I have been visiting my favorite junkyard for years- sometimes several times a week- and noticed a great deal of reorganizing and clearing lately, so yesterday I finally asked what was going on.
The counter guy said that the city was repairing/upgrading a 48" sewer line that ran beneath their property and the construction necessitated opening up space for the work.
I said that must be a real inconvenience and he laughed and said that they had negotiated a deal and were being paid a fee for every car they had to move and were taking advantage of the situation to reorganize the entire lot.
He finished by saying "This is your Obamie (sic) socialist money at work".
I said nothing, paid and left.
Thinking about it as I drove home, several things struck me...
His company was actually making out quite well, being paid for their inconvenience and probably profiting in the process.
Some contractor- and by extension, their employees- was profiting from the contract to repair the sewer line.
The city was upgrading the infrastructure.
The work being performed is part of a local bond issue, passed in 2008, which ultimately aims to make better use of the now dormant riverside area (currently occupied by junkyards and low rent industrial parks).
The whole deal seems like a win/win scenario for all concerned but somehow, at least in this guy's mind, it's become linked to Obama and "socialism" and is therefore, "BAD".
Seemed like a perfect example of what's wrong with the American electorate...misplaced/misinformed anger directed at the wrong person/people/party and in this case, anger over a situation which actually directly benefits the people involved.
Because I want to continue dealing with this company I said nothing, but it was truly a WTF? moment that struck me as very odd.
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