George stood up. He looked a little nervous, the very image of a simple, honest blue-collar worker.
He didn't raise any grand political issues like the others. Instead, in a sincere tone, he began to speak about his confusion.
"Mr. Cortes, my name is George. I worked my whole life at the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company, right up until it shut down."
"A lot of people in my community are big supporters of yours, because we feel you're the only candidate who genuinely cares about us older workers who've been left behind by the times."
"But," he said, his tone shifting, "I've been reading some very complicated economic theories online recently. They say that for a city to have a future, workers like us in traditional industries are a drag, a burden."
"They say that for the long-term development of Pittsburgh, our unemployment is a necessary sacrifice, the painful throes of history."
George looked up, his eyes full of questions, and stared at Cortes on the stage.
