I grew up in the mill-town suburbs of Pittsburgh. The “mill hunks” of my neighborhood were tough and didn’t take any “guff.”
I had thought that no blue-collar worker would vote for Donald Trump because of his well-known penchant for cheating contractors. In my old neighborhood, that just wouldn’t have been tolerated. John Wayne’s iconic characters like Chisum and Cole Thornton fought against guys who pulled that stuff.
When it was revealed that Trump called Sen. John McCain a loser and said “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured,” I thought that no vet would ever vote for him. McCain volunteered for combat duty and was shot down on his 23rd mission. After he refused an early release unless the other American POWs would also be released, he faced even more torture.
Trump brags that he has found ways to weasel out of paying his fair share of taxes while using our roads and saying he supports law enforcement and the armed forces. How do we pay for our country’s defense?
I am the daughter and the niece of police officers. To have watched police officers being beaten and killed while Trump sat and watched on Jan. 6 (2021) with the continued support of his cronies is beyond abhorrent.
“Love one another,” said the Prince of Peace. Jesus never said “It’s the economy first.” And by the way, the deficit has gone down $1 trillion under Biden. It exploded by almost $7.8 trillion under Trump.
Diane Bargiel
Poultney, Vt.
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