As an American, I expect better.

Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting. That's John McCain and Sarah Palin. They've tried to paint Barack Obama as a terrorist or a terrorist-sympathizer. They've tried to portray him as a foreigner. As unpatriotic. As unfit for the presidency. The campaign commercials are ungawdly awful. Mean-spirited. Reminiscent of the tactics of Adolph Hitler. Today, in Lakeville, Minnesota, McCain had to try to quell a partisan Republican crowd that hurled insults aimed at Obama. Little wonder there's such rage. That's exactly what McCain and Palin have been fomenting in their hateful commercials and stump speeches. Character assassination. McCain seemed to finally recognize that the hate had gone too far. He grabbed the microphone from a woman who unleashesd venom against Obama. Yes, McCain finally tried to do the right thing. He defended Obama and called him a decent person. But he was booed for it. Yes, McCain has lost control over some of his highly partisan and bigoted supporters. They have gone off the deep end. At one of the Palin rallies, there was a shout of, "Kill him (Obama)." Palin didn't intervene. Didn't try to quell the hate. Makes me wonder if she wants Obama dead. Yes, it's a disgusting way to run an election campaign. More like Nazi Germany. As an American, I expect better...but I ain't getting it. --Jim Broede

...the basic necessities.

I'm still going on the premise that from bad, eventually springs good. The demise of our capitalist economies. That'll bring bad times. So bad that we'll have to find better ways to manage our economies. So there isn't such a wide gap between the rich and poor. So that government eventually assumes the primary responsibility for seeing that the common good is served. I think that's the history of civilization. A constant effort to get things right. To get things fixed. And we do get 'em fixed to a significant degree. But then circumstances change. And we have to try something else. I think we'll have a revival of socialism. Many people won't like it to begin with. Because they've been taught and brainwashed to think of socialism as wrong. As evil. As bad. Maybe because it was applied in the wrong ways at the wrong times. But the time is coming when socialism will begin to make sense. To get us out of our bad times. Really, some of the finest programs in America are socialist in nature. Social security, for instance. And Medicare. We don't want to always admit it. But we need more programs like these. They are good. Because they serve the common good. They especially help the poor and the middle class. The rich always have money. They can buy the basic necessities and much more. But most of us aren't rich. We may not be poor. But we're all entitled to the basic necessities. --Jim Broede

Government has to intervene.

From a middle class perspective, we Americans aren't adjusting very well to the global economy. We're losing income. We're losing jobs. We're actually sinking. Deeper and deeper. Closer to just barely getting by. And that's due, in large part, to our government allowing the rich to get richer. At the expense of the lower and middle classes. The rich are allowed to move abroad with their businesses, to take advantage of cheaper labor. The result has been a loss of jobs in America. For instance, when I'm having computer problems, I call my provider for help. And someone with a strong foreign accent answers. Often, it's a guy or gal in India. That's where so many of the jobs have gone. That's been good for India. Because it's raising more and more people out of poverty and into a growing middle class. Just the opposite is happening in America. The middle class keeps shrinking. And the gap widens between the rich and the poor. So many nations that thrived economically before globalization aren't thriving any more. That is, unless you were rich to start with. Because you are likely to be getting even richer. You like globalization under the capitalist system. More opportunities to make more money, to become millionaires and billionaires. Well, this is where governments have to step in. To level the playing field. For the benefit of the lower and middle classes. To narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. It'll take more regulation. Maybe even the nationalization of some industries, such as banking and lending and health care. Yes, it's called socialism, long the bugaboo of capitalism. We need a new kind of society. One that puts more focus on the common good rather than on the individual good. Not everyone should have the right to make obscene profits. Because that exploits the masses, primarily the lower and middle classes. At least it does in America. If we leave the responsibility of serving the common good to private free enterprise capitalists -- believe me, it won't happen. Greed always wins under the capitalist system. So government has to intervene...and do the right thing. --Jim Broede

Life is wonderful.

What's news? I've spent most of my life in the news business. As a writer for newspapers. And I'm not sure that I know the answer to that question. In large part, I suppose, it was whatever I decided to write about. Sometimes in conjunction with my editors and publishers. But very, very often, I'm the guy that decided. Don't know that I always had good judgment. But I ended up writing about many things. Often, based on the degree of controversy or entertainment value. Maybe, too, decisions were based on what we thought people wanted to read. But one thing I know, often we used the grab-bag technique. We wrote about things that we had time to write about. I've written for daily newspapers. And weekly newspapers. Usually, the bigger the paper, the wider the spectrum. If it was a weekly, it was largely local news. On reflection, maybe my favorite was the weekly. I had more freedom. I'd be both writer and editor. And I had opportunity to delve into the underbelly of a community. Maybe it was a microcosm of America. I got to know the big fishes in the little pond. The mayor. The city council members. The schoool board members. The business leaders. Even the local gadflies. All kinds of characters. I even became a character, of sorts. Because I even wrote a weekly column. Called it Broede's Broodings. And after I went on to take a job as a writer for the capital city daily newspaper, I stayed in the small town and got elected to the school board. I took an active political and social role in my community. I was able to do that because I had built a reputation over several years as a writer for the local weekly. People got to know me, and how I think. I was in a high profile job. I wrote about local issues. And so, I was well-informed. I'm retired now. So maybe I don't stay as cognizant of community happenings. But I have more time to think. To reflect. For instance, about the state of the news media and the state of the economic, political and social systems in the USA. And the world, for that matter. I spent 5 weeks this summer in Europe. Mostly in Italy and Germany. And I read a lot. And I've cultivated a handful of relationships. With nice people. One in particular. Yes, I've fallen in love again, almost two years after my long-time love, Jeanne, died of Alzheimer's. I feel more alive than ever. And I've learned to live one day at a time. To savor life. Oh, so many precious moments. I think I used to race through life. Trying to do too many things. Spreading myself thin. Now I've slowed down. Set my priorities. Yes. Yes. Yes. I've never been more alive. Life is wonderful. --Jim Broede

Not for just the few.

Sweden did it in the early 1990s. Nationalized all of its banks and lending institutions. I wonder if that day is coming here in the USA. Sooner or later, I suppose. Ah, socialism. It's coming. To the banking industry. And in health care, too. We're going to learn some day that in government, we trust. In private enterprise capitalism, we don't trust. If properly run, government service can be more economical and more humane than private profiteering capitalism. We've got to do what's best for the billions of people in this world. Not for just the few. --Jim Broede

We're making strides.

I think there's an underlying racial hatred in America. Used to be, it was very much out in the open. In my lifetime. When I went south in the 1960s, there was segregation. Separate schools. Separate restaurants. Even separate drinking fountains. We've ushered in big changes since then. We've become a better society. Less racist. At least on the surface. But underneath in the belly of America, there's still an alarming streak of racism. And it's being aimed at Barack Obama. Some folks don't want him elected merely because he's black. Fortunately, it looks like he'll become our next president anyway. And that speaks well for America. But still, we have racists amongst us. Always will, I suppose. But we're making strides. --Jim Broede

One man yelled out, 'Kill him.'

Yes, Sarah Palin goes too far. Far too far. She says in her speeches that Barack Obama 'pals around' with terrorists. And calls him Barack Hussein Obama. But when you have no scruples and you're a lying politician, almost seems like anything goes. Palin incites the crowd. Maybe almost reminiscent of Hitler at times. One man in the throng even yelled out, 'Kill him.' --Jim Broede