My name is Jim Samajata, and I am waiting here in the air strip at the 6 Swamps campsite in the Okavango Delta, Botswana for guests to arrive by the bush plane from Kasane. My village is on the island of Jedibe where I live with my wife and two children. I have watched the wild animals all my life. My neighbor, Akanyang told me about the campsite and recruited me to join him. We are from the Bayei tribe; we also learned English in high school as the British colonized us and wanted us to learn their language. We both are in our late twenties, in robust health, with round eyes, drooping lips, large forehead, and cropped hair. We are proud of our Black heritage and our ancestors have been living in this area for over 6,000 years. Economic opportunities are limited in our village. Therefore, we both travel to the 6 Swamps camp in May for the start of the tourist season. We return home when the tourist season ends. I have been working here for the past four years.
The campsite is leased by a South African millionaire from the government with the provision that the camp and its environs are kept as a wildlife preserve. He pays us well and the tips from the guests augment our salaries.
I am a driver of one of the four-wheel drive safari jeeps. The jeep is an extended version of the regular jeeps; with a driver's bench seat in the front and three bench seats behind it at increasing heights. It is an open vehicle, and I sit in the driver's seat with the cooler filled with drinks and food items sitting on the passenger seat. My guide, Akanyang sits in the front of the vehicle on a special seat that hangs out before the chassis of the vehicle. It is an open jeep with no windows, and the guests sit in the three bench seats.
The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana and known for its sprawling grassy plains, which flood seasonally, becoming a lush animal habitat. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the few interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is largely intact. The Okavango River drains the summer (January - February) rainfall from the Angola highlands and the surge flows 1,200 km (750 mi) in around one month. The waters then spread over the 250 by 150 km (155 by 93 mi) area of the delta over the next four months (March - June). When the water levels gradually recede, water remains in major canals and river beds, in waterholes and in a number of larger lagoons, which then attract a number of animals. All of the big five game animals - the lion, leopard, African buffalo, African bush elephant and rhinoceros (both black and white rhinoceros) - are found in the Delta. More than fifty species of wild animals and four hundred bird species are found here.
The guests can only arrive at our campsite by plane either from Kasane or Maun; there is a road to Maun, but it takes six hours and only used by the workers in the campsite. The guests typically stay for two to three nights, and my job is to be their driver for the duration of their stay. I can speak in English with them and in Setswana with the people who run the campsite. We have been trained to listen to them patiently, reply honestly, and not to offend them by our remarks. Our jobs and reputation for the remote campsite are based on their online reviews and it is critical to obtain a five-star review from every guest. Approximately 120,000 tourists visit the Okavango Delta annually and stay in one of the sixty campsites; our campsite has eight tents that can accommodate a maximum of twenty people at a time. A stay per night costs about $1,000 per person per night and the guests expect to be treated well. I have met guests from England, France, Germany, T�rkiye, China, Russia, USA, Canada, India, and other countries. The campsite manager has told me that the next two sets of visitors are from the USA. My next four days are going to be packed! I hope to dazzle them by showing them the different animals and birds that they would never have seen in other places.
I drive and park next to the private airstrip. There are no counter agents, or customs people, or buildings; we are the only ones who are around today. We do not have any guests that are leaving. Akanyang and I chat about our homes and families as we wait for the plane.
The small Cesena plane appears on the horizon and starts to descend toward the dirt strip. The pilot brings the plane down gently, turns it around and parks it. I get out of my vehicle and roll the stairs sitting on the side of the airstrip so that the guests could walk out of the plane.
I was told to expect a family with two children. A boy, about 12 years old, exits the aircraft; he is wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and a hat with a slogan. He has wavy hair and smiles at me. A girl, about 15 years old, follows wearing pants, a T-shirt and is carrying a backpack. A lady in her forties follows wearing a skirt and a blouse. At last, a man exits the aircraft; he has a pot belly and is having a challenging time coming down the small stairs. We shake hands as he alights, "I am Jack, from Phenix City, Alabama. Please meet my wife, Jenny, girl Katie, and son John." I say hello to them and say bye to the pilot. The pilot and his assistant are from Kasane, and I have seen them often when they fly the Cesena to this air strip.
I get their bags and load them onto the jeep and ask the guests to climb in. The children have an easy time climbing to the back seat even though it is the highest seat. Jim and Jenny struggle to get up to the front bench seat since they must climb on the siderails to reach the seats. Akanyang helps them climb the rails and pushes them onto the seats. Once everybody has settled down, I park on the side of the airstrip and wait for the plane to take off. Once it has gone, I talk to the guests.
