Mathematical idiots.

Republicans are mathematical idiots. They want to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the rich. Which means a loss of $700 billion in the federal government coffers. That will increase U.S. debt by $700 billion. All this at a time when Republicans say they want to get the budget deficit under control. They ain't gonna do that. Extension of the tax cuts will add to the deficit. Of course, they could cut the budget in other areas. But they ain't saying where. Because they have no idea. --Jim Broede

An epidemic of Alzheimer's.

Tell me, Republicans, what more could Obama and the Democrats have done to make for a better economy in the past two years? At least what they did was stifle another Great Depression. Instead, we had a Great Recession. And things have leveled off. Even gotten a little bit better. If not for some stimulus and bailouts, we'd probably have 20 percent unemployment today. Rather than 9.5 percent. Things could be far worse. And they would be if the conservative Republicans and Tea Party crackpots had been in charge the last two years. Well, now we'll see what happens in the next two years. With a Republican-controlled Congress. Actually, if the Republicans had control over the past two years, I shudder at what might have been. And now I shudder at what will be. Remember, it was the Republicans that got us into this mess in the first place. We Americans seem to have pretty short memories. Maybe we have an epidemic of Alzheimer's sweeping the nation. --Jim Broede

The way to get ahead in politics.

I used to be meaner. When I was younger. Because I thought that was the way to get my way. Especially in the realm of politics. I was on a school board for three years. And I played politics. Dirty politics. In order to get my way. I even scared away a guy that the school board tried to hire as superintendent. I thought he wasn't the right guy for the job. And told him so. And I predicted he'd have trouble if he came. And so he turned down the job offer. And maybe just as well. But the rest of the school board was pissed. Pissed at me for what I had done. For my interference. But that was all right. I got my way. I wouldn't play politics that way now. Because I've mellowed. I'm not quite so mean anymore. But had I become a career politician, I probably would have cultivated my mean streak. Because that's the way to get ahead in politics. --Jim Broede

Some advice for Barack Obama.

I want Barack Obama to be as mean and ruthless as a Republican. In fact, even more ruthless. That's the way one must learn to deal with ruthless people. You become extraordinarily ruthless. Obama should have learned that lesson in the early weeks of his presidency. But instead, he acted kindly and graciously. Like a gentleman. Big mistake. One doesn't gain anything by being nice to a ruthless Republican. You gotta punch a Republican in the gut. And then when he starts to crumple over, you bring a knee up and smash him in the face. And you don't let him get up again. Republicans fight dirty. They have no scruples. Of course, I'd advocate a totally different approach if you were dealing with nice guys. Then you compromise. You give and take. You meet in the middle. And you treat each other with respect. That's the way civilized people act. But Republicans -- well, they ain't civilized. They're ruthless. They can't be trusted. Give them the opportunity, and they'll stab you in the gut. Or in the back. Maybe both places. So, Barack Obama, let me warn you, it's a matter of getting them before they get you. --Jim Broede

Goes to show it can work.

Yes, I think we human beings have to be regulated. To some extent, certainly. We can't be allowed to have complete freedom. Maybe that's a reason why we need government. We need regulations. Laws. Rules. If we were given free rein, some of us would exploit others. Be unfair. So when I see extreme libertarians, I have to wonder. Are they living in the real world? They want government to get off their backs. And for what purpose? Often, it's to exploit the environment. To do as they damn well please. Even if it's to the detriment of the common good. They scream: No new taxes. No new taxes. No new taxes. In fact, they'd rather have no taxes at all. But we need taxes. To finance government. And to bring about the common good. Maybe I don't like it. Maybe I'd like to keep all of my money. And not give away a single penny. But that's being selfish. It ain't serving the common good. Unfortunately, I have to do many things that I don't particularly like. I even have to be relatively nice to people that I don't like. Yes, it's called tolerance. Civility. Fairness. I have to compromise. Make concessions. If we had a politic in which that was possible, it'd be helpful. We'd probably get along much better. But in the USA, we've become polarized. Split. Divided. Everybody wants his own way. And believe me, it ain't gonna happen. But still, we try to make it happen. Often, by going to war. By becoming violent. When really, we could have sat down and talked to each other. Reasonably. And resolve our differences. It happens occasionally. Goes to show that it can work. --Jim Broede

I'm more tolerant. More accepting.

I'm full of contradictions. I contradict myself on a daily basis. Because I'm trying to make sense of life. I'm feeling my way. I may have thought one thing yesterday. And another today. And by tomorrow I may change my mind again. Because I am constantly learning. And finding that I keep evolving. Into something and somebody else. But still, at my core, I remain a romantic idealist, a free thinker, a liberal and a lover. But maybe I define these terms in different ways. From day to day. Maybe even from minute to minute. I am fluid. Flexible. On the move. Drifting through the universe. Through life. I have a continually emerging consciousness. I like that. Because it makes me feel alive. More aware. Amazing. I'm different today than I was yesterday. For one thing, I'm more tolerant. More accepting of others. --Jim Broede

To be a decent human being.

I see nothing wrong with being a liberal. Or a socialist. Even a Marxist. I'm not ashamed of being linked to the so-called left wing in matters politic, economic and social. I'm not ashamed to declare that I'm for the common good. Because ultimately that leads to the indivdiual good. I want life designed to make survival easier for everyone. For the masses. And yes, for the poor and downtrodden. I want a society in which we tend to help each other. A narrowing of the gap between the haves and the have-nots. I know that people on the right or conservative side are proud to be there. That's fine. But I'm just as proud to be a liberal. Even though some conservatives define liberal as evil. But I ain't evil. I'm a good guy. And I rather suspect that conservatives are good guys, too. Especially when they acknowledge that liberals ain't so bad. It's only when we liberals and conservatives look with disdain on each other that we make for unnecessary difficulty. Anyway, I know that as a liberal I ain't gonna get everything I want. I'm willing to compromise. To negotiate. To trade-off. To meet somewhere in the middle. In so doing, I'm not abandoning my liberal principles. I'm just trying to get along. To be reasonably nice. To be accommodating. To be a decent human being. --Jim Broede