Standing where my hero once tread.

Karl Marx. My hero. As a youth, I became infatuated with  Marx. With his thinking. His philosophy. On economic and political matters. If anyone calls me a Marxist – and they have – I consider it a compliment. Marx called capitalism the ‘dictatorship of the bourgeoisie,’ believing it to be run by the wealthy classes for their own benefit. He predicted that capitalism would produce internal tensions leading to its self-destruction. And be replaced by socialism.  Marx’s prediction of our political future was discredited with the fall of communism. But in Sunday’s New York Times, the editorial page contained a debate. Over whether Marx’s view of our economic future is being validated. I certainly hope it is. I’m an opponent of unfettered capitalism. And a proponent of socialism.  Anyway, my German friends  and relatives know I’m a fan of Marx. They’ve taken me to the city of Trier, in Germany, where Marx was born. Been to his house. Now a museum. I’ve been photographed. Standing beneath a plaque. At the entrance of the house. Felt proud and thrilled. For having stood on the same sacred ground where Marx once tread.  –Jim Broede