"Welcome to the 6 Swamps campsite; this is a private reserve, an area that covers 2,320 square kilometers (550,000 acres) in the northern wilderness of the country. This is thirty times the size of Manhattan and includes about fifty miles of riverfront along the Kwando River. Your campsite is about 30 minutes away and the roads will be bumpy. You have electricity, water, shower, and toilets in your tent. We use solar power to run the campsite. It is still in the wilderness. Please hold onto the sides as we travel. Are you ready to see some animals?"
Katie answers: "I am excited and would like to see elephants."
John replies: "I want to see lions."
As we drive along, a herd of elephants could be seen to the right. Also in the distance, there are zebras and giraffes. I stop the jeep and let them watch the animals. Jack is excited and takes multiple photos of the elephants.
"Wow! This is the beloved animal mascot of our political party. I would love to send the photos to our local representative so that he can incorporate them in the upcoming election materials."
"Wonderful, I am so pleased that you got to see the elephants this quickly. Please take as many photos as you want. You will not have internet connection until we go the campsite; therefore, you must wait to send it to your friend. What is your party and what does it stand for?"
"I am a member of the republican party. Our platform is centered on stimulating economic growth for all Americans, protecting constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, ensuring the integrity of our elections, and maintaining our national security. We are working to preserve America's greatness for children and grandchildren. We want to impose law and order."
I thought of how the national party in South Africa passed the unfair laws in 1948 that resulted in much sorrow and misery there and in the neighboring countries.
"But the laws might be made to oppress a section of the people as what happened in the apartheid regime in South Africa, our neighboring country."
"Wow! I heard that it was a golden time when South Africa prospered, and the Whites wielded power. This is like what we in the Southern part of America did during the early 1800s until the civil war intervened to weaken our great systems of law and order."
"What do you mean?"
"My ancestors had twelve plantations in Lee and Tallapoosa Counties, Alabama, where they employed twelve white overseers and five hundred Black people. You will see portraits of them in our antebellum house; they lived prosperous lives."
"Did you not have slavery in the 1800s? Do you consider that to be a time when America was great?"
"You do not understand history. The Black people at that time came from Africa, were illiterate, and were starving. Our ancestors gave them shelter, worked to keep them fit, and provided them adequate food."
John pipes in, "Dad, even now in my school, the Black people do not do well in studies. They like to play sports, party, and have fun."
Jenny adds, "They are good at keeping our homes and fields clean; but they do not have the ambition to do well in life. I am glad that they have become Christians; they would have salvation after death; otherwise, they were doomed to go to hell. Our preachers have saved them and given them a new lease of life."
Katie responds, "Mom, it may not be that black and white. I went to see the Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery as a part of my school field trip. The exhibits were moving and pointed to ways that we can treat all people equally as our constitution states. I liked it."
I am bothered that people from the northwestern part of my continent were slaves in their plantations and tell them about the evils of racial segregation that pervaded South Africa until 1990s.
"Southern part of Africa was a well-integrated society until apartheid broke it apart in 1948. Black, Indian, White (British, Afrikaans), and other races mixed; interracial marriages were common, and it was broken up after the apartheid. You should visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg to experience the untold sufferings that was imposed by the government."
"May be another time, we do not have the time to go to Johannesburg. We want to see the animals in Botswana and return. As the owner of a real estate company and golf courses in Alabama, I must be back to take care of my business. Elections bring many candidates and their supporters to the golf courses. Also, football season is starting soon. My company leases a sky box at the University of Alabama football stadium; many business deals happen there, and I need to be present."
I drop them at the campsite where the manager, Kirk, and his helpers greet the visitors profusely with a song and dance. Jack, Jenny, Katie, and John get down from the jeep and wipe off the dirt from the drive using the wet towels the team gives them. Kirk takes them to the dining tent and explains to them the living arrangements and the family tent in which their party would be staying. They also offer them a welcome alcoholic drink for which Jack and Jenny are grateful. Katie and John sip a coke.
The helpers take their bags to the family tent. I tell them that we would have a morning safari at 6.30 a.m.
The next day, I wake them up at 5.45 a.m. and tell them to get ready for the safari.
