Just wanted to share a short story this morning. I live in the totally Red State of Tennessee, but in a bluish-area of Knoxville. There are fundamentalist churches almost on every corner….with wine and spirits stores alternating in between. The majority of cars you see on the roads around here are BMW, Lexus, Nissans, ….and Prius. (We have a great Prius V.) I hear radio ads for Mitch McConnell and his "pro coal stance" and the usual Obama bashing. There was even a lonely "impeach Obama" rally on a major intersection a while back. But we had a Pride Parade in Market Square.

We have several solar farms in the vicinity, as well as a wind turbine farm further up in the hills. You see solar panels on roofs of homes……and even the HGTV complex is a green facility. Recycling is really big around here…..as well as throwing your beer cans and trash on the side of the road. Maybe we are not really any different that most cities in the country. I have lived in several states, including Hawaii and upstate New York, and each one has its own character.

All of my relatives here are decidedly Republican. They had McCain-Palin stickers on the car. Maybe a bit racist…but they go to church, so………..

Romney was their man for president, too. "Ann Romney is so pretty." FOX news is their source of information. Sometimes going out to lunch can get a bit tricky here...

BUT I got a phone call from a cousin in Chattanooga this morning to thank me for a project I had done. Her husband had colon cancer…several surgeries in two weeks for complications, also, and now undergoing chemo. She herself has had serious on-going health problems for years. They go to The Cleveland Clinic and Vanderbilt a lot. She said they pay $47,000.00 a year just for her medical expenses alone…..and she was afraid that Blue Cross was going to cancel them entirely. He is a small business owner, and they do not have that kind of money.

Thanks to Obamacare, she said, they now have coverage they can afford and they will not be kicked off for any reason. (I have a feeling their son checked into this for them.) It is blessing for them. She had nothing but good things to say about it.

They will continue to come to the UT football games. They will continue to go to church. They will continue to patronize the upscale establishments. They will continue to watch Fox and and dislike the president. They will collect their Social Security in a few years. And they will continue to vote REPUBLICAN.