Mike, 28, Metairie, LA - Chef/Caterer

Do you think this election is different or more important than past elections?

I’d like to think so. I think ending this whole weird Bush thing will be nice. To me, and I don’t know much about American history, but I know family businesses and I know when the dad of a family business passes his business on to his son nobody thinks its weird, but when fucking country goes from one daddy Bush to the son Bush. Its just… its weird to me. I don’t understand it. And I know Clinton happened in between, sure, no doubt. But I don’t know, its just weird to me that the same last name comes up… Adams… I don’t think Americans are making the choices. I mean yeah the people who are making the choices are Americans, but I don’t think its America that’s making the choices.
So my question’s always been who is the president? I mean, who’s behind these guys? I mean, so yeah, I guess its important every time. It makes people feel good. They’re like, oh I went in the little booth and I pushed the little button, I’m contributing and here we go. Votin’! Presidents! Yeehaw! Freedom! Okay! But I mean I don’t want to get into my theories, but I think its just as important as all the other ones. I mean it’s the same group of assholes running the country. It’s just a different figurehead. I think as far as the public… in the public eye, like the rest of the world would love for us to have someone darker in nature than another exact carbon copy of Bush and that alone would be interesting.

What are your hopes for the future?

Well for my future I just, I want to cook for as many people as I can. I want to make people happy through my food and I want to get paid ridiculous amounts of money for doing what I love. And if that’s not the fucking american dream I don’t know what is.

Lumar, 41, New Orleans, LA - Drummer of Soul Rebels Brass Band

What was your favorite thing about growing up in New Orleans?

The culture and the family life, the music and the food. Oh, playing in the Lafitte House and project where I was raised. Imitating like we were in Mardi Gras parades. We used to march around the court acting like we were in a parade, with a band. And we used a shopping cart for a float. We would save the beads from previous Mardi Gras parades and we would play with them at various times during the year. We’d have the girls, they’d act like they were the majorettes or dancers. Then you’d have some guys with sticks and boxes in their hand acting like they were drummers. Then you’d have the cart which was emulating the floats, someone would sit in the cart - a shopping cart - that we’d take from the grocery store and they would push it and they would throw beads acting like they were in a parade. That’s one of the fondest memories.

Have you voted in an election before?

Yeah, I’ve been voting since I was an adult. It’s kind of stressed to you in black homes… your parents always tell you people fought for you for the right to vote and died so that you can have the right to vote. So you need to vote. So you kind of feel like its your duty to vote.

Donis, 56, Covington, LA - Office Manager

Are you proud to be an American?

Very much, yes. I’ve had nephews who’ve been overseas and fought in the wars. My first husband was in Vietnam. And my father was in World War II. And I’m proud of each and every one of them. My grandfather was actually in the cavalry in World War I. And I have the pictures and certificate to prove it. And I am a daughter of the confederacy because of my background, my family’s background. And you have to be able to prove that and it has been proven and documented and so I’m very proud of that too.

What are your hopes for the future of America?

I’m not really worried. I’m not, I’m optimistic… I’m an optimistic person anyway and I feel like the American people, the majority of the American people will make the right decision and I feel that’s what’s gonna happen. I might be wrong but its my opinion.

Kelly, 40, New Orleans, LA - Artist

What do you do for fun?

Glue. Decorate. I’m a creator. There’s a creative force that won’t leave me alone. So I’m trying to decorate everything I get my hands on I guess. So for the most part I’d say it’s fun to me I guess because it brings joy and happiness to people.

Do you think this year’s election is more important than other years?

I do believe what they are saying on TV and in all of history that this is the most important election, right now, for this country. It’s amazing like how much the times, like right now, is reflected in the 60’s, are rolling back around. Have you seen the movie The Doors? Jim Morrison and The Doors? His organ player, like right before they were getting together, he said, “Nowadays, sides are being chosen and the world is screaming for a change.” Didn’t they learn anything from Vietnam? Like all this war stuff going on overseas right now? Billions of dollars wasted on other countries that hate America and they screw us right here back home. It seems like they deliberately try to screw us out of everything we’ve got to send it over to other countries…

Bobby, 65, Abilene, Kansas - Unemployed

Where did you grow up?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [Then I went to] Los Angeles, that’s how I ended up in the show business. I worked for Canvas Specialty. They did all the shows, all those fancy tents you see. Conrad Hilton, he was throwing a party up there, and you know them dumb Mexicans, I loaned them my cutters, fancy antique cutters, and they lost them in the bushes. And I never did find them.

