As Joseph Stalin said, “I consider it completely unimportant who in the party will vote or how; but what is extraordinarily important is this – who counts the votes and how.”

What about independent cake bakers? Will they continue to be prosecuted for not being willing to bake cakes for same-sex marriage ceremonies? I think there are some in Colorado who would welcome protection from prosecution and persecution on this account. On the other hand, will gay or lesbian cake bakers be forced to bake cakes for heterosexual couples?

If we do a fraction of the items on this list, we’ll feel better about ourselves and our families and neighbors will feel better about themselves, too.

In business, hiring someone is taken very seriously and if a mistake is made, it can be quickly corrected. In elections, the voter can often be unqualified, from a training point, to choose; and the candidates can be unqualified to serve. The next opportunity to change is two, four or six years away.

Ever wonder why older people seem “more religious?” Not sure I can define “more religious” precisely, but I am sure you have seen it and can recognize it. It is simply this. Most people eventually realize money can’t solve every problem in life.

There is a famous restaurant in Tampa, Fla. that Laura has talked about for years, lo, even for decades. She tried to get us a reservation there this past Valentine’s Day when we escaped to Florida a few days toward the end of winter. Then, she discovered that the restaurant’s reservation waiting list is 60 days long. This place is very exclusive and has been since the 1950s.

Lincoln said, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Let’s make sure that ecologically, politically and morally, we leave our children something worth having. Vote with your intellect and your heart. Leave your greed and impishness at home on election day.

What the Labor Department is going to do is drive more demand to Upwork where its gig workers are beyond the laws of the United States, causing more work to be done by those outside our country. But that’s OK as long as we capture the union dues from the 20 million inside the U.S. that are gig workers.

We won’t solve any of these questions in time for the upcoming election. However, if we think deeply about them (see last week’s column), we may start to make some wiser choices in the voting booth and move the needle a bit toward a saner future.

Try looking at all the information assaulting you – not just that from politicians and telemarketers – on a deeper level.

Laura and I have been in Spain and Portugal for more than a week. We will be flying home on Oct. 1. One’s perspective is a matter of location. Over here, the contemporary issues are as follows.

Take the challenge. If enough people do, we can change the mood in this country by Thanksgiving. This is one place where I truly feel we are all in this together. Take a stand against greed. The United States of America is at stake.

The sovereign should live a life of a higher standard than the rest of us, and we should aspire to live by their example. There may be skeletons in William’s and Kate’s closet, but if there are, they have been hidden very well.

CBS News Senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe: “Like or loathe what he said tonight, it should be noted: The president spoke tonight on the grounds of a national park, flanked by U.S. Marines, and took direct, specific aim at his predecessor and members of the Republican Party.”

The university system in this country has become a gathering of pompous elites in many cases (there are some exceptions). They have created an aura of financial success that has motivated the young and their parents to accept penurious conditions in the hopes of bettering their future generations. This has obviously gotten out of hand which even President Biden has admitted by his actions last week.