What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.
Writing an encyclopedia is hard. To do anywhere near a decent job, you have to know a great deal of information about an incredibly wide variety of subjects. Writing so much text is difficult, but doing all the background research seems impossible.
All's the government should do is keep the taxes and regulations at a manageable rate, keep a decent standing army and get out of the way.
The American dream always meant that anybody willing to put in a hard day's work could make a decent living. That's just not true anymore for people without at least some post-high school education.
I play guitar, and I'm a decent basketball player - people like to play on my team.
A decent man who doesn't consider himself a bigot can indeed be trained to behave like a bigot if he welcomes feedback exclusively from those who consider bigotry no big deal or, indeed, an attribute to be admired.
I would definitely recommend getting a decent electric mixer. A good quality non-stick baking mat is also essential for creating those impressive desserts.