Bush cabinet officials are hitting the campaign trail to praise his tax cuts. Out in Wisconsin, the tour ran into trouble–one laid-off software guy with his own Economic Reality Tour. It’s a great (and ongoing) story, so check out www.JobForJohn.com!
The back of my mind is buzzing — am I about to have an accidental conversation with Secretary John Snow in the drive-thru of a Culvers in Wausau, Wisconsin?! Is this happenning completely by luck and because the drive-thru cashier knows me on a first name basis?
“What’s your story?” Snow says.
I tell him I was laid off last week & saw that he was coming & I thought it was important to come here and let him see the reality of what’s going on in today’s economy.
“What industry were you in?”
“Most recently the software industry.”
“That’s a particularly vulnerable part of the economy.”
“Yes, well, I need a new job & it doesn’t look good.”
“Just wait,” he said. “The first tax cuts haven’t really taken effect. So just wait… the second tax cut… well, it’ won’t hit the economy for several months, but I’m sure you’ll get a job.”
“But, but… we’ve already lost over 900,000 jobs just since March first… a job at Wall-Mart just won’t support my family.”
“Just wait, I’m sure you’ll find a job.”
At that moment the car in front of me pulled ahead for their order and John stepped back from my window. The SS agents signalled for me to pull ahead.
“Just wait?!” I’ve got a $350 payment for this minivan, a morgage and two kids! Here’s a guy who drives a few hundred miles to see you, four days after he’s been laid off, and you tell him to “just wait?”
Boy I’d like to see those words on a PR banner behind Snow at the podium: Jobs and Growth: Just Wait.
Thanks to TAPPED for the link. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 486,000 jobs have disappeared since January, 44,000 of those disappeared during July.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Betsy Devine // Aug 2, 2003 at 6:25 am
I couldn’t make this stuff up.
2 jr // Aug 2, 2003 at 8:39 am
You get what you pay for.
I will say that I made a lot of money (besides doubling my rate), comming in and cleaning up after the off shores did their stuff.
We will be paying for the clean up after “W” for a long time.
3 Elayne Riggs // Aug 2, 2003 at 4:13 pm
Thanks for the link to this terrific site, Betsy. A real patriot!
4 Anonymous // Aug 3, 2003 at 6:26 pm
*Waving to Betsy from North Pole*
I just wish I could have been a mosquito on the wall of your minivan. I would have driven my stinger right up his…just wait.
Thanks for the link. I’m feeling kinda….squirrely, wanting to get out my hat, put in on backwards, lay my ears back and dive into the fray. And it’s not even re-election year, yet.