Things You Wish They'd Followed Up

By Lee Russ

Friday, November 25, 2005 at 01:06 PM

In a depressingly large number of media stories these days, there are statements that appear contradictory, or which are so obviously questionable that you can't believe the author didn't follow up to clarify.

I came across this one in a story on Rick Santorum titled "The Path of the Righteous Man," by Mike Newall, from Philadelphia City Newspaper, 9/29-10/05, 2005:

"Rick's father was the chief of psychology and his mother was the chief of nurses"--the former head of personnel at the VA hospital where the Santorums worked in Butler, PA.

"They were good people, a well-principled, blue-collar family"--A childhood friend, describing Rick Santorum.

Could someone tell me how the chief of psychology at a VA hospital, and the chief of nurses at the same hospital, somehow comprise a "blue collar" family?  What the Hell does blue collar mean these days, that someone actually works instead of getting all their money from investments?