July 22, 2004

Street Talk by Justin Petersen

What is the most pressing issue in the upcoming election?
(Asked at the Almaden Center)


“Probably our situation with the war. I would like to see them finish the war. I think [otherwise] it will definitely happen again. I am concerned if we get a new administration in there that isn’t interested in finishing the job, that we’ll never get our nation as secure as it needs to be.”

Nancy Carpenter, 34
Almaden Valley
Dance/cheer coach

“It’s a very touchy subject. There’s so much going on; so much stuff you hear, good and bad. You hear that we shouldn’t have gone to the war because we didn’t have all of the information. Then the other end is that we were attacked. What do you do? I’m kind of back and forth on the issue. I am glad I’m not in his shoes.”

Cathy Bobias
Almaden Valley
Homemaker (or whatever they are calling it these days)

“Foreign policy has got me pretty concerned about what kind of trouble people are going to get into.”

Brad Bergholdt, 54
New Almaden
Teacher

“My most pressing issue is the war in Iraq and why we got in there. [Leaving Iraq] is not an option right now. But I think it’s very ironic that just yesterday, in the newspaper, Mr. Bush said we were going to investigate if Iran was involved in 9/11. That would be two years later, after you’ve invaded another country, which you didn’t seem too interested in investigating if they were involved. We have to stay for a period of time but not in the long-term. You don’t win by occupying other people’s countries.”

Patrick Connolly, 41
Almaden Valley
Engineer

“The biggest issue should be the war in Iraq. Somehow I don’t trust [the Bush Administration] because I don’t think that the war was justified. I think that they will probably do something to stir the American public to think better of [Bush] about the war. I don’t know what that will be I just suspect something will miraculously happen.”

Steve Schweppe, 57
Willow Glen
Safeway employee

“Making these liberals leave us alone. It’s terrible. They are most concerned with badgering one another.”

Mrs. Belle, 84
Almaden Valley (40 years worth)
Real estate broker