European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 09, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Doily Magazine Campaign 80 Asheville by Saul Pett associated press buy american snorts a perfectly Good american in Asheville . Why should i Ilaff this country keeps the other half going says a bitter housewife inline Al the checkout counter. Ahead of her is a Man buying More meat than she can afford. Me pays with food Stamps. We can t do anything about those crazy iranians hold ing our people writes a Rural editorialist but we can do something about taxes. We can control  i m relatively affluent but will i be Able to Send my kids to College asks the executive director of what used to be a pillar of american optimism the local chamber of Commerce. The election ponders an old Mountaineer. I Ain i heard it mentioned except on the  something is wrong Jimmy Teddy Ronnie Georgic and Johnny and you Ain t reaching them. If this part of the country is any barometer America is turned off by the election of 1980. Most people around Asheville seem to think that the identity of the next president won t make much differ ence. He s up there and they re Down Here two different worlds that no longer meet. They Don t use the word but they mean the word that used to be heard Only from hell raising College kids. Except in negative ways they find government irrelevant. More precisely these Middle americans find government relevant to their pain not their pleasure. Church membership is up. Even the baptists and the episcopalians agree on that. Nobody is sure Why. I m not at All certain it Means a greater  says the Rev. Frederick ii Dennis of the All souls episcopal Church. Maybe we re getting them by default As they lose Faith in government and other  malaise a diagnosis uni jelled by president Carter and other unlicensed sociologists is not the word for the people of Western North Carolina. They Are not Bent Low with immobile in Pluim and doom. The opening of the Trout season the explosion of the  and dogwoods in Spring when even the Tele phone poles look like they re in Bloom arc still festivals of Joy. Lilu Egrass music still packs pm into the dance Halls and Beer distributors arc not hurting. People Are still nourished in their souls by the surrounding grandeur by the misty mysteries of the Blue Ridge and the smokes the mountains that Thomas Wolfe the Best known native son found lordly with a  hut inflation gnaws a a at i hair Earth plans and continue a an / ? m Jesse Brown did t want people cussing him for High prices so he just quit pumping Gas. Pastor Cecil Sherman blames Detroit for his driving a Dat Sun instead of a Small . Car. Monday. June 9. 19bo the stars and stripes Page 13