Walter PattersonHe got right to the point. “I read your column, and I don’t think much of it.”
“What particular parts do you dislike?” I inquired.
“Most of it. You’re too opinionated for one. You ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you think you are. I don’t like that.”
“I understand,” I replied. The column is designed to make you think. You don’t have to agree with it.”
“Most of what you write ain’t true no how,” he snarled. “I think you just make it up. Nobody believes it, and besides, this country ain’t in as bad a shape as you say. Our President would never let things get that bad.”
“I hope you’re right,” I replied. “But I must tell you that our economy is in bad shape. We’ve got to do something soon, or we will be in a depression.”
“See, there you go. This country has got plenty of money. All you’ve got to do is tax them rich CEOs. They got all the money. We could pay off the debt in six months if we did what President Obama wants to do,” he offered. You conservatives want to scare us common folk.”
“Does $14.29 trillion in debt scare you?” I inquired.
“Naw. Why should it. Just increase the taxes on the rich.”
“Did you know that the government could take every penny from the rich, and that money would only fund the government for about 10 days?” I offered.
“That’s what you Republicans do. Scare tactics. Lies. My sources say the exact opposite.”
“Who are your sources?”
“You must think I’m real dumb. I watch the news. Besides, the Republicans are going to get beat ‘cause they want to do away with Medicare.”
“They want to change it some, but those people 55 or older will see no change in their Medicare,” I responded.
“Well, it ain’t going broke, and the Democrat Party won’t let it be changed like the Republicans want it. The Republicans are for the rich people, that’s all. Common people like me are getting the shaft,” he said.
“Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions,” I inquired.
“Naw, go ahead.”
“Did you pay income taxes last year?”
“Naw I didn’t. The Republicans sent my job to Mexico,” he snapped.
“Why did they do that? I asked.
“Money. Cheap labor. The unions fought it, but lost. They wouldn’t cave on compensation. Pay us what we’re worth, I say. The company just didn’t want to pay us a fair wage, and they wanted us to pay for a part of our insurance. It ain’t fair.”
“Do you think that your neighbor should pay for your healthcare? I asked.
“Naw, I don’t, but the government should do something.”
“Should your neighbor pay to send your kids to college?”
“Heck no. I’ve never asked a soul for anything in my life, and I’m too old to start now. The government should do it. It’s got plenty of money.”
“Are you going to buy the new light bulbs, the energy efficient bulbs, that are mandated by the government?”
“Look, you’re doing it again. You’re making me mad by asking irrelevant questions. Nobody is going to tell me what light bulb to buy. You can count on that.”
“You are a proud member of the Democrat Party,” I observed.
“You got it. Like I said, tax the rich. They’ve got plenty. It’s people like me who are struggling. Democrats understand that. The government is sending me an unemployment check. I got no complaints.”
Folks, we may be in more trouble than I thought.