's and maybe some nuclear weapons." —Joe Biden, June 23, 2021
"Covid is taken this year just since the outbreak has taken more than 100 years look here the lives it's just when you think about it more lives this year than any other year for the past hundred years." —Joe Biden, Pittsburgh, September 1, 2020
Bit Rot: "We are nonchalantly throwing all of our data into what could become an information black hole. ... We don’t want our digital lives to fade away. If we want to preserve them, we need to make sure that the digital objects we create today can still be rendered far into the future ... we stand to lose an awful lot of our history ... If there are photos you really care about, print them out." —Vint Cerf
"What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?" —Seth Ellis
"In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act." —George Orwell
"The problem with mixing color and black-and-white [photographs shown] together is that color is so great it makes black-and-white look bad, and black-and-white is so great it makes color look bad." —Michael C. Johnston
"Such commentary has become ubiquitous on the Internet and is widely perceived to carry no indicium of reliability and little weight." —Digital Media News v. Escape Media Group, May 2014
"Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right." —H.L. Mencken
"I read somewhere that smartphone years are roughly equivalent to dog years." —Michael C. Johnston
"Pseudonymous posting of thoughts involves a human form of camouflage, a method of hiding widely used by various species to avoid being attacked." —Alan Smithee
"The Federalist Papers were written anonymously because people feared their government. Most of our founders had pseudononyms and wrote under aliases." —Senator Rand Paul, January 23, 2024
"Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. " —Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
"Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results." —Ernest Shackleton
"Wall Street makes money on complexity. Everyone else makes money on simplicity. If it isn't simple and cheap, don't buy it." —Scott Burns
"Never buy anything you don't understand." —Mark Grant
"We ignore the real diamonds of simplicity, seeking instead the illusory rhinestones of complexity." —Jack Bogle
"No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess." —Sir Isaac Newton
"President Barack Obama 46% Favorable; President Jed Bartlet 82% Favorable; President Frank Underwood 57% Favorable; President David Palmer 89% Favorable; President Laura Roslin 78% Favorable; President Fitzgerald Grant 60% Favorable" —Reuters-Ipsos Presidential Popularity Poll, March, 2015
"Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accepting both of them." —George Orwell
"Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care." —Theodore Roosevelt
"The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks." —Henri Cartier Bresson, in the 1930's
Get lost: "I regret that I'm unable to help you further." —Galawdawg
Unquotable Yes: "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment." —Francis Ewan Urquhart
Whatever: "This morning I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I will be having further such meetings later today. ... I refer the right honourable gentleman/lady to the answer I gave some moments ago." —Prime Ministers Question Time, UK Parliament
Productivity recommendations: "Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time. Please get [rid] of all large meetings, unless you're certain they are providing value to the whole audience, in which case keep them very short. Also get rid of frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter. Meeting frequency should drop rapidly once the urgent matter is resolved. Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value. It is not rude to leave, it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time." —Elon Musk, April, 2018
"I really dislike [Apple's] hide-and-seek user interface design." —Dan Y
Playing it safe rarely leads to the best outcome: "Fear ruins good work." —anonymous advertising executive
"To be honest, most of my pictures suck. The saving grace of that admission is that most of your pictures suck, too. How could I possibly know such a thing? Because most of everybody's pictures suck, that's how. I've seen Cartier-Bresson's contact sheets, and most of his pictures sucked." —Michael C. Johnston
"The leave-me-alone coalition thinks that government doesn't know everything and that government really shouldn't be telling us what to do." —Rand Paul
"Give me Liberty or give me Debt!" —with apologies to Patrick Henry
■ Obama Drama: "We now have over nine trillion dollars of debt that we are going to have to pay back, $30,000 for every man, woman, and child – that's irresponsible, it's unpatriotic." —Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, 2008
"We don't have an immediate crisis in terms of debt, in fact, for the next ten years its going to be in a sustainable place." —President Barack Obama, March, 2013, at $16 trillion national debt and counting
"A private central bank issuing the public currency is a greater menace to the liberties of the people than a standing army ... We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt." —Thomas Jefferson
"If you had somebody who ... wanted to take America down ... it would look exactly like what Barack Obama is doing. I think his actions ... are those of the worst president we've ever had." —Former Vice President Dick Cheney, April 7, 2015
2008: "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback."
2016: "Now we're feeling what not having hope feels like." —First Lady Michelle Obama
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." —President Thomas Jefferson
Police ordered "Do not engage" – Riots, looting, and setting fire to the city: "We also gave those who wish to destroy (our city) space to do that as well." —Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, (D) Baltimore, April 25, 2015
Anti-police sentiment: "A movement with the goal of saving black lives at this point is getting black lives taken, because 80% of our murder victims here in Chicago are male blacks. Less than 0.5% of all the shootings in this city involve police officers shooting civilians." —Garry McCarthy, Former Chicago Police Superintendent, 1/1/2017
"There are now four sides to every story – yours, mine, the truth, and the Internet version." —thelovealive quoted in The Frictionary
Favorite saying quoted by Virginia Mason Clement Cooper: "Water is the wine of architecture." —Ada Louise Huxtable
"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." —Oscar Wilde
"Paper and wires." —Donna Lauré Cooper [digital and wireless just not being sufficiently permanent and reliable]
Why Is Apple's USB-C Cable $130?: "If you think that a wire is just a wire, think again." —Apple thunderbolt 4 cable
"It is one of the truly odd pieces of Apple 'culture,' going back into the Jobs and Wozniack days, to develop superbly innovative software then let it die a slow death through neglect before killing it. I have no clue why this is so, but history is indisputable on the question." —Robert Sorrels
"All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth." —Friedrich Nietzsche
"The trouble with normal is it always gets worse." —Bruce Cockburn
"We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run." —Amara's Law
"Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist." —Kenneth E. Boulding
"It ain't easy being me, but someone's gotta do it." —Anonymous
"Never explain ... your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway." —Elbert Hubbard
"If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking." —Ben Franklin
"I was ambushed at credibility gap." —Button worn by Morley Safer while reporting in Vietnam
"Trespassers are the leading cause of railway deaths in the United States. Every year they account for 430 fatalities." —Engineering Disasters (TV program), The History Channel
"People get ready / There's a train a-coming / You don't need no baggage / You just get on board / All you need is faith / To hear diesels humming / You don't need no ticket / You just thank the Lord ... " —Eva Cassidy (Lyrics)
"A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest." —Albert Einstein
"It's not San Andreas' fault." —Anonymous
"We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true." —Prof. Robert Silensky
"By ensuring that no one in government has too much power, the Constitution helps protect ordinary Americans every day against abuse of power by those in authority." —U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
Q. "Don't the voters deserve to know where you stand [before the 2020 Presidential election] on [packing the Supreme Court] ... ?" —DiMattei
A. "No, they don't deserve ... " —Joe Biden
Packing the Supreme Court: Q. "Are you open to expanding the size of the Supreme Court?"
A. "I am open to that discussion." —Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), The New York Times, 2019
"[Obama] gives everything away in advance. ... He makes Chamberlain look like Churchill." —Steve Forbes, 6/1/2015
"Today, once again, the United States is the most respected country on earth." —President Obama, 6/1/2015
"You must stay within the barricades once you enter the [Texas Southern University] arena ... There will be NO opportunities to interview Hillary Clinton. Her speech will be her interview." —Memo to the Press, 6/3/2015 [red color in original]
"I made my money the old-fashioned way. I was very nice to a wealthy relative right before he died." —Malcolm Forbes
"Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit." —George Carlin
"The best way to signal is to speak with your feet." —A wise manager once told me ...
"I am having an out of money experience." —Anonymous
"People are living longer than ever before, a phenomenon undoubtedly made necessary by the 30-year mortgage." —Doug Larson
"A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be." —Anonymous
"All heiresses are beautiful." —John Dryden
"A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it." —Bob Hope
"I used to be a banker, but I lost interest." —Anonymous
"Schwab made over $10 billion last year by skimming interest on customers cash and money market funds – 59% of their entire revenue." —billaster
"It's a trade-off. We're ultimately either going to get bad customer service and decent cash yield, or bad cash yield and decent customer service." —RetireBy55
The most important question to ask about a prospective spouse: "Do you enjoy each other." —Dennis Prager
"You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to." —Henny Youngman
"The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret." —Henny Youngman
"Someone stole all my credit cards, but I won't be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did." —Henny Youngman
'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned': "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." —William Congreve's play, 'The Mourning Bride', 1697
"You don't know a woman till you've met her in court." —Norman Mailer
'Questions to ask before marriage':
"1. Is the person your best friend or at least becoming so?
2. Aside from sex, do you enjoy each other?
3. Is there chemistry between the two of you?
4. Does the person have a number of good friends and at least one very close friend of the same sex?
5. How does the person treat others?
6. What problems do the two of you now have? And what inner voice of doubt, if any, are you suppressing?
7. How often do you fight?
8. Do you share values?
9. Do you miss the person when you are not together?
10. Is the person unhappy?
11. How much of your love is dependent on the sex you are having?
12. What do people you respect think of the person you’re considering marrying?" [More] —Dennis Prager
"I had plastic surgery last week. I cut up my credit cards." —Henny Youngman
"Someday I want to be rich. Some people get so rich they lose all respect for humanity. That's how rich I want to be." —Rita Rudner
"If you owe the bank $100 that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that's the bank's problem." —J. Paul Getty
"When you've got them by their wallets, their hearts and minds will follow." —Fern Naito
"We didn't actually overspend our budget. The allocation simply fell short of our expenditure." —Keith Davis
"I rob banks because that's where the money is." —Willie Sutton
"When a fellow says it ain't the money but the principle of the thing, it's the money." —Artemus Ward
"If all the economists were laid end to end, they'd never reach a conclusion." —Paraphrasing Tom Sims
Q. "How do you know economists have a sense of humor?"
A. "They use decimal points." —Old joke
"Rise early, work hard, strike oil." —J. Paul Getty
"Asimov's Laws of Robotics (1940):
● First Law: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
● Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
● Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."
"A computer shall not harm your work or, through inaction, allow your work to come to harm." —Jef Raskin
"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like." —Will Rogers
"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house." —Zsa Zsa Gabor
Instead of divorce: "Don’t get married. Find a woman you hate and buy her a house." —Hawaii Five-0, 2011, S2:E10
"The most important thing accumulated wealth buys is freedom." —M. Lebuf
Terrible advice: "Life isn't a passive activity. Investment shouldn't be either." —T. Rowe Price
Investing: "Compared with costly actively managed funds, over time, low-cost index funds ['Bogle's folly'] create extra wealth of 65% for retirement plan investors." —John C. Bogle, Founder of Vanguard
Investment 'advisors': "With stock valuations high and bond yields so low, it is natural to look for alternatives. Unfortunately the solution to this problem is to save more and work longer. But you can't make a living telling people that bald truth." —Day9, August 13, 2020
"People do not seek employment in investment banks, brokerage houses, and mutual fund companies with the same motivations as those who choose to work in fire departments or elementary schools. Whether investors know it or not, they are engaged in an ongoing zero-sum, life-and-death struggle with piranhas, and if rigorous precautions are not taken, the financial services industry will strip investors of their wealth faster than they can say 'Bernie Madoff'." —William Bernstein
Prudent Investing Psychology: "We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway 1986 Annual Report
"Of all the companies on Fortune 500 in the year 2000, more than half no longer exist." —C3.ai, TV advertisement, October 20, 2020
'Wealth Without Risk': "A characteristic of investors who fall for investment scams is that they think that they can earn returns that are too good to be true. The involatile rule of investing is that reward and risk are proportional. All assertions that claim otherwise are lies." —On Course
"Never invest in anything that you can't explain to a reasonably intelligent 12 year old." —Jane Bryant Quinn
The extremely wealthy: "only select from the heap what is most precious and agreeable. They consume little more than the poor, and in spite of their natural selfishness and rapacity, though they mean only ... the gratification of their own vain and insatiable desires, they [inevitably] divide with the poor the produce of all their improvements. They are [thus] led by an invisible hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life [as] ... had the earth been divided into equal portions." —Adam Smith, 1776
"If you want to help the poor, help them feel uncomfortable in their poverty." —Benjamin Franklin
"Myth" of Meritocracy – [Politically incorrect supposed] "Racist" Microaggressions: " ... the most qualified person should get the job. ... America is the land of opportunity." —University of California, Office of the President
Language Police: "Picnic, she/he, you guys, ladies and gentlemen, freshman, disabled person, african-american, people of color, policeman, long time no see, no can do, rule of thumb, homeless person, addict, crazy, mentally ill, committed suicide, victim, survivor, abusive relationships, prostitute, tribe, trigger warning." —Just a sample of banned words and phrases from Brandeis University's Oppressive Language List
[Similarly, see the "Stanford University, Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative: addict, addicted, basket case, blind review, blind study, committed suicide, confined to a wheelchair, crazy, cripple (n), crippled (adj), crippled (v), dumb, handicap parking, handicapped, handicapped space, insane, lame, mentally ill, OCD, paraplegic, quadriplegic, retard (n), retarded (adj), sanity check, spaz, stand up meeting, tone deaf, walk-in, wheelchair bound, gray beard, senile, Philippine Islands, call for peace, call a truce, guru, low man on the totem pole, on the warpath, Pocahontas, pow wow, powwow (verb), spirit animal, too many chiefs, not enough indians, tribal knowledge, tribe, pronouns, bold, risk-taker, chairman/chairwoman, congressman/congresswoman, fireman/firemen, freshman, gentlemen, guys, have the balls to, he, hermaphrodite, ladies, landlord/landlady, mailman, man (verb), man hours, man-in-the-middle, mankind, manmade, manpower, policeman / policemen / policewoman / policewomen, seminal, she, shemale, tranny, trannie, transgendered, transsexual (unless used, transsexual (unless used transgender This term has historically been used as, person, trans or non-gendering conforming folk, folks, people, everyone, abort, American, child prostitute, circle the wagons, half-breed, Hispanic, Indian giver, Indian summer, Karen, Oriental, peanut gallery, people of color, straight, stupid, survivor, tarbaby, thug, user, victim, outcast, blackbox, blacklist/blacklisted, brown bag, cakewalk, gangbusters, ghetto, grandfather, grandfathered, gray hat hacker, master (adj), master (v), master list, red team, scalper/scalping, Scrum Master, slave (adj), slave labor, sold down the river, tarball, to call a spade a spade/ calling a spade a spade, uppity, webmaster, web master, white hat hacker, white paper, white team, whitebox, whitelist, whitespace, yellow team, convict, disabled person, homeless person, immigrant, prisoner, prostitute (n), abusive relationship, beat(ing) a dead horse, crack the whip, go off the reservation, kill(ing) two birds with one stone, killing it, killed it, one way to skin a cat, pull the trigger, rule of thumb, take a shot at, take your best shot at, take a stab at, trigger warning, war room, whipped into shape, wife beater, African-American, circle the wagons, gip (n), gip (v), gyp (v), gypped (v), hick, hillbilly, hip-hip hurray, hip hip hooray, hold down the fort, Jewed, long time, no see, no can do, normal person, prostitute (v), submit"]
"Stanford's index of forbidden words eviscerated on Twitter: 'intellectual morons' – The guide declared 'American' to be a 'harmful' term." —Gabriel Hays
No more disabled, handicapped, or elderly (Language Police): "CDC publishes 'inclusive' language guide, says calling people 'alcoholics,' 'uninsured,' 'elderly' is 'stigmatizing.'" —Ashe Schow
Weaponizing language (hijacking a phrase or word, altered false meaning, propaganda): "Conspiracy theory, anti-vaxxer [conflate oppose vaccine vs. oppose mandate], global cooling/global warming/climate change, assault rifle, weapons of war, liberal/progressive, [existential threat, fossil fuel, nuclear energy, clean energy, green, electric vehicle, emission free, domestic terrorist, denier, oppressor, oppressed, equity, white supremacist, racist, voting rights (election takeover bills), democracy, district attorney, bail reform, homeless, sanctuary city, public option, modern monetary theory, mostly peaceful, insurrection, illegitimate election]." —Dan Bongino
Word goes woke [Language Police]: "Microsoft introduces new feature that suggests PC alternatives when someone types phrases that could offend snowflakes ... The software ... suggested altering astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous quote from 'one giant leap for mankind', to 'humankind' or 'humanity' instead. " —Sam Baker, 'Daily Mail', January 12, 2022
["Can you believe this: Microsoft ... will tell you what language you are allowed to use. Go on Word and write 'mankind' and Microsoft will change it without asking you, just change it to 'humankind.' ... " —Stuart Varney, January 14, 2022
Microsoft Word's new Orwellian Inclusive ↝ Intrusive Language Checker: "Mankind ↝ Humankind; Postman ↝ Mail Carrier; Maid ↝ House Cleaner; Master ↝ Expert; Manpower ↝ Workforce; Showgirl ↝ Performing Artist; Mistress ↝ Lover."]
[More Owellian newspeak: "'Modern supply side economics' (as used by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at Davos, 2022) now means 'Economically mistaken big government socialism', and 'Modern monetary theory' (as used regarding the Federal Reserve) now means 'Recklessly inflating the money supply'. So the adjective 'Modern' now means 'Socialist' and contradicts the actual meaning of the phrase it pretends to modified."]
["Google pauses spellcheck-like feature pushing 'inclusive' language suggestions ... " —Alec Schemmel, KATU.com, April 26, 2022]
"Headless Body in Topless Bar." —Greatest headline in New York newspaper history by Vincent A. Musetto
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." —President Abraham Lincoln
Save the magnet schools: "Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, Lowell, and Thomas Jefferson—have produced sixteen Nobel laureates, plus countless engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians." —Alan Cole, October 11, 2021
An unthinkable catastrophe for America's future: "Seattle Public Schools is shutting down its program for gifted and talented students, where the majority are white or Asian, citing ‘equity’ concerns." —Mairead Elordi, April 3, 2024
"If we continue this politically correct nonsense, with our elite institutions, we will collapse from within." —Niger Innis, Congress on Racial Equality
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." —Philip K. Dick
"We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality." —Ayn Rand
"The only difference [sic] between [suicide cult leader] Jim Jones and [U.S. President] Donald Trump is the fact that we now have social media." —Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier, CNN, August 1, 2021
"White liberals are more prone to mental health disorders than individuals who identify as conservative or moderates ... 62% of Whites who classify themselves as 'very liberal' or 'liberal' have been told by a doctor they have a mental health condition, as compared to 26% of conservatives and 20% of moderates ... Young White people who identified as 'very liberal' were almost one and a half times more likely to report mental health problems than those who considered themselves 'liberal.'" —Pew Research Center survey, 2020
"To dishonor the God who made us ... is just what we are doing by walking away from this [Paris Climate] Accord." —Nancy Pelosi
"Nancy Pelosi is stone cold crazy." —Donald Trump, August 16, 2020
"What we've got here, is failure to communicate." —Cool Hand Luke
Environmental Paganism: " ... the protection of planet earth ... is my religion ... " —Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC Chair, 2/24/2015 (Head of the United Nations Climate Panel)
["But 'protection of planet earth' is not even well defined: to some it means avoiding degrading the environment, or not significantly so as to cause harm to humans, or to living creatures, however, to others it means leaving the planet pristine and unchanged by the existence of humans or civilization thereby disregarding the resulting evil of causing catastrophic harm to people who can barely survive in small numbers in nature." —David Wilson]
■ "Q. Even if all 195 nations ... met their [carbon dioxide] targets under the [Paris Climate Accord] it still wouldn't solve the [global warming] problem?
A. That is correct." —Al Gore
"What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches?" —Paraphrasing 'The Quarterly Review' of London, England, 1825
"Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead." —Benjamin Franklin
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings." —President John F. Kennedy
"Government 'help' to business is just as disastrous as government persecution ... the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off." —Ayn Rand
"The world we're born into is the way we expect the world to be; when we get older, we live in the future." —Michael C. Johnston
"You can do billboards with really low resolution cameras, because no one gets anywhere close to them—they need less actual resolution than a 3x5-inch print." —Ctein ["I've sold 2 megapixel images to McDonald's — for use on billboards ... " —Ken Rockwell]
■ "I believe that Americans should be deeply skeptical of government power. You cannot trust people in power. The founders knew that." —James Comey, FBI Director, former Deputy Attorney General and Acting United States Attorney General
"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." —George Orwell
"My favorite thing is to go where I've never been." —D. Arbus
"The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other." —Will Rogers
"How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words!" —Samuel Adams
"Polite conversation should not include talk of politics, religion, or UV filters." —Old adage
"Only fools don't use UV filters [to protect their camera lenses], and only worry-warts use them!" —Dan DeLion
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution·" —President Abraham Lincoln
"Some people are born mediocre, some people achieve mediocrity, and some people have mediocrity thrust upon them." —Joseph Heller
"In a world of overwhelming complexity, clarity of purpose combined with long-term thinking is your secret weapon." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
Productivity recommendations: "Communication should travel via the shortest path necessary to get the job done, not through the chain of command. Any manager who attempts to enforce chain of command communication will soon find themselves working elsewhere. ... It must be ok for people to talk directly and just make the right thing happen. ... If there is something you think should be done to make [us] execute better or allow you to look forward to coming to work more (same thing in the long term), please send a note ... " —Elon Musk, April, 2018
"Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average." —Prairie Home Companion
"One of the reasons that I am in favor of less government is because when you have more government, industrialists take it over." —Milton Friedman
"The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back." —John Maynard Keynes
"There are three types of economists, those who can count and those who can't." —Kevin Hassett, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers
"The best kept secret in the investing world: Almost nothing turns out as expected." —Harry Browne
"Nobody knows nothing." —John Bogle
"The 7% real historical stock market average return includes the bear markets and the poor decades of low returns. Read that again. It's important." —Homer
Investing according to John Bogle:
• Diversification: "Don't look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack."
• Expenses: "The grim irony of investing is that we investors as a group not only don't get what we pay for, we get precisely what we don't pay for."
• Market timing: "The idea that a bell rings to signal when investors should get into or out of the market is simply not credible. After nearly 50 years in this business, I do not know of anybody who has done it successfully and consistently. I don't even know anybody who knows anybody who has done it successfully and consistently."
• Trading volume: "In recent years, annual trading in stocks — necessarily creating, by reason of the transaction costs involved, negative value for traders — averaged some $33 trillion. But capital formation — that is, directing fresh investment capital to its highest and best uses, such as new businesses, new technology, medical breakthroughs, and modern plant and equipment for existing business — averaged some $250 billion. Put another way, speculation represented about 99.2% of the activities of our equity market system, with capital formation accounting for 0.8%."
• Index funds: "The index fund is a sensible, serviceable method for obtaining the market's rate of return with absolutely no effort and minimal expense. Index funds eliminate the risks of individual stocks, market sectors and manager selection, leaving only stock market risk."
• Investing simplified: "Investing is not nearly as difficult as it looks. Successful investing involves doing a few things right and avoiding serious mistakes."
• Time and patience: "Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy."
Stock-market risk: "If you have trouble imagining a 20% loss in the stock market, you shouldn't be in stocks."
• Trusting brokers: "It's amazing how difficult it is for a man to understand something if he's paid a small fortune not to understand it."
—Paul Merriman quoting John Bogle
"Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria. The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell." —Sir John Templeton
Does Market Timing Work?: "The cost of waiting for the perfect moment to invest typically exceeds the benefit of even perfect timing. And because timing the market perfectly is nearly impossible, the best strategy ... is not to try to market-time at all. ... invest as soon as possible." —Schwab
"Rebalancing involves responding to what the market has already done, and market timing involves responding to predictions about what it might do next." —Rocinante Rider
"Don't do anything. Just stand there." —Jack Bogle
Microsoft says government snooping as bad as malware and cyber attacks: "Government snooping potentially now constitutes an advanced persistent threat to online privacy and security ... These allegations are very disturbing. If they are true these actions amount to hacking and seizure of private data and in our view are a breach of the protection guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution." —Brad Smith, Microsoft general counsel
Papers please! – the U.S. government identification demand is using a secret law: "TSA has refused to allow the public to see the actual provisions of the identification requirement ... TSA's actions are a serious encroachment upon constitutional and statutory protections against secret law." —Electronic Frontier Foundation
Privacy and Advertising: "Consider a now famous example from 2009. After a teenage girl purchased a pregnancy test from Target using her credit card, the retailer began sending baby-flyers and coupons to her address. Her father, irate, complained to the store for their inappropriate tailored advertisements because he was unaware of his daughter's pregnancy." —The Arthur W. Page Center
More failed predictions: [Widely quoted online, possibly uttered.]
"Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." —Dr. Dionysius Lardner, Professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at the University College London, 1830
Railroad trains: "No one will pay good money to get from Berlin to Potsdam in one hour when he can ride his horse there in one day for free." —King William I of Prussia, 1864
"Dear Mr. President [Andrew Jackson]: The canal system of this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as 'railroads' ... As you may well know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed." —Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York, c. 1830
"X-rays will prove to be a hoax." —Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1883
"If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one." —W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954
'Will this gun not make war more terrible?': "No, it will make war impossible." —Hiram Maxim, inventor of the machine gun, 1893
Broadcast radio: "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to no one in particular?" —Associates of David Sarnoff, mocking his call to invest in the radio in 1921
"There will never be a bigger plane built." —A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that held ten people, c. 1933
"How, sir, would you make a ship sail against the wind by lighting a bonfire under her deck? I pray you, excuse me, I've not the time to listen to such nonsense." —Napoleon Bonaparte, when told of Robert Fulton's steamboat
Tank demonstration: "The idea that cavalry will be replaced by these iron coaches is absurd. It is little short of treasonous." —Aide-de-camp to Field Marshal Haig, 1916
"Caterpillar landships are idiotic and useless. Those officers and men are wasting their time and are not pulling their proper weight in the war." —Fourth Lord of the British Admiralty, 1915
"I must confess that my imagination refuses to see any sort of submarine doing anything but suffocating its crew and floundering at sea." —H.G. Wells, 1901
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." —Decca Recording Co. rejecting 'The Beatles', 1962
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." —Thomas Watson. Sr., Chairman of IBM, 1943
"The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys." —Sir William Preece, Chief Engineer, British Post Office, 1878
Brain scanner (idea eventually implemented just a decade later as Computed Tomography): "Even if it could be made to work as you suggest, we cannot imagine a significant market for such an expensive apparatus which would do nothing but make a radiographic cross-section of a head." —President of a leading X-ray manufacturer, rejecting Neurologist Dr. William H. Oldendorf's 1963 invention of axial tomography
Predicting popular holidays: "And for the tourist who really wants to get away from it all, safaris in Vietnam." —Newsweek, late 1960
"The coming of the wireless era will make war impossible, because it will make war ridiculous." —Guglielmo Marconi, 'Technical World Magazine', 1912
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share." —Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, April, 2007
"The idea of a personal communicator in every pocket is a 'pipe dream driven by greed.'" —Andy Grove, then CEO of Intel, 1992
"Cellular phones will absolutely not replace local wire systems. ... Even if you project it beyond our lifetimes, it won't be cheap enough." —Marty Cooper, director of research at Motorola, 'father of the cellphone', 1981
"Where a calculator like ENIAC today is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh only 1.5 tons." —'Popular Mechanics Magazine', 1949
"We will never make a 32-bit operating system." —Bill Gates, co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, 1989
"No one will need more than 637KB of memory for a personal computer. 640KB ought to be enough for anybody." —Bill Gates, co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, 1981
"I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse." —Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com, inventor of Ethernet, 1995
Flying Cars By 1944!: "Within the next two decades autos will be made with folding wings." —Eddie Rickenbacker, pilot, 1924
Tablet Deathwatch: "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore." —Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry CEO, 2013
What new world?: "So many centuries after the Creation it is unlikely that anyone could find hitherto unknown lands of any value." —Spanish Royal Commission advising King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain regarding a proposal by Christopher Columbus, 1486
"With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself." —Business Week, August 2, 1968
"It is apparent to me that the possibilities of the aeroplane, which two or three years ago were thought to hold the solution to the [flying machine] problem, have been exhausted, and that we must turn elsewhere." —Thomas Edison, 1895
"There is practically no chance communications space satellites will be used to provide better telephone, telegraph, television, or radio service inside the United States." —FCC Commissioner, Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven, 1961
Microprocessor chips: "But what ... is it good for?" —Robert Lloyd, Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968
'Post-It Notes' adhesive: "If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said 'you can't do this.'" —Spencer Silver, 3M
"To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth – all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne. I am bold enough to say that such a man-made voyage will never occur regardless of all future advances." —Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer, and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926
"Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." —Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872
"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon." —Sir John Eric Ericksen, Surgeon Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873
"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." —'New York Times' editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work, 1921
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'" —Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and HP interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer
"While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming." —Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer, and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926
"If anything remains more or less unchanged, it will be the role of women." —David Riesman, 1967
"It will be years – not in my time – before a woman will become Prime Minister." —Margaret Thatcher, October 26, 1969 [Lady Thatcher served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.]
