Browsing Tag

Politics

Winds of Change

One of my first projects at Goble Properties was to build an industrial complex on a piece of land in San Jose. It was a weird shaped parcel, but a good location. The project was big enough to test me but small enough to get my arms around.

A curious thing happened when the buildings were framed. A huge wind storm came through and knocked everything over. Boards and planks were piled up like so much drift wood pushed ashore by rough seas. Nobody had ever seen anything like it, and the consequences set everything back by weeks. Not to …

Family, Generosity,

Crazy People

We all have our share of crazy people around us. I don’t mean clinically crazy. I mean the people who have crazy opinions that cause us to shake our heads in bewilderment. Or they make decisions based on easily disproved facts. Or they anticipate a series of events with no grounding in reality. Or they willingly embrace lies because it fits their narrative.

These people can drive us crazy, can’t they? Having conversations with them raises our blood pressure. We watch their mistakes – and then they double down on why it’s not a mistake – and we can easily …

Random Thoughts,

Political Rant

Ten years ago I came home from Washington DC both inspired and frustrated. I wrote the post below, and it’s surprisingly (and sadly) still accurate. It’s 2020, an election year, so the hyperbole is going to be even higher now.

So I’m reposting this for two reasons. First, to show you just how smart I was ten years ago! But more seriously because it shows there is still work to do. As I asked in a previous post, when did we get so angry with each other over things like the tax code and how to provide health care? We …

Random Thoughts,

Politics, Lent, and Sloth

Found this graph on Twitter and laughed out loud. In our age of highly politicizing things, why not do so with the seven deadly sins? And why not bring it up as lent winds down?

Besides, I always have been a moderate, so I approve of sloth being the foundation of my political viewpoint!…

Random Thoughts,

Craziest Presidential Race, and Why I Might Run for President

Tomorrow morning we fly to Washington DC just as the craziest Presidential race in my life starts shifting into high gear. As I publish this post it’s not clear who won in Iowa, and it probably doesn’t matter that much, but you can bet it’s all I’m going to hear about for the next few days.

Six years ago, when my posts were long and my rants were funnier, I wrote this post about politics, and sadly things haven’t changed much. Thankfully, it appears the National Prayer Breakfast has grown to be more inclusive. I’ll try to focus on …

Random Thoughts,

Political Leanings

Politics has been driving me crazy. Since I just returned from the 58th Annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, this blog entry seemed timely.

Now, you are probably thinking that this is going to be a rant about either the Democrats or the Republicans. Wrong. My political anger is not directed at a specific party, politician or agenda. Instead, it is directed at the people who think that political reasoning is a clear cut choice between one view or another. These are the people who lambast the other viewpoint, demonize their opponents, use snide and cynical remarks to belittle …