It is cold in the morning in the forties, even though it is summer. I go to their tents at 6.15 a.m. again and accompany them to the jeep as it is still dark. They tell me about the hippos frolicking in the nearby river and making guttural noise during the nighttime. I show them patches of grass that the hippos were eating during the night and explain that it is the reason we do not allow guests to leave the tents after dark without an escort. They drink coffee and get ready to climb into the jeep.
The visitors are bundled up and we start on the game drive. I hear on my radio that a lioness is spotted nearby. I drive to that area and see her sitting on a rock. I tell them that the lionesses hunt as a pride and we would spot other lionesses nearby. Sure enough, we see three more loitering around nearby and hidden by the tall grass. Jack is worried that they may attack us. I assure him as far as we are quiet and do not move, the lionesses will not attack. The lionesses consider the jeep as a large animal and do not attack it. We watch them for thirty minutes and decide to drive away since they are not actively hunting. I tell them that the lionesses had hunted in the nighttime, were full, and not planning to hunt just then. Zebras and Impalas are grazing nearby; they are alert, but not too concerned about the lionesses. As we drive away, Katie says:
"Dad, it is amazing that lionesses form a pack and hunt together. Shows the power of women."
Jack responds, "Katie, that does not hold true for humans. You know that women are a weaker sex. Look at your mother. She is well educated but has given up her job to take care of our home and both of you. She is truly a Southern woman and upholds our traditions."
Jenny adds, "Katie, even though I do not work, I am delighted to be taking care of the family. Giving birth to children is an important task for women. That is why we have made it difficult to get abortion in the State of Alabama. You cannot conceive without a mate and once it happens, you must go through with it. You had better be careful as to whom you select as a partner."
Jack affirms, "Yes, you must be careful in choosing a mate. It is a life-long decision."
Katie responds, "Dad, I will figure it out. Let us focus on the safari."
We see a herd of elephants in the distance. I drive my vehicle to that site and place it about forty feet from them. The elephants are plucking grass using their trunk and shoving it into their mouth. I explain that elephants live for a long time; their major issue is that their teeth wear out and get renewed six times; after that, the teeth do not grow, and they have difficulty eating. That leads to starvation and a slow death.
John responds, "I wish I could have brought my gun; it would have been an ideal chance to take a shot."
I reply, "We do not allow hunting of animals. You can take photos."
John asks, "Why do you restrict people? They should have freedom to shoot any animal, skin them, and mount them like what we have in our house."
Jack affirms, "John, he will not understand. We have the right to firearms as per our constitution and will fight for it. Botswana is a primitive society that does not know how to harness nature's resources to enrich themselves."
I respond, "We value our animals and will not hunt them. We consider these to be our national treasures."
Jack replies, "I am sure we can go to another reserve where they will let us hunt the Big 5. You know the term Big 5 came because they were the most prized animals that were hunted in Africa."
I answer, "That might be in the past; but now we are into conserving our animal kingdom and would not let others hunt in our land. Our folklore and heritage come from coexisting with wild animals. Afterall, you have come all the way here since you cannot see them in your country."
Jenny agrees with me.
"Other than bears and deer, I have not seen many wild animals in Alabama. You know about two hundred years back, Alabama was full of whitetail deer, the black bear, the Timber Wolf (Grey Wolf), the Black Wolf, the Red Wolf, the Eastern Cougar, the Elk, and the Eastern Bison (Buffalo). Our ancestors hunted them out of existence. Our governments even accepted wolf scalps as payment for taxes in many of our counties. We have twenty-eight hunting lodges compared to twenty-one state parks in our state. I am wonderstruck at the number of wild animals that are roaming around unmolested in Botswana. I am surprised to see your dedication given that you live in a poor country."
I thank her and continue:
"I grew up with elephants coming up to our homes when I was a child. I cannot remember any lake or stream where I have not seen hippos and alligators congregating. When we do not disturb them, they leave us alone. It is wonderful to be with the animals."
Katie responds, "I only grew up with dogs and cats around our house. My dad would bring carcasses and meat of deer when he went on a hunt; otherwise, I would have seen such animals only in the Montgomery Zoo. Even seeing a single elephant at the Zoo was a rare sight; I am impressed that there are at least twenty of them with their young ones roaming around here. I never knew your country was so rich in animal wealth."
We returned to the campsite, and they took a break after lunch. We went on other safaris, and it was time for them to leave for Maun to catch a flight to the US.
