Brexit Petition

[CharlesHarris]

I don't have a dog in this fight, so will politely stay quiet and listen, but I enjoy the discussion, because I believe there are lessons in it for us as well. Just so that you don't all feel alone, in the US we feel equally frustrated, as this op-ed piece from the Delmarva Now explains:

They don’t trust either candidate, but they’ll grimace and vote for one of them.

"Elections matter. But what do people really want?

"As the host of a radio show, I get to talk to people for a living. I talk with policy wonks, politicians and, most important, real people with real concerns and real needs.

"The Verizon worker leaning a 25-foot ladder up against a tree in 20 mph winds hoping to retire in a couple of years without worrying that his pension and medical insurance could vanish.

"Yeah, he’s one of the few U.S. employees with a defined benefit pension and he likes it. He also knows full well that defined benefit pensions are not sustainable with a smaller population of workers coming up behind him. These people are not stupid.

"He likes his union and wants it to be strong while his kid gets a degree in nursing.

'Let the next generation figure it out.'

"He doesn’t believe a thing Hillary says and laughs at the mention of Trump’s name.

"He’s been around long enough to know better than to trust either one.

"He casually says he’ll probably vote straight ticket Democrat because that’s what he always does. His eyes freeze in a thoughtful glaze and he admits, “or maybe not.”

"There’s the guy who learned he had a knack for painting cars as a teenager. Now he’s in his 50s and owns a shop that had to lay off an employees because a new regulation is costing him thousands of dollars in compliance.

"He even got an EPA inspector to confess the regulation does “nothing” to improve any environmental conditions. It just “makes money for the government.”

"He works weekends to get the jobs done himself because the cost of making money “for the government” means he cannot afford the extra employee he needs. No way any Democrat gets his vote.

"There’s the woman whose counseling helped her finally realize her drug and alcohol problems actually stem from her inability to cope with being sexually abused as a child. She was seeing a therapeutic counselor briefly until she couldn’t afford it because her Obamacare policy has a $3,000 deductible.

"She has insurance, but can’t afford to use it.

"Vodka is cheaper. She doesn’t talk about voting.

"Listen to the guy who’s been cutting trees, driving snowplows and doing every task thrown his way working for the state’s Department of Transportation. He likes his benefits, but it’s tough to feed a family when your starting salary is just under $12 an hour.

"If the person you’re talking to believes Hillary Clinton will push for policies that will make his or her life better, they don’t even care if she is convicted of the crimes for which she is being investigated.

"If the person you’re talking to believes Donald Trump will push for policies that will make his or her life better, they don’t care if some paunchy, six-figure salaried pundit calls his statements “controversial.”

"They care about their families and their future.
"They don’t trust either one of the candidates.
"Still, they’ll grimace and vote for one of them."

Rick Jensen is a conservative talk show host on WDEL. Email him at rick@wdel.com, or follow on Twitter: @Jensen1150WDEL.