I want a bright future for Moses.

My Nigerian friend Moses is headed for Bologna. Leaving Sardinia. Because he thinks the north Italian city is a better place for a refugee to survive. To maybe even find decent work. But I suspect Moses is fooling himself. Really, Italy isn’t a haven for refugees. He’d be better off in Germany, and most any other European country.   But at least Moses is giving Bologna a try. I’d hate to be a refugee. Particularly at this time. When the economy is bad, worldwide. Jobs are scarce. Wasn’t like that when I was Moses’ age. In my mid-20s. In the 1960s. When I was looking for a job as a writer. For newspapers. Jobs were plentiful. I had my choice. Of as many as 30 jobs. All over America.  Now there would be hundreds of applicants for a job.  Times are tough. Some people tell me the worst since the Depression Era of the 1930s. Yes, time for a new approach. A new kind of society. A new kind of government.  Designed to put people back to work.  In America, there’s plenty of wealth.  But the problem is the distribution of the wealth. So heavily weighted in the hands of a relatively few rich people. We need a better distribution. To serve the common good.  We’re in this world together.  We have to learn to look out for each other.  Means the rich can’t be given free rein anymore.  They have to be harnessed. Taxed appropriately. To benefit the poor and the middle class.  The era of selfish and greedy capitalism must come to an end.  Yes, that’s what I want. The creation of paths that lead to bright futures for guys like Moses. –Jim Broede