Friday, January 13, 2017

UPDATE. Boston Globe reporter continues to explore Trump's America, where mostly white people live


In Wisconsin, stubbornly optimistic about the new president.  (Boston Globe, 1/13/2017)
A river runs through it. There’s a big Harley-Davidson plant in town. And if you have any doubt that this is the heart of Trump country, take a walk through downtown and meet the faithful who think – know – that their guy is going to deliver on his promise to make America great again. Cue the confetti. 
“I’m feeling confident again,’’ Patricia Walker told me the other morning as she was collecting mail from her Post Office box. “I think he’s a thinker and a planner."


Source:  Wikipedia

Menomonee Falls is located in the northeastern square of Waukesha County

Source:  CNN

Thomas, what's the use of visiting Menomonee Falls if you're not going to get a quote from Jumpin' Janel Brandtjen?

Let me help you out.

Source of quote:  Capital Times


Related post:
Dear Janel Brandtjen, the American Academy of Pediatrics has 64,000 members.  (9/15/2015)

1/11/2017 update, "So far, Trump's America, as reported by Boston Globe reporter, is more than 95% white", starts here.

Source:  Wikipedia


A Journey Through Trump's America:  In Trump's middle America, a sense of optimism.  (Boston Globe, 1/11/2016)
“There’s not too many mom-and-pop stores left around here,’’ he [John Famulare, Jr, owner of Jenny's Amsden House] said. “You can thank the government for that. I’m feeling, as a business owner and as a taxpayer, we have no place to go but up. I’m feeling good about America. People like Trump. He’s not a politician, he’s a businessman.’’

Actually, John, you might want to read this book.


Reported in What killed the mom-and-pop store?  State Journal-Register, 10/15/2016)

Bellevue straddles 3 counties, and its municipal election results are hard to come by.



Original 1/10/2017 post, "The shrinking bubble world of Ford City, Pennsylvania", starts here.

 Source:  Wikipedia

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Source:  CNN

Taking a long road trip to look for Trump’s America.  (Washington Post, 1/7/2017)
The Ford City works closed in 1991, during the Presidency of George H. W. Bush.  That Pittsburgh Plate Glass plant is long gone, an early harbinger of an economic collapse that has decimated the region’s manufacturing base and fueled a resentment, particularly acute among white working-class voters, that has become an emblem of Donald Trump’s America.

Sheri Humenik on Donald Trump.  I felt like that he wants to revitalize places just like this,’’ she told me. “He wants to invest in people. He brings a fire that has reignited hope in people. We need investments in the small towns, not just the big cities. The small towns are suffering. We need to recognize the hidden gems and bring them back. I’m upbeat. I’m encouraged. I’m looking forward.’’

Sheri, I grew up in a town 100 miles north of where you live.  The population there peaked at 14,891 in 1940 and has since declined 37% to 9,334. Struthers Wells is gone.  Pittsburgh Des Moines, where much of the St. Louis arch was fabricated, closed in 2009.  Sylvania continues to shrink.  The Warren Area High School class of 1975, its peak year, numbered 525.  Maybe 170 or so will graduate this year.

Hope you find your dream.  But keep in mind that there are hundreds of small towns just like ours throughout Pennsylvania.  Few of them are going to find a way back to prosperity.

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