6 Comments

One other crucial element that is missing: Common Sense.

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Starting with your grandpa’s street creds enhanced by being a voracious reader sets the table. This is one of your best pieces. The depth is more subtle but simple can be better.

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All discussion on whether a baker or website developer must create product celebrating an LGBTQ+ couple seems to be missing the critical point. Both were willing to serve the customers with generic product but refused to produce creative product celebrating an LGBTQ+ couple. What the SCOTUS decision did was say one could refuse to commercially participate in an LGBTQ+ act contrary to their religion. To create one must participate in the joy, which the SCOTUS said one could refuse. This is the part I think many are missing how this differs from serving LGBTQ+ customers vs participating in their celebration.

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If higher education is said to be so great, then why are so many - well educated people so dumb when it comes to Law, the Constitution, Crime, Common Sense, and for that matter anything Financial.

Experience is said to lead to wisdom, but so many of the so-called Elite Thinkers lack in even the basic of experience. When I went to college, I was blessed that my main professors - the ones for financial, comp sci, and business economics all had experience in their fields and were well recognized for it.

I still think of those professors (all retired, and some passed on), and how they changed my and my family's life for the better.

Your words are wise Mr. Smith, though I am afraid that for the most part they are falling upon well-educated and deaf ears.

My 2 cents.

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People get really carried away with different people in the public sphere, because they speak well. That is a skill but it doesn’t translate to doing well. For a politician to be seriously considered by me I have to have seen him or her make decisions in different areas. Being a Governor counts somewhat. Because in some areas the buck stops there. However it isn’t the best Executive experience because you don’t personally pay for your mistakes. You only pay at the ballot box. And that can be covered up with pork. I need to see he or she has done things that have succeeded. Failures are fine provided they continued and eventually succeeded.

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I think in this day and age to be wise, for a leader, means also to be able to make good decisions. Good decision making requires some brains but it really requires strong morals. It also requires experience of doing something that personally impacts you in at least three areas. Once you have made 100 decisions in each of three areas and enjoyed the results/paid the price for all of these you can make decisions about pretty much everything in this society. Three areas, many many impactful decisions, and you likely will have enough experience such that anything comes up you can speak to it at least competently. It is akin to learning languages. Learn one and it doesn’t much help learning a second. Learn two though and learning a third is easier. Learn three and you can add new languages pretty easily.

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