Interesting read - Mike Rowe's Testimony to Senate

[mike343sharpstick]

I found this interesting, it seems like something you folks would enjoy.
Your thoughts?

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/dirtyjobs/mike-rowe-senate-testimony.html?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150193613246921_16179652_10150195686596921#f1cec82e2d7e545

[squirrel]

someone posted a link to the youtube video on the hamb. Interesting, I agree that we have a problem. then again, I'm one of the guys helping get kids into the science/technology stuff (with robotics) so they'll go to engineering school. I end up playing shop teacher quite a bit, since most kids these days didn't ever learn how to use tools.

[JOES66FURY]

I just read a book about ths very subject and Mike totally summed up everything it was about...way to go Mike...I applaud his efforts. The US shifted from indutrial to technical without foresight...any high school principal in america would be shunned if he did not say his goal was to get all of his students into higher education..Trade schools are not considered higher education and are looked down upon by our society....

[LORENSWIFE]

BRAVO MIKE!
I love nothing better than to do manual labor all day, when I have a day off I am out in the acres weed whacking, mowing, moving rocks, driving the tractor, whatever as long as it does not involve sitting at a desk and working on a computer or going to inane meetings.
~gail

[pdub]

Wow, that was impressive. I liked Mike already, but wow he's GOOD. Real good.

The issue he relates has been in the making since computers hit the streets. All of the young kids these days want the money without having to do the physical labor, or even the hours on the job.

And no matter how you paint it, there's no way to sell the kids on plumbing being a glamorous job.

We're seeing it in my own workplace. Our workforce is on average 53 years old, people retiring right and left, and we can't find an electrician or a millwright to save us. They're not out there. They're gone, for the most part.

Mike's speech, as good as it is, I'm sure fell on deaf ears. Regardless, if the government actually did start some kind of a "get into the working trades" sort of a program, it would surprise me if very many kids these days would be interested. What, I have to actually work and get dirty and hot and sweaty to get paid? No, that won't happen, for the most part.

The situation is getting worse by the month and by the year. It's already bolstered the influx of illegal aliens, folks who are willing to work with a shovel and a pickaxe all day, when nobody else will.

That's my take, at least.

[studemax]

Wow, that was impressive. I liked Mike already, but wow he's GOOD. Real good.

The issue he relates has been in the making since computers hit the streets. All of the young kids these days want the money without having to do the physical labor, or even the hours on the job.

And no matter how you paint it, there's no way to sell the kids on plumbing being a glamorous job.

We're seeing it in my own workplace. Our workforce is on average 53 years old, people retiring right and left, and we can't find an electrician or a millwright to save us. They're not out there. They're gone, for the most part.

Mike's speech, as good as it is, I'm sure fell on deaf ears. Regardless, if the government actually did start some kind of a "get into the working trades" sort of a program, it would surprise me if very many kids these days would be interested. What, I have to actually work and get dirty and hot and sweaty to get paid? No, that won't happen, for the most part.

The situation is getting worse by the month and by the year. It's already bolstered the influx of illegal aliens, folks who are willing to work with a shovel and a pickaxe all day, when nobody else will.

That's my take, at least.

Well said, Peewee.

Mike has made getting your hands dirty cool to some extent. So did Jesse James, and some other reality show stars I won't name here. I am proud to have made a living my entire life with my hands, and for the most part - a good living that I loved doing. Yes, I had to use the old noodle, too - but only to work smarter, not harder.

I am fed with up with that part of society that thinks you must be a double degreed lawyer or doctor to really call yourself successful.
I also think there are too many unhappy Americans doing jobs their entire lives that they hate, when they should have done something they loved.

My dad is a perfect example - he grew up on a farm, and wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. However, during the Korean War he learned to be an excellent aircraft mechanic, and ended up doing that his entire life and hating it. Yes, he had enough money all his life - but he was bitter and angry most of the time. The only time he was calm and satisfied was after retirement when he was on a tractor in the field, or in the corral with his mules and donkeys, in the kennel with his bulldogs, or in the barn with his goats. Dad was an animal person, not a machinery person like I am. He told me once he was jealous of me when I had my guitar repair shop, doing what I loved for good money. I think that's sad.

Anyway - back to Mike Rowe! I knew he was a good soul, and this bit of video proves it. Hopefully - our countrymen will see it, and realize that Mike is right, and then act upon it. It would do us some good in more ways than one!

[pdub]

At the end of it, it looked to me like the stiff shirt with the gavel sort of blew Mike off. Like, "We have a vote at 3:00." Ho-hum. Be on your way, that's enough of our valuable time wasted.

And Mike says, "I'll vote." So Frumpy says sternly, "You can't."

Where's the sense of humor? Bunch of hairless boneless spineless pricks with limos. Hmmmmph.

