BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Wonderful. From the loftiness of the presidential race, we learn all about Barack Obama’s intemperate minister, Hillary Clinton’s trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina 12 years ago, where she did not have to duck sniper fire, and John McCain’s take on the housing crisis, in a major speech so remarkable that no one can remember a syllable he uttered 48 hours later.

Meanwhile, down here in anxious America, we have places such as the pawn shop on Liberty Road, in northwest Baltimore County, known as the Liberty Loan and Jewelry Co.

It has a little bit of pop cultural history attached to it. During the administration of George Bush the Elder, a big sign in front of the place read “A Kinder, Gentler Pawn Shop.” Now, in the administration of Bush the Younger, we have people hocking their jewelry in order to buy a few gallons of gasoline for their cars.

“That’s why I’m here,” said John Stevenson, removing a chain from his neck and handing it across the counter to a Liberty Loan employee named Marvin Johnson. “So I can get some gas. This economy’s killing me and my old lady.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“Drive a truck,” said Stevenson, 45. “That’s why I need the gas. Drive a truck and install office furniture.”

“The chain gets you through the week?”

“Seems like every week,” Stevenson said, laughing. “Right now, it’s rough. Been pawning the same chain, over and over. Don’t like doing it. But you do what you gotta do.”

He gets $45 for the chain and will pay 20 percent more to get it back. That’s the going rate. He leaves the shop vowing, “I’ll come back next Friday, when I get paid.”

Stevenson’s followed by a woman lugging in musical equipment: a portable mixer, an equalizer, and a power amp. She’s a little embarrassed about putting her name in the paper but says she plays in a band called Bangladesh Project.

She has to pawn the music equipment in order to raise cash for the security deposit on a place for the band to rehearse.

“The cost of your equipment is more than they’re paying musicians these days,” says a fellow behind the counter named Walt.

The musician laughs in agreement. It’s clear she’s not a first-timer here.

“No, no,” she said. “I’ve been here before. Had to pawn my saxophone to get gas money.”

“That’s what we’re seeing, number one,” says Walt. “People coming in to get money for gas. That, and money to pay their gas and electric bills.”

Both have gone through the roof. The presidential candidates may miss some of this in their zeal to attack each other. After all, it enlightens everyone when Obama’s camp invokes the name of Joe McCarthy from 50 years ago, and Clinton’s camp invokes the name of Judas from 2,000 years ago.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices now average about $3.25 around the country, and oil prices top $100 a barrel, and firms such as the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. send out monthly bills that are absolutely staggering.

Thus we find such healthy business in places such as the pawn shop on Liberty Road, where Johnson gestures at the day’s inventory. These things, he says, are the valuables people bring in for a quick hit of cash: music equipment, medical equipment, televisions, stereos, power tools, games, jewelry.

“And flat-screen TVs,” he said. “They come in fast, and they go out fast.”

“What about electronic stuff?”

“Not that valuable,” said Walt. “The computer stuff gets out-dated fast. Digital cameras, laptops, camcorders. The technology’s moving so fast, you wind up with something you can’t sell. So we don’t put much value on it.

“Jewelry’s our favorite. It doesn’t depreciate, and it doesn’t take up much space.” He gestures toward a display case filled with rings and necklaces. “Gold. That’s what people are bringing in now, because they’re getting a good price for it. I think it’s close to $1,000 an ounce.”

“Here it is,” said Johnson, scanning the latest figures, “$937 an ounce.”

He’s been in the business for 15 years, the last five of them here. “Now,” he said, “you’ve got people pawning stuff just to pay their mortgage. Or their car payment. Or child care. But the big things you hear, they just need money for gas. Or the gas and electric bill.”

All this, while the presidential candidates talk of Obama’s minister, or Clinton’s trip to Bosnia. Or McCain talks about housing so vividly that it’s already vanished from all memory.

Michael Olesker can be reached at olesker@baltimoreexaminer.com