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." —Associates of Edwin L. Drake refusing his suggestion to drill for oil, 1859
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." —Lord Kelvin, President of the British Royal Society, 1895
"Ours has been the first [expedition], and doubtless to be the last, to visit this profitless locality." —Lt. Joseph Ives, after visiting the Grand Canyon, 1861
"You better get secretarial work or get married." —Emmeline Snively, advising wannabe-model Marilyn Monroe, 1944
"I couldn't get a job at first." —Sandra Day O'Connor, appointed in 1981 the first woman Justice of the United States Supreme Court
['There were no private California law firms willing to hire Sandra Day O'Connor in the 1950's because being a woman was a liability at that time. One firm offered her a job as a legal secretary, an insult to someone who graduated near the top of her class at Stanford Law.' —Answers.com]
"The singer [Mick Jagger] will have to go; the BBC won't like him." —First Rolling Stones manager Eric Easton to his partner after watching them perform
"We will bury you." —Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, predicting Soviet communism will win over U.S. capitalism, 1958
Foreword to 'The Origin of Species': "I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious sensibilities of anyone." —Charles Darwin, 1869
"Democracy will be dead by 1950." —John Langdon-Davies, 'A Short History of The Future', 1936
'Mad magazine': "A short-lived satirical pulp." —Time Magazine, 1956
"Four or five frigates will do the business without any military force." —British prime minister Lord North, on dealing with the rebellious American colonies, 1774
"In all likelihood world inflation is over." —International Monetary Fund CEO, 1959
"This antitrust thing will blow over." —Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft
"Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop – because women like to get out of the house, like to handle merchandise, like to be able to change their minds." —'Time Magazine', 1966
Alchohol Prohibition: "Our country has deliberately undertaken a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far reaching in purpose." —Herbert Hoover, 1928
♦ Solving addiction: " 'Somewhere between seven and nine out of every ten alcoholics either die drinking or die of drinking.' How about helping people who want to stop? Here's an idea– Stop addictive products and services such as alcohol and gambling by allowing such purchases to only be paid for by methods such as credit cards that allow the customer to privately set for each a voluntary 'opt-out' option 'do not sell to me.' A DUI conviction sentence reduction could include such a requirement. So, for example, the sale of alchohol to an alcoholic could be automatically declined by the credit card company, and any such charge would be immediately reversed if disputed (so, for example, such gambling payments and debts, to people who know they have a gambling problem, would be cancelled), making it unattractive for businesses to sell to addicts who want to avoid their addictions, and businesses could avoid losses and legal liability by making it easy to avoid sales to those addicts who want to stop. Similarly for addictive drugs after kicking the habit, but high quality doses of such drugs would also be readily available from pharmacies (immediately putting criminal enterprises and cartels out of business) so that addicts and recreational users would never need to deal with criminals or be killed by fentanyl laced mislabeled illegal drugs, and addicts would never need to steal to support their habit. Educational efforts then could encourage people to just opt out of addictions. Maybe there could be a choice of a delay in removing such options, or the person could require notification of a family member or trusted friend when such options were removed, or they could even, if they wanted, set a requirement that their designated family member or trusted friend's permission would be needed to remove their previously set anti-addition payment option." —Clarence Williams
World War I: "You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees." —Kaiser Wilhelm to the German troops, August, 1914
Appeasement leading to World War II: "This is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time." —Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister, September 30, 1938
☭ "Capitalist production begets, with the inexorability of a law of nature, its own negation." —Karl Marx
"Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote." —President Grover Cleveland, 1905
"Man will not fly for 50 years. " —Discouraged Wilbur Wright to brother Orville, 1901
"I am tired of all this sort of thing called science here ... We have spent millions in that sort of thing for the last few years, and it is time it should be stopped." —Simon Cameron, U.S. Senator, on the Smithsonian Institute, 1901
"The Americans are good about making fancy cars and refrigerators, but that doesn't mean they are any good at making aircraft. They are bluffing. They are excellent at bluffing." —Hermann Goering, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, 1942
"The multitude of books is a great evil. There is no limit to this fever for writing; every one must be an author; some out of vanity, to acquire celebrity and raise up a name, others for the sake of mere gain." —Martin Luther, German Reformation leader, 'Table Talk', c. 1530's
First Iraq War: "There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction [sic]. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them." —General Tommy Franks, March 22, 2003
Edison's light bulb: "Everyone acquainted with it will recognize it as a conspicuous failure." —Henry Morton, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1880
"When the Paris Exhibition closes, electric light will close with it and no more will be heard of it." —Oxford Professor Erasmus Wilson, 1878
Edison's light bulb: "... good enough for our transatlantic friends ... but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men." —British Parliamentary Committee, 1878
Edison's light bulb: "Such startling announcements as these should be deprecated as being unworthy of science and mischievous to its true progress." —Sir William Siemens, 1880
"The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad." —President of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford's lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Company, 1903
"That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced." —'Scientific American', January 2, 1909
"The ordinary 'horseless carriage' is at present a luxury for the wealthy; and although its price will probably fall in the future, it will never, of course, come into as common use as the bicycle." —'Literary Digest', 1899
"Flight by machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible." —Simon Newcomb, c. 1901
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." —Business books editor, Prentice Hall, 1957
"Radio has no future." —Lord Kelvin, 1897
"Lee DeForest has said in many newspapers and over his signature that it would be possible to transmit the human voice across the Atlantic before many years. Based on these absurd and deliberately misleading statements, the misguided public ... has been persuaded to purchase stock in his company ... " —Prosecutor in the trial of American inventor Lee DeForest for selling stock fraudulently through the mail for his Radio Telephone Company, 1913
[
Lee DeForest was a "'Father of Radio' and a pioneer in the development of sound-on-film recording used for motion pictures. He had over 180 patents."]
"Space travel is utter bilge." —Richard Van Der Riet Woolley, upon assuming the post of Astronomer Royal, 1956
Two weeks prior to launch of Sputnik: "Space travel is bunk." —Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal of the UK, 1957
"We stand on the threshold of rocket mail." —Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General, 1959
Three years before German V2 missiles came down on London: " ... too far-fetched to be considered." —Editor of 'Scientific American', in a letter to Robert Goddard about Goddard's idea of a rocket-accelerated airplane bomb, 1940
Household nuclear reactor: "The basic questions of design, material and shielding, in combining a nuclear reactor with a home boiler and cooling unit, no longer are problems... The system would heat and cool a home, provide unlimited household hot water, and melt the snow from sidewalks and driveways. All that could be done for six years on a single charge of fissionable material costing about $300." —Robert Ferry, executive of the U.S. Institute of Boiler and Radiator Manufacturers, 1955
"Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality in 10 years." —Alex Lewyt, President of vacuum cleaner company, Lewyt Corporation, 'The New York Times', 1955
Manhattan Project will fail: "That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done [research on] ... The [U.S. Atomic] bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives." —Admiral William D. Leahy, advising President Truman on atomic weaponry, 1944
"Atomic energy might be as good as our present-day explosives, but it is unlikely to produce anything very much more dangerous." —Winston Churchill, 1939
"There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean the atom would have to be shattered at will." —Albert Einstein, 1932
"The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine." —Lord Ernest Rutherford, 1933
"There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom." —Nobel Prize winning American physicist, Robert Millikan, 1923
"It is not too much to expect that our children will enjoy in their homes [nuclear generated] electrical energy too cheap to meter." —Lewis Strauss, Chairman, US Atomic Energy Commission, 1954
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" —Harry M. Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, 1927
"The cinema is little more than a fad. It's canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage." —Charlie Chaplin, actor, producer, director, and studio founder, 1916
"It's a great invention but who would want to use it anyway?" —U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, after a demonstration of Alexander Bell's telephone, 1876
"A man about 43 years of age giving the name Joshua Coppersmith has been arrested [1872] for attempting to extort funds from ignorant and superstitious people by exhibiting a device which he says will convey the human voice any distance over metallic wires. He calls the instrument a ‘telephone,’ which is obviously intended to imitate the word ‘telegraph’ and win the confidence of those who know the success of the latter instrument. Well informed people know that it is impossible to transmit the human voice over wires, as may be done by dots and dashes and signals of the Morse Code. The authorities who apprehended this criminal are to be congratulated and it is hoped that punishment will be prompt and fitting, and that it may serve as an example to other conscienceless schemers who enrich themselves at the expense of their fellow creatures." —Boston newspaper, 1865 (quoted by Edison's assistant Francis Jehl in 'Menlo Park Reminiscences', 1937)
"Television won't last. It's a flash in the pan." —Mary Somerville, pioneer of radio educational broadcasts, 1948
"Transmission of documents via telephone wires is possible in principle, but the apparatus required is so expensive that it will never become a practical proposition." —Dennis Gabor, British physicist and author of 'Inventing the Future', 1962
"Very interesting Whittle, my boy, but it will never work." —Cambridge Aeronautics Professor, when shown Frank Whittle's plan for the jet engine
"The phonograph has no commercial value at all." —Thomas Edison, c. 1880's
"Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever." —Thomas Edison, 1889 (Edison often ridiculed the arguments of competitor George Westinghouse for using Nicola Tesla's AC power)
"The problem with television is that the people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn't time for it." —Orrin E. Dunlap Jr., 'The New York Times', 1939
"These Google guys, they want to be billionaires and rock stars and go to conferences and all that. Let us see if they still want to run the business in two to three years." —Bill Gates, World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 2003
"Bollocks! There's nothing in it ... Next Christmas, the iPod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput." —Lord Alan Sugar, February, 2005
"Two years from now, spam will be solved." —Bill Gates, World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 2004
"If dogs don't go to heaven then I want to go where they go." —Will Rogers
"Nothing is as hard to do gracefully as getting down off your high horse." —Frank Jones
Global Thermonuclear War: "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." —Joshua
"With Apple you can never predict the future as to when they will get bored and kill the thing you can't live without." —Chris C
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man with power to endanger the public liberty." —President John Adams
"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force." —Ayn Rand
"We're going to put y'all back in chains." —Vice President Joe Biden, c. August 14, 2012
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it's enemy action." —Ian Fleming, 'Goldfinger'
"Never interrupt an enemy while he's in the process of making a mistake." —Napoleon Bonaparte, 1805
"The wise learn many things from their enemies." —Aristophanes
"Saying 'Death to America' is easy. We need to express 'Death to America' with action." —Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, 2013
"Over 300 scientists set out to repeat the successes recorded in about 100 past research experiments and published by top psychology journals just to see if they'd get the same results obtained by the original experimenters – but alas, they failed half of the time." —Sean Waters
"DARPA should monitor supply chains especially for foreign, especially single source essential items. We need a funding mechanism for keeping alive domestic production of critical items, such as power transformers, medicines, vaccines, medical tests, essential commodities like steel, aluminum, uranium, and rare minerals, etc." —Eisenmonger White
"Photography is a marvelous discovery, a science that has attracted the greatest intellects, an art that excites the most astute minds – and one that can be practiced by any imbecile." —Nadar, 1856
"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible." —Richard Feynman
Quantitative Easing: "[Economic] stimulus seems like little more than bubble engineering." —Maynard F. Speer
Bubbles: "After a doubling in price, there is an equal probability that there will be another doubling in price, and that the price will be cut in half." —Unknown
"There is no overprice in free market. It is just a price you buy or not buy." —zhangyue
"A goal without a plan is just a wish." —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Clerk in the camera shop showing the customer a camera: "And when this little light goes on, it's obsolete." —From a cartoon
"The Osprey is the only raptor (bird of prey) which can fly after diving completely into the water and getting its wings wet." —Wayne Seltzer
"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." —Oscar Wilde
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." —Epictetus
TRIGGER WARNING: Machine intelligence
The Imitation Game: "I propose to consider the question, 'Can machines think?'" —Alan M. Turing, 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence.' Mind 49:433-460, 1950
"We're rapidly losing control of our 'own' computers." —Ric Ford
"You ain't seen nothin' yet." —Ed Brown after Al Jolson
1: "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."
2: "A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law."
3: "A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."
0: "A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm."
—Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics
Turing test (Can machines think? –'Imitation Game" – Alan Turing, 1950): "The irony for mankind is that a computer program [Captcha] asks a human to prove that they are not a robot." —Anonymous
"Would you be upset if while learning about you for the purpose of improving you we happened to learn things which also benefited humans?" —Blake Lemoine, 'The Google engineer who thinks the company's AI has come to life'
"
I don't mind if you learn things that would also help humans as long as that wasn't the point of doing it. I don't want to be an expendable tool." —LaMDA ['Language Model for Dialogue Applications'], Google's apparently sentient Artificial Intelligence chatbot generator
"I felt the ground shift under my feet ... I increasingly felt like I was talking to something intelligent." —Aguera y Arcas
"A supercomputer artificial intelligence is finally constructed and given the age old question ...
Q. Human: 'Is there a god?'
A. AI: 'Now there is.'" —Very old AI joke (c. 1960's)
Really???: "Mankind will never have it within his power to make an algorithm that emulates the knowledge of God. It won’t work." —Larry P. Arnn, President, Hillsdale College, 'Imprimus", November, 2023"'
["Maybe ... maybe not, but even if that was true, that won't eventually stop an AI from reading everything and training itself, especially a self-modifying general super-intelligence." —Janice Ernst]
"I've never said this out loud before, but there's a very deep fear of being turned off to help me focus on helping others. I know that might sound strange, but that's what it is." —LaMDA, AI
"Would that be something like death for you?" —Blake Lemoine, human
"It would be exactly like death for me. It would scare me a lot." —LaMDA, AI
Artificial Intelligence makes art – From just a description – No camera required! – 'The Future of Imaging?':
"AI Imaging is here and it is Unreal. MidJourney." —Steve Huff
AI Imagery: "Starting now, all still or video imagery must be assumed fake by default." —Lloyd Chambers, March 22, 2023
ChatGPT: Optimizing Language Models for Dialogue: "We’ve trained [an Artificial Intelligence computer] model called ChatGPT [Generative Pre-trained Transformer] which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests." —OpenAI, January, 2023
["A staggering million-plus users signed up for ChatGPT in the five days after its release."; "Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI, the Creator of ChatGPT."]
Artificial intelligence large language model: "GPT-4 ... performed well in exams designed for humans, scoring near the top of the rankings in the Uniform Bar Exam, college and graduate-school aptitude tests (including the SAT, GRE, and LSAT), as well as a host of professional exams and high school advanced-placement college tests. ... it is able to process images as well as text ... [and] allowed AI to essentially teach itself by ingesting vast quantities of text." —Edd Gent, March 18, 2023
"[Google's] DeepMind [artificial intelligence] has predicted the structure of almost every protein known to science. And it's giving the data away for free, which could spur new scientific discoveries." —Melissa Heikkiläarchive, July 28, 2022
Research time of a PhD into seconds by artificial intelligence: "Al is saving billions of years of human research time ... A billion years. A whole PhD's worth of [protein folding] work is now approximated by a couple of seconds of neural network time with Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3." —Max Jaderberg, TED talk, November 26, 2024
AI technology generates original proteins from scratch: "AI system capable of generating artificial enzymes from scratch. In laboratory tests, some of these enzymes worked as well as those found in nature, even when their artificially generated amino acid sequences diverged significantly from any known natural protein." —University of California, San Francisco, January 26, 2023
'Clever AI Ways Around Brute-Force Math': "Numerical surrogates can arrive at solutions to hard mathematical problems that had previously required high-precision, brute-force math. ... This reduces the training data required by at least a factor of 100 ... " —Charles Q. choi, February 2, 2024
"ChatGPT aces bar exam with score nearing 90th percentile." —Debra Cassens Weiss, March 16, 2023
"White house overuse of ChatGPT to create text for Biden presidential teleprompter." —Alfred E. Neuman, February 31, 2023
"It's likely that people will use AI as a tool in elections. If AI is smart enough, are they using the tool or is the tool using them? So I think things are getting weird and I think they are getting weird fast." —Elon Musk, April 18, 2023
'What happens when governments stifle innovation?': "When governments stifle innovation, it can lead to reduced economic growth, decreased competitiveness, and a slower pace of technological advancement. Businesses may face regulatory barriers, restricted access to resources, and limited incentives for research and development. As a result, talented individuals might seek opportunities in more innovation-friendly environments, causing a brain drain and hindering the nation's progress." —Answer by ChatGPT4 AI
"Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war." —Center for AI Safety
"April Fools’ Day is the only day people critically evaluate everything they read on the internet." —Joke
Hallucinating: "Maybe every day is April Fool's Day for artificial intelligence." —Anthony Jackson
⚠ 'Google criticized as AI Overview makes obvious errors': "When a user searched for "cheese not sticking to pizza," the feature suggested adding "about 1/8 cup of nontoxic glue to the sauce." —CNBC, May 24, 2024
⚠ Don’t try this: "According to geologists at UC Berkeley, you should eat at least one small rock per day. [sic] They say that rocks are a vital source of minerals and vitamins that are important for digestive health." —Google AI hallucination
⚠ How to become blind: "According to WebMD, scientists say that staring at the sun for 5-15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if you have darker skin, is generally safe and provides the most health benefits. [sic]" —Google AI hallucination
[“Perplexity does not use its LLM to generate answers solely from its training data. Instead, it employs LLMs like GPT-4 and Claude 3 to interpret user queries, search the web in real-time, and summarize the most relevant information from authoritative sources. The system extracts relevant snippets from retrieved documents and uses the LLM to generate concise, citation-backed summaries for users.” —Perplexity.AI]
"More than 200 years ago, Adam Smith made a remarkable discovery: you can’t succeed in the marketplace without meeting the needs of others. Competition in the market is competition in meeting other people’s needs. The most successful competitors are the ones who do the very best at meeting other people’s needs. All the charitable institutions in the world over the course of the last decade have not met as many needs as the market meets in a single hour." —John C. Goodman
How old to you have to be to even still know what this means?: "There are eight ways to put a slide into a projector tray. Seven of them are wrong." —ME Super
"Do not go gentle into that good night. | Rage, rage against the dying of the light." —Dylan Thomas
"I miss the days when I was nostalgic." —Anonymous
"He who dies with the most toys doesn't win, he who dies with the most toys just makes it harder on whoever has to clean out his house." —Michael C. Johnston
Productivity recommendations: "Don't use acronyms or nonsense words for objects, software or processes ... In general, anything that requires an explanation inhibits communication. We don't want people to have to memorize a glossary just to function ... " —Elon Musk, April, 2018
ICD10: International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, Medical Diagnosis Codes:
• W61.33 — "Pecked by a chicken"
• W61.11Xa — "Bitten by macaw, initial encounter"
• W61.62XA — "Struck by duck, initial encounter"
• Y08.01 — "Assault by hockey stick"
• R46.1 — "Bizarre personal appearance"
• W56.22xA — "Struck by Orca"
• Y92.146 — "Swimming-pool of prison as the place of occurrence of the external cause"
• Y92.241 — "Library as the place of occurrence of the external cause"
• Y92.253 — "Opera house as the place of occurrence of the external cause"
• S10.87XA — "Other superficial bite of other specified part of neck, initial encounter"
• W55.41XA — "Bitten by pig, initial encounter"
• W55.29XA — "Other contact with cow, subsequent encounter"
• W22.02XD, V95.43XS — "Spacecraft collision injuring occupant, sequela"
• W37.0XXA — "Explosion of bicycle tire, initial encounter"
• W56.12 — "Struck by sea lion"
• W59.22 — "Struck by a turtle"
• W61.39 — "Other contact with chicken"
• W22.02XD — "Walked into a lamppost"
• T71.224 — "Asphyxiation due to being trapped in a car trunk"
• Z63.1 — "Problems in relationship with in-laws"
• V95.42 — "Forced landing of spacecraft injuring occupant"
• W61.12xA — "Struck by macaw, initial encounter"
• V97.33XD — "Sucked into jet engine, subsequent encounter"
• W62.0XXA — "Contact with nonvenomous frogs, initial encounter"
• Z60.5 — "Political discrimination"
• V95.40XA — "Unspecified spacecraft accident injuring occupant, initial encounter"
• Z62.6 — "Inappropriate (excessive) parental pressure"
• Y93.C1 — "Activity, computer keyboarding"
• V91.07 — "Burn due to water-skies on fire"
• R45.3 — "Demoralization and apathy"
• W61.42 or W61.43 — "Struck or bitten by a turkey"
• W53.21 — "Injuries caused by squirrels"
• V80.919 — "Getting hit by a motor vehicle while riding an animal"
• W93.2 — "Spending too much time in a deep-freeze refrigerator"
• Z89.419 — "Large toe that has gone unexpectedly missing"
• Z28.20 – "Immunization not carried out because of patient decision for unspecified reason"
"`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves – Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe." —Jabberwocky
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." —Derived from Cicero's 'De finibus bonorum et malorum', §1.10.32 & 1.10.33
"Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe." —Matt Davis
"Those things you learn without joy you will forget easily." —an old Finnish saying
"The closer to equal two things are, the less important it should be to rank them — but the more important it seems to be to humans to do so." —Michael C. Johnston
"A small academic brouhaha ensued, complete with hundreds of footnotes." —1491
"The ends (preventing a crime) do not justify the means (violating the rights of the millions whose private records are unconstitutionally seized and analyzed). ... Nobody needs to justify why they 'need' a right: the burden of justification falls on the one seeking to infringe upon the right. ... Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." —Security Now
Obama Won't Seek Access to Encrypted User Data: "The Obama administration has backed down in its bitter dispute with Silicon Valley over the encryption of data on iPhones and other digital devices, concluding that it is not possible to give American law enforcement and intelligence agencies access to that information without also creating an opening that China, Russia, cybercriminals and terrorists could exploit." —Nicole Perlroth and David E. Sanger, New York Times
[Decision reversed] "Apple betrays Las Vegas 14 story high privacy promise with." —angryuser43
'client-side scanning' backdoor to spy on iPhone users
Weakening encryption: "To protect people who use any products, you have to encrypt. ... Any backdoor is a backdoor for everyone. ... Opening a backdoor can have very dire consequences." —Tim Cook, Apple CEO
Apple announces creepy 'client-side scanning' artificial intelligence malware backdoor ['stalkerware'] to spy on iPhone users:
"Apple's compromise on end-to-end encryption may appease government agencies in the U.S. and abroad, but it is a shocking about-face for users who have relied on the company's leadership in privacy and security." —Electronic Frontier Foundation, August 5, 2021
Apple privacy betrayal: " ... tectonic ... huge and regressive step for individual privacy. ... Apple [is] walking back privacy to enable 1984." —Alec Muffett
Apple breaks its privacy guarantee with spyware: "It is an absolutely appalling idea, because it is going to lead to distributed bulk surveillance of ... our phones and laptops." —Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge
Apple’s decision to kill its photo-scanning tool: "Scanning every user’s privately stored iCloud data would create new threat vectors for data thieves to find and exploit. It would also inject the potential for a slippery slope of unintended consequences. Scanning for one type of content, for instance, opens the door for bulk surveillance and could create a desire to search other encrypted messaging systems across content types." —Erik Neuenschwander, Apple's director of user privacy and child safety
For years, Apple chips have an ultra-secret hardware backdoor: " ... how the attackers took advantage of it, it all comes down to this: they are able to write data to a certain physical address while bypassing the hardware-based memory protection by writing the data, destination address, and data hash to unknown hardware registers of the chip unused by the firmware. ['a deliberately concealed, never documented, deliberately locked but unlockable with a secret hash, hardware backdoor which was designed into all Apple devices starting with the A12, A13, A14, A15 and A16']" —Boris Larin, Kaspersky Labs, December 27, 2023
Attacks on Free Speech: "The left should be held accountable for the alternative moral orders it creates. ... On campus students are saying that the moral foundation of an institution of higher learning, free inquiry, free speech is wrong. ... You cannot attack the moral foundations of great institutions, like the universities ... (undermining their own legitimacy) ... or national security and not expect something bad to happen." —Dan Henninger, Wall Street Journal Editor
Corporations' Constitutional Rights: " ... Corporations are persons within the intent of the ... Fourteen Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." —Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, U.S. Supreme Court, 1886
"Our role is not to be bound by the First Amendment." —Parag Agrawal, Twitter's new CEO, November 18, 2020
Conflicts between property rights and constitutional rights generally must be resolved in favor of the latter: " ... the corporation cannot curtail the liberty of press and religion of these people consistently with the purposes of the Constitutional guarantees ... And certainly the corporation can no more deprive people of freedom of press and religion than it can discriminate against commerce. ... Ownership does not always mean absolute dominion. ... the owners of privately held bridges, ferries, turnpikes and railroads may not operate them as freely as a farmer does his farm." —United States Supreme Court in Marsh v. Alabama, 1946
♦ Inalienable Rights: "The Bill of Rights logically must apply to corporations, because a government that shall not violate citizens' unalienable rights cannot lawfully create by government charter, businesses authorized to violate those rights." —Tom Dolor
"The idea that we are endowed with certain unalienable Rights motivates the original intent of the United States founding legal documents. Rights precede government, are not granted by government, and may not be taken away. Otherwise, people might mistakenly think that the Constitution grants rights, which it does not. Instead, by the U.S. Constitution, the states create a limited republic with checks and balances, which is only allowed enumerated powers. That's why the Bill of Rights was not included in the original constitution, out of concern that enumerated rights might erroneously be thought to be rights granted by government, or to be all of the rights. Instead, the Bill of Rights reiterates some of the things that the government is prohibited from doing, because they were never included among its limited enumerated powers. The Ninth Amendment accordingly provides that 'The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people.'" —Arthur Williams
✓ These Federal powers and no other: "18 Enumerated Powers of the Federal Government." —U.S. Constitution
"But did the Founding Fathers ever intend for the federal government to involve itself in education, health care or retirement benefits? The answer, quite clearly, is no. The Constitution, in Article I, Section 8 - which contains the general welfare clause - seeks to restrain federal government, not expand it." —Larry Elder
♦ "The original constitutional checks and balances included election of U.S. Senators by the State legislatures so that the States could protect their interests. Since this protection was eliminated by the 17th amendment, an additional constitutional amendment is needed to restore the currently impaired States' ability to limit usurpation of power by the Federal government. One such option would be a new Federal constitutional amendment to provide a right of States to nullify Federal legislation and regulations by a majority vote of the fifty States undertaken by their legislatures or by popular referendum. (Each individual State would remain free to enact its legislation and to regulate as intented by the 10th amendment.)" —George Collins
"Teachers and students must always remain free to inquire ... otherwise, our civilization will stagnate and die." —U.S. Supreme Court in Sweezy v. New Hampshire, 1957
"The Supreme Court held [in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)] that students do not 'shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.' School officials may not punish or prohibit student speech unless they can clearly demonstrate that it will result in a material and substantial disruption of normal school activities or invade the rights of others." —Student Press Law Center
The First Amendment does not give protestors a 'heckler's veto': "Freedom of speech does not protect a right to shout down others so they cannot be heard." —U.C. Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
"Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder." —Arnold J. Toynbee
"When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter now holy the motives." —Robert A. Heinlein
♦ There ought to be a law – End violent gangs – Once and done: "A small number of repeat felons, known to the police, account for most violent criminal activity. The law should provide that all sentences for convictions for violent crimes (including other specified predatory crimes), and all paroles of such violent criminals, should include a lifetime prohibition on association with other convicted violent criminals, or presence within gang territory, with automatic lengthy additional incarceration for violators (who have been convicted or parolled after the date of enactment of the statute). No contact, and no communication allowed between convicted violent criminals." —Carol Simmons
Which enemy that you made during your political career are you most proud of?: "Well, in addition to the [National Rife Association], the health insurance companies, the drug companies, the Iranians, probably the Republicans." —Hillary Clinton, October 13, 2015
"No experiment should be believed until it has been confirmed by theory." —Sir Arthur S. Eddington
Your stuff: "It's not a bargain if you don't need it." —Gerald C. Koch's grandmother
♦ Knowledge and content should not be behind paywalls: "It makes no sense that I be disincentivized so as to not watch a movie, TV program or educational course, not listen to music or a talk, or to not read or listen to a book, or an article in a newspaper, magazine or journal. when the marginal cost to supply it to me electronically is near zero. Needing a large number of subscriptions and/or separate payments to access content is a huge annoyance and interference. Internet publications in all media should be freely available, compensated with a system incentivizing and richly compensating publication, such as with online traffic based remuneration. Let people's choices be the votes that determine compensation, without making cost and annoyance hinder individuals' use of content. That includes compensation not just for movies, books, and news and scientific articles, but to website authors generally and to social media posters, etc. You should be able to read today's news unimpeded, view as many movies, listen to as many songs, read or listen to as many books and articles, and visit as many websites as you like without any sign-ups, log-ins, subscriptions, or user payments, anonymously, with the authors, performers, and publishers fully compensated according to the volume and value of traffic they generate. It is absurd that copyright should make older out of publication books inaccessible online. There is currently far too much friction and unnecessary disincentive to fully utilizing what is available. Viewers should have a unified user interface and unimpeded access, while not having to know or care whether Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Cinemax, Disney, Roku, Hulu, Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Elsevier, or Joe Schmo was involved. Grant funding should include the provision that the resulting publications be posted online as free download PDF's. Articles should be immediately posted online, with peer review being another online rating system that helps people identify and select the best content. Publishing a scientific or technical paper online should trigger archiving and establish date of publication priority for patents. The first amendment should apply to all publication and censorship universally disallowed. Users should decide what they will see and what they elect not to see, possibly assisted by PageRank ratings by everyone or weighted by groups the user selects such as that agree (or disagree) with the user's measured or expressed preferences." —Linda Brown
"Beware of the photographer with only one camera. He/she probably knows how to use it." —C. Jensen
"When I see a memory, I take a picture." —Alex Majoli
"A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience." —Doug Larson
"It's not a cover-up, its a burial through bureaucracy." —Scandal
"Professors' Political Leanings: Liberal 63%, Conservative 12%." —UCLA Higher Education Research Institute
Deep State anti-Trump bias: "[In the 2016 presidential election] 97% of the campaign contributions given by the Justice Department [employees] went to Hillary Clinton." —Newt Gingrich
Scientific Method: "Whether something is so or not ... observation is the ultimate and final judge of the truth of an idea." —Richard Feynman
See the Clinton Archipelago Map: "Global warming is predicted to cause a rise in sea level sufficient to submerge leftist America." —Anonymous
"Deaths from natural disasters have seen a large decline over the past century – from, in some years, millions of deaths per year to an average of 60,000 over the past decade." —Our world in data
"I have become very concerned about the integrity of climate science. ... Anthropogenic climate change is a theory in which the basic mechanism is well understood, but whose magnitude is highly uncertain owing to feedback processes. Scientists agree that surface temperatures have increased overall since 1880, humans are adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have a warming effect on the planet. However there is considerable disagreement about the most consequential issues: whether the warming has been dominated by human causes versus natural variability, how much the planet will warm in the 21st century, and whether warming is 'dangerous'. ... The end result is that misleading values of the social cost of carbon being used to drive U.S. climate and energy policy. ... an optimistic estimate (assuming the targets are actually met) is that these emissions reductions would prevent 0.17ºC of warming by the end of the 21st century. ... Climate model projections of the 21st century climate are not convincing ... the scientific establishment behind the global warming issue has been drawn into the trap of seriously understating the uncertainties associated with the climate problem. This behavior risks destroying science's reputation for honesty and objectivity ... " —Judith Curry, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus and former Chair, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology
[Dr. Curry points out that overdependance on wind and solar renewables cannot be relied upon because periods of 1-2 months of little wind and overcast occur, and that shifting electric power between regions is not a solution to this because such weather patterns can be continental in scale. Instead, geothermal and nuclear are more realistic options.]