I took them back to our airstrip. They are sad that they need to leave after seeing the teeming herds of giraffes, zebras, elephants, and varied species of deer. Today there are antelopes, monkeys, and zebras grazing near the airstrip. I give the guests the packed lunch from the campsite and wait for the plane.
As the plane is about to land, a herd of antelopes cross the airstrip. Seeing that, the pilot engages the throttle and gains altitude and flies out. I drive my jeep and shoo away the animals from the airstrip. After a few minutes, the pilot comes back to land. This time, there are no animals running on the airstrip and the plane comes to a stop. I drive to the plane and roll out the stairs.
Two people alight from the plane and are ready for a new safari. I get them situated in the jeep and ensure that Jack, Jenny, John, and Katie get on the plane with their duffel bags stowed away. Jack gives generous tips to me and to the guide and bids farewell. Even though I do not agree with their political views, they are a loving family and treat people well.
I wait until the plane takes off. Then Akanyang and I introduce ourselves. One of the guests, a man in his fifties, well-built, black, and with greying hair introduces himself.
"Hi, glad to meet you. I am Bill from Boston and teach at MIT. This is my partner, David, who works for a large investment firm."
David adds, "Hi, I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama, and had to move out to Boston once I declared that I was gay."
I am surprised to see the coincidence that another white person from Alabama has come to the campsite on this trip. I mention:
"A family from Alabama just boarded the flight. I was able to show the Big 5, other animals, and many species of birds, and they were delighted about it. How did you meet Bill?"
David responds, "Wow, that is interesting. I was in my twenties and had little interest in women and marriage. I met Bill during a conference on financial planning that I provided; we became great friends and later married ten years back. My family, strong republicans, disowned me. I got a transfer to Boston since my firm's headquarters were there. This event has changed my views; I am different and that makes me value differences in others. I feel bad that my ancestors owned a plantation and had slaves. They did lose a lot when the South lost the civil war, and they had to free the slaves. That put a big dent on their net worth; the prosperity of the South disappeared overnight once the Yankees won the war."
I reply, "We know about the race problems; our neighbor South Africa has been hemorrhaging from the implementation of the apartheid system in the 1950s, both financially and morally. It had an immediate effect on our country. You know our leader, Ngwato chief Seretse Khama's marriage to a white woman, Ruth Williams Khama, led the British to ban him from the protectorate. He returned in 1956 with popular support, and tribes moved toward elected government as an independence movement formed. We gained full independence in 1966 and are a democratic country. Although we have many parties, a single party, Botswana Democratic Party has held power since the founding of our country."
Bill comments, "Hmm!! In our country, we have two parties, republican or democratic, and candidates are elected based on their party affiliation. We both are members of the democratic party. Our party's platform is to grow our economy from the bottom up & middle out, make the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, tackle climate crisis, control gun violence, protect freedoms, secure the border, and strengthen American leadership worldwide."
He adds," Recently, the presidential candidates of both parties are airing advertisements about who is tougher on Immigration issues. But the reality is different. The businesspeople want the immigrants to come. work our land and build our houses; but do not want to recognize that they are humans like us. You go to any house under construction in the southern states, and you would see that Hispanics are building it. We encourage it because they are incredible workers and are cheap; but we want to keep the threat of deportation alive so that they cannot rest from their toil. Similarly, I get many bright students from China and India who work in my lab; on graduation, the tech companies would hire them; but the government would not give a green card for ten to fifteen years. Therefore, we employ high quality technology workers who toil without any assurance that they would stay in our country. It is strange that people still want to migrate to our country."
I agree that many people in our country stay back due to strong family connections; some of them migrate to neighboring countries.
We arrive at the camp, and they are invited by the campsite team enthusiastically. Since their flight landed early in the day, I tell them that we would have a night safari at about 7 p.m. I talk to the camp manager and ensure that they would get their dinner at 6 p.m.
I pick them up after dinner. It is pitch dark and cold. The staff provide them with a heat pad that they carry to the jeep. They settle down in their seats and get ready for the ride. We go through the pothole filled trail. The vehicle is jerking up and down.
David mentions, "Are there any efforts to make these trails better? The vehicle is jerking a lot, and I must be careful as you make the turns."
I respond, "David, we cannot put any roads here; that will involve destroying the forest. Our intention is to live with nature; therefore, we consider these trails to be passable by our vehicles."
