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.