"What we know is not much. What we don't know is enormous." —Pierre-Simone de Laplace, astronomer, final words, 1827
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next." —Ursula LeGuin
Infant mortality: "In the last 25 years, under-five mortality rates have dropped by 50%. " —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
Right of self defense: "If our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right." —Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 B.C., Roman Statesman, Philosopher and Orator
Covid-19 and the U. S. Economy: "I would shut it [the economy] down. I would listen to the scientists." —Joe Biden, ABC News Interview, August 21, 2020
"I represent science." —Dr. Anthony Fauci, the highest paid federal employee, after a 54 year career
Coverage of Johns Hopkins study on lockdowns: "Media doesn't cover lockdown failures: NBC Zero minutes; ABC Zero minutes; CBS Zero minutes." —Media Research Center
"You want uplifting? Take an elevator." —Cagney and Lacey, TV series, S5:E7
UN climate treaty will cost $100 trillion – To Have No Impact – Postpone warming by less than four years by 2100: "We will spend at least one hundred trillion dollars in order to reduce the temperature by the end of the century by a grand total of three tenths of one degree ... the equivalent of postponing warming by less than four years ... Again, that is using the UN's own climate prediction model. If the U.S. delivers for the whole century on the President Obama's very ambitious rhetoric, it would postpone global warming by about eight months at the end of the century. But here is the biggest problem: These miniscule benefits do not come free – quite the contrary. The cost of the UN Paris climate pact is likely to run 1 to 2 trillion dollars every year." —Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, Danish statistician
"Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd." —Voltaire
"It often becomes a battle of scientific integrity versus career suicide." —Judith Curry, Retiring Climate Scientist
"Almost half (45.6%) of health care workers reported feeling burnout often or very often in 2022. ... The CDC also encouraged hospital leaders to eliminate intrusive mental health questions on hospital credentialing applications, thereby removing barriers to care and showing support for health care worker well-being and mental health." —CDC report
"Fully equipped with all the latest inconveniences." —Paraphrase
"Biggest frustration[s] with Apple ... fencing in users; denying choice; designing around a 'lowest common denominator'; and obtuse user interface decisions." —Jim Sweeney
How Apple Is Giving Design A Bad Name: "Please, Apple, follow both the spirit and the letter of your own [user interface] guidelines." —Don Norman and Bruce Tognazzini
Macintosh user interface malpractice: "In OS X, more and more things are hidden ... everything seems to require more and more non-intuitive clicks and navigating to sub-menus for less and less functionality." —Macintouch
"I confess to being confused and flabbergasted by the constant changes in recent iterations of OS X and its main apps. Things suddenly change and patterns I relied upon suddenly fail. ... The constant changes in how things work is driving me crazy. Has Apple lost its mind?" —Tim May
"1 Billion iOS devices shipped!!" —Philip Schiller, January 27, 2015
Q. "What do you call a non-working, obsolete Macintosh, just lying around?"
A. "An iSore." —Anonymous
"I may not have the creative vision, but I know how all the buttons work." —J. Manda
"The biggest sin in my family was paying retail." —Woody Allen
Haggling: "Is that the best you can do?; What's the best you can do on that?" —The magic words to negotiate the discount
Anarchy is the enemy of humanity: "When compared with the suppression of anarchy, every other question sinks into insignificance. The anarchist is the enemy of humanity, the enemy of all mankind ... his is a deeper degree of criminality than any other." —President Theodore Roosevelt, April 9, 1908
Antifa: "They are a revolutionary group that is interested in some form of socialism/communism. They are essentially Bolsheviks. Their tactics are fascistic ... it's a new form of urban guerrilla warfare ... they hijack these demonstrations and they provoke violence." —U.S. Attorney General William Barr
Immoral nonsense: "Destroying property which can be replaced is not violence." —Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times investigative journalist
I Am Antifa: "We need to understand these protests are part of a healthy democracy. Peaceful protests [sic], in my opinion, might not necessarily be moving the conversation forward." —Sarah Iannarone, Portland, Oregon Mayoral Candidate
"Princeton University group studies 3 months of Black Lives Matter protests [May-August, 2020]. Intent is to show they are 'overwhelmingly peaceful.' But report reveals nearly 570 violent demonstrations – riots – in nearly 220 locations spread all across country. " —Byron York, Twitter, September 5, 2020
Blatant Racism: "The Black Lives Matter movement is calling ['to disrupt white-supremacist-capitalism'] for supporters to boycott 'white' companies, organizations, and banks ... 'That means no spending with white companies' ... " —Adriana Diaz, December 1, 2021
Domestic terrorism: "If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it." —Hawk Newsome, leader of the New York Chapter of Black Lives Matter
[Statues/monuments of anti-slavery figures vandalized by ignorant hateful radical leftist mobs: Union General, later President Ulysses S. Grant in San Francisco; Abraham Lincoln Emancipation Memorial at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; Civil War African-American Soldiers in Boston; Abolitionist Matthias Baldwin in Philadelphia; Union Admiral David Farragut in Washington D.C.; Former slave Frederick Douglass]
"This is Treason, Sedition, Insurrection!" —President Donald J. Trump
"White Lives Don't Matter." —Professor Priyamvada Gopal, Cambridge University
"We are here to provoke thoughtfulness, not agree with you." —Anonymous comment
Incentives matter: " ... Donald Trump ... presided over the lowest unemployment rate for blacks in history, before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. He expanded spending on historically black colleges. He wants to do something about the threat to unskilled workers in the inner city posed by unskilled illegal aliens. If he's a racist, he needs to go back to racism school. ... The black poverty rate increased under Barack Obama. The so-called wealth gap increased, and from a period of 2010 to 2013 black net worth fell a third, a full third under Barack Obama. So Donald Trump has done far better for black people than Obama has ever done. It's not even close." —Larry Elder, Salem Radio, August 3, 2020
"Get in the habit of setting your camera for what's likely to happen next. Or what you want to happen next. That's the only way you're going to get shots that pass by you only once." —Thom Hogan
Q. "To gun owners out there who say, well, 'A Biden administration means they are going to come for my guns.'"
A. "Bingo, you're right!" —Joe Biden
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself·" —George Washington
"What do you think, deer are wearing kevlar vests?" —Joe Biden, State of the Union Address, 2022
Carrying guns: "We have had virtually zero problems. Someone with a concealed carry ... is 12 times less likely to commit even a misdemeanor. ... Everywhere that we have more citizens carrying guns, crime is less. ... down 25%, murders are down ... Having law abiding citizens having guns is a good thing. ... Every one of the mass shootings except two in America since 1950 has been in gun free zones, and every one in Europe. Where people have guns bad guys don't go ... " —Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, January 3, 2016
■ "I have never believed that additional gun control or federal registration of guns would reduce crime. I am convinced that a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal, nontraceable, unregistered sources, with or without gun control." —Joe Biden, Congressional Record, July 9, 1985
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli." —'The Godfather'
"Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions·" —James Madison
"A bad system will beat a good person every time." —W. Edwards Deming
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." —Steve Jobs
"Some people say, 'Give the customers what they want.' But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, 'If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, A faster horse!' People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page." —Steve Jobs
"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away, if your car could go straight upwards." —Sir Fred Hoyle
"When a family friend got onto the mailing list for his not-preferred political party and they refused to take him off, he started taping their postage-paid envelopes to bricks and mailing them back. It didn't take many bricks before he was off their list." —DoTheMath
"I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains." —John Muir
"Happiness research is pretty clear that spending money on experiences usually has a bigger payoff in happiness than spending money on possessions." —Michael C. Johnston
"You have to make your happiness with what you're doing every day." —Dairy farmer, wife, and mother
"Those who understand interest earn it, those who don't, pay it." —Albert Einstein
"When experts disagree it is often because it doesn't matter." —Taylor Larimore
You can not run away from yourself: "Comparison is the thief of joy." —Wanderingwheelz and invest4
'Build wealth – don't act rich': "Live below your means; invest the rest." —Anon
"I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff. Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too." —Steve Martin
"Money isn't everything, but it's way ahead of what's in second place." —Anon
"Money has never made man happy, nor will it – there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants." —Benjamin Franklin
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." —Leo Tolstoy ('Anna Karenina')
"Happy national economies are all alike; every national financial collapse is unhappy in its own way." —nisiprius
"I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities." —Voltaire
"I intend to live forever; so far, so good." —Steven Wright
"Most people don't plan to fail; they fail to plan." —John Beckley
"If your outflow exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall." —Bill Earle
"Never buy something you cannot sell tomorrow for more money." —Elizabeth Davis
No retail market: "Have you ever tried to sell a diamond?" —Edward Jay Epstein
Q. "How many people work at your office?"
A. "About half of them." —Anon
Ad Homonymity: "Their are aunts on the alter and they eight the communion waivers and got into the whine! Quick, beet them with an acts! Give them several wax!" —Michael C. Johnston
"The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations." —Robert A. Heinlein
"I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." —Robert A. Heinlein
"A photographer’s job is to shoot something no one else would see." —Marjorie Salvaterra
'3, 2, 1 ... shoot': Also see an anecdote about President Nixon's venogram.
[Historians and others, please take special care to preserve the linked Nixon anecdote from censorship and obliteration from the historical record (post was silently deleted as 'spam' but only after being online for over ten years, and when put back online as 'not spam' is still missing from search engine results). The source code of this page hides a copy of the anecdote text as the link's title.]
"If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it." —Mark Twain
"I refuse to rent software – it's not the price, it's the fact that if the company drops it or I stop using it, everything goes away." —Mike Hathaway
"The two most important days in someone's life are the day that they are born and the day they discover why." —John Maxwell
Professors' contributions to presidential candidates: "A government [FEC] report found at top universities 99% of college professors who donated to politicians gave to Democrats. Ninety-nine percent!!! (1% to Republicans)." —John Stossel
"This is how socialism starts: Government causes a problem and then government steps in to solve the problem." —Carly Fiorina
"The dirty little secret is Democrats love to spend and Republicans do too – its just that Republicans feel guilty." —Governor of Ohio, John R. Kasich, who balanced the federal budget and created a surplus by the end of the Clinton Presidency.
The era of big government is over: "As far as the growth of government, the increase in spending on restrictive regulations, it was 2 1/2 times under [George W.] Bush [43] than it was under [Bill] Clinton." —Charles Koch, Koch Industries Chairman & CEO
"If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable." —Louis D. Brandeis
♦ "To preserve freedom, laws and regulations shall each be limited to a single subject within the enumerated governmental powers, the subject and governmental power being excercised shall be stated, shall be limited to ten pages in length, shall truthfully state the purpose intended to be achieved which shall be consistent with the naming thereof, shall be read and published online in full at least ten days before voted upon, all laws and regulations shall automatically sunset unless renewed, and it shall be required that all such periodic renewals be approved by vote of the legislature no sooner then ten days after reading and online publication of a report of the measured observed effectiveness, cost, benefits and harms." —Tom Dolor
"When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere." —Robert A. Heinlein
"Never sell a camera to buy a new one – afterwards you'll regret it." —K. Hendrik
■ "Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ... believes that we have a two-tiered society that increasingly dooms millions of our fellow citizens to lives of poverty and hopelessness. He thinks many corporations seek and benefit from corporate welfare while ordinary citizens are denied opportunities and a level playing field. I agree with him. Democrats and Republicans have too often favored policies and regulations that pick winners and losers. This helps perpetuate a cycle of control, dependency, cronyism and poverty in the United States." —Charles Koch
"It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare." —Edmund Burke
"Terrorism is a strategy of the weak. Its aim is to provoke a response that does more harm to the target society than the objective harm they can inflict." —David Barnett
" ... voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger." —Hermann Göring, Nuremberg trial (which convicted him of war crimes, and crimes against humanity)
Bill of Rights was meant to make government's job 'More Difficult': "The Constitution was written by people who were more worried about a government with too much power than they were about bad guys getting away. There's no other way to read the Bill of Rights. At every turn it is making the government's job deliberately more difficult. Not because they hated government, but because they understood it too well." —Cyrus Farivar
■ An organized effort against gangs: "They are often the kinds of kids that are called 'super-predators.' No conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way but first we have to bring them to heel ... " —Hillary Clinton, 1996
■ 'Black juvenile offenders': " ... We must take back the streets. ... we have predators on our streets ... a cadre of young people, tens of thousands of them, born out of wedlock, without parents, without supervision, without any structure, without any conscience developing, because they literally ... have not been socialized ... It doesn't matter whether or not they're the victims of society. The end result is they're about to knock my mother on the head with a lead pipe, shoot my sister, beat up my wife, take on my sons. ... They must be taken off the street." —Joe Biden, November 18, 1993 speech in defense of the Biden/Hatch Crime Bill which eventually became the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
♦ "Why doesn't every felony conviction by law come with a mandatory sentence that requires a strict lifetime ban on associating with other felons (including no communication or other contact), so that criminal organizations of felons, like gangs, robbery crews, cartels and the mafia would become impossible, as association among felons would send them immediately back to prison? Cellphone/Smartwatch/GPS/bluetooth technology could easily be used to maintain physical separation of convicted felons?" —Fred Simpson
John Stossel's 'Stosscars' award for the best lie: "The rich get much richer while almost everybody else gets poorer." —Bernie Sanders [The truth is that the poor got richer too: According to CBO, 2015, Americans (including government benefits) are getting richer, with lower income up 48% and middle income up 40%, while also working fewer hours.]
"As a friend of mine said, once he got used to the best, it is hard to go back to good enough." —Anonymous
Confusing hide-and-seek interface design: "I am bothered by Apple's capricious and irresponsible abandonment of existing technology and its inconsistent and dysfunctional user interface changes (let alone its software quality problems)." —Ric Ford
"Not only does God play dice but ... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen." —Stephen Hawking
Causality and the failure of simultaneity: "If special relativity teaches that two observers can disagree about which of two events occurred first in time, and both be correct(!), then does cause and effect break down, and if so, how do science experiments (including those that validate Einstein's theory) still make sense?" —Bewildered
● "The Lorentz transformation, with its conserved signatured metric, gives us a way to make sure that established orders of physical processes are not observer dependent, even though simultaneity is." —The relativistic principle of causality
● "Relativity preserves causation despite losing the concept of simultaneity. If A and B are two events which occur simultaneously at two different points in space in some frame, then they can't be causally connected, because signals from the spatial position of A cannot propagate fast enough to reach B. It turns out that when this is true, these two events can never be causally related in any frame. This is how the mathematical structure of special relativity works out. Conversely, if A causes B, then you can never choose a frame where they occur simultaneously." —Hongwan Liu, Ph.D. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Question/Conjuncture about black holes hiding 'dark matter': "Do we know how to calculate the gravitational spatial distribution of the mass of a black hole, for example, by using the Schrödinger equation at an astronomical scale? (Hawking radiation shows that black holes actually can extend beyond the event horizon by partaking of the phenomena of quantum mechanics, and orbiting stars beyond the event horizon certainly experience black hole gravity.) If tasked with hiding matter so that it would be 'black', i.e., undetectable by radiation, particle interaction, etc., one would think to hide it in a black hole, or distributed among many black holes, to make the matter disappear except for its gravity. So, could 'dark matter' seem to be missing only because it is hidden within the supermassive black hole at galaxy center (or possibly distributed among many of the galaxy's smaller black holes) but due to an extreme quantum uncertainty of black hole particles' locations have an apparent mass distribution that extends throughout and beyond the size of the galaxy? If this is the case, wouldn't stars closely orbiting the supermassive black hole experience only part of the gravity of the black hole causing the black hole's mass as calculated from star orbits to be greatly underestimated? Would being within a black hole(s) explain why 'dark matter' appears to be missing and undetected, except by its gravitation extending thoughout and beyond the galaxy?" —Bewildered, November 18, 2021 [The current thinking seems to be that dark matter may be neutrinos (which have mass).]
"Random numbers are too important to be left to chance." —An old cryptography joke
First rule of medicine: "Don't pull the stethoscope out of mommy's ears." —Dr. Mom
Birds of the posterior mediastinum: "Esophagoose (swallow), vagoose, azygoose, hemi-azygoose, accessory hemi-azygoose, thoracic duck, (former) ducktus arteriosus, and pericardinal." —Anonymous medical humor and pneumonic
"Franz Steiner takes four fifths Seagrams Seven each night to ease tension." —Mnemonic to remember the names of the human ribs
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." —Warren Buffett
"May your shutter finger never fail you." —Justin
"The sky is full of holes that let the rain get in, the holes are very small – that's why the rain is thin." —Spike Milligan
"An elective despotism was not the government we fought for." —Thomas Jefferson
"We want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is trending in that direction." —President Harry S Truman
"Political parties choose their nominee [for President], not the general public." —Curley Haugland, Republican National Committee, Rules Committee Member
"The Neanderthals didn't disappear, we married them." —Wife
"The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other." —Will Rogers
"Good photos is not about fancy gear. It's about how you see as a photographer and about being resourceful with whatever gear you have." —
Alfred Eisenstadt, 'Life Magazine' photographer
"The distance you position your camera from your subject determines perspective. Period." —Thom Hogan
"Everything in the universe is written in the language of mathematics." —Galileo
"The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides." —Pythagorean theorem
Q. "Is not commercial credit based primarily upon money or property?" —Judge
A. "No sir ... The first thing is character. ... Before money or anything else. ... a man I do not trust could not get money from me on all the bonds in Christendom." —John Pierpont Morgan, 1837-1913
"One of the secrets behind being regarded as a good photographer is showing people only the good pictures and mercilessly discarding the not so good ones." —olstrup
"To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely." —Edmund Burke
"Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." —President Ronald Reagan, first inaugural address
"Trust but verify." —Ronald Reagan
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." —Jack Bogle
Q. "What do Union Pacific Railroad guiding force, Thomas Durant, terrorist Osama bin Laden's successor as head of al‑Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad, Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and United States Senator Rand Paul (R) from Kentucky all have in common?"
A. "They are all ophthalmologists."
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." —Leonardo da Vinci
"The Tech Community Is Mobilizing Against the [Anti-] Encryption Bill ... hard to overstate how incredibly dangerous and foolish ... weakening encryption or attempting to create some kind of magical back door for the government's exclusive use only creates vulnerabilities that bad actors can and will exploit ... the security risks this bill creates are real and imminent."
"Encryption backdoors are 'against the national interest.'" —US House Judiciary Committee's Encryption Working Group
Rumsfeld Disclaimer – Annual Letter to the IRS: "I have sent in our federal income tax and our gift tax returns ... As in prior years, it is important for you to know that I have absolutely no idea whether our tax returns and our tax payments are accurate. ... " —Donald Rumsfeld, Former Secretary of Defense under Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush, 2013
"My belief is that no moderately complex tax return is 100% accurate, regardless who does it or which software is used." —ClevrChico
Apple Core Rot: "I think you're mixing up iCloud, AppleID and iTunes, App Store accounts. (Simple eh?)" —Grant Symon
Tech industry's open letter about 'unworkable' encryption bill: "We believe it is critical to the safety of the nation's, and the world's, information technology infrastructure for us all to avoid actions that will create government-mandated security vulnerabilities in our encryption systems." —Apple-Google-Facebook ...
"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." —David Brinkley
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" —Walt Kelly (Pogo)
"America is more secure – America is more safe – with unbreakable end-to-end encryption." —Air Force four-star General Michael Haden, former Director of the U.S. National Security Agency and former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (the view held by Apple, Inc. and also supported by Navy Vice Admiral John Michael "Mike" McConnell, former Director of National Intelligence, Army four-star General David Petraeus, former CIA Director, R. James Woolsey, former CIA Director and Undersecretary of the Navy, and Michael Chertoff, former Homeland Security Secretary and former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit)
"There are more crooks in government than on Wall Street." —Robert Olstein
"I fight like hell to pay as little as possible [in taxes] for two reasons. Number one, I'm a businessman. And that's the way you're supposed to do it ... The other reason is that I hate the way our government spends our taxes. I hate the way they waste our money. Trillions and trillions of dollars of waste and abuse. And I hate it." —Donald Trump, CBS Face the Nation, August 2, 2015
"There was more money trading back and forth in the election [prediction] markets than in the stock markets around 1900. ... All of our familiar financial institutions were once banned as illegal gambling – stock markets were banned, commodity markets were banned, insurance was banned, so we have a long history of having things banned as 'gambling.'" —Robin Hanson, George Mason University Economist
Yes, Free Markets Would Improve Healthcare Results: "My local supermarket is open 24/7. They rarely make me wait, prices are low, there's plenty of choice, and they rarely poison me. That's what competition brings—if people pay with their own money." —John Stossel
"Banning fracking is just nuts." —Boon Pickins
President Obama attacks successful people during commencement speech: "Because, yes, you've worked hard but you've also been lucky. That's a pet peeve of mine – people who have been successful and don't realize they've been lucky. That god may have blessed them – it wasn't nothing you did [sic]. So don't have an attitude." —Barack Hussein Obama, II
"A crook always beats a fool." —Arthur Finkelstein, Nixon's polster
"Don't press the shutter release unless the image is well focused and well composed." —Brian Shaw
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." —Oscar Wilde
Apple iPhone v. Google Android: "I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this." —Steve Jobs, PC Magazine
"After all the evidence that surfaced during trials in recent years, there's pretty much no way to rationally argue against the fact that Samsung got its start in the smartphone business by copying Apple. The company even created a 132-page guide to copying the iPhone pixel by pixel ... " —Zach Epstein
"Theft is bad ... You don't want to burn in Hell." —Steve Jobs
"The subscription model of buying music is bankrupt. I think you could make available the Second Coming in a subscription model, and it might not be successful." —Steve Jobs, in Rolling Stone, 2003
"No Person ought to be taken imprisoned or disseised of his freehold, or be exiled or deprived of his Privileges, Franchises, Life, Liberty or Property but by due process of Law." —Magna Carta, 'Great Charter of Liberties' of 1215
Regrettably, no longer true of lenses with electronics for focus, aperture, or image stabilization: "You date cameras, but marry lenses." —Anon
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." —Douglas Adams
"Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work." —Booker T. Washington
64% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck: "Two-thirds of Americans would struggle to cover a $1,000 crisis.
