...plenty of fixing still to do.

I think the motivating force in life shouldn't necessarily be to get monetarily rich. In a capitalist society, such as we have in America, the idea is that everyone should have the opportunity to become filthy rich. Millionaires and billionaires. Because these money-grubbers will make other people prosperous, if not obscenely rich. Essentially, money is seen as the route to happiness. The rich are happy. The poor are unhappy. And as we have been told by our founding fathers, we all should be entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Well, I have a way to bring this about for a greater number of people. I want the rich to surrender much of their wealth to make the poor less poor. To assure the poor -- everyone, for that matter -- with the basic necessities of life. Yes, a decent living. Good and guaranteed health care. Adequate shelter. A job. Good pay. Education. Social security. Pensions. To pay for all this, we'll have to narrow the gap between the rich and poor. In a sense, we have to try to raise everyone to the middle class level, more or less. Yes, that may require a bit of socialism. Because we'll need the government to assure that everybody receives the basic necessities. Private and capitalist ventures aren't going to do it. At least not adequately. Or voluntarily. For proof of that, look at what the American capitalist system has wrought. Quite an economic crisis. And inequality. A climate in which the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. Some, of course, will say that many of the poor are lazy. They have opportunity to get rich and to provide for themselves. Why should government feel obligated to help them? Well, the fact is that government helps the rich. By giving them tax breaks. And by allowing them to exploit people. For the sake of ungawdly profit. Remember, folks, our nation was founded with an economic system based, in large part, on slavery. Yes, exploitation of a large segment of humankind. We still have immoral exploitation. In forms somewhat different than slavery. But still, it ain't right. We have plenty of fixing still to do. --Jim Broede