There's more pride in doing one's work than in hiring one to do it. The secret is to be able to match the work with the man: if you can hammer and saw, why pay someone else to do so ?

Tommy must be "onto something" ( he 'always' is ), but what ?

Decriminalization means the drug(s) will be the equivalent of money: criminals will consider it something to steal -- and we can't very well decriminalize theft !

A [perhaps] incorrect observation from this 84 year old who lived in the WWII period with (A) a "Defense Department"
( we'd have become Germans or Japanese by now had we not had such ) ... (B) debt acquired to provide those decidedly NECESSARY armaments .. and (C) yes, our capitalistic system in "them-there-days" was based on "planned obsolescence."
CONCLUSION; in HIS day, maybe, correct. No longer ... we now have different problems .. someone else will have to name the trip -- I ain't that bright !

"The maxim" has a familiar ring. [ From memory and I can't quote chapter and verse, but ...] Train a child in the way that he should go and he will not depart from it. Biblical.
Governments, Religions, even neighbors will tell each of us what to think, how to live, even how to die.

Clear and succinct, which is its truth and beauty.

... but what of those whose treatises and u-tube declarations POSITIVELY set forth their determinations for "retribution." At the moment, not so sure of the name but I think it's either Rodger or Rodgers who drove into crowds, stabbed and shot -- what ? Six ? He as much as TOLD US. Maybe we just have to occasionally take the bitter with the sweet and realize that not 100% of a principle can be 100% accurate 100% of the time. TRAGEDY !

But two words are needed ( the egotistical subscriber said ):

INDIVIDUAL and RESPONSIBILITY.

David's comment reminded me of one of my dad's wise comments: "Honesty IS 'the best policy,' but he who is honest BECAUSE it is 'the best policy' is not being honest !" Food for thought. Thanks, dad. [ David -- my connection may be erroneous, but your third sentence triggered my reaction. I'd guess few of us would be willing to follow another of dad's sayings, after setting forth his rationale, he'd [almost] always conclude, "... but I COULD be wrong." ( Worth trying as a brief addendum to ALL our "wisdoms." )

My guess: Plato's observation's translation in today's parlance:
"It is what it is."

-- all the rest is definition, allegation, obfuscation.

But -- as is the case in nearly every case -- I / you / we -- could be wrong .. er .. incorrect .. er .. unlawful .. er .. immoral ....

"There ought to be a law against passing unjust laws." ( Kind of "tongue-in cheek," but it ain't that far from Cicero.

[ In the early 1940s, there were several alcoves in the hall near my High School's principal's office; one contained a bust of Cicero. We NEED reminders such as these, from such astute men of old. ]

Matthew 7:1-3 gives one pause.

The Liberty of Freedom.

Mr. L. seems to have struck a chord -- and not a "lost" one !

1776 or thereabouts we left the kneeling behind and turned things over to our equals who were unquestionably great. In time we created new "greats" because being independent individuals was too hard and we needed someone "great" to help us govern; that is, tell us what to do. Having arisen, we never should have gone to our knees in the first place.

Is this the origin of the expression, popularized in the early 1900s, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" ?

My dad ( wise man ) science teacher used to tell me to be careful with "I can prove it." What you need to say is, " I can offer evidence." Remember, "The atom is the smallest particle of matter," and "the world is flat." Proof ? Nope .. assertions ... which had yet to be supported by evidence.

AHA ! Alan Alexander ! I knew him only as A.A. when a bunch of 20-somethings used to read Winnie Ther Pooh. ( Don't you know what 'Ther" means, asked Christopher Robin ?" )
... and I didn't know he was such a deep philosophical thinker. ( A.A., I mean, not Christopher Robin nor Pooh nor Tigger nor ... ).
Thanks for opening a new door to a precious old place.

Ron .. principles.

My mom once said, "Propose a fiscal problem to 10 economists and you'll get 11 solutions."
Maybe it's the nature of the science -- or is it an art ?

Succinct, concise, presented in something approximating a poem form ( I LOVE poetry ).

I'm late, but at 84, have awakened to fiscal politics. A SELF-IMPOSED "slave;" didn't save, spent, credit-card borrowed till bankruptcy court stepped in. MEA CULPA. Too many "pols" are treading in footsteps left by my worn-out shoes.

A recently retired ( and much-too quickly dead ) minister, confronted with disputation re: choice of two hymnals ( the old .. and the new ) at one time had suggested to the congregation that maybe instead of "either/or" we might consider "both/and." BOTH hymnals are now in the pews and we are "twice-blest," given the choice ! Re: Ms. Robinson's "either/or," may I raise the question as to whether or not the "studying" might serve two functions: "both/and" ?

An older friend says his economics prof said there are but three ways to attain wealth: win it, earn it or steal it. I've not spent a lot of time on analysis, but most of what I try to use to obviate the expression turns out to be a poor effort at best.

Maybe I need to put the two on my desk for comparison purposes, but I had thought to conjoin Kibbe with The Ten Commandments, though I see another sees them as competition. But "each to his own taste," the woman said, as she kissed the cow. [ I don't know what that means, but my dad, a wise and religious man, used to say it from time to time. ]

Jim K, if I may .. a rational prejudice might well be developed for her religion, but don't take it out on the woman .. for her, it's self-preservation. As for me, I recall the Broadway Musical South Pacific and the lyric, "You've got to be taught to ... and hate, you've got to be carefully taught." Else where do prejudices come from; in MY mind, certainly not innate.

I'm not all that politically perceptive, nor was I in his day, but my impression was that he was liberal ( maybe not so liberal as today's ) so these words brought me up short: McCarthy said [big government] is inefficient ?