by Rick Segreda

This ran as a letter in the Sunday, December 3rd 2000 edition of the Bellingham Herald.

Everson resident Margaret D. did all of us a favor yesterday by revealing the mindset of your typical Bush supporter. It comes in the fifth paragraph of her letter: "Consider this: Mostly rural, moral, down-to-earth, common-sense people voted for Bush, while mainly city dwellers voted for Gore." She later adds that Bush should govern "those of us who enjoy independence, work hard, and provide for our families."

I see, Margaret; in your jaundiced view of life, not only do "city dwellers" lack morals and common sense, they are also lazy, dependent, and don't provide for their own families. And, oh yes, they are not "down-to-earth."

The Margaret D.'s of this world never quite seem to get it. Her proposition to divide the United States into separate unions was tried before, when "mostly rural folk" supported slavery and those darn "city dwelling" yankees opposed it. And it should be noted that back in Germany in 1934, cosmopolitan Berlin voted against Hitler while hicksville Bavaria couldn't get enough of him.

Some things never change.