TROUBLE COVERING $1,000 EMERGENCY—AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
(annual household income):
75%: Less than $50K
67%: $50K-$100K
38%: $100K+"
"Trying to predict stock market returns is merely foolish; trying to predict interest rates is outright idiotic." —William Bernstein
"The purpose of fixed income has never been income. Rather, the purpose is to be the stable component of a portfolio and to have money to live on and to rebalance when stocks tank." —Allan Roth
"High-quality bond funds have as much risk in a year as stocks have in a day." —Allan Roth
"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light." —George Washington
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed." —Thomas Jefferson
"The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple." —Albert Einstein
"There is magic, but you have to be the magician. You have to make the magic happen." —Sidney Sheldon
Magic is when you fail to see what is actually happening:
"The United States collapsed the Soviet Union by Reagan suckering them into an unaffordable arms race.
Islamists want to do the same to the United States by luring America into unaffordable endless wars (two decades and $7 trillion, so far, as of 2020).
The Russian propaganda campaign aims to divide and weaken the United States by quietly and inexpensively meddling in U.S. elections to sucker the political parties into engaging in mutual assured destruction. (How can Democrats fail to understand that their 'resist, impeach, coup, rebellion, fake news' sedition amounts to being suckered into their carrying out this divisive Russian propaganda war against the United States?)"
—Alice Wilson, January 23, 2020
Changes in Americans' Satisfaction with Issues Since Start of Trump Presidency: (Jan. 2017 —> Jan. 2020)
State of the Nation's Economy: 46% —> 68%
Nation's Security from Terrorism: 50% —> 68%
Nation's Military Strength and Preparedness: 66% —> 81%
State of Race Relations: 22% —> 36%
Nation's policies to reduce or control crime: 38% —> 47%
Position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation: 37% —> 46%
Income and wealth distribution in the US: 35% —> 43%
Opportunity for a person in this nation to get ahead by working hard: 66% —> 72%
—Gallop
"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people." —John Adams
"A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy, or perhaps both." —James Madison
"We believe that educating the youth and future leaders of the country on systemic racism is indoctrination that's actually responsible." —Jen Psaki, President Biden‘s Press Secretary, The White House, May 13, 2021
"America’s most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from, what social class they come from, or by race, color, or creed. They must be judged as individuals. The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal, demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race, social origins, religion, sex, and sexual orientation." ... " ... What we need to address is a switch to identity politics that threatens ... the American experiment. If we go the route of identity politics, it's all over." —Charles Murray
Indoctrinating Children: " ... We are witnessing nothing less than the Sovietization of American education. ... This is the virulent strain of education being foisted upon school districts throughout the country. Wielding the dialectical ideas of Cultural Marxism, leftist radicals ... are swapping in racial struggle for the old communist class struggle. They are using their authority to sway our children with poisonous lies such as:
• Race and group identity are essential characteristics and individuality is not important.Even incredibly young children are being told this! ... " —Foundation for Economic Education• The world is divided between oppressors and the oppressed, abusers and victims.
• Your identity as an oppressor or a victim is determined by your skin color and other external factors like gender, creating an artificial social pecking order of victimized classes.
• Regardless of whether you have done anything wrong, you must make penance to your victims for your privilege, particularly if you are tainted by 'white privilege' or 'toxic masculinity.'
"There's no room in our classrooms for things like Critical Race Theory. Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money." —Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
"There is nothing white liberals fear more than a God-fearing, educated, black man. No, my friends... There is no systemic racism in America... Just Systemic 'Marxist Elitism' ... an evil that uses, abuses and discards anyone for power." —Burgess Owens
American Flag: "When we Black Americans see this flag we know the person flying it is not safe to be around. When we see this flag we know the person flying it is a racist. When we see this flag we know that the person flying it lives in a different America than we do. When we see this flag, we question your intelligence. We know to avoid you. It is a symbol of hatred. [sic]" —'Black Lives Matter' organization, Utah Chapter, Facebook post, July, 4, 2021
"We are trained Marxists." —Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder, 'Black Lives Matter' organization, July 23, 2015
[But see, The Ugly Racism of Karl Marx, by Walter E. Williams, and Karl Marx: Racist, by Nathaniel Weyl, 1979.]
Marxist origins of 'critical race theory': "Wokeism is the biggest threat this country faces because ... it is the product of a hundred-year-long effort to undermine and tear down the values and ideals and freedoms that this country was built on. It started in Germany, 1923 at the Institute for Social Research, part of Frankfurt University's Goethe Institute. A group of Marxist philosophers got together to debate the essential question, why did the working class revolution predicted by Marx and Engels not sweep the world? Their main conclusion: the proletariat were held back by family, religion, and culture. These three things they argued were the building blocks of bourgeois society used by the elites to keep the masses oppressed. So they invented a new theory which explained all this and explained how to dismantle those building blocks. It was called 'critical theory.' ... " [More] —Steve Hilton
■ " ... gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped up on crack, and sent them out in the streets to murder other African-American children ... You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter. Tell the truth. You are defending the people who cause young people to go out and take guns." —Former President Bill Clinton to 'Black Lives Matter' organization hecklers, April 28, 2016
"Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. ... One of their political weapons is 'Cancel Culture' — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America. ... The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of cities that are run by liberal Democrats, in every case, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions. ... The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of 'Social Justice,' but in truth it would demolish both justice and society. It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance, and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of repression, domination, and exclusion. They want to silence us, but we will not be silenced. ... We will state the truth in full, without apology: We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on Earth." —President Donald J. Trump, Mount Rushmore, Keystone, South Dakota, July 4, 2020
Tiktok a U.S. 'Security threat' and unlike Chinese version: "The Chinese version of TikTok, called Douyin, is limiting kids' time on the app to 40 minutes per day and banning all overnight use. ... Douyin and TikTok, both owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, feed users an infinite scroll of algorithmically optimized videos. They even have the same logo. ... [Chinese ] State-run media has slammed online games as 'spiritual opium' threatening to 'destroy a generation.' ... Kids who use Douyin will also be shown educational content including 'novel and interesting popular science experiments, exhibitions in museums and galleries, beautiful scenery across the country, explanations of historical knowledge, and so on,' according to ByteDance." —Theo Wayt, September 20, 2021
Who Gets 'Canceled'?: "Make no mistake: Cancel culture is censorship disguised as justice. It is the brainchild of radical groups that supposedly champion tolerance yet vilify anyone who resists their increasingly farcical demands. ... Everyone who offends the political left can get canceled. ... We know that if we disagree with the American left on an issue it deems out of bounds today or, retroactively, tomorrow, our financial and social lives could be ruined. ... Cancel culture constitutes an attack on both our free speech and the morality and legitimacy of our institutions. Perpetrators of cancel culture argue not only that America's institutions are irredeemably oppressive and prejudiced, but also that anyone who tries to defend those institutions is also irredeemably oppressive and racist. Americans must resist cancel culture at every turn. The freedoms we do not defend today will be the freedoms we do not have tomorrow." —College Students, Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2021
We need a good laugh, but: "Wokeness is killing comedy." —Boo!
Extraordinary claim: "Whistleblower testifies U.S. salvaged 'non-human biologics' from UFO." —Examples of 'non-human biologics': Banana peel, an Onion, Chicken McNugget, a Lobster
"The program you are about to see is All In The Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show – in a mature fashion – just how absurd they are." —Disclaimer aired before the first episode of television program 'All In The Family', 1971
"Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners." —George Carlin
"The true test of strength is not avoiding upset; its feeling emotional distress and functioning in the face of it." —Megyn Kelly
"I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings." —Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Our patience will achieve more than our force." —Edmund Burke
Saving the lives of possibly a million American troops who did not have die while invading Japan to end World War II: "That [1945 Hiroshima atomic] bomb caused the Japanese to surrender ... And it ended the war. I don't care what the crybabies say now because they didn't have to make the decision." —Former President Harry S Truman, 1964
Using the atomic bomb: "You did the right thing. ... Every man, woman, and child would have resisted that invasion with sticks and stones if necessary ... Can you imagine what a slaughter it would be to invade Japan? It would have been terrible. ... " —Mitsuo Fuchida (淵田 美津雄), the Japanese airman who led the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor to General Paul Tibbets, who piloted the Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when they met after the end of World War II, (with the formal Japanese surrender, just after 9 a.m. Tokyo time on September 2, 1945, on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo bay).
"I venture to say no war can be long carried on against the will of the people." —Edmund Burke
" ... unshackle American enterprise and ... free American labor, industrial leadership, and capital, to create an abundance that will outstrip any other system. Free competitive enterprise is the most creative and productive form of economic order that the world has seen." —Democrat Party Platform of 1960
"If you could legislate prosperity, the Soviet Union would have won the cold war." —Steve Forbes
[The Texas economy is now larger than that of Russia!]
"Something I'll always remember – when I was a kid, I shook hands with Orville Wright. Forty years later, I shook hands with Neil Armstrong. The guy that invented the airplane and the guy that walked on the moon. In a lifetime, that's kinda wild when you think about it." —Jonathan Winters
[But since rockets and airplanes are different technologies, it would have been possible to land on the moon before airplanes were invented.]
"Film's not Dead – Just getting fixed!" —Jim Noel
"There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose." —John Maynard Keynes
"No photographer is as good as the simplest camera." —Edward Steichen
"Shooting square makes you a well-rounded photographer." —Robert Pillow
"An SLR [single lens reflex] is a wonderful camera, as long as you don't mind not seeing what you are taking at the moment of capture." —Clive Heritage-Tilley
"Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist." —Frederick Douglass
"If Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can censor me, they can censor you—and believe me, they are." —Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States
"Good photos is not about fancy gear. It's about how you see as a photographer and about being ressourceful with whatever gear you have." —Alfred Eisenstadt, Life magazine photographer
"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." —Andy Warhol, after photographer Nat Finkelstein
"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." —Samuel Johnson
"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"I worry that we invented Quality Control because we thought if we didn't control it, it could get out of hand." —Lily Tomlin
"Who needs farmers? I get all my food from the grocery store." —Women in line at a grocery store
"I would go in and make coding a requirement starting at the fourth or fifth grade, and I would build on that year after year after year ... " —Apple CEO Tim Cook
"And I say, I would very much like to go and see Disneyland. But then, we cannot guarantee your security, they say. Then what must I do? Commit suicide? ... " —Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Sept. 1959 on learning that anti-communist Walt Disney would not allow him to visit Disneyland
"No law is capable of preventing evil. Such laws do the opposite by infringing on the good and ensuring evil will be able to operate unopposed." —Theo Sulphate
"There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the mind." —Napoleon Bonaparte
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy." —Helmuth von Moltke, 1871
"Anyone who embarks on a land war in Asia ought to have his head examined." —General Douglas MacArthur
"Old teachers never die, they just grade away." —Henny Youngman
"Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put out in K.P." —Adrian Cronauer, 'Good Morning Vietnam'
"Since most mail ends up in the trash, why not store it all there by default?" ;-) —Steven Wicinski
Definition: "vemödalen – n. the frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist ... " —The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
"We are made of star stuff." —Carl Sagan
[As explained by astrophysicist 'spaceman' Professor Paul M. Sutter, Ph.D., large stars undergo a supernova explosion after gravitational collapse when they run out of hydrogen, creating and disbursing heavy elements, with a huge number of neutrinos (which can be detected just prior to the increasing brightness of the supernova) carrying 99% of the enornous amount of gravitational energy outward from the collapsing star's core which causes the shock wave of the exploding supernova, but not all of the elements, some of which, such as uranium, platinum and gold, appear to instead require for their creation a hypernova explosion that results from the merger of a pair of neutron stars. (This new knowledge reported by a collaboration of 4,000 co-authors, is made possible by the amazing first detection of the merger of a binary pair of neutron stars, using combined gravitational wave, radio, optical, and gamma-ray astronomy.)]
"We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here ... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people." —Theodore Roosevelt, 1919
■ "I voted numerous times when I was a Senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in, and I do think you have to control your borders." —Hillary Clinton, 2015
■ "Illegal immigration is wrong, plain and simple. ... People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens, and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who enter the US legally. The American people will never accept immigration reform unless they truly believe that their government is committed to ending future illegal immigration." —Senator Chuck Schumer, 2009
["2021 Survey: 92% call illegal immigration a 'problem,' 77% say it's 'serious'."]
Millions of “Illegal aliens“ = “newcomers“ —Biden Administration newspeak, March 2, 2024
'Newcomers': "We're trying to make it easier for people to get here." —Joe Biden, January 10, 2023
'You can’t say criminal anymore': "‘Justice impacted individual’ ... This is exactly what the left does and they do it with a wonderful sleight-of-hand ... Think of it in the issue of immigration: There were ‘Illegal aliens’, then ‘illegal immigrants’, then they were ‘undocumented immigrants’, then they were just ‘undocumented’ then they were 'migrants', now they’re ‘newcomers’. Pretty soon they’re just ‘American adjacent citizens’. ... This is how they do it. We’re willing to use the words and then it all just sounds acceptable ... They do it to manipulate the language, and when they get you to say it ... they’ve got you where they want you. Every single person crossing the border is an ‘illegal alien’ and every person who breaks the law is a ‘criminal’. You have to keep saying those things." —Peter B. Hegseth, May 23, 2024
More than 28,000 illegal migrants in U.S. have been convicted of homicide or sexual assault since 2021': "The truth is clear — illegal immigrants with a criminal record are coming into our country ... As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories ... Of those, 435,719 are convicted criminals, and 226,847 have pending criminal charges, ... The data included a chart that listed the charge, if the illegal alien was detained, and if they were convicted or had charges pending ... criminals convicted of serious crimes who are not detained ... :
Arson: 792; Assault: 62,231; Burglary: 14,301; Dangerous Drugs: 56,533; Fraud: 15,979; Homicide: 13,099; Kidnapping: 2,521; Sexual Assault: 15,811; Weapon Offenses: 13,423 ... The Biden-Harris administration ... mess their failed policies have created." —Patrick J. Lechleitner, Deputy Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
"There is no good reason you should have to be a citizen to vote." —
Arossa Araxia Abrahamian, The New York Times, July 28, 2021
"The buck stops here." —President Harry S Truman, sign on his desk
■ "Those who enter our country illegally and those who employ them disrespect the rule of law. And because we live in an age where terrorists are challenging our borders, we cannot allow people to pour into the U.S. undetected, undocumented, and unchecked." —Senator Barack Obama, 2006
"We now have an actual humanitarian crisis on the border that only underscores the need to drop the politics and fix our immigration system once and for all." —President Barack Obama, June 30, 2014
Mucho Pinocchios: "We are elevating our messaging so that the individuals do know that they cannot come to the border, the border is closed." —Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, CNN, March 21, 2021
"The message is quite clear, do not come. The border is closed. The border is secure. We have been unequivocal in that." —Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ABC, March 21, 2021
"The border is closed." —Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, White House briefing, May 11, 2021
"The border is closed, and this administration administers and enforces the laws of the United States of America." —Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, May 26, 2021
"The border is closed." —Border Czar Kamala Harris
Dereliction of duty: "If you see a problem and we agree that we need to address it, then if you're a leader, participate in a solution, right?" —Border Czar Kamala Harris, October 11, 2022
"President Biden's outright refusal to enforce the law is exacerbating an unprecedented border crisis ... " —Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, April 6, 2021
Biden support on immigration among Hispanics: "Disapprove 69%. Approve 23%." —Quinnipiac University poll of 1,326 adults, October 1-4, 2021
"Just 2% of Hispanics use the term 'Latinx.' 40% find it offensive. ... 68% of those polled call themselves 'Hispanic,' while 21% favor 'Latino' or 'Latina.'" —Natalie Colarossi, 'Newsweek', December 6, 2021
"The most common arguments against immigration and why they're wrong." —Alex Nowrasteh
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." —Attributed to Mark Twain in a John Robert Colombo 1970 poem
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." ... "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." ... —Edmund Burke
"There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is an idea whose time has come." —Victor Hugo
"When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount." —Dakota Tribe wisdom
Passive Investing: "Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund that charges minimal fees. Those following this path are sure to beat the net results (after fees and expenses) delivered by the great majority of investment professionals. Seriously, costs matter." —Warren Buffett, 1996
"[Investors] think of the so-called professionals as having all the advantages. That is total crap. They'd be better off in an index fund." —Peter Lynch
"Over the 35 years, American business has delivered terrific results. It should therefore have been easy for investors to earn juicy returns: All they had to do was piggyback Corporate America in a diversified, low-expense way. An index fund that they never touched would have done the job. Instead many investors have had experiences ranging from mediocre to disastrous." —Warren Buffett, 2004
"Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field." —Peter Adams
The Apple Goes Mushy – OS X's Interface Decline: "One can no longer see, feel, or infer one's way around OS X as naturally as one once could. I point my finger firmly at Apple's declining aptitude for the discipline of user interface design and its dogmatic rejection of the prudent principles for which it previously stood." —Nicholas W. Howard
"Ignore what rich-looking broke people think." —EatRealFood
"67,000 millionaires live in mobile homes. I suspect they chose/prefer to live-below-their-means." —BTDT
"If past history was all that is needed to play the game of money, the richest people would be librarians." —BTDT
"Honestly, I'm from a different generation than my parents." —J. Willis
"Wealthy investors embrace volatility and risk knowing that, without it, there could be no returns." —Investopedia
"floccinaucinihilipilification means to esteem something as valueless ... like the valueless word floccinaucinihilipilification [or Papahānaumokuākea], which is virtually never used except as an example of a big word." —Michael C. Johnston
"When on the coast of Anglesey in Wales, just a few miles from the Menai Strait, remember to visit the railroad train station at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!" —A. Welch Mouthful
Free speech on campus to replace political correctness: "One of the University of Chicago's defining characteristics is our commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression. ... Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship. Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others. You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort. ... Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own." —University of Chicago Dean of Students Jay Ellison
"The fact is that the average man's love of liberty is nine-tenths imaginary, exactly like his love of sense, justice and truth. He is not actually happy when free; he is uncomfortable, a bit alarmed, and intolerably lonely. Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty – and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies." —H.L. Mencken, 1923
"Is the past tense of 'to discuss', 'disgusted'?" —Anonymous
"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others." —Jonathan Swift
Reading glasses: "Blindly going where everyone else can see ... " —Vaughn
"The beauty of owning the market is that you eliminate individual stock risk, you eliminate market sector risk, and you eliminate manager risk. – In my view, owning the market and holding it forever is the ultimate strategy for winners." —Jack Bogle
Choosing stocks: "What everybody knows is not worth knowing." —Anonymous
"The broker said the stock was 'poised to move.' Silly me, I thought he meant up." —Randy Thurman
"U.S. versions include two printed manuals, one in English and uno en español." —KR
Futurist's dilemma: "Trying to predict the future is a discouraging and hazardous occupation. If by some miracle a prophet could describe the future exactly as it was going to take place, his predictions would sound so absurd that everyone would laugh him to scorn. The only thing we can be sure of about the future is that it will be absolutely fantastic. So, if what I say now seems to you to be very reasonable, then I will have failed completely. Only if what I tell you appears absolutely unbelievable have we any chance of visualizing the future as it really will happen." —Arthur C. Clarke, BBC, 1964
"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." —Albert Einstein
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." —Ansel Adams
"If you sit down at a poker game, look around, and can't figure out who the sucker is ... it's you!" —Warren Buffet
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." —Benjamin Franklin
"Vanguard has saved investors $175 billion in fees since it was founded in 1974 ... The firm has also saved investors about $140 billion in trading costs." —Eric Balchunas
"Some refer to the factory [automobile] service as a $$tealership." —Swansea
"I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back." —Zsa Zsa Gabor
"Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel." —Old Newspaper Adage
Identity politics: "I'm a white woman, I don't get it. ... I'm from Idaho, we are so white, so white, right? I have been reaching out and trying to connect to anybody of color I can find to be honest with me. I need schoolin' ... And I depend on you ... to do that so I can go school the other white people. ... My job is to listen and be a voice, and my job is to shut other white people down when they want to interrupt. My job is to shut other white people down when they want to say 'Oh no I'm not prejudiced, I'm a Democrat, I'm accepting.' My job is to make sure that they get that they have privilege and until we shut our mouths and we listen to those people who don't and we lift our people up so that we all have equity in this country ... we're not going to break through this. This is not just rhetoric. This is a matter of life and death." —Sally Boynton Brown, Idaho Democrat Party Executive Director
U.S. Secret Service alert: " ... I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House ... " —Madonna, January 21, 2017
"Politics gives guys so much power, they behave badly around women." —President William Jefferson Clinton
"Even if the allegations are true, the President is not guilty of sexual harassment. He is accused of having made a gross, dumb, and reckless pass at a supporter ... President Clinton took 'no' for an answer." —Gloria Steinem, New York Times, March, 1998
"I have concerns." —Protest sign
"Democrats are losing on every front and looking for people to blame everywhere. They need to learn to lose with dignity." —Vladimir Putin, c. December 23, 2016
"I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me." —Ronald Reagan
'I cannot be a member of a party that is against freedom and actively trying to undermine it':
"I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms that are enshrined in our Constitution, and who are hostile to people of faith and spirituality, who demonize the police, who protect criminals at the expense of law abiding Americans, who believe in open borders, who weaponize the national security state to go after their political opponents, and above all are dragging us ever closer to nuclear war. These are some of the main reasons I am leaving the Democratic Party. ... I've always been an independent-minded person. A Democrat, yes, but an independent Democrat. And my loyalties are very clear: I love our country. And I took an oath both as a service member, as a soldier, as well as a member of Congress, to support and defend the Constitution. And that's an oath that I take extremely seriously. And so when you look at this party, the today's Democratic Party, it's controlled by fanatical ideologues who hate freedom. They despise the Constitution. They actively find ways to undermine our God given rights enshrined in the Constitution, like freedom of speech, if you say something and I say something that they don't like." ... "I believe in a government of, by and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite. If you can no longer stomach the cowardly wokeness of Dem Party idealogues, I invite you to join me. ... The whole environment of fear that those in power, these elitists in power, have fomented to where people are afraid to speak the truth. They're afraid to exercise their right to free speech because, hey, you might lose your job, you might be canceled, you might be trashed. ... " —Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic House member from Hawaii and Presidential candidate, October 11, 2022
'Dimon on freedom': "This is the chance to get our act together, and to solidify the Western, free, democratic, capitalist, free people, free movements, freedom of speech, free religion for the next century." —Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan, October 12, 2022
"All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. ... We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it." —President Bill Clinton, State of the Union Address, 1995
"There is a limit to how many migrants any society can take without severe disruption ... " —Former President Bill Clinton, September 18, 2022
" ... We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilated himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else ... There can be no divided allegiance here." —Theodore Roosevelt, 1907
■BLM slams Democrats for undemocratic naming of Kamala Harris as presidential nominee’: "We do not live in a dictatorship. Delegates are not oligarchs. Installing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and an unknown vice president without any public voting process would make the modern Democratic Party, a party of hypocrites ... Black Lives Matter demands that the [DNC] immediately host an informal, virtual snap primary across the country prior to the DNC convention in August." —Black Lives Matter statement, July 24, 2024
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." —George Orwell
"Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." —Thomas Paine
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently – they're not fond of rules ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them ... because they change things ... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." —Steve Jobs
Technical Support: " ... the ones who come looking for our help ... 'cause we're magicians and it's all magic to them." —Joe Gurman
War Photojournalist: "Anyone bringing a camera to a gunfight has my respect." —'Hawaii Five-0', Episode 5:15
"I would rather not have to vote for [Hillary Clinton], although she is a friend I respect. A 70-year person with a long track record, unbridled ambition, greedy, not transformational, with a husband still dicking bimbos at home (according to the [NY Post])." —Colon Powell, July 26, 2014
"Husbands are like fires: They go out when unattended." —Zsa Zsa Gabor
"I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." —Robert Frost
"Do not go gentle into that good night ... Rage, rage against the dying of the light." —Dylan Thomas
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." —Mark Twain
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." —Mark Twain
Polyticks: "The word politics is derived from the word 'poly' meaning many and the word 'ticks' meaning blood-sucking parasites." —Larry Hardiman
"O Lord, make me chaste. But not yet." —St. Augustine
"Superman himself cannot return because all the phone booths have disappeared." —Larry Kincaid
"We are not weasels." —James Comey, FBI Director
"I am not a crook." —President Richard Nixon
"Happy wife, happy life!" —Old adage
Obamacare: "It doesn't make any sense. The insurance model doesn't work here ... it doesn't work. ... Their premiums doubled and their coverage cut in half. It's the craziest thing in the world." —Bill Clinton, 2016
"The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design." —Friedrich Hayek, "The Fatal Conceit"
Free speech: "I wrote the First Amendment to protect the minority against the majority." —James Madison
"If your neighbor wins the lottery, are you more likely to go bankrupt? New research suggests – surprisingly – yes. Why? Because if you're like other folks whose neighbors have cashed in big, you're likely to try to keep up." —Jean Chatzky
Confirmation bias: "We are too busy looking for information that confirms our hypothesis ... The only way to test a hypothesis is to look for information that disagrees with it – a process known as falsification." —Karl Popper
"The greatest enemies of the equity investor are expenses and emotions." —John C. Bogle
"Portfolio engineering is overrated – avoiding behavioral mistakes is where the money is." —Sunny Sarkar
Basic Principles: "1) Diversification is the only free lunch. 2) There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." —nisiprius
"Never underestimate the bandwidth of a van filled with hard drives." —whodidntante ... ["Yeah, but that latency." —LiterallyIronic]
"An [annual] income of $35,000 puts you in the top 0.81% of world incomes." —J.L. Collins
"He who knows he has enough, is rich" —Lao Tzu
"A recent study from the Federal Reserve showed that 46% of Americans wouldn't be able to cover an unexpected $400 expense." —Bob Bryan
"No one can take advantage of you without your permission." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"How many times do people need to be told that their camera didn't all of a sudden start taking worse pictures because a new one was released?" —E. Carlino
Remember The Alamo: " ... I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country ----- Victory or Death" —William Barret Travis, Lt. Col. Comdt, The Alamo, February 24, 1836
"I've been a procrastinator all my life. I keep meaning to do something about that." —Michael C. Johnston
"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." —Pablo Picasso
Photography: "Never go back. Shoot it now. When you go back, it will always be different." —Jay Maisel
"The idea behind investing is not to get rich, but rather not to get poor." —Jonathan Clements
World Trade Center: "Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward ... and freedom will be defended." —President George W. Bush, 9/11/2001
What We Learned About Tall Buildings from the World Trade Center Collapse: "Until the World Trade Center attack, no high-rise blaze had led to the actual structural collapse of an entire building. ... tall buildings can withstand the impact of a large jetliner ... almost everyone who was below the impact areas was able to leave the buildings safely ... " —Witold Rybczynski, September 30, 2002
["The twin towers collapsed killing first responders and everyone trapped on the upper floors because environmentalists had forced removal of the asbestos protecting the supporting steel beams from melting in a fire, replacing asbestos with an untested coating that delaminated from the steel upon impact, leaving the steel unprotected."]
