by James Glaser
April 15, 2005

As I drive through the South East, I see more clearly the division of wealth in America. In Minnesota there is such a large middle class that the "haves" and the "have-nots" are harder to see. Down here the rich are sitting at the top of the hill with huge houses and paved driveways, while the poor are in trailers in the valley or maybe the hollow.

I have talked to both classes and it seems that down here there are only the two. I don't know what happened to the middle or if there ever was one, but the two here are very distinct. I stopped at one café and the people there told me that they had a plastic factory and a tire plant. Actually they said they had a "tiah plant" and that both hurt your health if you worked there very long. The houses on the tops of the hills were where the supervisors lived.

I met some of the "rich," doctors, lawyers, and accountants and found out that they didn't think of themselves rich. When asked what they were, compared to the people living in the trailers, I was told that they were just harder workers and those who work hard, get the rewards.

In this part of the country it is not surprising to see a life size cardboard picture of George Bush standing in a gas station with a stack of his book there for sale. People tell me that "President Bush can do no wrong" and that "God is talking to him." When they ask me what I think of him, I say I would be behind him all the way, but I am pro-life and that seems to throw them for a loop.

I continue to see large metal crosses along the highways that cost way more than many of the homes in the community did. I just wondered how may hundreds of millions or billions were spent by people going to the Popes funeral and how many poor people could have had their lives changed if that money had been used for helping the poor.

So With that thought in mind, I am finding it wrong for me to be running around the country having my "look/see," so I am going to head out for Casa Grande, get my things there and cut this short. I have been keeping a record of my questions asked to so many that I have met. Many Americans surprise me with how up they are on current events, while others have not a clue about where we are headed or even what is going on in this country. It works out about the same percentage of people know what America is doing as the number of people who vote. I swear there are people who still have no idea that we have troops in the field and some of them are being killed. That scares me, but I bet it makes Washington happy.