Memorable music leaves a powerful message

“What the world needs now … is love sweet love. No, not just for some … but for everyone.”

Isn't music magical? The songs of Burt Bacharach will charm people for years to come. And Hal David's lyrics are as wise and clever as anything by Hammerstein, Berlin, or Gershwin … in my amateur opinion.

Speaking of Love … I welcomed my first great-grandchild last year. I believe she will live in a future that is healthier, more just, and more loving than the last 75 years I've been around.

Some truths take thousands of years to be accepted … like “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It's difficult. We're all imperfect. But an idea whose time has come is very powerful. I believe the time has come for EVERYONE to have the basics of life: Food, Shelter, and Love … not just for some, but for everyone.”

And yes .. .everyone includes drug addicts, the mentally ill, and the least fortunate among us. The wealthiest few can easily pay for it. Remember … to be allowed to run a for-profit corporation in the USA is a privilege. Our taxes pay for an educated work force, research, security, safe food and water. infrastructure, and much more. Global corporations are lucky to have access to American workers and consumers. So … pay your fair share.

For generations my family came from Mississippi. On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln spoke to them. “We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained … it must not break our bonds of affection.”

Let us now be touched by the “better angels of our nature.”

— Dan Raner, Forest Ranch