It is easier to maintain a machine and keep it working than it is to allow the machine to “tear up” and, then, have to completely rebuild it.

It’s like that old commercial where the mechanic is talking about a regular oil change for the motor in your car. Change it regularly and keep it clean and the motor will usually give much better service.

The mechanic is trying to sell a particular kind of motor oil or filter, but his point is not so much about a particular brand of oil as it is about letting him take care of your engine.

He ends the commercial by smiling and saying, “You can see me now or you can see me later.” The inference is that you can pay him for a $3.95 oil filter or you can ignore the service and pay him for a $500 ring job in a little while.

I think that an analogy can be made that we can make good decisions in the small things that keep our country in good shape or we can ignore those decisions and principles and do much damage.

In fact, making the wrong decisions for too long a period can bring irreversible damage to our nation.

Our news is inundated by the recent health scare over the Ebola virus. You may be “Ebolaed-Out” by now.

That’s the way we do things with our news.

Every thirty minutes or less we have a Breaking News moment about whatever is the popular negative of the day. [

I’m not saying we don’t need to hear about all these things, but talk is cheap and I would like to see a few good decisions made on whatever is happening.

Maybe I am a simpleton but I don’t understand all the controversy surrounding a decision to isolate the Ebola virus and defeat it where the geography is limited.

In other words, let’s put up a fence, figuratively of course, around the areas affected.

Then, let the entire world and its resources: medicinally, financially, and humanly, attack for all it’s worth. Wouldn’t that be better than letting the virus escape that small territory and become a world-wide threat?

No one is saying that we should cut off those countries from all help. On the contrary, let us use all we have to defeat the enemy while it is small.

That would be the most effective decision, yet we allow politics to get in the way of a medical emergency.

I have found that problems do not just go away.

We have many problems and they are stubborn. We need leadership making good decisions.

Lloyd Bentsen is a name from the past. He was the 1988 Vice-Presidential candidate.

He made a most famous political statement during a debate with Dan Quayle.

When Quayle was criticized for his short service in the congress, he reminded Bentsen that he had served almost as long as Jack Kennedy.

Bentsen was ready for that allusion and jumped quickly. “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

I’ll change that sentiment to this. I have seen good decisions made. I have seen how they make our country stronger.

I’m just not seeing too many good decisions made these days.