Recent Commentaries

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Memo to Congress
Franklin Roosevelt once offered this piece of advice about giving a speech: “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.” Okay, here it goes. Ladies and Gentlemen of Congress, The American people are sick and tired of hearing excuses for your lack of effectively working together. They’re tired of listening to the arrogant sound bites at “impromptu” press conferences. You were not...
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January 30, 2010
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The Purpose Driven Book
“The greatest political saga, the one that has it all, that gets to the real heart of American politics, is the John Edwards story…This isn’t just politics, it’s literature. It’s the great American novel, the kind that isn’t written anymore.”  – Michael Wolff on John Edwards’s trajectory, Vanity Fair That’s the introductory quote on Amazon.com for the “tell-all” written by former political aide...
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January 29, 2010
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Character and Courage
The election victory and nationwide coverage of Senator Scott Brown from Massachusetts had me revisiting a piece I wrote in July, 2008.  In light of the current fuss and fracas between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, the lesson from this commentary is more timely than eve Whom can we trust? Who has the credibility to lead? These are just two...
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January 25, 2010
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My Friend Sam
Sam Adams, world-class decathlete, coach and mentor to numerous athletes passed away Tuesday, January 12. “The finest decathlon coach in American history,” wrote Frank Zarnowski for The Decathlon Association newsletter.  “The decathletes, pentathletes and heptathletes who trained under Sam’s watchful eye read like an American Who’s Who. You start with Bill Toomey and Jane Frederick, and Russ Hodge, and, well the list would...
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January 22, 2010
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What’s Right with This Picture?
On Tuesday (Jan. 12) the Republic of Haiti was overwhelmed by a 7.0 earthquake.  Last Saturday, (Jan. 17) Washington seemed overwhelmed by another event – former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton joined President Obama to support a massive effort to aid the desperately poor Haitian people. The New York Times reported that “The three men, who have collectively occupied...
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January 20, 2010
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The Time is Always Right
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. The words of Dr. King were meant to inspire us to grow beyond hatred, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive...
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January 18, 2010
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Character
One of the things I like most about the writing of conservative columnist Peggy Noonan is the way she engages both the intellect and the emotions.  Nowhere is that more evident than in an essay about President Ronald Reagan.  Noonan was Reagan’s speech writer, and looking back at many of those speeches it’s easy to see how effectively the Great...
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January 15, 2010
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A Tale of Two Apologies
On Monday, (Jan. 11) former St. Louis Cardinal slugger and current holder of baseball’s single season home run record (70), Mark McGwire finally admitted to using steroids in the ’90s In a sincere, at times, tearful interview with sportscaster Bob Costas, McGwire said, “I apologize to everybody in major-league baseball, my family, the Maris’ [Yankee Roger Maris was the former record holder], Bud...
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January 13, 2010
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January 2010 Ethical Hero – Eli Mason
Eli Mason, past president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, known as the “conscience of the profession,” died in August, 2009. The New York Times wrote that Mason “was a longtime defender of small and midsize accounting firms and a traditionalist in a profession that slowly came to be dominated by huge firms like Ernst &...
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January 12, 2010
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Cynicism
A conversation with a friend led to this question:  is it unethical to be cynical? On the surface it would seem that one can hold most any outlook on life they choose without much disruption to their moral sense.  It’s an outlook, not an action and ethics is about what we do, not how we view life. But let’s take a closer...
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January 11, 2010