What Message Does it Send? Under California Penal Code § 240 PC--California Assault Law-- an assault is the unlawful attempt, along with the present ability to cause violent injury to another person. Simple assault is a [standard] misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail and fines of up... Read more →

Why Being Accountable for Your Actions Is So Important Several years ago, I authored a book about happiness and meaning in life titled Beyond Happiness and Meaning: Transforming Your Life Through Ethical Behavior. I’ve heard from many people who read it, liked it, and said they would rethink how they... Read more →

An Analysis of the Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that effectively ends race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities across the country. The decision reverses decades of precedent upheld over the years by narrow Supreme Court majorities. It... Read more →

Think Before You Act! Most educators are aware of the importance of technical skills in STEM subjects but do not necessarily recognize the importance of “soft skills” to carry out technical skills in a way that communicates personal values and logical thinking. Soft skills provide a foundation to analyze and... Read more →

Can Anything Be Done to Stem the Rising Tide of Gun Violence? It is alarming how so many senseless murders have occurred in the U.S. just in 2022. The country has returned to its earlier days when the idea of a wild west ruled the day. The Wild West was... Read more →

Why is America Such a Violent Country? The number of senseless murders that have occurred in the U.S. in 2022 is alarming, several of which have occurred in November alone. We need to recognize that the country has now returned to the days of the “Wild West” that began after... Read more →

There Are No Consequences for Bad Behavior It is no surprise to me that a record-high 50% of Americans rate the overall state of moral values in the U.S. as "poor," and another 37% say it is "only fair." Just 1% think the state of moral values is "excellent" and... Read more →

A Framework for Judging Right from Wrong I am a big supporter of teaching virtues and values to both college students and professionals. The reason is they lay a foundation for ethical behavior. In this blog I will explain why. Moral Values Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that govern... Read more →

As Usual, California is on the Leading Edge but This Time it’s Falling of the Cliff I've been out of touch for awhile because of unexpected surgery. I'm on the mend and glad to be blogging again about compelling ethics issues, none of which is more important than the rising... Read more →

The Optics Are Not Good: Appearances Matter Hunter Biden has a right to have an art show and sell his paintings. He’s not working in the Biden administration, so the questions raised about Hunter’s private dealings are different than the dealings of Donald Trump’s kids when he was President because... Read more →