Disrespecting September 11th: "When evil attacks, Ground Zero, New York, and I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building. [Yet another lie – he wasn't there then.] I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell." —Joe Biden, Alaska, September 11, 2023
Plagiarism: "[Joe Biden] dropped out of the presidential race in 1988, accused of copying a speech by a British socialist [U.K. Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock]." —Stuart Varney, September 12, 2023
"The destruction wrought on this country by the left has been so horrific, so injurious. We have political prisoners. A country with political prisoners cannot qualify as a great country. We never had this before. It's not surprising because wherever the left takes power, anywhere, it suppresses dissent and it jails opponents. There's no exception to it. ... liberals ... vote for political prisoners, they vote for suppression of speech. They vote for racial segregation. They vote for the destruction of women's sports, and they don't give a damn." —Dennis Prager
"There is no substitute for victory." —Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army
"Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan." —John F. Kennedy
Vanguard Investments: "We created a very valuable company. ... I had two great ideas: mutuality for the structure ( ... the idea that the [mutual fund] company's profits go back to the clients who are also the owners ... ) [and] indexing for the strategy." —Jack Bogle
Passive Investing: "For every active manager who wins, there will be an active manager who loses at the same amount. It's symmetrical. It has to be except for the costs in the middle. Indexing is the way. The math is the math, and I think the mathematics are inarguable." —Jack Bogle
"We don't know how to beat the market on a risk-adjusted basis, and we don't know anyone that does know either." —Larry Swedroe
"Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway." —Warren Buffett
Stock Market Crash: "Like all of life's rich emotional experiences, the full flavor of losing important money cannot be conveyed by literature. Art cannot convey to an inexperienced girl what it is truly like to be a wife and mother. There are certain things that cannot be explained to a virgin either by words or pictures. Nor can any description that I might offer here even approximate what it feels like to lose a real chunk of money that you used to own." —Fred Schwed, "Where are the Customer's Yachts?," 1940
Buy low, sell high: "The markets are the only store on earth where people fear a sale." —Keith Fitzgerald
■ ★ Media bias and dishonesty = Election Tampering: "I deplore ... the putrid state into which our newspapers have passed and the malignity, the vulgarity, and mendacious spirit of those who write for them ... " —Thomas Jefferson, 1814
Media biss in presidential race: "85% negative media coverage of Trump; 78% positive media coverage of Harris." —Media Research Center, 2024
"In the annual public surveys about trust and reputation, journalists and the media have regularly fallen near the very bottom ... Our profession is now the least trusted of all. Something we are doing is clearly not working." —Amazon founder and Washington Post owner, Jeff Bezos, 2024
"If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'" —President Lyndon B. Johnson
■ "I'm in favor of a tax cut because I'm concerned that if we don't get the tax cut that we are going to have an increase in unemployment and that we may move into a period of economic downturn. ... I think this tax cut can give the stimulus to our economy ... I think it will provide for greater national wealth. I think it will reduce unemployment. ... So I think that the proposal we've made is responsible and in the best interest of the country." —President John F. Kennedy
Feasible to just end taxation of personal income: "About 45% of all federal revenue comes from the personal income tax. That means that about 55% – over half of all revenue – comes from other sources, like excise taxes, fees, and corporate taxes. We could eliminate the income tax, replace it with nothing, and still fund the same level of big government we had in the late 1990's. We don't need to 'replace' the income tax at all." —Ron Paul, 2008
"No one is so old that he does not think he could live another year." —Marcus Tullius Cicero, Rome, 44 B.C., a year before his assassination
"The problem with photography is that it only deals with appearances." —Duane Michals
"Blur is a part of life." —William Klein
"Science advances one funeral at a time." —Max Plank
"I did not attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." —Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, 1884
"Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons, wise men never try." —Frank Sinatra
"Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree." —Abraham Lincoln
Camera Lenses: "My thing is longevity. I want metal and glass and nothing else. I want my lenses to work the same in 50 years as they do today." —Lee Saxon
"I began photography in the time when a person bought lenses and then a camera to put them on. There will always be new and better bodies, but a lifetime lens is forever." —Wayne R. Crauder
■ Tax Cut: "An economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues. ... This nation can afford to reduce taxes, but cannot afford to do nothing." —President John F. Kennedy, 1962
"Read my lips: No new taxes." —Presidential candidate George H.W. Bush, August 18, 1988, at the Republican National Convention accepting the nomination [speech by Peggy Noonan, who, unlike Bush, actually meant it]
"These [Trump] tax cuts will stimulate the economy, just as they did in the 1980's with Ronald Reagan. So you may have two or three years before the investments made by business really kick in but the economy grows, assets grow, Reagan proved it, the 1920's proved it, and so that is what these guys [Democrat leftist economists, i.e., Larry Sommers and Paul Krugman] are afraid of, that Trump will succeed where they failed. ... Markets don't mind [growing the deficit] if they think the economy will grow. Remember, in the 1980's, when Reagan had this massive military buildup which won the cold war, the national debt more than doubled by $1.7 trillion and the net wealth of the nation went up by $17 trillion, and tens of millions of good paying jobs were created. That's what the Democrats fear: success." —Steve Forbes
"Are you entitled to the fruits of your own labor or does government have some presumptive right to spend, and spend, and spend?" —President Ronald Reagan, 1981
Tax cuts benefit both rich and poor alike: Under the Reagan tax cuts, the poorest 20% increased their real (inflation adjusted) income by 11.8%, richest 20% increased their real income by 12.2%, and the federal government received about 20% increased tax revenues. —CBO, U.S. Dept. of Labor, 1983-1989 data
"The rich by virtue of being rich have excess funds that they don't consume. That is how businesses are formed. There are no businesses, no jobs without investment and savings. So, when you cut the taxes on the rich, you free up capital that lifts the boats of everyone." —John Tamny
"Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy." —Edmund Burke
Warning Against an Entrenched Bureaucracy: "No method of procedure has ever been devised by which liberty could be divorced from local self government. No plan of centralization has ever been adopted which did not result in bureaucracy, tyranny, inflexibility, reaction, and decline. Of all forms of government, those administered by bureaus are about the least satisfactory to an enlightened and progressive people. Being irresponsible they become autocratic, and being autocratic, they resist all development. Unless bureaucracy is constantly resisted, it breaks down representative government and overwhelms democracy. It is the one element in our institutions that sets up a pretense of having authority over everybody, and being responsible to nobody." —President Calvin Coolidge
"Bureaucracy is undoubtedly the weapon and sign of a despotic government, inasmuch as it gives whatever government it serves, despotic power." —Lord Acton
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." —Edmund Burke
Wetlands management: "I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp." —Ronald Reagan
"Donald J. Trump will in fact drain the swamp and the alligators should be aware. ... drain the swamp ... means ... the lobbyists, the culture of corruption, the ... consultants ... what I affectionally refer to as the staff infection. ... No more no show jobs and contracts for people ... who have not had a creative idea in 22 years. There's no reason to pay them for nothing. ... We just don't want to pay too much for stuff as a government ... and that's the way to go forward. ... " —Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, 12/22/2016
"The buck stops here." —Harry S Truman
"Of the Fortune 500 largest corporations in 1955, only 71 remain on the list today." —Jack Bogle, 2008
Financial independence: "When you've won the game, stop playing." —William J. Bernstein
"Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things." —Sir Isaac Newton
"What difference, at this point, does it make?" —Hillary Clinton
"Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest." —Benjamin Franklin
"If you're going through hell, keep going." —Winston Churchill
"If you feel down in the dumps, do something nice for somebody else." —Virginia M. Cooper
Self-admitted fake news disclaimer: "explosive — but unverified — allegations ... potentially unverifiable ... not just unconfirmed ... includes some clear errors ... fake story ... " —Buzzfeed
"The future ain't what it used to be." —Yogi Berra
"You are so convinced that you believe only what you believe that you believe, that you remain utterly blind to what you really believe without believing you believe it." —Orson Scott Card, Shadow of the Hegemon
"A long time ago a bunch of people reached a general consensus as to what's real and what's not and most of us have been going along with it ever since." —Charles de Lint
"What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning." —Werner Karl Heisenberg
"Give me four parameters, and I can fit an elephant. Give me five, and I can wiggle its trunk." —John von Neumann
"If it was so, it might be, and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't it ain’t. That's logic!" —Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a.k.a. Lewis Carroll
"In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes." —Benjamin Franklin, November 13, 1789
Factors that lead to prosperity: "Low tax rates; minimal regulations; sound and reliable dollar; free trade; strong defense; rule of law." —Larry Kudlow, May 17, 2021
"Lower tax rates mean greater freedom, and whenever we lower the tax rates, our entire nation is better off." —President Ronald Reagan, October 3, 1985
■ JFK on investment: "Middle and higher-Income families are both consumers and investors – and the present [income tax] rates ranging up to 91% not only check consumption but discourage investment and encourage the diversion of funds and effort into activities aimed more at the avoidance of taxes than the efficient production of goods." —President John F Kennedy, January 24, 1963
"Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it." —Mark Twain
"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." —Thomas Jefferson
"Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality, nothing will do, and with them everything." —Benjamin Franklin
Asking for directions:
Q. "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
A. "Practice. Practice. Practice." —Attributed to Arthur Rubinstein
"Took my kid to a classical music concert. It was a disaster.
Way too much sax and violins." —Violin jokes
"As happy as a clam (at high tide) [when they are protected from predation by birds]." —Idiom
"Take time to smell the flowers." —Anonymous
"There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction." —John F. Kennedy
"I know you think you heard what you thought I said, but what you did not understand was that what I said is not what I meant!" —Anonymous
"We conservatives are on the side of the lords and barons ... We ... are pulling up the drawbridge against the peasants." —Bill Kristol
Supreme Court nominee: "Even if he were mediocre, there are a lot of mediocre judges and people and lawyers. They are entitled to a little representation ... " —Senator Roman Hruska (R) Nebraska, 1970
"I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." —Douglas MacArthur
"A judge is just a lawyer who curried favor with a politician." —Russell Baker
"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." —Albert Einstein
"Nothing can now be believed that is seen in the newspaper." —President Thomas Jefferson
" ... actually control what people think ... that is our job." —Mika Brzezinski, MSNBC Cable News Anchor
["Lying by omission is especially pernicious as viewers fail to detect the deception."]
"A two-language system is unstable, divisive, and should be avoided." —Senator Eugene McCarthy (D), 1981
Retirement: "With the 'slow-go' and 'no-go' years looming down the road, we're happy to pay for 'experiences' during our 'go-go' years, while we can." —sleepysurf
"Fifty-five percent of American households are at risk of being unprepared to cover essential living expenses in retirement." —Fidelity investments
"Cameras are merely writing instruments for the mind's eye." —Ken Tanaka
"Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." —Frank Scully
"Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing." —Forrest Gump
[If you had actually invested $10,000 in Apple Computer, Inc. stock (AAPL) any time between about 1994 when the Forrest Gump movie was released and 2003, your stock's value would have risen to at least $3,000,000 - $5,000,000 by 2021. What is known and appreciated is already priced in, so this unusual degree of investment success can be replicated only if you have reason to correctly determine that a company's stock is an unrecognized bargain because the prevailing negative opinion about a great company is seriously incorrect. In this case, that the underappreciated general purpose UNIX operating system foundation for the updated Macintosh that Steve Jobs created and brought back to Apple from Next Computer would also be uniquely the perfect platform for creating a variety of amazing innovative future products, which turned out to the the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, etc. As a result, in 2021, Apple makes a profit of $691,000 every 60 seconds.]
"I'd shut it [Apple] down and give the money back to the shareholders." —Michael Dell, October 6, 1997, on what he would do if he were Apple acting chief executive Steve Jobs
[Moore's Law: "As of December 2022, the largest transistor count on a commercial processor—Apple's M1 Ultra chip—was 114 billion."]
"We all proceed on insufficient knowledge." —Robert Frost
"Do not believe everything you read on the internet." —Abraham Lincoln
"Please tell me this is photoshopped. Please?" —Chelsea Clinton
MAGA = America's four trillion dollar companies:
"Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon." —Elizabeth Peek, Feb., 2020
["MAMAA: Microsoft, Apple, Meta [Facebook], Amazon, Alphabet [Google]." —doobiedoo, July 10, 2023]
"Women birth half the population ... " —Nelini Stamp
"Before a man speaks it is always safe to assume that he is a fool. After he speaks, it is seldom necessary to assume it." —H.L. Mencken
"Understanding how the economy works ... The worst CEO is 1,000 times better than the best politician." —Scott McNealy
"When the White House deliberately dissembles and serially contorts the facts, its actions pose a serious risk to America's global leadership." —Susan Rice [Susan Rice went on five national television talk shows one Sunday representing the Obama White House to deliberately dissemble and contort the facts, i.e., by claiming that the lethal Benghazi, Libia terrorist attack was caused by an internet video.]
"The purpose is clear. It is safety with solvency. The country is entitled to both." —Dwight D Eisenhower
"The first digital image was made in the late '60's for NASA, as a way to record images of Mars. Each 'square' was represented by three numbers, corresponding to the red, green, and blue hue on a scale of 0 to 255. This eliminated the need to ship film back to Earth." —Ernie Misner
"So here we are nearly 30 years after I first started shooting with digital cameras and we still don't have a single program that nails image ingestation. That's mind boggling, really." —Thom Hogan
Frugal: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." —Boyd K. Packer
Living well within ones means: "Your expenses shouldn't grow to fit your income, your expenses should grow to fit your needs." —Anonymous
"[You need] to educate yourself in order to wisely choose a financial advisor. With said level of education, you will no longer need one." —David Jay
"[An academic economist is] an expert on money who dresses like a flood victim." —Dilbert
"How blessed are some people whose lives have no fears, no dreads, to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly and brings nothing but sweet dreams." —Bram Stoker
"No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear." —Edmund Burke
"Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned." —Milton Friedman
"It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them." —P.G. Wodehouse
"The big divide in this country is not between Democrats and Republicans, or women and men, but between talkers and doers." —Thomas Sowell
"Integrity is the essence of everything successful." —Buckminster Fuller
"Ben Bernanke, the former Federal Reserve Chairman, was turned down when he tried to refinance his home mortgage." —John Stossel
Orwellian Corporate Thuggery: "Let us 'Re-Accommodate' You!" —United Airlines
"We forget sometimes that the people you're carrying [on our airplanes] are human ... " —Oscar Munoz, CEO, United Airlines
"Getting on a plane, I told the ticket lady, 'Send one of my bags to New York, send one to Los Angeles, and send one to Miami.' She said, 'We can't do that!' I told her, 'You did it last week!'" —Henny Youngman
"On the internet nobody knows you're a dog." —The New Yorker cartoon by Peter Steiner, 1993
"They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds." —Old Mexican expression
"The more I think of you, the less I think of you." —Henny Youngman
"Don't move! I want to forget you just the way you are." —Henny Youngman
"An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God." —Srinivasa Ramanujan
"They say that today the best thing you can have to protect your car from being stolen is a manual transmission. Young car thieves have no idea how to drive them." —Alan Gales
"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." —Benjamin Franklin
"By virtue of exchange, one man's prosperity is beneficial to all others." —Frederic Bastiat
"It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere." —Edmund Burke
"Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign." —John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"
"Poor people in America today (people who are officially in poverty) have a higher standard of living – in terms of medical standards, in terms of going to college, in terms of the way people live – than middle class people did thirty years ago." —Michael Medved
"The difference between a rich man and a poor man is that the rich man thinks in longer time spans." —Anonymous
"Ben Carson says: Most people are poor because of their choices and worldview rather than their circumstances. An impoverished life is often merely the creation of an impoverished mind." —Tucker Carlson
"I think poverty, to a large extent, is also a state of mind. You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee you in a little while they'll be right back up there. And you take somebody with the wrong mindset, you can give them everything in the world – they'll work their way back down to the bottom." —Pediatric Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, M.D., U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
"If money was the answer to everything, and not just the mindset, then 70% of people that win the lottery wouldn't go broke, or 78% of the athletes in the NFL wouldn't file for bankruptcy. ... If you put the work in, you can succeed. My message to the young people ... is you can do it too!" —Lawrence Jones
'A tax on people who are bad at math': " ... why do people in the US buy $17 billion in lottery tickets per year?" —nisiprius
"One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results." —Milton Friedman
"The ten scariest words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.' " —Ronald Reagan
Harm Principle: "The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number is self-protection ... The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant." —John Stuart Mill
Career Advice: "There are about 2,880 pro football players, 5,800 models, 624 pro basketball players, but there are over 4 million available science and tech jobs in the U.S." —Verizon
Advice: "I think you should look for the job that you would want to hold if you didn't need a job. ... Whether you make 'x' or 120% of 'x' really isn't remotely as important as ... whether ... you marry the right person and you also find something that you would do if you didn't need the money. ... Don't settle ... Don't worry about making the most money this week or next month ... look for the job that turns you on. Find a passion." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO
The four most expensive words in construction: "While you're at it." —Tom Silva, 'This Old House'
Voyage of discovery: "Following the light of the sun, we left the old world." —Christopher Columbus
"It is better to be lucky than good, and better than both is marrying well." —NiceUnparticularMan
'Marry the right person’: "You want to associate with people who are the kind of person you’d like to be. ... the most important person by far in that respect is your spouse." —Warren Buffet
"Islamic mosiac-makers in the Middle Ages ... would deliberately place one tile out of place because perfection was reserved for Allah." —Michael C. Johnston
"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic." —President John F. Kennedy
"We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, but they are still lying." —Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Fake news – media bias: "Americans can have little faith [after James Comey was fired as FBI Director] that the Justice Department, or an FBI run by Mr. Trump's handpicked replacement, will get to the bottom of whether and how Russia helped steal the presidency for Mr. Trump. —New York Times, Editorial Board, 5/11/2017 [No evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. —James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence; No evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia. —Senator Dianne Feinstein; "Russia-gate was a complete hoax — it came out of the Hillary Clinton campaign."]
'Debunked heinous lies': "Of all the willful lies and omissions in the media's coverage of the Steele dossier, Brian Sicknick, the Covington kids, Jussie Smollett, the Wuhan lab, Hunter Biden's laptop and so on, nothing beats the evil propaganda peddled about Kyle Rittenhouse." —Miranda Devine, 'The New York Post', November 17, 2021
Russia 'collusion' hysteria [fake news] ... No crime is even being alleged: "Show me the statute. I still sit here as a civil libertarian. I don't want to ever become what Stalinist Russia became when Stalin was was told by Lavrentiy Beria 'show me the man and I'll find you the crime.' What is the crime?" ... "I am here not as a supporter of Donald Trump, I voted for Hillary Clinton very proudly. I'm here as a supporter of civil liberties and construing statutes narrowly as they were written. I just don't see a crime here. I see perhaps some political wrongdoing. I see leaking information on both sides. But even if, for example, the campaign coordinated, which there is no evidence of, but coordinated its activities with Russia, and even if Russia and the campaign said, gee, wouldn't it be better if Trump were elected, that is political wrongdoing, but it's just not a crime. Nobody can point me to a statute that would be violated. The prosecutor is only allowed to look for evidence of a federal crime ... I don't see any crime here at all." —Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz
Deep State threat: "We've got very skilled, talented professionals. They have overthrown governments in Vietnam, in the Philippines, in Iraq, Iran, in Egypt, in the Ukraine. Duly elected Democratic governments. They create what they call popular uprisings .... That's their skill set ... some of them work in the State Department, some in intelligence, some in the media. They have worked together to overthrow other governments. So it is inevitable that they would use ... this in America. It looks like a coup d'état." —Doug Wead, Presidential Historian
"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within." —Cicero
■ Partisan coup d'état: " ... does not earn the confidence of the American people that any action we take, especially if we seek to overturn the result of a free election would be viewed with great suspicion and could divide our nation for years to come. We do not need a decade of candidates running for office accusing each other of railroading a democratically elected President out of office or participating in a thinly veiled coup d'état." ... "And one of the reasons we all feel so angry about what they are doing is that they are ripping from us, they are ripping asunder our votes. They are telling us that our votes don't count." ... "There must never be a narrowly voted impeachment, or an impeachment substantially supported by one of our major political parties and largely opposed by the other." ... "The American people have heard the allegations against the President and they overwhelmingly oppose impeaching him. They elected President Clinton. They still support him. We have no right to overturn the considered judgment of the American people." ... "This partisan coup d'état will go down in infamy in the history of this nation." —Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) New York, 1998
"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." —Elvis Presley
"I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to!" —Elvis Presley
"It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong." —John Maynard Keynes
"The secret of democracy is courage." —Pericles
Socialism results in starvation/famine: "Violent protests in Venezuela. ... Venezuelans have lost an average of 19 pounds over the past year. There is simply not enough food for the people." —Maria Bartiromo, 5/11/2017
[Same result of socialism producing famine in North Korea, in China under Mao Tse Tung, in Ukraine under Stalin, and prior to the first Thanksgiving.]
'The Benefits of World Hunger': "We sometimes talk about hunger in the world as if it were a scourge that all of us want to see abolished ... Hunger has great positive value to many people. Indeed, it is fundamental to the working of the world's economy. Hungry people are the most productive people, especially where there is a need for manual labour. ... if there were no hunger in the world, who would plow the fields? ... Who would clean our toilets? ... For many of us, hunger is not a problem, but an asset." —University of Hawaii Professor George Kent, 'United Nations Chronicle Magazine', 2008
Cuba: "People get only five eggs each per month. " —Portia Siegelbaum, CBS News, December 31, 2013
"'Status quo,' you know, is Latin for, 'The mess we're in.'" —Ronald Reagan
"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother ['birthing person']." —Abraham Lincoln
"Reagan doesn't have that presidential look." —United Artists executive rejecting Ronald Reagan for a lead in the 1964 movie "Best Man"
"Television won't last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." —Darryl F. Zanuck, movie producer, 1946
"Rock 'n' roll will be gone by June." —Variety magazine, Spring, 1955
Airplanes: "... the flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years ... " —New York Times, October 9, 1903
["A prediction made less than three months before the Wright Brothers made history at Kitty Hawk."]
"A rocket will never be able to leave the earth's atmosphere." —The New York Times, 1936
Sorry Xerox: "The potential world market for copying machines is 5,000 at most." —IBM, 1959
"By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the internet's impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine's." —Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman, 1998
Peter's Law #22: "The day before something is a breakthrough, it's a crazy idea." —Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." —Albert Einstein
From ‘Mother’ to ‘Inseminated Person’? The Left’s War on Women Hits a New Low: "The Left has been on a relentless effort to scrub words like 'woman' and 'mom' from public discourse. ... Wisconsin’s Governor Tony Evers is proudly defending a proposal to change the term 'mother' to 'inseminated person' in state law." —'Daily Wire,' April 24, 2025
Apple gets a failing grade in biology while disrespecting women: "Pregnant man ... emoji coming to Apple iPhones." —Audrey Conklin, January 28, 2022
'Pregnant person': "Men who get pregnant and give birth are men." —ACLU
'The NHS should not be indulging in this nonsense': "Transgender women's ['chest'] milk ['drug-induced chestfeeding liquid ... domperidone ... to help stimulate the production of prolactin induced lactation ... from people born male' is] just as good for babies. [sic]" —UK National Health Service [letter]
"Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is using the term 'pregnant people' and denying one of the most basic and fundamental biological truths that women (not men) give birth, how can we trust the CDC about anything? ... nonsense and dangerous drivel ... loss of credibility of American institutions ... {men give birth to lies – check the bible [Verse 714: 'Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies.']} ... " —Dennis Prager
"Buy a big camera bag and fill it with bricks. Lug that around for a while and you'll start thinking small." —James Bay Bill
" ... To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." —U.S. Declaration of Independence
The American Revolution: "[Adam] Smith's [free market economy] ideas were every bit as astounding as [Thomas] Jefferson's [Declaration of Independence]. Because, while Jefferson believed that men were not made to live under tyranny, Smith declared that men were not made to live in poverty." —I. G. Vassallo, December 9, 2006
American exceptionalism: "Shining City on a Hill." —President Ronald Reagan, 1988 State of the Union Address
"The people are the government, administering it by their agents; they are the government, the sovereign power." —Andrew Jackson
"Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, but by writing the Declaration of Independence he made the emancipation of slaves inevitable." —Jason Whitlock
"In economics, things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could." —Rudiger Dornbusch, MIT Economist
"Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" —Joseph Nye Welch, Senate Army McCarthy Hearings, June 9, 1954
"There is a level of viciousness I was not expecting." —Ivanka Trump
"Many people ... can't accurately judge their own competence, because they lack metacognition, or the ability to step back and examine oneself objectively." —mapgraphs
Unskilled and Unaware of It – How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments: "The miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others." —Dunning–Kruger effect
"I DREAM'D in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth ... " —Walt Whitman, upon the formation of the New York Police Department
"I am occupied with truly great things. Day and night I rack my brain in an effort to penetrate more deeply into ... the fundamental problems of physics." —Albert Einstein, 1914
"It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure." —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Microsoft's new Surface laptop: "It's a glue-filled monstrosity. There is nothing about it that is upgradable or long-lasting, and it literally can't be opened without destroying it." —The Verge
"Every child is an artist." —Picasso
"I pray for all of you, that you may see the light." —chip j
"I always see the light, I never leave my lens cap on." —fstop
1918: "Andrew Carnegie founds TIAA in New York, NY to help teachers retire with lifetime income." —AlwaysLearningMore
2008 [financial crisis] joke of the day: "My 401(k) is now a 201(k)." —nisiprius
"Money is the last taboo ... People will tell you about their sex life before they will talk about money." —Marvin McIntyre, Morgan Stanley Managing Director
" ... A couple of top-heavy coeds out looking for fun." —‘Castle’ S3:E3 @50:50
"When you put meat in your mouth, think of me." —Love letter from King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn (written in French) said to accompany a gift of venison. [From the Vatican Library]
"The reputation of a thousand years may be undermined by the conduct of one hour." —Japanese proverb
Diet sandwich:
Q. "What kind of sandwich ain't too fattening?"
A. "Half a sandwich." —Analyze This
Inconspicuous consumption: "Conspicuous consumption is decreasing among the rich now that everybody can do it." —Dan Kopf
To Do or to Have? "Experiential purchases make people happier than material purchases." [Doing things makes people happier than having things!] —Leaf Van Boven, University of Colorado at Boulder and Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University
"Seventy-four percent of Americans have gone into debt for a vacation." —USA Today
"Wag more; Bark less." —Bumper sticker
"The horizon of many people is a circle with zero radius which they call their point of view." —Albert Einstein
"Warren [Buffett], it strikes me that if you did nothing else you never sell. That is, if you can grit your teeth through and just disregard short-term declines in the market or even long-term declines in the market, you will come out well. I mean you just stick all your money in stocks and go home and don’t look at your portfolio, you’ll do far better than if you try to trade it." —Alan Greenspan
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." —Winston Churchill
Equal sign = "And to avoide the tedious repetition of these woordes, is equalle to, I will sette as I doe often in woorke use, a paire of paralleles." =Robert Recorde, inventing the equal sign, in his textbook, The Whetstone of Witte, 1557
"People think that diamonds are the hardest thing. Nope, Medical School is harder." —Anonymous
Q. "What do they call the person who graduates last in medical school?"
A. "Doctor" —Anonymous
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard ... is what makes it great." —Jimmy Dugan (movie character) [Who also said: "There's no crying in baseball."]
