Closing time

The glass factory where I used to work in the summer during college closed on Tuesday, putting nearly 700 people out of work. It used to be one of the top employers in the area, but thanks to cutbacks over the last few years, it no longer played such an absolutely vital role in the area's economy. Still, such a loss will hit northeastern Pennsylvania hard.

If there is any silver lining to be found here, it may be this: Pennsylvania is a key state in the upcoming presidential election, with a lot of electoral votes and (at the moment) a slim majority for Kerry. Union workers, like those employed at the glass factory, could be counted on in the past to vote for the Democratic candidate, but the incumbent George Bush (through the machinations of his political mastermind, Karl Rove) has insinuated himself into the everyday lives of many of these people, associating himself with their music (through country singers like Toby Keith), their entertainment (NASCAR racing), and so many other aspects that they tend to forget that he has more in common with the tax-evading executives who shut down the factories to improve their personal bottom lines than he does with the rank-and-file laborers who keep this country's economy running.

The now unemployed workers from this factory will be getting 60* days of pay and benefits as part of a severance package. That should be running out right around election time. Let's hope that when that day comes, they see to it that a few folks in Washington know what it's like to lose their jobs. Like George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft...

*UPDATE: Turns out that the figure of "60 days" reported today was what is known in the business world as a "lie". The company is now informing its former employees that it doesn't actually have enough money to pay them. What they will wind up getting, I don't know. And on a more personal note, what of the fate of my father's retirement, which provides almost enough income to cover the cost of his medications each month? My mom is trying to get information, but the only number to contact the retirement plan is - get this - a toll call. Ain't it grand?

Thank you, Mr. Bush, for doing all you can to hold onto American jobs. You are dismissed. Please begin packing your crap, now. We want you out of the White House come January. You can expect formal notice in November.