UTICA, NY—Shooting anxious glances at each other across the dinner table upon the introduction of the unexpected topic, relatives of Mary Turner, 76, expressed concern to reporters Tuesday over where their grandmother is going with her discussion of low-income housing. “As soon as she started talking about the public housing units out by the interstate, I knew we were headed for trouble—this could go bad in any number of ways,” said Turner’s daughter Catherine, noting how wide-eyed family members were silently looking for someone among them to step up and try steering the conversation away from Turner’s ongoing comments about how poorly the lawns seemed to be maintained in front of the government-subsidized apartments. “Oh, boy, she just angrily mentioned her tax dollars. We really need to jump in and nip this thing in the bud before she reaches whatever conclusion she has in mind. Whatever it is, I know I don’t want the kids to hear it.” At press time, Turner’s family was bracing for the even more unpleasant line of discourse about how nobody listens to her anymore.

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