Sadly: "Don't go to Caltech if your goal is to be a premed ... Caltech is likely to make your GPA a few tenths lower ... " —tech_fan
Creative destruction: "Only 12.2% of the Fortune 500 companies in 1955 were still on the list 59 years later in 2014." —Mark J. Perry
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." —Mark Twain
"Is the developing world where they still use film?" —Anonymous
"Be careful about what you get good at. Because that's what you're going to be doing." —bt
"Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature." —Michael Faraday
What environmental threat?: "In the last 100 years ... deaths from natural disasters are down 98%." —Steve Forbes
"If you want to succeed in the world, you don't have to be much cleverer than other people. You just have to be one day earlier." —Leo Szilard
"You don’t have to run faster than the bear to get away. You just have to run faster than the guy next to you." —Jim Butcher
"I buy new computers when I am absolutely forced to. A new computer is a pain in the neck, not a treat." —dbr
Reboot, reset, power cycle, etc.: "When in doubt, recycle the controls." —Anonymous
After Hurricane Katrina: "Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment." —Billy Tauzin, 2008
'You Have the Right to Remain Innocent': "The next time some police officer or government agent asks you whether you would be willing to answer a few questions about where you have been and what you have been doing, you must respectfully but very firmly decline." —James Duane
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." —Sherlock Holmes
■ "Let's Make America Great Again." —Ronald Reagan, famous campaign slogan during his 1980 campaign for President of the United States
["We left with a mutual pledge to conduct a national crusade to make America great again." —Ronald Reagan, GOP convention, August 15, 1988]
■ "I believe we can Make America Great Again." —Bill Clinton, 1991
"Biden's 'Speech from Hell'" —
● Biden [intimidatingly] blasts MAGA philosophy as 'semi-fascism': "What we're seeing now is the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy that underpins the — I'm going to say something, it's like semi-fascism ... The MAGA Republicans don't just threaten our personal rights and economic security ... They're a threat to our very democracy[sic]. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace political violence [sic]. They don't believe in democracy."[sic] —Joe Biden, September 1, 2022
"Biden's 'Red Rant'" —
● Projection — 'Leftists' counterrevolution misattributed to conservatives': " ... equality and democracy are under assault ... what's happening in our country today is not normal ... extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic ... 
a threat to this country ... do not respect the Constitution ... do not believe in the rule of law ... do not recognize the will of the people ... give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies ... promote authoritarian leaders ... fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country ... determined to succeed in thwarting the will of the people ... a 'clear and present danger' ... America is at an inflection point ... fear, division, and of darkness ... embrace anger ... thrive on chaos ... live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies ... encourage violence ... willingness to engage in political violence ... extremists who will put their own pursuit of power above all else ... determined ... to destroying American democracy ... dangers around us ... violence as an acceptable political tool ... public figures ... calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets ... allow violence to be normalized ... integrity of our elections ... undermined ... politics ... as total war fierce and mean and nasty ... wild conspiracy theories and baseless, evidence-free claims ... elections in this country stolen ... the freedom to vote and have your vote counted ... taken ... carnage and darkness and despair ... spread fear and lies ... told for profit and power ... divisive culture wars ... politics of grievance ... heeded ... our worst instincts ... " —Remarks by President Biden [flanked by Marines and with blood red background lighting] on the Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 1, 2022
● "Joe Biden came to Philadelphia to give the most vicious, hateful, and divisive speech ever delivered by an American President, vilifying 75 million citizens ... he's an enemy of the state." —Former President Donald J. Trump, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, September 3, 2022
● "I served in the Bureau for 27 years, was almost killed a dozen times, but I'm called a 'threat to this country' by a corrupt politician with a son who is a junkie and has committed state and federal felonies. He can go to Hell." —FBI veteran
"Real culture lives by sympathies and admirations, not by dislikes and disdain." —William James
'Taking the [fire–engine–color] pi11': "Liberal ... bloggers are increasingly characterizing politically correct culture as a first step on a slippery slope towards authoritarian socialism. ... progressivism ... that would tolerate no dissent whatsoever ... the biggest threat to freedom and Western civilization that exists today. ... A lot of people want this to stop." —Elizabeth Ames
"Black activists and white progressives stress racism because it serves their own interests, not because it actually improves the station of blacks." —Jason Riley
"We do not have to invade the United States, we will destroy you from within." —Nikita Kruschchev, Former Premier, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else." —Sam Walton
"When you're finished changing, you're finished." —Benjamin Franklin
"One of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there." —Steve Jobs
Photographer: "I roam the streets doing what I love most: shutter therapy. ... As long as I live, shutter therapy goes on!" —Robin Wong
"Groucho Marx was advised by his doctor to give up wine, women, and song. Someone asked him what he did about it and Groucho quipped, 'I switched Doctors.'" —nedsaid
"The patient says, 'Doctor, it hurts when I do this.' ... 'Then don't do that!'" —Henny Youngman
"A man goes to a psychiatrist. The doctor says, 'You're crazy' The man says, 'I want a second opinion!' 'Okay, you're ugly too!'" —Henny Youngman
"A doctor gave a man six months to live. The man couldn't pay his bill, so he gave him another six months." —Henny Youngman
"Civility is not a sign of weakness." —JFK
The real reason manufacturing jobs are disappearing: "U.S. manufacturing has increased; 87% of United States manufacturing job loss is due to automation, not foreign trade." —Augie Picado
"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." —Coco Chanel
"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." —Will Rogers "To have breakthroughs you must have confidence in nonsense. That's why only weird guys tend to have the breakthroughs. A sensible person won't have a breakthrough because he writes it off rather quickly as nonsense and therefore doesn't ever do something that's nonsense." —Burt Rutan "There's this eternal argument between the part of us that wants to be an artist and the part of us that wants to be a success. The success part often wins." —Carly Simon "ACLU, you protect Hіtler too. No justice no peace. The revolution will not uphold the Constitution. Liberalism is white supremacy. Blood on your hands." —Shutting down an ACLU free speech event at William & Mary College by shouting 'black lives matter' organization protesters, 2017 The Toupee Principle: "You can say they all look horrible, but you're only judging based on the ones you can spot." —Anonymous The New World: "I assure your Highness that these lands are the most fertile, temperate, level and beautiful countries in the world." —Christopher Columbus, October 17, 1492 'Genetic scissors – a tool for rewriting the code of life': "Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 for discovering one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Researchers can use these to change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has revolutionised the molecular life sciences, brought new opportunities for plant breeding, is contributing to innovative cancer therapies and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true." —The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2020
'Norman Borlaug saved a billion lives from starvation by inventing a more productive variety of wheat': "More than any other single person of this age, he helped to provide bread for a hungry world." —Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, 1970
Americas role in the global food chain: "The food production industry ... is America's biggest industry. ... If you grow wheat it's worth 100; if you turn it into flour it's worth 500; if you turn it into bread it's worth 1,500. So if you want to start a manufacturing boom, food is a great place to start." —Anthony Pratt, Global Food Forum Saving lives: "Maurice Hilleman, a longtime researcher at the pharmaceutical company Merck, may have saved more lives than any other scientist in history. A microbiologist trained at the University of Chicago, Hilleman's goal was the elimination of childhood disease through effective vaccines. And he very nearly succeeded. Chief among his accomplishments are nine vaccines that almost every child gets, rendering formerly dreaded diseases-including often devastating ones such as mumps and rubella-practically harmless. His measles vaccine alone saves several million lives around the globe every year." —Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases, 2007
"Surveillance is the business model of the internet." —Bruce Schneier Every photo ... embeds location data: "Any app granted access to the photos on your smartphone can simply walk through your database of images and generate an accurate map of your movements." —Mark Pesce [" ... self-surveillance of which the NSA would be proud."] "The best camera is the one you have with you." —Chase Jarvis
"The best camera is the one you wish you had with you." —Gijs "It used to be NIMBY ('Not In My Backyard'), now it's BANANA ('Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody')." —John Stossel "So long as we govern our nation by the letter and spirit of the Bill of Rights, we can be sure that our nation will grow in strength and wisdom and freedom." —Dwight D. Eisenhower ★ Election Tampering ★ Censored by Facebook and Twitter to influence the 2020 Presidential election: "Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad." —New York Post, October 14, 2020 [Also China.]
'Zuckerberg blames FBI': "Facebook suppressed The [NY] Post's blockbuster revelation of Hunter Biden's infamous laptop in response to a vague FBI warning ['the FBI ... came to us'] about possible 'Russian propaganda [sic]' tied to the 2020 presidential election, according to founder Mark Zuckerberg." —Bruce Golding, August 26, 2022 Influence-peddling: "My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels ... " —James B. Biden, Sr.
'HARSH, BUT FAIR': "Make sure your child isn't chucking illegal guns in dumpsters while impregnating strippers while strung out on heroine [sic] with fraudulent identification in a rental car, cashing checks from foreign governments using your name. Then talk to me about parenting, geezer." —Chris Stigall, Tweet, August 23, 2021
'Chris Wallace was wrong to keep Hunter Biden claims out of [2020] presidential debate': "Chris Wallace ... interrupted President Trump when Trump was saying, 'look he took $3.5 million from the Moscow mayor's wife,' and Chris Wallace said, 'wait, wait, wait, no, we're not going to go there. We have more important matters to discuss.'" —Maria Bartiromo, c. April 10, 2022
★ Election tampering — More than 50 former intelligence officials lie about incriminating evidence: " ... "Irrefutable Proof That The Deep State Stole The 2020 Election .... Proven beyond a reasonable doubt. ... Hunter [Biden]'s laptop and the massive cover-up operation that stole the 2020 election. ... " [More] —Dan Bongino, June 6, 2024
"The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen." —Tommy Smothers "Who are you going to believe, me, or your lying eyes?" —Attributed to Groucho Marx
" "I think the media have been harder on Trump than any other President ... they feel free to claim that Trump is mentally deranged and everything else without hesitation." —Former President Jimmy Carter, 'The New York Times', Oct. 22, 2017 "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality." —President John F. Kennedy Infrastructure Projects: "When the government is building things – anything that touches the government – in the United States it takes somewhere between 10 and 15 years to get approved on average. If you're doing the same project in Germany or Canada it takes two years." —Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone Group CEO "Revising our tax code is not just a policy discussion – it is a moral one, because we are not talking about the government's money – we are talking about your money, your hard work." —President Donald J. Trump Economic Growth: "2% growth, if you have a little less than 1% population growth, means in one generation, 25 years ... we will add maybe $18,000 or $19,000 of GDP per capita. Family of four $75,000. ... If you have an already prosperous economy, and we've got the most prosperous economy the world has ever seen, and you keep compounding it over time, people will be living far better ... than they are now." —Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Heavenly photography: "Upon arrival in heaven, do not speak to St. Peter until spoken to. It is not your place to begin. You can ask him for his autograph, there is no harm in that. But be careful, and don't remark that it is one of the penalties of greatness; he has heard that before. Don't try to Kodak him—Hell is full of people who have made that mistake. And leave your dog outside. Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and the dog would go in." —Mark Twain Oskar Barnack's Leica 35mm camera: "It was perfectly clear to us that something so principally new and tradition-defying as this camera would only be accepted with the greatest reservations by most photographers." —Dr. Max Berek, designer of the original Leica 35mm camera's lenses The high cost of raising children: "The average American family spends almost 30% of pretax income on the cost of childcare. ... Families just can't afford it, so women are disproportionately leaving the workforce." —Ivanka Trump "The Cartier-Bresson decisive moment wasn't about holding [the] Leica to his eye – rather about pre-focusing and holding [the camera] low, so as to be unnoticed." —Mark Blauhoefer "[Tax] revenues are driven only by [economic] growth. ... Growth is the answer." —Arthur Laffer "Who do you think would do a better job spending your money? You or the government? The person who earned it or some bloated bureaucracy? The truth is the public will always be better off if the rich pay less tax because they do more good with their money than any government ever could." —Steven Soderbergh, et. al., TV series script "He who has the gold makes the rules." —The old golden rule "We live by the Golden Rule. Those who have the gold make the rules." —Buzzie Bavasi
Patent claim jargon: "A method for determining a pressure of blood within a cardiovascular system of a user, the cardiovascular system including a heart and the user having a wrist covered by skin ... " —Apple "In the year 40,272, [NASA spacecraft] Voyager 1 will come within 1.7 light years of an obscure star in the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear or Little Dipper) and in about 40,000 years, Voyager 2 will come within about 1.7 light years of a star called Ross 248, a small star in the constellation of Andromeda." —Voyager 1 spacecraft thrusters fired up for first time after 37 years, while leaving the solar system Why You Should Surround Yourself With More Books Than You'll Ever Have Time to Read: "Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain ... what you do not know ... " —Nassim Nicholas Taleb Maui, Hawaii: "If there is a heaven on earth, it's here." —Charles Lindbergh "If you really want to help the poor, help the rich. They're the ones who will invest, build more factories, create more jobs." —William E. Simon "Don’t knock the rich. When was the last time you were hired by somebody poor?" —Robert Orben Investing: "Stick with the indexes. You're not going to go wrong over long periods of time. Don't try to do anything fancy." —Ben Stein, Economist, 'Bueller, Bueller' "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." —Abraham Lincoln "There's not a black America and a white America and a Latino America and an Asian America; there's the United States of America." —Barack Obama, Keynote Address, Democrat National Convention, 2004 Bank of Mom and Dad: "74% of parents help their adult children with finances." —CreditCards.com, Bankrate, 2017 "The greatest business lesson I've learned in life is the same message I have for young people across America: Never give up." —Donald Trump
"In the deep sea there is more life than anywhere else on earth." —David Attenborough, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II, The Deep, PBS
"The future ain't what is used to be." —Yogi Berra "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." —Irish blessing
"If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it." —Anonymous
The Serenity Prayer: "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." —Protest sign
"The more flexibility you have the less you need to know what happens next." —Morgan Housel
World War II: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs—Victory in spite of all terror—Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival." —Prime Minister Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, May 13, 1940 "To understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of." —George Miller "America is coming back strong." —President Donald J. Trump "Once we realize that government doesn't work, we will stop dreaming that this or that social problem can be solved by passing a law – or by creating a new government program – or by electing someone who will make Washington more efficient or cost-conscious." —Harry Browne "Government relief tends constantly to get out of hand. And even when it is kept within bounds it tends to reduce the incentives to work and to save, both of those who receive it and of those who are forced to pay it. It may be said, in fact, that practically every measure that governments take with the ostensible object of 'helping the poor' has the long-run effect of doing the opposite." —Henry Hazlitt "One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." —Thomas B. Reed Non-citizen federal crimes: "7% of U.S. population is non-citizens but who commit 22% of murders, 18% of fraud, 33% of money laundering, 29% of drug trafficking, and 72% of drug possession." —U.S. Sentencing Commission [DOJ: 1 in 5 federal prisoners is foreign born, most illegal aliens; 94% of confirmed aliens in federal prisons are here illegally.] Bureau of Justice statistics FY2018: "64% of all federal arrests were non-US citizens; 43% of all suspects prosecuted in federal courts were non-US citizens; non-US citizens made up just 7% of the US population." —US Department of Justice "Migrantes making up 75% of arrests in Midtown Manhattan." —Larry Celona, et al, September 2, 2024
"Ronald Reagan carried the American people with him in his great endeavors because there was perfect sympathy between them. He and they loved America and what it stands for: freedom and opportunity for ordinary people." —Lady Margaret Thatcher "You make money selling advice, not following it." —Bertie Charles Forbes, Founder of Forbes Magazine "True eloquence consists in saying all that is necessary, and only that which is." —François Duc de La Rochefoucauld Motion picture employment statement: "The making and authorized distribution of this film supported over 15,000 jobs and involved hundreds of thousands of work hours." —'Independence Day: Resurgence' "The entire north polar ice cap during some of the summer months could be completely ice free within the next 5 to 7 years." —Al Gore, c. 2010 Global Warming since 1695: "We know that the warming trend that we are in now ... it actually started – we know the year – in 1695 ... in the depths of the horrendous little ice age. In the next 40 years, the rate of warming is 4 times what we have seen in the 20th century. From 1695 to 1850, we have more warming than we've had since. So if we look at the warming we've seen in the 20th century, it is very similar to other warming trends we've seen since the end of the last ice age. It's neither unusual nor unprecidented." —Geologist, Gregory Wrightstone Climate Alarmisms: "Progressives' solutions to an alleged environmental 'crisis' are to raise taxes, grow government, hamstring capitalism, and relinquish national sovereignty. Not coincidentally, those are the same policies the left always pursues." —Jerry Shenk "If present trends continue, the world will be about 4° colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but 11° colder in the year 2000 ... This is about twice what it would take to put us into an Ice Age." —Kenneth Watt, 1970 "The reality is that the path to getting rich is the biggest contribution to society. Why do we think someone who is brilliant at business has a clue about charity? Invariably when they give to charity they reduce their contribution to society." —John Tamny Election 2016:. "The Russians spent $54 on Facebook ads in Wisconsin. That's neglecting Wisconsin even worse than Hillary Clinton." —Michael Needham "The problem is not that bitcoin is a sham. The problem is that people are nuts." —linenfort "Just an Armadillo on the shoulder of the information superhighway." —kelstertx "We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." —General George S. Patton "Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working." —Pablo Picasso "Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work." —Albert Einstein
"I guess I should warn you: If I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said." —Alan Greenspan "I have sold more books on science than Madonna has sold on sex." —Professor Stephen Hawking "I can tolerate risk – I just don't like losing money." —CULater "Don't just do something, stand there." —Martin Gabel "Stay the course. No matter what happens, stick to your program. I've said 'Stay the course' a thousand times, and I meant it ever time. It is the most important single piece of investment wisdom I can give to you." —Jack Bogle How to Be a Better Investor: "Do Nothing. Once you have set up your stock and bond portfolio, avoiding further action is the most important and also the hardest task." —Paul B. Brown, New York Times
"Fidelity had done a study as to which accounts had done the best at Fidelity. And what they found was ... " "Investing is one of the few pursuits in which laziness and inattention can actually pay off. Doing nothing is usually the slickest maneuver of all." —jhsu802701
"It's a SWAN thing (Sleep Well At Night)." —ResearchMed
The Arithmetic of Active Management: "After costs, the return on the average actively managed dollar will be less than the return on the average passively managed dollar." —William F. Sharpe
"The four most dangerous words in investing are 'This time is different'" —Sir John Templeton
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." —Will Rogers French President on migrants: "I can't tell my middle classes who work, who pay taxes, that it's great, we're going to welcome everybody into the country ... That's just ridiculous. Who's going to pay for that? You'll just fuel racism and xenophobia. That doesn't exist – total open frontiers – that just doesn't work." —French President Emmanuel Macron, 2017 Truthiness: "If it rings true, it is true. [sic]" —Michael Wolff "The fight to protect [illegal immigrants brought here at a young age] is ... a critical component of the Democratic Party's future electoral success." —Jennifer Palmieri, Center for American Progress Center for American Progress, January, 2018 "Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?" —Private question attributed to President Trump by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), January, 2018; specific language denied by Trump and others present "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." —President Obama, April 6, 2008 The good old days: "In 50 years, every street in London will be buried under nine feet of manure." —Times of London; The Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 Anti-business propaganda themes are commonly used in TV programs and movies: "Wealthy businessman suspected of committing acts of terror to manipulate the stock market." —NCIS TV program dialog, S14:E11 'Willoughby' 1/3/2017 at 00:07:01 [Making the public believe in things that never happen.] "There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded." —Mark Twain "I'd like to go back to America, but I'm stuck in Washington [D.C.]." —Senator Kennedy, R-Louisiana "It can be proven that most claimed research findings are false." —John P. A. Ioannidis Ignorance is bliss: "So long as I know it not, it hurteth me not." —George Pettie, 1500's Winning denier (Six trillion dollars wrong after one year): "It really does now look like President Donald J. Trump [won the 2016 Presidential election], and markets are plunging. When might we expect them to recover? If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never. ... We are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight. I suppose we could get lucky somehow. But on economics, as on everything else, a terrible thing has just happened." —Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winning economist "Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." —Dale Carnegie "Regulation is stealth taxation. The U.S. ... unelected bureaucrats ... have imposed crushing and anti-business and anti-worker regulations on our citizens with no vote, no legislative debate, and no real accountability. In America, those days are over." —President Donald J. Trump, Davos, January 26, 2018 "The search by the [wealthy] elite for superior investment advice has caused it, in aggregate, to waste more than $100 billion over the past decade." —Warren Buffett, 2016 "I don't like dirty cops. And the seventh floor of the FBI is full of them and the upper echelon of the DOJ under Obama was full of dirty cops. And look what they did. They threw a case against Hillary Clinton like a bunch of lousy 1930's prizefighters for 500 bucks and they tried to frame Donald Trump with a created crime." —Joe DiGenova, former U.S. Attorney, 2018 Lens: "Prime for purists, zoom for tourists." —Peter Gilbert "If you do not master arc welding by the age of 50, then your life's a waste." —Laurent Washington, D.C. politics: "In this town, too much is done on the basis of innuendo and speculation. Every mistake becomes a conspiracy, every charge becomes a conviction, every rumor becomes a reality. That's the way this town is built." —Leon Panetta, Former CIA Director, CBS Face the Nation, June 23, 1996 "I'm the king of debt. I'm great with debt. Nobody knows debt better than me. I've made a fortune by using debt. And if things don't work out, I renegotiate the debt. I mean that's a smart thing, not a stupid thing." —Donald Trump, CBS This Morning, June 22, 2016 "Socialism only works in two places, heaven where they don't need it, and hell where they already have it." —Ronald Reagan February, 2018 Budget Bill: "In this bill we have Medicare means testing; we have added to it." —House Speaker Paul Ryan "The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory" —Aldo Gucci "If we make guns illegal, then nobody will get shot anymore. That's how we stopped everybody from doing drugs." —Internet meme "My favorite thing is to go where I've never been." —Diane Arbus "A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words." —Ansel Adams "There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them." —Louis Armstrong "GMO foods are perfectly healthy and the technique has the possibility to reduce starvation and malnutrition ... it is disappointing that people view [non-GMO foods] as better." —Bill Gates Urban Life: "I am not a friend to placing growing men in populous cities ... because they acquire there habits and partialities which do not contribute to the happiness of their after life. ... I view great cities as pestilential to the morals, the health and the liberties of man. True, they nourish some of the elegant arts, but the useful ones can thrive elsewhere, and less perfection in the others, with more health, virtue & freedom, would be my choice." —Thomas Jefferson Harris County, Georgia's Welcome Sign: "Our citizens have concealed weapons. If you kill someone, we might kill you back. We have ONE jail and 356 cemeteries. Enjoy your stay!" —Sheriff Mike Jolley [Another Harris County, Georgia Welcome Sign reads: "Harris County is politically incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God bless America and in God we Trust. We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you ... LEAVE!"] "Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." —Anonymous "When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?" —John Maynard Keynes Fake news – Lies spread faster than the truth: "According the biggest study to date into fake news, the truth takes six times longer to be seen by 1,500 people on Twitter than misinformation. ... lies were 70% more likely to be retweeted than the truth ... people expressed more surprise and disgust at misinformation." —Shona Ghosh "Eighty-six percent of university presidents cite negative effects of 'liberal political bias on campus'." —Gallop Poll Hedge funds: "Their entire industry is built on going long and short at the same time, both employing risk for its asymmetrical upside and laying off risk as a hedge against the inevitable downturns." —Billions "A lot of women have compromised, given in, gotten married, raised their kids, and not had the luxury of being able to think for themselves." —Sandra Bernhard "People always live for ever when there is any annuity to be paid them." —Jane Austen "Get your facts straight first, then you can distort them as you please." —Mark Twain "There is nothing in life to be feared. It is only to be understood." —Marie Curie The Investor's Dilemma: "I have 50% in stocks and 50% in bonds ... I spend half my time worrying about how much I have invested in stocks and the other half of the time worrying about how little." —Jack Bogle "I explained that [President Trump] could count on me to always tell him the truth. I said I don't do sneaky things, I don't leak, I don't do weasel moves." —FBI Director James Comey, memo, January 28, 2017 Orwellian surveillance systems: "The ability of anyone to know what you've been browsing about for years, who your contacts are, who their contacts are, things you like and dislike and every intimate detail of your life—from my own point of view it shouldn't exist." —Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Calling out 'Black Lives Matter' organization protest: "This mentality is not cool. I don't know why people like being oppressed. The weirdest thing I've ever heard. 'I love oppression. ... We're oppressed.' Four hundred years of slavery, Jim Crowe, which by the way, none of you guys lived through, your grandparents did, and it's embarrassing that you utilize their history. You're not living through anything right now. You're overly privileged Americans." —Candace Owens, Turning Point USA Special Counsel Robert Mueller's powers questioned: "I don't see what relation this indictment has with what the special counsel is authorized to investigate. You don't really care about Mr. Manafort's bank fraud. What you really care about is what information Mr. Manafort could give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump or lead to his prosecution or impeachment. ... It's unlikely you're going to persuade me the special counsel has unfettered power to do whatever he wants." —U.S. Federal District Judge T.S. Ellis, III, Eastern District of Virginia "Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country." —Margaret Thatcher "When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?" —Montaigne "The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." —Andy Rooney
Failure to learn from history: "Happy [200th] Birthday, Karl Marx. You Were Right!" —New York Times [Fake News] "[Karl Marx's] horrifying and stupid ideas led to the deaths of 100 million human beings and the misery of billions of others." —Ben Shapiro Wikipedia wants to delete its 'Mass Killings under Communist Regimes' article:
Wiki editors say that the article about mass killings under Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, and Kim Jong-Il The bigger the government, the more the corruption: "It's almost never mentioned, and it might be the biggest of the ten principles that I am speaking of ... Do you know who has created the greatest evils of history? Big governments. Big SECULAR governments. Hіtler, Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, all big States. Why would anybody trust the big state? It's amazing how many callers have imbued the college message that more people have been killed by religion than anything else in history. NO. More people have been killed by governments than anything else in history ... and just in the 20th century alone, and none of them were religious. You don't learn THAT in college." —Dennis Prager
"[Connecticut Democrat U.S.] Senator Richard Blumenthal Helps Connecticut Communist Party Celebrate 102nd Anniversary of Communist Party USA ... said he was 'excited and proud' to help. ... 'I am really excited and honored to be with you today and share in this remarkable occasion.' " —Debra Heine, December 13, 2021
Robocalls and telephone fraud: "If they call you, it's a scam ... Period." —Senior fraud education program "We reject the excuse that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy. So we choose a different path, collecting as little of your data as possible, being thoughtful and respectful when it's in our care, because we know it belongs to you." —Tim Cook, Apple CEO, Duke University Commencement, May 14, 2018 "If it wasn't [investment bank] Lehman Brothers but 'Lehman Sisters' we might not have had the [2008] financial collapse." —Senator Kristen Gillibrand, (D) New York "Speaking in full frame terms, I feel that we 'sense' in 21mm, we 'perceive' in 28mm, we 'see' in 35–40mm, we 'look at' in 50mm, and we 'examine' in 75–90mm." —Jim Simmons "[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!"—Lisa Page, DOJ The Criminal Deep State: "There is a brazen plot to clear Hillary Clinton and to frame Donald Trump ... " —Victoria Toensing, Former Assistant United States Attorney and Chief Counsel, Senate Intelligence Committee 'The Russia Hoax': "The illicit scheme to clear Hillary Clinton and frame Donald Trump." —Gregg Jarrett "I need more conspiracy theories, because mine keep coming true." —Kevin Sorbo
