Timeless words of wisdom.

I reread Machiavelli The Prince and noticed a section I highlighted over 10 years ago. It's interesting how something written hundreds of years ago rings so true today. With the special interests so hell bent on lobbying to kill reform, whether it be health care or financial regulation, anyone fighting for reform should heed these words. It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this luke warmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favour, and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it. Thus it arises that on every opportunity for attacking the reformer, his opponents do so with the zeal of partisans, the others only defend him half-heartedly, so that between them he run in great danger.