Are you proud to be an American?

I’m a mongrel. Now see if I woulda been the Indians when they landed on Plymouth Rock I woulda told them to get back on that boat and float. Cause they didn’t even know how to pop corn. The Indians had to teach them about popcorn. And the rest of the country. It just got weirder. All the runaways from all these other countries come here. It’s getting’ worse. It ain’t getting better.

Kayla, 19, Abilene, Kansas - Student/Gas Station Attendant

What was your favorite thing to do growing up?

Probably livin’ on a farm and raising animals and saying, “Hey you have a pet dog, I have a pet cow.” [Laughing]. I had pet pigs and stuff like that. I had a cow named Cupid. He was born on Valentine’s Day and I showed him as a bucket calf at 4H and then as a steer, like 1300 pounds. He was just tame. Then I had another one that was so tame I could sit on his head and he could lift you up. Thing was when you got up there he wouldn’t bring you down.

Do you think this year’s election is different than other years?

Kinda, I’m gonna vote McCain I know that.  I really didn’t like how Obama was like… well I heard he wouldn’t stand up and do the Pledge of Allegiance and I think to be American you’ve got to do the Pledge of Allegiance. And I just didn’t like that whole thing.

Mike, 59, Cheyenne, Wyoming - Cattle Rancher/Gasoline Truck Driver

How long have you lived in Cheyenne?

Since 1971, so it’s 38 years. I grew up in Nebraska… on a ranch in Nebraska. [I ended up in Cheyenne because I] got out of the army in ‘71 and went to work at what was then the big Wyoming Hereford ranch. Cowboying on it in ‘71. I was very very fortunate I was stationed on the only farm the army has. I was in the veterinary corps stationed in Ft. Meade, Maryland. They drafted me. This was when they still had the draft. I was changing over, I was going to school at Iowa State University. I switched from animal sciences into vet school when they drafted me in between. So instead of taking two years I gave them three. I enlisted. That’ll teach them. [Laughing]. I didn’t have to go to Vietnam and I got in the same field that I was getting ready to prepare to, but I never did go back to vet school.

What do you think is America’s biggest issue right now?

Our biggest issue right now is our economy. We’re seeing more people go into poverty or low income. We just got a sixty cent increase in minimum wage. So what? You don’t even get to buy a gallon of gas. It’s just a joke.

Keith, 35, Cheyenne, Wyoming - Record Store Owner

How long have you lived in Cheyenne?

I’ve lived here since ‘86. So 22 years. I moved from the deep south… Jackson, Mississippi. It was definitely a culture shock moving here when I was in 8th grade, coming from the deep south and I think its an absolute different country to where I live now. General outlooks on life and religion, Wyoming is absolutely one of those places that’s live and let live. And you mind your own kind of business. [The south has] very very heavy religious overtones. And then of course the whole racial thing whether people want to admit it or not its absolutely a separatist kind of area. I remember being a kid if you didn’t say n—-r then you would get beat up by the white kids. It’s like that’s just how you talked, and it was a normal thing. Its weird I mean the clan, I remember having the clan like a mile or two away from me growing up as a kid. I remember being a kid if you didn’t say n—-r then you would get beat up by the white kids. Like, referring to a black person, like, “That n—-r was a good waitress.” If you had said, “That black person was a good waitress” you were like what’s your problem?

What do you do for fun?

I play in a band, Deadspeak - its like heavier than Slayer, so it’s like brutal death. We play pretty much, like, up and down the Rockies. We’ve put six albums out. I go to Denver as far as like going to shows… It’s only a hundred miles from here so its not really that big of a deal. And to be honest with you, going to work is awesome. I got a lot of friends here. I’m a DJ once a week across the street. We do metal night. So it’s like, totally brutal metal in the basement so all the metal-heads in town come down. It’s like a total dram fest and I play brutal metal the whole time.

Do you think this year’s presidential election’s any different than any of the other years?

Definitely, race is more of an issue. I think that people who aren’t even listening to Barack Obama anymore that they could give a shit less that he’s a minority and they are going to vote for him because of that. That’s how he won 99% of the black vote in the south. It’s the same thing, like, they don’t listen. They don’t care. They just want someone in there that isn’t a white haired, white person. Like I said, I think all politicians are full of shit to some, certain degree but I’ll vote for Barack I’m sure.