Crazier than Trump.

I’m convinced. Beyond a doubt. That Donald Trump is psychotic. Of course, I’m not qualified to make that judgment. But that doesn’t stop me. I’ve listened to psychiatrists. In the media. Coming to the same conclusion. That Trump has created his own world. That he’s losing contact with reality. That he isn’t thinking rationally. Though he’s still capable of putting a veneer on his mental illness. Yes. Yes. All sorts of interesting stuff. That sound credible. But then. I’ll concede. That I could be crazier than Trump. --Jim Broede

My inherent nature.

I find it hard to understand. Why men in power. Don’t show more respect for women. Of course, I’m not in power. And I have no difficulty showing great respect for women. My attitude wouldn’t change. If I were king of the world. Anyway, no matter my role, I’d continue to respect and love women. I’ll always try to savor and respect life. And especially women. It’s my inherent nature. --Jim Broede

I'm willing to learn.

Tax cuts. For the rich. Don’t make sense, as I see it. Congress tells me I’m wrong. That the nation’s plentiful deserve more money. To put in their coffers. That they are overtaxed now. And it ain’t fair. Maybe I’m stupid. I don’t get it. Just seems. As I look around. That the rich are too rich. And the poor are too poor. The logical solution, it seems, would be to find innovative and fair ways. To redistribute our beloved nation’s wealth. More to the poor. Less to the rich. If I have it wrong. Please pardon me. Set me straight. I’m willing to learn. --Jim Broede

Please, tell me a truth.

I wonder. If everyone in the world. Had to be truthful. For one week. No lies. All of us. Had to tell the truth. The whole truth. Nothing but the truth. The world, as we know it, would come to an end. Face it.  Lives have been built on a foundation of lies. Varying degrees of dishonesty. To ourselves. To others. We are so accustomed to lying. That we don’t even recognize it anymore. We no longer bother separating truth and lies. Everybody lies. For the sake of survival. A thoroughly honest man/woman would be doomed. Go a day.  Without telling a lie. Bet you can’t. We have no clue. In the unending search. For honest-to-goodness truth. Look in every nook and cranny.  Liars! Liars! Liars! Everywhere. Please. Please. Tell me a truth.--Jim

Being everything I want to be.

Trying to live life. The same way that I imagine it. That’s the challenge. Early on. I imagined being a writer. Therefore, I became a writer. In my own natural way. I simply decided to write. Badly, at times. But I got into a flow. And became better at it. I also imagined being a romantic idealist. So I became an  oddball poet and a lover and a dreamer. A free-thinker, too. Here I am. Trying to be everything I want to be. --Jim Broede

The most wondrous thought ever.

A thought. Is a stimulus. That moves me. Into another world. Imaginatively. I become a full-blown spirit. Able to go anywhere. I will be a traveler. Into the far reaches of the cosmos. With no limits. No travel restrictions. With direct access to the creator.  Yes. A face to face meeting. With the Divine One. And all it takes. Is a spark. Igniting the most wondrous thought ever. --Jim Broede

In the good old days.

I’m a political liberal. Who believes in compromise. Because we live in a country. With a mix of liberals and conservatives and moderates. Yes. All sorts of political persuasions.  I’d like to see us accommodate each other. The best we can. That’s why I’m for a parliamentary form of government. That allows for representation from all over the political spectrum. Which means. To get things done. It often requires coalition governments.  Two or more political parties banding together. In an effort to achieve mutual ends. By what has become the lost art of political compromise. We generally have a roughly even split in our electorate. In the Senate, for instance, it’s 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats. And on many politically critical matters, the vote often ends up 52-48. With no crossovers. Absolutely no compromise. I find that stunning. Instead of working out our differences, we allow a slim majority to call all the shots. I’m for compromise. No matter who’s in power. Let’s learn to be nice.  To each other.  Let’s work out deals that get support from both sides of the aisle. Isn’t that the way it used to be? In the good old days. --Jim Broede