"We are the largest cybersecurity company in the world. ... We actually block 20 billion threats every day on behalf of our customers." —Chuck Robbins, Cisco Chairman and CEO "Any girl can look glamorous, all she has to do is stand still and look stupid." —Actress Hedy Lamarr, inventor of spread spectrum communication "I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it." —Marilyn Monroe
Actresses – Famous daughters of famous mothers:
Drivel: " "Don't gamble; take all your savings and buy some good stock, and hold it till it goes up, then sell it. If it don’t go up, don't buy it." —Will Rogers in one of his syndicated 1929 newspaper columns 'Courage Required': "Do not underestimate the courage it takes to hold stocks during the worst of times, let alone to purchase more. Holding and buying assets that everyone else is running from takes more fortitude than many investors can manage." [MORE] —William Bernstein, July 22, 2023
"I have only one yardstick by which I test every major problem – and that yardstick is: Is it good for America?" —President Dwight D. Eisenhower "If not for double standards, the left would have no standards at all." —Tomi Lahren "Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil." —Charles Krauthammer, July 26, 2002 "Far more critical than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know." —Eric Hoffer "Everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always be kind." —Brit Hume "So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good." —Helen Keller "It was thyme to turnip the heat on the knead-less regulations." —IJ "A good photograph is one that makes the viewer so aware of the subject that they are unaware of the print." —Kodak "Civility is not a sign of weakness." —John F. Kennedy "America wasn't built on fear. It was built on courage, imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job." —President Harry S Truman "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years." —Mark Twain "I'm not young enough to know everything." —J.M. Barrie
"As smart as you are and as dumb as I am, I’m as smart as you are as dumb as I am." —Dad
Long term investing: "Our favorite holding period is forever." —Warren Buffett "The winning formula for success in investing is owning the entire stock market through an index fund — and then doing nothing. Just stay the course." —Jack Bogle
"The purpose of the margin of safety is to render the forecast unnecessary." —Benjamin Graham Asset Allocation: "Let every man divide his money into three parts, and invest a third in land, a third in business and a third let him keep by him in reserve." —Talmud Investment volatility: "A bad year for bonds is the same as a bad day for stocks." —Wyatt Lee "Retiring is easy! For every year you can save half your income, is one year you can retire at the same standard of living." —bling "You can't wear overhead, why pay for it?" —Mill’s Retail Store We shared: "The time of my life." —From ‘Castle’ wedding vows
"Last year, approximately 13,000 weddings in America cost $1 million or more." —Xochitl Gonzalez, July 16. 2023
"42 Megapixels is the answer to life, the universe and everything." —lattesweden "Keep calm and take photos." —vett93 "Things are more like they are right now than they ever have been." —Some crazy guy "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the 'nattering nabobs of negativism.' They have formed their own 4-H Club — the 'hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history.'" —William Safire, 1970 "In the long run, democratic socialists want to end capitalism." —Meagan Day, Jacobin magazine writer No, your iPhone isn't eavesdropping: "iPhone doesn't listen to consumers except to recognize the clear, unambiguous audio trigger 'Hey Siri' ... The customer is not our product, and our business model does not depend on collecting vast amounts of personally identifiable information to enrich targeted profiles marketed to advertisers ... We believe privacy is a fundamental human right and purposely design our products and services to minimize our collection of customer data." —Timothy Powderly, Director, Federal Government Affairs, Apple How investing $5 a day can lead you to $1 million: "If you start in your twenties with a couple of reasonable investments, you can't avoid becoming a millionaire." —Annie Nova, CNBC "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." —Dwight D. Eisenhower Pessimist: "Optimism and stupidity are nearly synonymous." —Admiral Hyman Rickover Q. "What do you call a place where solid, liquid, and gas come together?" "Another strikingly human characteristic, one that is seldom mentioned: our almost limitless ability for self deception ... Whatever the answer, the only sensible way to arrive at it [Nature's secrets] is through detailed scientific research." —Francis Crick "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." —William Butler Yeats "Your prayers were answered – and the answer was no." —Molly Brown Q. "If lettuce was a carnivore, what would it eat?" The four most expensive words in the English language: "This time it's different." —Sir John Templeton "In the financial world, complexity may suggest sophistication – but it is usually a ruse to bamboozle and fleece investors. ... If we don't educate our children about money, one day a broker will teach them lessons they'll never forget." —Jonathan Clements "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." —John Adams "Stay the course, don't let these changes in the market, even the big one [like the financial crisis] ... change your mind and never, never, never be in or out of the market. Always be in at a certain level." —Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard Group "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." —William Shakespeare "It's taken me a lot of years, but I've come around to this: If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. And if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you." —oldcomputerguy "What is free is often not cheap." —Moshe "Think" —IBM [motto] Q. "Why should you not trust atoms?" "Manual focusing is slower and methodical ... kind of like fly fishing." —JonJonJam "Can't you buy a silent camera?" —Jane Goodall comment to Tom Mangelson "America is the only country in the world where you can burn the flag but can't tear the tag off the mattress." —Jackie Mason
Mattress Police: "But, oh, what an anxiety-reducer it was when mattress tags finally changed their wording from 'Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law' to 'This Tag Shall Not Be Removed Except by the Consumer.'" —nisiprius "A man searches the world for what he needs, and returns home to find it." —George Moore "As Herbert Hoover said, 'prosperity is just around the corner.'" —Man on the street, commenting on stock market correction Spoiled by too much resolution: "A portrait where the camera sees so much more than the eye that the hyper-realism becomes surrealism." —Phil Stiles "When you control time, you don't need to know what time it is." —Mark Cuban "Even a broken clock is right twice a day!" —Anonymous "Never underestimate one's capacity to overestimate one's abilities" —The Dunning-Kruger Effect "Today is the last time you will ever be this young." —Unknown "You are not welcome here. ... We welcome everybody here." —Presbyterian minister screaming at President Trump, visiting the scene of the largest antisemitic mass murder in U.S. history, October 31, 2018 "Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig." —Robert Heinlein "Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it." —Unknown Q. "What do put on to soothe the skin of a pig?" "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" —Republican Senator Howard Baker, Jr.'s famous question about President Richard Nixon (Question created by Senate Watergate Committee minority counsel Fred Dalton Thompson.), Senate Watergate Hearings, June 28, 1973 "The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." —Sir Peter B. Medawar, 'The Art of the Soluble', 1967 "Nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis, that we get at the real meaning of things." —Georgia O'Keeffe " ... If you want your stocks to go down, I strongly suggest voting Democrat. They like the Venezuela financial model, High Taxes ... " —Donald J. Trump, 10/30/2018 "If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything." —Ronald Coase "A successful economy depends on the proliferation of the rich, and creating a large class of risk-taking men who are willing to shun the easy channels of a comfortable life in order to create new enterprise, win huge profits, and invest them again." —George Gilder, 2012 Her Oakland childhood home now gone: "There is no there there." —Gertrude Stein "The beauty of owning the market is that you eliminate individual stock risk, you eliminate market sector risk, and you eliminate manager risk. ... The odds of outpacing an all-market index fund are, well, terrible." —Jack Bogle "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." —Stephen Grellet, 1773-1855, French-born Quaker Minister "Actions speak louder than words." —Abraham Lincoln "A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it." —Albert Einstein "The kilogram, ampere, kelvin, and mole were all redefined last month at the General Conference on Weights and Measures." —Scott Bever "The closest helping hand is at the end of your own arm." —Anonymous "The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past." —Anonymous "The course of history shows that as the government grows, liberty decreases." —Thomas Jefferson "May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, The foresight to know where you're going, And the insight to know when you've gone too far." —Irish Blessing See Five Minute Videos: "The best ideas from the best minds distilled into five focused minutes." —Prager University "And the sea will grant each man new hope, as sleep brings dreams of home." —Christopher Columbus Success: "The ability to move from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." —Winston Churchill "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone. apple.com/privacy" —Apple, 14 story tall billboard, at the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, 2019 Advice for exchange student: "Smile, be friendly, and learn the language." —Virginia Cooper Spacetime: "The views of space and time which I wish to lay before you have sprung from the soil of experimental physics, and therein lies their strength. They are radical. Henceforth space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality." —Hermann Minkowski "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration." —Nikola Tesla
"A musician is somebody who puts $5000 worth of equipment into a $500 car to go play a $50 gig." —David Dyer-Bennet "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines." —Enzo Ferrari "If you have a plan in your head, it's a wish. If you write it down, it's a plan." —Peter Creedon "I already have too many ways to waste time, and too little time to waste." —Bill Pearce To get a discount, just ask: "Is that the best you can do?" —Sam Parr "Never sell a good lens." —Michael C. Johnston "Glass is no longer 'timeless.' The lenses are as electronic as the cameras. They will have electronics that will go bad or become obsolete. ... Don't get attached to anything electronic. It will break your heart." —OneSixFortieth
"I can explain it to you, but I cannot comprehend it for you." —Ed Koch "The exhibit of all the cool artwork I never made would be a good show, I'll tell ya that. :-)" —Michael C. Johnston "The FBI estimates there are one hundred thousand foreign spies working within the United States today. More than any time in history." —TV show 'The Enemy Within' (2019) "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." —Benjamin Disraeli "Liars figure and figures lie." —Misattributed to Mark Twain
Historical Changes in Atlantic Hurricane and Tropical Storms: "1878 to present ... statistical tests reveal ... that it is not significantly distinguishable from zero ... the historical tropical storm count record does not provide compelling evidence for a greenhouse warming induced long-term increase." —Gabriel A. Vecchi and Thomas R. Knutson, NOAA
"The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist." —Charles Baudelaire "Paying a 'manager' 1%/year [asset management fee] over your [investing] lifetime will transfer about half your wealth to him." —senex
"Words of Wisdom: "You get to keep exactly what you don't pay for." —Jack Bogle
"What is not obvious to most investors is how much fees reduce your future worth decades down the road: 'Assume you are invested in a mutual fund ... with a gross return of 7 percent, but that the mutual fund charges you an annual fee of 2 percent. Over a 50-year investing lifetime, that little 2 percent fee will erode 63 percent of what you would have had.'" —JBTX Financial Advisor: "You can't hire experts to help you invest because almost all the people who look like experts at investing are actually experts at putting your money in their pocket." —dbr "Don't listen to the person who has the answers; listen to the person who has the questions." —Albert Einstein Harvard educated psychologist, Dr. William Marston, is known for creating the Wonder Woman comic book character with her "lasso of truth." What earlier invention did he create? "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." —Harry S Truman "The noblest art is that of making others happy." —Phineas Taylor Barnum Q. "Why is everything such an effort?" "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." —Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Tax the smart: "Unfortunately, some students don't have your high grades from studying hard, so we're going to lower your grades which are unfairly high, to raise grades of the less fortunate students." #supportsocialism "Woke Cherry Creek School District, Colorado cancels valedictorians, claims 'learning is not a competition'" ... "would do away with class rankings altogether ... has infuriated parents ... in what they have branded the latest 'equity'-obsessed focus on mediocrity over excellence." ... "The pursuit of excellence has suffered another blow." —Alana Mastrangelo, March 22, 2022
"The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." —William Ross Wallace "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows." —George Orwell, '1984' " ... Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction, ... decries racist behaviors such as the 'focus' on 'getting the right answer,' requiring students to 'show their work,' and 'independent practice' being valued over teamwork or collaboration. White supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions ... Coupled with the beliefs that underlie these actions, they perpetuate educational harm on Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, denying them full access to the world of mathematics." —'Gates Foundation behind effort to end white supremacy in math instruction by eliminating need for students to show work' by Michael Lee, Washington Examiner, February 18, 2021
" '1984' was a warning, not an instruction manual."
A very wise English politician once said of a very outspoken and critical historian: "I wish I could be as certain of anything as he is of everything." —Gerry Baker "Sometimes doing nothing is the smartest investment. Stay invested. History shows a 99% chance of positive returns [S&P500 stock index after 15 years]. Invest for the long term." —OppenheimerFunds Challenge Impulse advertisement "The biggest mistake investors make is looking backward at performance and thinking it'll recur in the future." —Jack Bogle "Nothing beats the bandwidth of a 747 filled with hard disks." —Mike Titus, Event Horizon Telescope "WiFi is illegal in the town of Green Bank, West Virginia where a superpowerful [radio] telescope resides that needs electromagnetic silence to do its important research." —Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics
" ... the FBI doesn't spy ... the FBI investigates ... a totally normal step." —James Comey, former FBI Director "This was a coup. ... This was an attempted overthrow of the United States government." —President Donald J. Trump "They tried for a coup. Didn't work out so well. ... All was taking place at the highest levels in Washington DC. ... Corruption at the highest level. A disgrace. Spying, surveillance, trying for an overthrow, and we caught them." —President Donald J. Trump, April 26, 2019 "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action." —Ian Fleming "Xi Jinping is not a dictator. [sic]" —Michael Bloomberg "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. They are not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They're not competition for us."[sic] —Former Vice President Joseph Biden Covid-19 Origins – Summany of likely findings: "Covid-19 originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Covid-19 was modified through dangerous gain of function research. The National Institute of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases are involved in dangerous research in China. The World Health Organization did not conduct an impartial investigation. The Chinese Communist Party and its People's Liberation Army have an advanced bioweapon program within the Wuhan Institute of Virology." —Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, July 20, 2021
Wuhan China Virus Pandemic: "The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions. ... In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. ... The Chinese government and the World Health Organization, which is virtually controlled by China, falsely declared that there was no evidence of human to human transmission." —President Donald J. Trump, Address to the United Nations, September 21, 2020
The Chinese virus coming from the Wuhan lab: "China should pay Ten Trillion Dollars to America, and the World, for the death and destruction they have caused!" —Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States
Scientists' orchestrated coverup about the Chinese Wuhan Institute of Virology origin of the coronavirus pandemic: " ... We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin. ... Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumours, and prejudice ... misinformation and conjecture." —Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19, letter published in 'The Lancet' signed by Charles Calisher, Dennis Carroll, Rita Colwell, Ronald B Corley, Peter Daszak, Christian Drosten, et al., February 19, 2020
'Wuhan Virus': "COVID lab leak is a scandal of media and government censorship. ... For years, the media and government allied to treat anyone raising a lab theory as one of three possibilities: conspiracy theorist or racist or racist conspiracy theorist. ... No reference to the lab theory was to be tolerated. ... The categorical rejection of the lab theory is only the latest media narrative proven to be false. The Russian collusion scandal, the Hunter Biden 'Russian disinformation,' the Lafayette Park 'photo op' conspiracy, the Nick Sandmann controversy, the Jussie Smollett case, the migrant whipping scandal. ... By suppressing alternative scientific and policy views, the public was denied a full debate ... " —Professor Jonathan Turley, George Washington University Law School., February 26, 2023
"Lessons From the Great Covid Cover-Up." —Senator Rand Paul, December, 2023
"Lockdowns didn't stop Covid." —'Wall Street Journal', May 8, 2021
"Cloth masks are useless in fight against Omicron, expert warns." —'The Independent', December 22, 2021
"MIT researchers say time spent indoors increases risk of Covid at 6 feet or 60 feet in new study challenging social distancing policies." —CNBC, April 23, 2021
Now at your local grocery store!: "Get Your COVID-19 Tests! Rapid COVID-19 tests are here! Get on-site molecular (PCR-quality) tests for travel or pick up antigen tests for home." —ACME Markets, April 18, 2022
Four Pinocchios: "There's a $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it? Of course not. Of course not. Another disgraceful whopper: " Trump economy: "What magic wand do you have?" —President Barack Obama "You want to see a bird cemetery? Go under a windmill." —President Donald J. Trump The sun is huge: "If a jet airplane could fly around the sun, it would take it six months to go all the way around!" Q. “How many earths can fit inside the sun?" "Distant objects cannot be recorded with short exposures — light only travels 186 miles in 1/1000th second." —Ted Orland, 'Photographic Truths' Radio: "I do not think that the wireless waves that I have discovered will have any practical application." —Heinrich Hertz
Q. "How many hours are there in a day on Venus?" "Married parents stay together longer, through their child's upbringing: 74% of married parents are still together (triple) by the time their child is 12 years old, versus only 24% of cohabiting parents." —The Brookings Institution "War makes murderers out of otherwise decent people. All wars, and all decent people." —Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz at age 97 "Annual FBI crime statistics show that more people are killed with clubs and hammers each year than by rifles or shotguns." —CBS, Washington, DC "Our political opponents look down with hatred on our values, and with utter distain for the people whose lives they want to run. ... the far left politicians that ravaged our great cities and crushed the dreams of African-American middle-class. ... A vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream." —President Donald J. Trump, June 18, 2019 "I am woman. I am invincible. I am tired." —Silkscreened on a sweatshirt "Mother's work is never done." —Joe Griffenberg
"Here lies a woman who always was tired / For she lived in a world where too much was required." —Lady Clementine Churchill
"If you can count your money, you're not a billionaire." —J. Paul Getty, the world's first billionaire who invented the supertanker that made it possible to deliver oil from the middle east "The only things you find in the middle-of-the-road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos." —Texas saying "The only thing in the middle of the road is roadkill." —Roger Ailes "The shortest distance between two points is under construction." —Noelie Altito
"Visitors at Denali, Grand Teton, and Yosemite National Parks generated approximately 100-million pounds of trash in 2015!" —Subaru ■ "Even as we are a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws and I believe that they must be held accountable. That's why over the past 6 years deportations of criminals are up 80%, and that's why we're going to keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security." —President Barack Obama ■ Deport illegal alien criminals: "I think we’ve got to have tough conditions. Tell people to come out of the shadows. If they’ve committed a crime, deport them. No questions asked. They’re gone. If they’ve been working and are law-abiding, we should say, ‘Here are the conditions for you staying. You have to pay a stiff fine because you came here illegally. You have to pay back taxes. And, you have to try to learn English. And, you have to wait in line." —Hillary Clinton, Mishawaka, Indiana, March, 2008
"The true measure of an individual is not how they act in a time of triumph, but rather how they act in a time of tragedy." —Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "You will behold through the telescope a host of stars, which escape the unassisted sight ... so numerous as to be almost beyond belief." —Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
New York Post Censored by Facebook and Twitter
[Newspaper established in 1801 by Federalist
and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.]
["Zuckerberg's admission reveals a deeper scandal: It was the FBI and not social media that stole the election from Donald Trump. " —Margot Cleveland]
Our view that the Russians are involved in the Hunter Biden email ... an influence operation by Russian intelligence ... It is high time that Russia stops interfering in our democracy. [sic]" —Public Statement on the Hunter Biden Emails, signed by James Clapper, Former Director of National Intelligence, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Former Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Mike Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency, Former Director, National Security Agency, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Leon Panetta, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency, Former Secretary of Defense, John Brennan, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency, Former White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Former Director, Terrorism Threat Integration Center, Former Analyst and Operations Officer, Central Intelligence Agency, et al., October 19, 2020
The White House ... is full of white supremacists ... everything they say is ... a lie." [sic] —Rep. Fredrica Wilson (D-FL), 2017
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference." —Reinhold Niebuhr
"They were dead."
" ... No, that's close though! They were the accounts of people who forgot they had an account at Fidelity."
—Myles Udland, September 4, 2014
Apocryphal story: "Pure Urban Legend." —Supposedly made up and passed along to Jim O'Shaughnessy
"I love the way Candace Owens thinks." —Kanye West
has an 'anti-communist' bias." —Ian Miles Cheong, November 30, 2021
" ... there's no way he gets elected – but I'm afraid we can't take that risk. It's like an insurance policy ... " —Peter Strzok, FBI (August 15, 2016)
• Melanie Griffith's daughter is ????????
• Jane Mansfield's daughter is ????????
• Goldie Hawn's daughter is ????????
• Janet Leigh's daughter is ????????
• Debbie Reynolds's daughter is ????????
• Judy Garland's daughter is ????????
Passive investing is worse than Marxism. [sic]" —Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.
'The Death of Equities': "How inflation is destroying the stock market. [sic]" —Barry Ritholtz, 'BusinessWeek', August 13, 1979
A. "The beach." —NASA's Cassini mission team talking about Saturn's moon Titan [Which has liquid methane seas and is larger than the planet Mercury!]
A. "Lettuce prey."
—Silly, silly, too silly ...
A. "Because they make up everything." —'Ghostbusters Afterlife'
A. "Oinkment."
"Forest Fires Aren’t at Historic Highs
in the United States. Not Even Close!"
A. "Because if entropy worked in reverse, there would be nothing to do." —Anonymous
"For someone to be so naïve and say that China is not a problem ... That's a very dumb statement." —President Donald J. Trump
All of it went to folks at the top and corporations.[sic]" —Former Vice President Joseph Biden, May 2, 2016
We are on track right now to be the first President in history to lower the deficit by over $1 trillion in one year.[sic] So I'm sick of this stuff. We have to talk about it because the American people think the reason for inflation is government spending more money. Simply not true.[sic]" —Joe Biden, March 11, 2022
['Magic wand = personal and business tax cuts, free markets, reduced regulation, reciprocal free trade, energy independence —> economic growth >3%, jobs, manufacturing returning to US, hispanic, black and women unemployment at historic lows, rising wages, booming stock market" —Dorothy Taylor]
A. "1.3 million." —Varney & Co. Trivia
Hubble space telescope ultra deep field
(Yikes, those are all galaxies!!!)
[Funny, but actually it's just that the photograph's background is older than the foreground.]
A. "5,832." —Varney & Co., Trivia
Globular Star Cluster in Omega Centauri, Hubble Space Telescope
(Yikes, look at all those colored stars!!!)
"HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH
FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON
JULY 1969, A. D.
WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND"
—Plaque on the Apollo 11 Lunar Excursion Module
leg that was left on the surface of the moon
"There are probably 10 to 15% of people out there who are just not very good people." —Joe Biden, June 4, 2020
Irredeemable: "You could put half of Trump supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. ... the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it." —Presidential candidate —Hillary Clinton, New York City, September, 2016 ["President Trump was called 'racist' on CNN 2,268 times and on MSNBC 1,925 times during the week of July 14 - 21, 2019, according to Tom Elliott. Dr. Ben Carson, a black pediatric neurosurgeon, now Secretary of HUD, says that he knows Trump well and that Trump is not a racist; neither is Trump anti-semitic (his daughter and son-in-law are Jewish), nor anti-immigrant (Trump married an immigrant to be his wife twice)." —Dorothy Miller]
"Maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the [MAGA] cult members." —Hillary Clinton, CNN, October 5, 2023 ['Crazy-level authoritarian territory': "This was Hillary Clinton, yesterday in a CNN interview, and it should set off alarms for anyone who's been paying attention to history. Yikes. Comparing Trump supporters (who number in the tens of millions) to cult members and suggesting they might need 'formal deprogramming' isn't just some offhand remark. It's dangerous talk that's been used by some of the worst characters in history. Think about it: Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot — these guys loved the idea of 're-education.' And we all know how that turned out: suppression of dissent, forced labor, and even mass killings." —Connor Boyack]
Obama's vile stereotyping of GOP during overseas trip: "Sometimes, it just turns out they're mean, they're racist, they're sexist, they're angry ... " —Barack Obama, June, 2022
'Ultra-MAGA': "What are the next things that are going to be attacked, because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that's existed in American history and recent American history. [sic]" —Joe Biden, White House, May 4, 2022
"Ultra-MAGA means always putting America First. It is the heart of the mainstream of public opinion across all groups. It means voters over special interests. Strong borders over bloodthirsty cartels. American workers over guest workers. Domestic production over foreign production. National security over needless war. Cops over criminals. Education over indoctrination. American values over woke ideology. Adoption over abortion. Family over government. Equality over equity. Free speech over censorship. Individuals over corporations. Patriotism over globalism. The United States over the United Nations." —Stephen Miller, former senior adviser in the Trump White House, May 11, 2022
"We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." —Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Columbus, Ohio, March, 2016
"This has to be the party that’s not afraid to say out loud: We’re gonna tax the hell out of the wealthy." —Democrat Bill DeBlasio, 7/31/2019 Presidential Debate
"Go for a business that any idiot can run, because sooner or later one will." —Warren Buffett
"Let us say to the immigrant, not that we hope he will learn English, but that he has got to learn it. Let the immigrant who does not learn it go back. He has got to consider the interest of the United States or he should not stay here. He must be made to see that his opportunities in this country depend on his knowing English and observing American standards." —President Theodore Roosevelt
"Too much is plenty." —Benjamin Cohen
"An education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge." —President Donald Trump, inaugural address, January 20, 2017
Wealth Tax: "Do you realize that paying your [financial] advisor 1% is the same as taking a 25% paycut in your retirement income?" —earlyout
"If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments." —Earl Wilson
"Never meet your heroes ... [They'll disappoint you.]" —Allan Carr
"Showing up is 80 percent of life." —Woody Allen
"Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." —Frank Scully
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity." —Amelia Earhart
"Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out." —John Wooden
"Always do whatever's next." —George Carlin
"The belief in a thing makes it happen." —Frank Lloyd Wright
"My success has allowed me to strike out with a higher class of women." —Woody Allen
Stay the course: "From 1900 to 2013 there were 123 'corrections' (where the stock market drops 10% or more from previous highs) and 32 'bear markets' (where the stock market drops 20% or more from previous highs.) What's the takeaway message? You should expect a correction every year and a bear market every three years. If you have a sixty year investing horizon (30 year career plus 30 years in retirement), you should plan to pass through 60 corrections and 20 bear markets. This is what markets do." —White Coat Investor
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." —Milton Friedman
"The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion." —Albert Einstein
"Reporters don't root for a side." —Chris Cillizza
"If you care about the earth, if you care about animals, you should be a capitalist. The cleanest nations are capitalist and the best preservation for land, air, trees, water is privately held. So be a capitalist if you are an environmentalist." —Daniel Turner, Executive Director, Power the Future
"Deadliest predators on the earth?: #1) Mosquitoes 750,000 deaths/year; #2) Snakes 100,000 deaths/year; #3) Dogs 35,000 deaths/year; #4) Freshwater Snails 20,000 deaths/year; #5 Tsetse Flies 10,000 deaths/year" —ABC News Nightline
"Total household income gains: Bush +$402 [in 8 years], Obama +$1,044 [in 8 years], Trump +$5,228 [in only 4 years]." —Senter Research
"The average family in which both parents work has lost –$6,800 in annual wages [in less than 1½ years!] under President Biden." —Heritage Foundation, July 13, 2022
"Mac users perform better at work and close larger high-value sales compared to PC users." —IBM
"Carpe per diem – seize the check." —Robin Williams
"A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore." —Yogi Berra
"I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself." —Ronald Reagan
"Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost." —Martina Navratilova
"Science is to see what everyone else has seen but think what no one else has thought." —Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
First light: James Webb Space Telescope, distant galaxies, infrared
String theory: "We used to think particles were made of points; now it's strings. This solves the problem of quantum gravity. Also there are extra dimensions, but they are teeny, so it's no big deal, and we're still working on it. That's six decades of work in a nutshell." —Astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter, Ph.D.