David replies, "We spend a lot of money on our infrastructure, repairing bridges, roads and constructing new ones. Otherwise, the economy would not flourish."
I comment, "You are correct. But the damage to the environment is massive and we do not want to implement such programs."
Bill interjects, "It is cold here; I thought the summer here would be warmer."
I reply, "Sorry, it is warmer during the daytime but becomes cold during the evenings. We are used to the weather changes."
Bill mentions, "Hmm!! We also have severe freezing weather in Boston; but we have centralized heating that takes care of it. We feel comfortable inside our homes, vehicles, and offices."
I respond, "But are you not consuming enormous amounts of energy to live in such an artificial environment?"
Bill replies, "True, but you have not tasted that comfort. Once you do so, you cannot go back to living the way you do."
Akanyang spots an owl and shows it to them with his search light. Bill and David take many photos of the owl. We turn off the lights in our jeep and sit in the darkness. The night sky is crowded with millions of stars and galaxies.
David is amazed, "So many stars! I have never seen that many in my life."
Bill replies, "It is dazzling. There are no lights to be seen anywhere nearby, and I am sure that is the reason for the brilliant sky. It also helps that we are two days from the new moon."
David responds, "The light pollution in Boston should be the reason we do not see these many stars. I cannot believe how dark it is. Jim, please turn on the headlights. It is too dark for my comfort."
I turn on the headlights and we continue our safari. They see a fox and many animals from the cat family: a leopard, lion, and a serval. We return to the campsite around 9 p.m. and I escort them to their tents. I tell them to get ready at about 8 a.m. the next day so that we can go on another safari.
The sun rises above the Baobab tree line in the morning, and I go to the dining tent to check on David and Bill. They tell me that they slept well irrespective of the noises from the hippos in the river next to the tents. That cheers me up since it means that they would be ready for the Makaro (dugout canoe) ride and nature walk.
I hear on the radio that a cheetah is spotted, and we drive to that area. Unfortunately, there is tall grass, and it is difficult to spot the animal. Akanyang tries hard to locate the animal, but it eludes him today. After a frustrating hour of searching, we decide to abandon it and go for the Makaro ride. Our campsite had kept two Makaros in a nearby canal. I flip them and put the seats in. David and Bill get into the Makaro and sit down. I push the boat with the long pole, and we glide through the knee-deep water. As we travel, I tell them:
"The Makaro is made from the hollowed-out trunk of a large tree. I have helped my dad construct several when I was young."
David responds, "Wow! This rides more smoothly than a canoe. I am at eye level with the flora within the canal and I see a large group of buffaloes at the distance."
Bill replies, "This is a peaceful, relaxing experience allowing me to absorb the beauty of the delta as I gaze down at the sandy bottom and take in the stunning waterlilies as I drift by."
I mention that my village, Jedibe can be accessed only by a Makaro starting from Etsha 6; it takes six hours.
David asks, "What happens if you see a hippo?"
"We steer away from them. They do not bother us."
"Why can't you run air boats like we use in Florida swamps?"
"It would pollute the waterway and the animals might suffer."
I notice the buffaloes coming near and dock the Makaro and ensure that Bill and David are safely in the jeep. David is curious and asks:
"Why are you so worried about the buffaloes? They look harmless."
"Oh, they are dangerous animals. They charge at you and if you are in the way, might gore you to death. They are fast and nimble."
Bill responds: "It reminds me of some of the politicians in our country. They would charge at everybody else, never find fault with themselves, and belittle others. They attract similar bullies, and they work hard to capture power."
I reply: "We have similar politicians in our country also. Don't you have elections coming up soon?"
"Yes, we have elections coming up in a few months. For a change, we have a woman who is representing the Democratic Party; she is part black and part Indian. I am hoping she will win over the old bully."
David interjects: "She plans to decrease the taxes for the middle-class people and is talking about providing affordable housing for people. If she can do these, she will be popular."
Bill responds: "The problem is there are many radicals in the party who would like to defund the police, have an open-door immigration policy, and tax the rich so they pay a fair share. We have tried these policies in the past and it does not work well in the USA, given that it is a capitalist economy. We have many PACs that are funded by rich people, and they discreetly support either of the candidates. The flaws in our democracy are becoming more visible with the current elections."
David replies, "I can tell you that neither party wants to change the dynamics of the stock market drastically. Our brokerage firms are built to encourage profit-making, dissuade savings, and take risks. Now, we are into cryptocurrency that might make major changes in the financial markets. I expect that the market will do well with either candidate."
