You would think John Andrew, an unemployed father of two, would be the kind of person that Bush administration officials would want to meet during their ?Jobs and Growth? tour. But the Northfield man, who has driven to each stop on the tour for the past three days, has mostly seen the tailpipe of the Bush bus.
Andrew lost his job last week at a software company in Eagan. The company ? which he declined to name, saying it, too, ?is a victim of the economy? ? has cut its workforce in half from a peak of 65 employees. ?They have a great product,? he said, ?but they can?t sell it because companies are afraid to spend money. No one wants to invest.?
Andrew, a University of Chicago graduate, said he was ?pissed? when he heard that Cabinet officials were touring Wisconsin and Minnesota promoting what he calls ?wrongheaded policies.? So he decided to follow them around. ?I?m spending a week protesting,? he said. ?There is no leadership in guiding this economy. They?re governing through fear. That?s the exact opposite of what we need to generate confidence.?
 |
| John Andrew (left) is interviewed by a reporter next to his "Economic Reality Tour" van. Photo by Barb Kucera |
Driving a van plastered with signs such as ?The Economic Reality Tour? and ?Got jobs?? Andrew followed the Bush administration officials through Wisconsin. He was unable to get close to any of them, except for a brief interchange with Treasury Secretary John Snow outside a Culver?s restaurant in Wausau. He got a few seconds to tell his story ? after he was surrounded by men in suits. Snow?s response?
?Just wait,? Andrew said Snow told him. Just wait ? the tax cuts will kick in and everything will work out.
?I?m calling Citibank, which has the mortgage on my house, and saying ? ?just wait? and calling the people with my car loan and saying, ?just wait,?? Andrew said. ?I don?t think that?s going to work.?
Addressing a crowd gathered to protest in St. Paul Wednesday, Andrew said, ?Well, I have a message for him. Just wait ?til we kick you out at the next election.?
Read logs from John Andrew's travels at www.jobforjohn.com
Reported and written by Michael Kuchta of the Union Advocate and Barb Kucera of Workday Minnesota.
Share
You would think John Andrew, an unemployed father of two, would be the kind of person that Bush administration officials would want to meet during their ?Jobs and Growth? tour. But the Northfield man, who has driven to each stop on the tour for the past three days, has mostly seen the tailpipe of the Bush bus.
Andrew lost his job last week at a software company in Eagan. The company ? which he declined to name, saying it, too, ?is a victim of the economy? ? has cut its workforce in half from a peak of 65 employees. ?They have a great product,? he said, ?but they can?t sell it because companies are afraid to spend money. No one wants to invest.?
Andrew, a University of Chicago graduate, said he was ?pissed? when he heard that Cabinet officials were touring Wisconsin and Minnesota promoting what he calls ?wrongheaded policies.? So he decided to follow them around. ?I?m spending a week protesting,? he said. ?There is no leadership in guiding this economy. They?re governing through fear. That?s the exact opposite of what we need to generate confidence.?
|
|
John Andrew (left) is interviewed by a reporter next to his “Economic Reality Tour” van. Photo by Barb Kucera |
Driving a van plastered with signs such as ?The Economic Reality Tour? and ?Got jobs?? Andrew followed the Bush administration officials through Wisconsin. He was unable to get close to any of them, except for a brief interchange with Treasury Secretary John Snow outside a Culver?s restaurant in Wausau. He got a few seconds to tell his story ? after he was surrounded by men in suits. Snow?s response?
?Just wait,? Andrew said Snow told him. Just wait ? the tax cuts will kick in and everything will work out.
?I?m calling Citibank, which has the mortgage on my house, and saying ? ?just wait? and calling the people with my car loan and saying, ?just wait,?? Andrew said. ?I don?t think that?s going to work.?
Addressing a crowd gathered to protest in St. Paul Wednesday, Andrew said, ?Well, I have a message for him. Just wait ?til we kick you out at the next election.?
Read logs from John Andrew’s travels at www.jobforjohn.com
Reported and written by Michael Kuchta of the Union Advocate and Barb Kucera of Workday Minnesota.