We were talking to Can and his companion, Bulent Durak, who with three other visitors from Turkey spent three days in Washington last week as part of a Group Study Exchange, program of the Rotary International Foundation. The Rotary Club was host to the visitors who stayed with local families.

We knew the answer to our question before Can shot a question back to us. Having visited Turkey in 2007, we knew the Turkish people didn't care for President Bush. The reason is the same as with people in other countries. They believe he was a "war promoter" and they just didn't agree with his foreign policies. Some actually feared him as commander in chief of the greatest military in the world.

As for President Obama, they generally support him because they believe he will enact "changes" they favor. They like what Obama said during the campaign and since he has been president. However, the two Turkish visitors we talked to didn't appear to be real enthusiastic about Obama as president so far. Perhaps they were just being cautious about what they were saying.

Can and Bulent were vocal about not having any sympathy for Americans when it comes to taxes. "Don't complain to us about taxes," Bulent said. He explained that if you buy a vehicle that has more than a 3 liter engine, your sales tax is 85 percent! And gasoline is $7.50 a gallon in Turkey. They also pay sales taxes on many other items, pay an income tax, special taxes and other taxes.

"We have the same problem that you have," Can said. "Our middle class is getting smaller and smaller. All countries are losing their middle class." Unemployment is about 13 percent in Turkey, which has a population of about 75 million people. Economic conditions in Turkey are much like in the U.S.A. "Auto sales are slow and production is down," Can said. Bulent is a marketing manager for a large textile company. "We had 185 workers a year ago. Now we have 105."

Turkey is 98 percent Muslim. "But we are completely different from other Muslim countries. We have a secular and democratic government," Can asserted. While they adhere to Islam practices the younger people aren't as religous as many of the elders. "We believe it's between the individual and God," said Can, explaining that many of the Muslims in Turkey do not pray to Allah five times a day or go to the mosque on a regular basis.

While the Turkish military has been waging a war along the Iraq border, both men defended the action as fighting PKK terrorists. This battle with the Kurds has been going on since 1983, with 35,000 military and civilian deaths. They said the people do not object to military personnel from the United States being stationed at bases in Turkey.

They said not every town in Turkey has a newspaper, but in their city of Bursa with 2.5 million people there are five daily newspapers. After touring The Missourian's printing plant, Can, who has a digital printing operation, said the production principles are the same in both countries.

One of the impressions they had about Washington was the few people who live in the downtown section, which surprised them. They said being on the Missouri River gave the town added charm. They visited many Missouri cities, having been in the state since April 2, and said Missourians and Washingtonians are very friendly. Both men had been to the United States before and said they had noticed a difference in the people as to friendliness. The midwesterners, they found, were friendlier than people back east or on the West Coast.

The two businessmen emphasized that they were not on a vacation. They are in the United States to learn about our culture and what we do for a living. Living with host families has been a rewarding experience, they said. They praised the hospitality here.