I respond, "Looks like that irrespective of which party is in power, your country likes to spend enormous amounts of money on defense and fund and train the military around the world."
David replies, "It is one of our strengths. Many innovations in our civilian sector come from research conducted by the military. For example, the Internet was a result of our military wanting to interconnect computer devices seamlessly. I have many relatives who served in the military; we consider it to be an important mission in our life."
We drive around for another hour, see a few Zebras and lionesses resting in the shade. I drop them off at the campsite near noon. The next morning, I pick them up and drive them to the airport.
David says, "Hi, we had a great trip. I was reading the brochure in the tent that mentioned that the AIDS epidemic has devastated your country."
I respond, "Yes, it is a major problem in our country. We are one of the top four countries that is suffering from this epidemic. About 26,000 people from the population of 1.6 million died of AIDS last year alone. We are working hard to prevent the spread of AIDS from mothers to children."
David replies, "Glad that your country is making efforts to control this. Fortunately, we have medicines in the USA that make it a lot less severe than it was in the 1990s. So far, both parties have been willing to fund research to control this; but things might change if the conservatives win. They want to deny same-sex marriages and are against abortions. This might be a major political issue in the coming elections."
Bill asks, "Do people come from other countries to settle in Botswana?"
I reply, "No, not that much. We are not a rich country. Most people would like to live in South Africa; that country has an immigration problem."
David interjects, "That is a hot-button issue in the USA. Unfortunately, many countries in Central America are not doing well economically and people from there want to find other places to make a living. It is a tough problem."
Bill responds, "Also, there is a move toward emphasizing ethnic purity. Some political leaders would like to polarize our country and cater to White Supremacy."
I reply, "Oh, I am aware of it. South Africa implemented the apartheid policy for over 40 years and imprisoned anybody opposed to it. You should see the Robben Island prison near Cape Town where they kept Mandela for eighteen years if you get a chance. It would show you the evil of that government-sanctioned policy. A well-integrated society was split apart and the wounds that inflicted are still taking time to heal. The country was devastated economically and only now is showing signs of springing back."
David responds, "Yes, these are difficult issues and electing a good leader is a tough choice. We have strange election rules from way past and a person who gets most votes may not be elected as the President of the country. Some of our leaders change the boundaries of the districts so that they could get elected. Some hide under moral cloaks; others want our country to flex its military muscle. Only a few really care about doing good to the people."
Bill adds, "It is a hunt for power, and I have seen strange partnerships that are formed to hold onto power. Can you believe that the republicans were the ones who fought to free the Black people from slavery? The southern states were ruled by the democratic party in the early 1900s."
I respond, "You see that in animals also. The male impalas fight among themselves, and the winner has a harem. The loser drifts apart and sees whether he can take over another harem. We are expected to be neutral when we witness these fights among the impalas."
Bill agrees that my neutrality may be necessary when dealing with animals, but he disagrees that it holds true for humans. He quotes Desmond Tutu,
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say you are neutral; the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."
I respond, "Oh, he was a great soul. He said, "Be nice to the whites; they need to rediscover their humanity.""
At this, Bill and David laugh loudly. David adds, "Do you remember the quote: "In the bible, we first encounter God when he sides with a bunch of slaves against a powerful Pharoh, an act of grace freely given. All over the United States, it is a society like split to the bottom, which has extremely poor people in one of the wealthiest countries.""
Bill responds, "Yes, the disparity between the rich and poor in the US keeps growing. It is a difficult balancing act to reward the rich as well as ensure the well-being of the working class. We also have a $1.9 trillion deficit, and it keeps growing irrespective of the party that is in power; our children and grandchildren must pay off this massive debt burden. We have a close election and only way we will have a good result if everybody votes."
I agree with him about the need for people to vote.
"About 83% of our people voted during the 2019 election. We have the same problem."
"That is remarkable. We had only 66% of the eligible people in the US voting in our 2020 elections. Everybody needs to vote to sustain our democracy."
As we are talking, the Cesena lands, and I bid bye to these two wonderful people. They also give generous tips, and I feel sad as they leave. Now, I must wait for the next groups of visitors to arrive. I wonder which country they would be from: a place where dictators' rule, Kings/ Queens rule, one party rule, multi-party rule, democracies, socialists, or communists.