[studemax]

Where's the sense of humor?

Easy. Mike has the sense of humor.
Which is why Rockefeller's wife likes Mike.
(And he's a studly kind of guy the ladies love)

[pdub]

I meant, Mike has it (a brilliant sense of humor) , and the stiff shirts don't. Or didn't on that day at least. Even Mike himself couldn't make them laugh.

Assholes. And the colloquial "we" voted for every one of them. Go figure.

Am I banned?

[tardis454]

Mike Rowe is a great American. Hats off to you Mike!

I knew there'd be a skilled labor shortage when all the schools got rid of shop class. It's a rough road for kids wanting to learn skilled labor trades. My school got rid of all shop classes about 10yrs ago. Their shop classes were laid out too. I took design & fab, machine shop, metal shop, & wood shop & I learned a lot from those guys. Now they send kids to the local community colleges & tech schools for 'PAID' skilled labor courses. There's a kid at the junkyard that wants to learn auto mechanics. His parents couldn't afford to pay for the course during high school. Now he's out of school working at the junkyard part time trying to learn about cars. Kid busts his ass, & tries, that's rare these days lol! I hope Mike's idea helps the next generation of kids get their shit together. The kids need it & we need it too.

[pdub]

I'm telling y'all, it's serious. I don't know what we'll do in maybe three years or four at the most. Factories may shut down for lack of skilled labor. I've got a view from the inside, and it's not at all a small issue. It's a crisis. The "next generation" won't be in the pipeline soon enough to help our factories run in five years. We need millwrights and electicians and they're all retiring, and there's nobody to replace them with.

Nobody. This story hasn't hit the headlines yet, but it will, when factories start to close for just that one reason. Eventually the media will pick up on it, and then they'll go onto some other story, like they always do.

[studemax]

Right now here in Wichita (aka The Air Capitol), most of the aircraft manufacturers are still in the process of downsizing since 9/11. And yet, a new aircraft production training facility was just opened with Federal and State money to train kids fresh outta high school and college to work in aircraft production. They are having trouble getting students - most of the ones they have are 30 year olds who are trying to get retrained for a new job after being laid off from another job. Is that stupid, or what? If they get trained - there are no jobs here to employ them (unless business picks up a whole lot).

So get your asses out there and start buying all the LearJets, Cessnas, Beechcrafts, Hawkers, Boeings, and Airbuses you can - Wichita needs you!

[Brian Lohnes]

At the end of it, it looked to me like the stiff shirt with the gavel sort of blew Mike off. Like, "We have a vote at 3:00." Ho-hum. Be on your way, that's enough of our valuable time wasted.

And Mike says, "I'll vote." So Frumpy says sternly, "You can't."

Where's the sense of humor? Bunch of hairless boneless spineless pricks with limos. Hmmmmph.

While I agree that Rockefeller is deserved of any names we want to call him (He's the guy who'd like to place limits on our personal mobility!) do we really take umbridge with Congressmen having to go vote? That's pretty much why they are there, right?

I love what Rowe had to say and agree 100%, but I want my congressman in his seat when there's voting going on.

I also think Rockefeller was being deadpan in his response, but that's just my take.

[mike343sharpstick]

I’m glad you all got to thinking about this, as a gear head this subject is close to our hearts, and dirty hands.
A bunch of thinking AND a fair amount of gettin’ grungy

It’s times like this that i wish I could write well, to express what i’m thinking in words.
I can’t but... here we go using forest gump style writing.
I’m an IT fella and I’m good at it cuz I know how it works and I’m pretty good at problem solving. This all works for me and it pays the bills, even in the recession so far. I work with highly educated engineers, technical writers, and business professionals...
What do I dream about when I’m daydreaming? Welding and fabricating
You all know what I’m talking about.

A few life-times ago I got out of the manual labour market because the manual labor that I fell into during my early 20’s was pure crap. (stone quarry and tar/rubber industrial roofing). Basically I worked with, and for, complete idiots.
I didn’t mind busting my ass, just wanted to work with intelligent people.

Since my younger days I’ve met the most intelligent folks in the hot rod/racing world. Not highly educated engineer types, rather they are self taught IT folks, Fuel injection tuners, fabricators, and small business owners; Folks that get dirty, and use their heads!
That’s what it’s all about, but in todays world you seem to get one, or the other??

[squirrel]

but in todays world you seem to get one, or the other??

That's usually how it works. There are a few who are educated and know how to fix stuff....but it's not common. I like to think I'm one of them, but my education is pretty out dated and mostly forgotten. My neighbor (the one I got my bulldozer from) is one of those old old guys who can make or fix anything, and made a good living working in the field he was educated in, and building houses on the side. He's 80 some years old, and I sure don't see many kids stepping up to take his place.