On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 03:58:25 GMT, Sailing Fan wrote:

My mother was a life long Republican. She was a school teacher. She
resisted unionization of her job in the early 1970's (despite making the
same salary for 4 years)...
Dad was a W.W.II vet. Captured by the Nazi's in Holland. Spent several
months in a POW camp in Poland, Stalag IIb (a very large, violent, old
camp full of some 15,000 Russians and Poles). Was liberated by the Red
Army in April of 1945. Was reunited with his original unit in Hanover,
Germany, ironically the same town his paternal grandparents had come
from 50 years prior...
They couldn't vote for Truman. They liked Ike. My maternal grandmother
spent many hours volunteering for Ike. They had no use for Kennedy or
Johnson. They mildly supported Nixon and Ford/Dole when they lost to
Carter. They mildly supported Reagan/Bush in 1980. They seemed neutral
in 1984. In 1988 they supported Dukakis mildly. What? What they hell
happened? I'm not exactly sure...Dad died in 1990. In 1992 mom was a
volunteer and activist for Clinton/Gore. In 1996, she stopped
volunteering, due to health issues. She cut a nice check instead. Same
in 2000. In 2004, despite a very frail body, mom is VERY active in
supporting Kerry. Why? The realization that they had spent a lifetime
supporting a corrupt and evil group of elitists who had moved their
party further and further to the right.

Perhaps it's easier than that. She's now collecting on the government
dole, and wants those in power who favor the continuation of those
types of programs. She won't have to worry about increases in income
tax, or the greater burdens that government sponsored healthcare will
place on currently working people.

Dave