VOA标准英语10月-Swing State Voters Voice Anxiety, Hope

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The Honey Creek1 Inn is a favorite local eatery, where locals gather for breakfast and spirited conversation

It's Saturday morning at the Honey Creek Inn, a cozy² "family-style" restaurant in Reedsville, Pennsylvania, where Centre County locals typically meet for coffee, eggs and conversation. These days, those conversations are heavily focused on the upcoming presidential election.

Centre County, Pennsylvania, is a swing county in a swing state, and Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee³, and Senator John McCain, his Republican rival, have been campaigning hard to win over the critical bloc⁴ of undecided voters here.

But Dave, a retired⁵ machinist who remembers when this area was humming with mills and factories, now long shut, has made his decision not to vote for anyone.

"They're all crooks⁶!" he says. "Ain't no one going to help the common person. The middle class doesn't get any help. But people out there are struggling."
　

The Pennsylvania Match Factory in Bellefonte was a leading producer of wooden matches before it closed in 1947, according to the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association

Many residents here believe that a lot of that struggling has been caused by America's free-trade policy. Centre County has seen almost all of its factories shuttered or relocated over the past decade or so. The last major one, a brass⁷ fittings business, closed its doors this year.

"I want a president who is going to put an end to giving bonuses to a company that outsources jobs outside of the United States," says Pam, an office clerk. "We need to keep the jobs here."

When asked whether either of the candidates is paying attention to that issue, she says, without conviction, "Barack promises to."

McCain's Foreign Policy Experience, Obama's Community Activism Attract Supporters
　

Rain soaks Main Street in Lewistown, located in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

As in many areas of rural America, a large proportion of Centre County residents are Bible-toting Christians⁹ like Al. He believes Barack Obama is a Muslim, even though Obama, who is Christian⁸, has repeatedly denied being a Muslim.

"And I believe if Obama is elected, one of the first things he's gonna do is separate us from Israel," Al says with a grimace¹⁰. "And that'll be the downfall of the United States."

National security is a top priority for Vicky, who also supports McCain.

"I never want to see another attack on our country again, and I think John McCain would definitely be the person for that because of his military background," she says.
　

Joanne, of State College, Pennsylvania, supports Obama's emphasis on community activism and grassroots democracy

It is Obama's roots in community organizing rather than international politics that have inspired Joanne, of State College, Pennsylvania - a liberal university town - to work for his campaign.

"I like his philosophy of the importance of local politics and people being involved in their communities," she says.

When asked whether Centre County residents outside State College take that view, she says she is not sure, adding, "I do think that more than anything, people are interested in seeing change and no more [President George W.] Bush."

Support Wanes¹¹ for Bush, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Indeed, restaurant owner Betty Lawhead says that while many of her patrons voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, she believes most would be voting for Barack Obama on Election Day 2008.
　

Honey Creek Inn owner Betty Lawhead is both furious and saddened by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which many of Centre County's young people have enlisted12 to fight

"… Except for the fact that he's black. That's too bad, but that's the way it is," she says. "We've never had a lot of black people in this area. It's kind of a touchy¹³ subject."

Many people in Centre County supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and have watched as their children have enlisted to fight. But seven years and 100s of billions of dollars in war costs later, many have changed their mind. Betty Lawhead, for her part, was against the war from the start, but her opposition¹⁴ has only intensified¹⁵ over time.

"I am absolutely furious about it, and I think a lot of people in this area are, too. We've had some people horribly wounded that come back here. It's terrible!" she says with an audible sob¹⁶.
　

"Sissy" supported the war in Iraq and Afghanistan at first but now thinks those billions might be spent on health care and other helps for the working poor and the homeless

"Sissy" works two low-wage cleaning jobs to support her two children and grandchild. She believes, mistakenly, that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein played a role in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and she thinks that justified¹⁷ the U.S. invasion of Iraq in early 2003.

"At first I felt 'Yeah, get in there [and] support them.' But now that we're stuck there and nothing is really changing that much," Sissy says. "That's money out of our pockets that we could be helping¹⁸ our own homeless, our own people that are going hungry, and people that can't afford health care."

Middle-Class Voters Concerned About Financial Stability, Retirement¹⁹

Such social concerns are fueling a lot of anger at the recent $700 billion federal bailout of the American financial industry. The huge commitment of taxpayer²⁰ dollars is likely to leave little surplus for the ambitious health care plan Barack Obama hopes to put in place if elected. To William, an elderly retiree, that's an outrage²¹.

"Why should we save the banks?" he asks. "As far as I'm concerned, to hell with them!"
　

Truck driver Joe and his wife Kathy, both of whom are Baby Boomers, are deeply concerned about the solvency22 of the Social Security system and an anxiety-free retirement

These days, Joe, a truck driver, and his wife Kathy are most concerned about the solvency of the federally funded retirement system known as Social Security.

"I am one of the Baby Boomers that are going to retire in 10 years, and I am not even sure I am going to have Social Security when I retire," Joe says.

He wants reassurance²³ "so that my kids, when they retire, will have what my father had before me and my grandfather had."

Waitress Kelley Coburn, a single mom who doubles as a dental assistant, already works seven days a week and is aware that both McCain and Obama have economic recovery plans.

"… But I'll believe it when I see it," she says. "I want to see action the day they go into office."
　

Waitress Kelley Coburn says she wants results, not promises alone, from the next president

She believes many politicians are out of touch with the values and experiences of normal Americans like herself and the customers for whom she pours coffee.

"I am an honest person, and I want our politicians to be honest and hardworking also, she says. "I want to see results!"

Coburn and other residents of this corner of Pennsylvania will be after results by casting their ballots²⁴ on November 4th. Local election board officials are preparing for the largest voter turnout in the region's history.