Happy Father's Day to Mom
"Dear old Daddy, rest his soul
Left my mom a heavy load
She tried so very hard to fill his shoes
Working hours without rest
Wanted me to have the best"

--Merle Haggard

A couple of...

Twenty-five years ago, Bob Babbage, who is now Kentucky's most successful lobbyist, was running for State Auditor and I was his combination of Finance Chair/Campaign Chair/Press Secretary.

It was a small campaign.

I took Bob to lunch with one of my most successful clients to ask for a donation....

"But 'happily ever after' fails
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales"
-Bruce Hornsby and Don Henley

"Someday I hope you have a chance, to live like you are dying"
-Tim McGraw

A Psychology Today article titled, "What Will You Do if You Win the...

"You know you cannot trust them
They know they can't trust you."
-Steve Goodman (Jimmy Buffett)

"Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?"
-Lynyrd Skynyrd

The scandal at the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department acts against Associated Press reporters...

"I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight"
-Jim Steinman

One of the great moments of my life was sitting...

"Retirement don't fit in my plan
You can keep your seat, I'm a gonna stand
An Eskimo needs a Frigidaire
Like I need your rockin' chair"

-George Jones

The "strategic coach" for entrepreneurs Dan Sullivan uses the expressions "past-based self" and "future-based self."

A...

"Son, I've made my living, out of reading people's faces and knowing what the cards were, by the way they held their eyes." - Kenny Rogers

Gambling takes a front burner in my life during Kentucky Derby week. On top of the normal home state hoopla, I am also...

"Shooting at the walls of heartache, bang, bang, I am the warrior"
-- Patty Smyth

I got the news that a friend killed himself. One of several lately. All of them middle age men. All of them trial lawyers.

Shannon Ragland, who publishes the must read Trial Court...

When the body of murdered Florida lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare was found, his mother said that on many occasions Shakespeare said he wished he had torn up the winning ticket.

After lottery winner Jack Whitaker of Hurricane, West Virginia, went through a litany of problems, including the...

"Smoking in the boys' room
Smoking in the boys' room
Now, teacher, don't you fill me up with your rules"
-- Brownsville Station

For nearly 20 years, our leaders decided traditional economic rules didn't apply. It got us into a financial crisis.

After 30 years of affiliation with the insurance industry, I have a deep appreciation for insurance agents.

I wonder how many will be left five years from now?

Many are being eliminated by their own companies in favor of the Internet and nonstop television advertising. Some companies, like...

I was reading an obscure blog, "The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Special Needs Planning" by Scott Solkoff, when I saw a line that jumped out.

"There will be new opportunities for special needs attorneys because of the complexity of the Affordable Care Act."

That line made...

"Talk to God and listen to his casual reply" -John Denver

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And...

"I think the Special Olympics and the Olympics are actually pretty similar. We all have dreams and we all have goals. And you have to work hard to accomplish your dreams and goals." -- Michael Phelps

"I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can...

"Running on Empty. Running into the sun but I'm running behind." -- Jackson Browne

Internal Revenue Code section 401(k) is the only section of the U.S. tax code that the average people can cite. They know it has something, and often everything, to do with whether or not they...

"Look at our Lord's disciples. One denied Him; one doubted Him; one betrayed Him. If our Lord couldn't have perfection, how are you going to have it in city government?" -Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago

I think about this Mayor Daley quote a lot. I have hired tremendous people,...

A well-connected friend in New Orleans took me to the critically acclaimed Galatoires restaurant. A fine dining experience at one of the top restaurants in the United States.

My friend has a business relationship with the restaurant and knew everyone there. He asked for John, an entertaining 40-year-old veteran waiter,...

"Hear the whisper of the raindrops,
Blow softly against my window,
Make believe you love me,
One more time
For the Good Times"
-Kris Kristofferson (hits for Ray Price and Elvis Presley)

"For the Good Times" hit the charts about the time that...

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
-Michael Corelone (Al Pacino) in The Godfather Part II.

"Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend."
- "Coven" (theme from the movie Billy Jack)

I saw a "pat on the back" news release from the Federal Trade Commission today. The headline said, "FTC Settlement: Tax Relief Scammers Agree to Pay...