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Sunday I went to Mt. Snow with a friend who is Mr. Blue Collar. Always voted republican. He knows what I do for a living (political cartoonist, anti-Bush activist, basically) and we've always chosed simply not to talk too much about it. Well, with a 2 hour car ride, the inevitable subject came up. Wow.
I've heard about guys like my friend...but I've never heard such first-hand accounts of how Bush policies are hitting regular Joes. My friend works for a family-owned factory (no unions) that builds huge industrial foil-making machines. He told me he is one of the last people left. 2 years ago, the plant hired 10 full timers on the floor. Now they are down to 4. He was bitching that every time the let a guy go, they hear about how their "productivity" is up. But he hasn't had a raise in over two years. Now, my friend says he stopped getting the daily paper ("too much negative crap, no time for it") and actually does watch Fox as his primary news source. But, he went off on the Bush jobless numbers like a well-educated DUer..."what a bunch of bullshit!" He told me that one of the front-office "girls" quit the a couple weeks ago, but instead of replacing her, they split her job up among the remaining three girls in the office. "Hey, every time someone leaves, no one takes their place...none of us ever sees any of that fuckin' savings! They just cut back my benefits, increase my insurance! Fuck 'em! Bush is all about helping out creep like my bosses make more money...my income is going backward! The only reason we're doing better this year than last is because I don't have to pay child support any longer, otherwise I'd be hurtin' big-time."
I said very little. I didn't have to. I just smiled and said "good idea" when he declared "Voting for Bush was the biggest mistake I ever made! I've never voted for a democrat, but this year is it...I've had it with the republicans. I'm voting for Kerry. Bush has got to go."
On top of all that, it was the best day of snowboarding ever!
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