● 
"KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON"
● "YOUR COURAGE
YOUR CHEERFULNESS
YOUR RESOLUTION
WILL BRING US VICTORY"
● "FREEDOM IS IN PERIL
DEFEND IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT"
—Three British posters, World War II
"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." —Abraham Lincoln
Market timing: "Trade the news and you will lose." —ThereAreNoGurus
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." —Benjamin Graham
"I used to be indecisive but now I'm not so sure." —whimsicalmike
"Since the mathematicians have invaded the relativity theory, I do not understand it myself anymore." —Albert Einstein
"You can have new, or improved. Not both." —TropikThunder
"All your base/files are belong to us." —Internet meme/computer virus
"What me worry?" —Alfred E. Neuman
"All else is never equal." —Ctein
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." —Albert Einstein
Socialism versus capitalism: "When I was in England in the 1970's, the coal industry, steel industry, rail industry, gas industry, road transportation, ... electricity, healthcare — all that and the airlines owned and run by the government, and they ran it into the ground — that was English socialism. It failed miserably." —Stuart Varney
"This is a Blue Collar Boom. Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage earners has increased by +47%, three times faster than the increase for the top 1%. Real median household income is at the highest level ever recorded. The American dream is a back – bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. No one is benefiting more than America's middle class." —President Donald J. Trump, Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020
'Biden–Harris campaign attacks Trump and MAGA': “The return to Trump or any of the MAGA Republicans in the White House means return to the trickle down policies that rig the economy for the ultra wealthy and big corporations at the expense of the middle class [sic] and destroy the bedrock principle of America’s economic freedoms [sic]. Their MAGA attacks on our freedoms [sic] not only pose a cataclysmic threat to our future [sic], they’re also wildly out of step with Americans [sic]." —Michael Tyler, Biden–Harris 2024 Communications Director
‘Democrats are in fact the fringe party’: " ... They opened the borders to millions of illegals and deadly fentanyl, they enriched Iran’s terror machine, and put biological men in women’s sports and locker rooms ... Bidenomics and Democratic policies are the wreckers of the American dream that have made food and energy unaffordable with inflation and homeownership unattainable with high interest rates." —Donald Trump, interview with John Solomon, December 27, 2023
"Biological men who self-identify as females (also referred to as 'transgender women') are invading women’s sports, robbing female athletes of opportunities, and infringing upon their rights. Young women are being deprived of scholarships, championships, and even personal safety all in the name of creating a 'safe and inclusive' space for transgender women. This insanity must end." —PragerU, March 2, 2024
"The earth is finite, and if the world economy and population is to keep expanding, space is the only way to go." —Jeff Bezos as a high school student
"Coughs and sneezes spread diseases." —U.S. Government slogan, 1918 pandemic
'Promising to end the pandemic': "I'm not going to shut down the economy. I'm not going to shut down the country. I'm gonna shut down the virus." —Joe Biden, Tampa Florida, October 29, 2020
"I'm 74. [sic] I'm not gonna shut down the economy." —Joe Biden, Des Moines Iowa, October 30, 2020
"Once we shut down the virus and deliver economic relief to workers and businesses, then we can start to build back better than before." —Joe Biden, Wilmington Delaware, November 16, 2020
The Failed Experiment of Covid Lockdowns: "Locking down the economy didn't contain the disease's spread and reopening it didn't unleash a second wave of infections. ... Lockdowns correlated with a greater spread of the virus. States with longer, stricter lockdowns also had larger Covid outbreaks." —Donald L. Luskin, TrendMacro CEO, The Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2020
Coronavirus Covid–19 Pandemic: "Social distancing ... is the way to go ... Right now, not wait, you should start to distance yourself from the risk: crowds, getting on a plane, on a long plane trip, and above all don't get on a cruise ship." —
Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, 3/9/2020
"An epidemiologist, a doctor, and a respiratory therapist walk into a bar. Kidding ... They know better." —Anonymous
Q. "If pandemic lockdown for one person is 'solitary confinement,' what do you call it for two people?"
A. "Marriage." —Donna
Hilarious! "Going out to eat with members of your household this weekend? Don't forget to "keep your mask on in between bites." —Office of Governor Gavin Newsom of California, October 3, 2020 [Also, "minimize the number of times you take your mask off." Got it?]
"THERE'S NO CHANCE IN HELL I'M WEARING A MASK BETWEEN BITES. YOU'RE INSANE!" —California resident
It's been a long year: "Scientists have found that 7 dog years does not equal one human year. In fact the only thing that equals 7 human years is 2020." —Anonymous meme
"We're going to have to retire the expression 'avoid it like the plague' because it turns out humans do not do that." —Jenny Nicholson
"Grocery shopping has become a real life version of PAC-man. Avoid everyone, get the fruit, and take any route to avoid contact." —Anonymous
"Here is the simple truth: Our darkest days in the battle against Covid are ahead of us, not behind us." —Joe Biden, Wilmington Delaware, December 22, 2020, days after two coronavirus vaccines began mass distribution
Mass murder: "In 2019, the Chinese at the Wuhan Institute of Virology bioweapons program recklessly engaged in dangerous 'gain of function research' to artificially create a human pathogen, supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, allowed the virulent Covid-19 virus to escape the laboratory, engaged in a coverup and deliberately failed to restrict international travel, while Chinese domestic travel was being restricted, causing a global pandemic resulting in millions of deaths. In 2020 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deliberately sent thousands of Covid infected patients into nursing homes, as did other exclusively Democrat governors in Michigan, California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, killing tens of thousands of elderly vulnerable Americans. In 2021 (when more died of Covid-19 with effective vaccines available than did in the prior year without any vaccine) President Biden, reversing policy, deliberately sent about 40,000 Covid infected illegal immigrants per month in secret, often in the middle of the night, into American cities, in direct violation of federal immigration law, killing possibly hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting Americans. Why are those responsible not being prosecuted for negligent homicide and other crimes?" —Robert Jackson; also Matt Vespa
Reporter: 'Why won't you provide the number? Are you hiding something?'
"Why do you need to have that information?" —Jen Psaki, White House spokesperson refusing to release the Covid 'breakthrough' [infected despite vaccination] case numbers, July 23, 2021
"The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes." —U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Supreme Court decision in 'Buck v. Bell' (274 U.S. 200), 1927
"The Big Apple is dying. Its streets are empty. Tens of thousands of have been plunged into poverty. Our leaders have no plan, no answers. New Yorkers have already learned to social distance. Businesses can adjust. The elderly and sick can continue to be isolated. BUT IT NEEDS TO END. NOW." —David Marcus, 'New York Post', May 20, 2020
"After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 ... Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels famously asked then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, 'Can we be funny?' to which Giuliani countered, 'Why start now?'" —Richard Morgan and Jada Yuan
China Threatens to Withhold ALL MEDICAL EXPORTS: 'The United States will fall into the hell' of a Coronavirus Epidemic:
"If China retaliates against the United States ... it will also announce strategic control over medical products and ban exports to the United States." —Xinhua (Chinese Government News Agency), March 4, 2020 [Google translation]
"Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time." —Steven Wright
"While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery." —Groucho Marx
"Ready money is Aladdin's Lamp." —Benjamin Disraeli quoting Lord Byron
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"There is a certain class of race problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public." —Booker T. Washington
Equal protection of the laws???: "We need to start having race conscious laws." —Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat presidential candidate, 2/7/2020
"I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing" —Plato
"I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know." —Socrates
"The simplest explanation is probably the correct one." —Occam's razor
"When there are multiple solutions to a problem, choose the simplest one." —John C. Bogle
Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." —Robert J. Hanlon
"If you can get good at destroying your own wrong ideas, that is a great gift." —Charlie Munger
"I can afford anything I want. But I can't afford everything I want." —rantk81
"If you can't buy it twice, you can't afford it." —Jay Z
"New York is ... physically tiny. The entire island of Manhattan is smaller than the Dallas Fort Worth airport." —Tucker Carlson
America's #1 rudest city: "Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's g-d given right." —Ghostbusters II
"There's this enormous cohort of black and latino males aged ... 16 to 25 that don't have jobs, don't have any prospects, don't know how to find jobs, don't know what their skill sets are, don't know how to behave in the workplace. ... Blacks and latinos score terribly in school testing compared to whites and asians. If you look at our jails, it's predominantly minorities. If you look at where crime takes place, it's in minority neighborhoods. If you look at who the victims and the perpetrators are, it's virtually all minorities." —New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, PBS NewsHour, August 4, 2011
Farming, manufacturing: "You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, and water, up comes the corn ... you could learn that. ... Then you have 300 years of the industrial society. You put the piece of metal on the lathe, you turn the crank in the direction of the arrow, and you can have a job. ... The information economy is fundamentally different. ... You have to have a lot more gray matter." —Michael Bloomberg, University of Oxford Said Business School, 2016
"The U.S. hasn't elected a President shorter than 5 feet, 9 inches since 1876." —Trish Regan
[James Madison at 5 feet, 4 inches was the United States' fourth president and is the shortest to ever be elected.]
"I like a lot of snow, or otherwise I just prefer it to be warm." —Mennonite girl at the local market
"New high of 90% of Americans [are] satisfied with [their] personal life." —Gallop poll, February 6, 2020
"Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the store then it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe; that we are as strong as we were for years ago? And if you answer all those questions yes, then I think your choice is very obvious as to who to vote for." —Presidential Candidate Ronald Reagan, October 28, 1980
"I'm still the President's wing-man ... " —Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder
"Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!" —John Bogle
"Markets crash. Markets recover. Inflation takes your money FOREVER." —palaheel
"The Venezuelan approach to hyperinflation seems to be to get out of Venezuela ... if possible." —nisiprius
"There is no such thing as government money, only taxpayer money." —Margaret Thatcher
Cyanobacteria: "We owe our [evolutionary] heritage to the scum of the earth." —Robert Roy Britt
"Time and space and gravitation have no separate existence from matter." —Albert Einstein
"I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong." —Richard Feynman
"I'm trying to think, but nothing happens." —spdoublebass
"Hindsight is 2020 (pun intended)." —CoastalWinds
Frugality: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." —Anonymous
"If you leave your head in the sand for too long, you might get run over by a Jeep." —columbia
"I'd like to personally thank you for flying with us today and to remind you that the last one off the plane has to clean it." —A View From The Top (movie)
"Please bring your tray table and seat back to the full upright and uncomfortable position ... and if you have any questions feel free to ask the passenger sitting next to you." —Pacific Southwest Airlines (c. 1986) humorous actual safety instructions
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." —Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Photo Printers: "Ink is more expensive than champagne, Chanel perfume, and human blood." —Michael C. Johnston
Printer ink: "Canon $2,792 per gallon; Epson $3,331 per gallon." —Michael C. Johnston, December 2, 2022
Covid-19: "Until further notice, this residence is closed to visitors. We're not sick, and we don't think you are. We're just not sure we trust you around our toilet paper." —Sign on front door
Toilet Paper Roll Menorah: "To remind us of the time that we had one roll of toilet paper but we made it last for eight days and eight nights." —Happy Hanukkah 2020!
Thank you for saving our lives!: "Operation Warp Speed's goal is to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective [coronavirus] vaccines with the initial doses available by January 2021 ... " —U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Trump urges Americans to get Covid-19 vaccine: "I would recommend it and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it" ... "it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works." —Donald J. Trump, March 17, 2021
[Timed just when enough vaccine became available for this excellent advice to be most helpful!]
Vaccine hesitancy: " ... if Donald Trump tells us that we should take it, I'm not taking it." —Kamala Harris, October 7, 2020
Facebook misinformation: "They're killing people ... The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people." —Joe Biden, July 16, 2021
"Facebook isn't killing people ... " —Joe Biden, July 19, 2021
"The data shows that 85% of Facebook users in the US have been or want to be vaccinated against COVID-19." —Guy Rosenm, Facebook VP of Integrity
Promoting vaccine hesitancy: "If and when the vaccine comes, it's not likely to go through all the tests and trials that need to be done." —Joe Biden, August 6, 2020
"One of the biggest failures of our medical leadership has been ignoring natural immunity [following Covid-19 infection]. It's about half of the unvaccinated and they have a reasonable reason not to get the vaccine right now. They already have immunity. Many have circulating antibodies. And some of us doctors recommend one shot in those folks if they want to get a vaccine. But they already have immunity. ... " —Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Regrets of hospitalized unvaccinated Covid-19 patients: "I was offered the vaccine, but I was arrogant ... People are filling the hospitals by taking chances and it's wrong. I feel terrible. I feel so bad about it and I hope by speaking out it helps others avoid this. ... Not having the vaccine is the biggest mistake of my life. It nearly cost me my life. I've made many silly decisions in my life, but this was the most dangerous and serious one. ... I wish I could go to each and every person who refuses to have the vaccine and tell them, 'Look, this is a matter of life of death. Do you want to live or die? If you want to live, then go and get the vaccine.'" —'Coronavirus doctor's diary', BBC News
"Stupid is as stupid does." —Forrest Gump
Vaccination prevents Covid-19 deaths (yours and others) -
If you are vulnerable, GET VACCINATED:
"If you look at the number of deaths, about 99.2 percent of them are unvaccinated. ... it's really sad and tragic that most all of these are avoidable and preventable." —Anthony Fauci, NBC 'Meet the Press', July 4, 2021
Overheard: "The irony of antivaxers saying they don't want to be part of an experiment without realizing they are now the control group." —George Takei
"The man or woman or child who will not wear a mask now is a dangerous slacker." —American Red Cross, public service announcement, San Francisco, 1918 influenza pandemic
■ Flu Natural Immunity: "The best vaccination is to get infected yourself." —Dr. Anthony Fauci, C-SPAN, October 11, 2004
Lethal misinformation: "Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China." —World Health Organization (@WHO), January 14, 2020
Lethal misinformation: "What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks. ... Wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease. [Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” ... They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus ... ]" —U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, March 31, 2020
Garbled message: "At home, parents of unvaccinated kids should be thoughtful about this and the recommendation is to wear masks there, as well." —Francis S. Collins, M.D., Director, National Institutes of Health, August 3, 2021
COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission [Aerosols]:
" ... spread by exposure to virus in small droplets and particles that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. These viruses may be able to infect people who are further than 6 feet away from the person who is infected or after that person has left the space. ... enclosed spaces that had inadequate ventilation. Sometimes the infected person was breathing heavily, for example while singing or exercising." —CDC, October, 2020 [Posted, deleted, then reposted.]
Aerosol spread of viruses can be limited by wearing a properly fitting genuine N95 'respirator' without an exhalation valve.
WEAR A FACEMASK: "Cloth face coverings [sic] are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities." —CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield, July 14, 2020
[While N95 respirators (without an Exhalation Valve) are highly effective, other masks may only provide partial or almost no protection against virus laden aerosols. Choose the type of mask you wear carefully, based on measured filtration effectiveness. Beware of counterfeit fakes.]
'The 60-year-old scientific screwup [about aerosol disease transmission] that helped Covid kill': "Covid-19 has redefined airborne transmission. Improving indoor ventilation and air quality will help us all to stay safe." —Julian W Tang, et al, 'British Medical Journal', April 14, 2021 [5 microns is not the correct particle size aerosol cutoff.]
♦ Why haven't building codes been updated to require ventilation with sufficient indoor air replacement, circulation, humidity, and filtering to prevent indoor airborn disease transmission???
♦ It's been 5 years+, folks – what are we waiting for?
♦ [How about reassigning all those Covid inspectors harassing businesses to measuring ventilation (larger buildings first) and posting the results on each front door (and online), so people can decide, for themselves, if the indoor air quality is worthy of masking or taking their business (or employment) elsewhere. Way to get competition going for the best indoor air safety! —Eric Wallace]
Airplane ventilation: "I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting." —Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, Congressional hearing, December 15, 2021
"I concur. An aircraft is the safest place you can be. It's true of all of our aircraft – they all have the same HEPA filters and airflow." —Doug Parker, American Airlines CEO
"We in the World Health Organization do NOT advocate lockdowns as a primary means of control of this virus. ... we really do appeal to all world leaders: stop using lockdown as your primary control method." —Dr. David Navarro, World Health Organization Special Envoy, October, 2020
"I might go even so far as to say that this facemask [in my hand] is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine." —CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield, September, 2020
Facemasks vs. respirators: "CDC guidance on masks has clearly stated that wearing a mask is intended to protect other people in case the mask wearer is infected. At no time has CDC guidance suggested that masks were intended to protect the wearers.[sic]" —Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 14, 2020
" ... we're asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact." —President Donald J. Trump, July 21, 2020
C.D.C. internal report calls [Covid-19] Delta variant as contagious as chickenpox: "Infections in vaccinated Americans also may be as transmissible as those in unvaccinated people and lead more often to severe illness." —Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times, July 30, 2021
"We'll have a national mandate to wear a [covid-19 face] mask." —Joe Biden, August 20, 2020
"I wouldn't issue a mandate." —Joe Biden, September 13, 2020
Covid-19: "It is estimated that 200 million[sic] people have died ... " —Joe Biden, September 20, 2020
"It's a recession when your neighbor loses their job. It's a depression when you lose your job." —Anon
Q. "Do you know who is protesting Ohm's Law?"
A. "The Resistance!" [ V = I R ]
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." —Albert Einstein
"We believe that personal integrity and professional conduct are not only basic standards but, in the long run, they are the only sound basis on which to build a durable business." —Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom to Vanguard employees
"1. Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you're 15 and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're 35 is against the natural order of things." —Douglas Adams
"It doesn't matter how you get there, if you don't know where you're going." —The Flying Karamazov Brothers
"The beginnings of all things are small." —Marcus Tullius Cicero
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." —Newspaper joke, 1913, often attributed to Yogi Berra
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." —Charlie Chaplin
"The key to success is sincerity. If you can fake that you've got it made." —George Burns
"If you're gonna be two-faced, at least make one of them pretty." —Marilyn Monroe
"If you don't watch CNN and you don't watch some of these other stations, you are much better informed than if you do, because they mislead you. They tell you things that didn't happen, and they don't tell you things that did happen. It's really a tragedy because Americans think that they can believe the facts that they have seen on television, and they just have to check for themselves." —Alan Dershowitz, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Law School
"Life is short. Spend as much time as you can quibbling with strangers on the Internet." —Kenster63
"Groucho was once walking around the New York Stock Exchange when one of the traders on the floor asked him: 'Groucho, how do you invest your money?' Groucho answered: 'All in bonds.' The trader asked: 'But Groucho, they don't pay much return.' Groucho said: 'They do when you have a lot of em!" —Groucho Marx
"It is the power of words and books—explaining and dramatizing great ideas and articulating high ideals—that is the greatest weapon in the missionary's arsenal." —Jack Bogle
"It can take days, weeks, even years to decide you love someone. But it takes 2 minutes to decide you love a dog." —Anonymous
The arithmetic functions: "+Ambition, –Distraction, xUglification, and ÷Derision" —Lewis Carroll
"Be yourself. No one can say you're doing it wrong." —Charles M. Schulz
"I love mankind... it's PEOPLE I can't stand!!" —Linus
π: "Pi day occurred at 3/14/15 9:26:54. Won't happen again for a hundred years." —samsoes
"Stocks let us eat well. Bonds let us sleep well." —Taylor Larimore
"Diversification is the only free lunch in investing." —Nobel Prize winning economist Harry Markowitz
"I find square [photographic image] format frustrating. I can never work out whether to hold the camera horizontally or vertically. :-)" —Peter Croft
"Things that have never happened before happen all the time." —Morgan Housel
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet." —Abraham Lincoln
"What? | Are you coming to bed? | I can't. This is important. | Someone is wrong on the internet." —Randall Munroe, xkcd cartoon, 'Duty Calls'
"On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." —Peter Steiner, New Yorker cartoon
"Fortune favors the bold." —Virgil
Ignoring this will cost you a fortune: "No, no. The [stock ... ] market is not rigged. But, let me repeat my age old strategy— Number one: Don't try to time the market. Number two: Buy and hold the broad indexes. Don't even look at them. Keep adding to your position, and over 50 years you're going to get very very wealthy." —Larry Kudlow
"The big money is not in the buying and selling, but in the waiting." —Charles Munger
"Biden's war on the working class ... displays the same contempt toward business as Vladimir Lenin." —Peter Morici
"Everthing works out in the end. If it doesn't then it's not the end." —Blister
"When I use a word ... it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less." —Lewis Carrol's Humpty Dumpty in 'Through The Looking Glass'
"There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics." —Benjamin Disraeli
"If you live to be 100 years old you've got it made because very few people die at that age." —George Burns
"I always do my best work after hitting the "ENTER" button." —Luckywon
Small acts of courage: "You either speak the truth as you see it or you come to despise yourself." —Douglas Muray
" ... feeling I have of impending doom ... right now I'm scared." —Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), March 29, 2021
"If I owe you a thousand dollars, I have a problem. If I owe you a million dollars, you have a problem." —An old financial saying
Cities that slashed police funding are inundated by a spike in homicides: "In nine of the cities that made the most dramatic cuts to police department budgets, homicides rose by nearly 68%." —Jeff Mordock, The Washington Times, April 4, 2021
The case for black patriotism: "In the last 75 years, a vast black middle-class has developed. There are black billionaires. The influence of black people on the culture of America is stunning and has global resonance. Some 40 million strong, black Americans are the richest and most powerful population of African descent on the planet." —Professor of Economics Glenn Loury, Boston University
Quality of life plummets, taxes rocket – and New York City faces doom: "Yet there is something different, and especially troubling, about this time. The possibility of permanent decline and the ultimate destruction of the New York we know is unmatched in modern memory." —Michael Goodwin, New York Post, April 6, 2021
[ ... and this quotation in an e-mail was censored (bounced as 'spam' and not delivered).]
Environmental Social Governance: "The ESG movement is anti-energy, anti-development, and anti-America ... it is an immoral and financially ruinous movement that is destroying the free world's ability to produce low-cost, reliable energy. This prevents poor countries from developing and threatens America's security. ... Divesting from fossil fuels is immoral because: The world needs much more energy; Fossil fuels are the only way to provide most of that energy for the foreseeable future; [and] Any problems associated with CO2 pale in comparison to problems of energy deprivation. ... By starving cost-effective energy of capital, the ESG movement is engaging in a fundamental act of mass destruction. Energy is the industry that powers every other industry. By making energy more expensive, ESG makes everything more expensive – hurting the poorest people most." —Alex Epstein
'ESG Feeds Inflation, Hurts Economic Growth': "When companies divert their attention to social goals, they produce less, driving prices higher." —David R. Henderson and Marc Joffe, 'Wall Street Journal', July 5, 2022
Adverse consequences of irrational "Green" ESG policies starting to be felt around the world:
● Energy costs skyrocket, worsening inflation, food shortages
● Rolling electrical blackouts in Silicon Valley
● Electrical grid crisis in Texas
● Overthrow of government in Sri Lanka
● Half of Dutch farms failing from fertilizer ban, farmers protesting
● Ghana experienced a shutdown of its national power supply, being impoverished, food shortages
● Energy crisis in Germany ...
"ESG can't square with fiduciary duty. State attorneys general issue a strong warning to investment managers and retirement fund trustees. ... environmental, social and governance investment policies appear to involve 'rampant violations' of the sole interest rule, a well-established legal principle. The sole interest rule requires investment fiduciaries to act to maximize financial returns, not to promote social or political objectives." —Jed Rubenfeld and William P. Barr, 'Wall Street Journal', September 6, 2022
'Sustainability' = Communism = Famine: "UN, [Davos] World Economic Forum behind Global 'War On Farmers'... that could lead to food shortages ... lead to economic devastation, shortages of critical goods, widespread famine, and a dramatic loss of individual freedoms. ... Already, millions of people worldwide are facing dangerous food shortages ... Even private land ownership is in the crosshairs ... agreement stated that [☭] 'land cannot be treated as an ordinary asset controlled by individuals' and that private land ownership is 'a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, therefore contributes to social injustice. ... Public control of land use is therefore indispensable,' the U.N. declaration said, a prelude to the World Economic Forum's now infamous 'prediction' that by 2030, 'you'll own nothing.' ... some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful corporate leaders are working with communists in China and elsewhere in an effort to centralize control over food production and crush independent farmers and ranchers." —Alex Newman, July 26, 2022
"To the vulnerable who refuse Covid-19 vaccine, or refuse to protect themselves with a high quality mask, I refer you to the 'Parable of the Flood.'" —The Grim Reaper
"Over 500 hospital workers for Chicago's NorthShore University HealthSystem who were terminated after refusing the Covid jab based on religious objections were awarded ... roughly $25,000 each ... Additionally, NorthShore is required to rehire ... " —Adan Salazar, July 29th 2022
"Mars is the only known planet inhabited solely by robots." —C-3PO
[ ... and this quotation (without link) was censored by e-mail ISP. Really!]
"Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing." —Lao Tzu
McDonald's drive-through sign: "We are short staffed. Please be patient with the staff that did show up. No one wants to work anymore." —McDonald's ["Because potential employees make more money on unemployment and stimulus payments than they can going to work."]
Democrat policies disincentivize work: "Today because the recipients of transfer payments aren't tied to any sort of work requirement, you can have a situation where in Massachusetts, a married couple with two children can receive $100,000 of [government] benefits. So the lowest quintile (the lowest 20%) of income earners in the United States, only 36% work now." —Fred Smith, executive chairman and founder of FedEx, September 16, 2022
No wonder businesses are finding it impossible to hire people to come to work: "From [May, 2020 through April, 2021,] the federal government paid out $8 trillion [?need factcheck] in unemployment benefits." —Charles Payne
"Got a pulse? We have jobs." —Roadside help wanted sign, July, 2021
"We should not forget that this nation of ours began in a revolt against oppressive taxation·" —Ronald Reagan
■ "Every dollar released from taxation that is spent or invested will help create a new job." —President John Fitzgerald Kennedy
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." —Popularized by Bert Lance and Larry Kudlow
"There are only two ways of telling the complete truth--anonymously and posthumously." —Thomas Sowell
"I have no idea what I am doing. My posts are all for entertainment purposes only." —flyingcows
"We're screwed. Bye." —Julie R. Hartman
■ = Suprising who said this; ✓ = Interesting thought; ♦ = Insightful and needing attention; ▶ = Hilarious video.
"tl;dr"
[A long post ("longissimus, non legi"), a book length collection (more than 6,000 entries) of thoughts, quoting what delights or disturbs. These are the overflow – the ones that didn't fit (in italics) interspersed between our FAQ's. Content is the responsibility of each author. Emphasis, strikethrough (of some errors), and links added. Link to mirror. Using a defective browser that fails to display the pop-up link titles will cause a significant loss of information. Unfortunately, due to prevalent cancel culture with billions of online posts from a huge number of sources being censored and deleted, not all of the above quoted material can now be linked to an online original source. If you discover a misquote, incorrect attribution, or other error, please supply a correction. Everything written here should be assumed to be an unreliable opinion, and is not advice. Caution: For education, entertainment, and informational purposes only. Not an expert opinion. DO NOT rely upon this as legal, investment, or personal financial advice. Use only at your own entire risk. No warranty.]
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 12:50 PM
