Opportunity Without Impediments

 

Extreme liberal ideology is seriously threatening our freedom. Its perverse ideas about “equity” artificially prop up some groups by kicking the legs out from under others. The young men of our country have been made sacrificial lambs in the so-called women’s movement, and their emasculation has been devastating for them and for the country.

 

Scott Galloway is a Professor of Marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business. He has been studying the downhill slide of the American male for years and concluded that the social neutering of young men, compounded by the dismal truth that 25 percent of America’s boys under 18 are living in fatherless homes, has created a “crisis of masculinity”. Traditional male traits have been villainized, and young men are simultaneously being stripped of economic viability.

 

Historically the male identity was built on being an economic provider.  Today young men are falling behind in education, work, and relationships which not only hurts them, but also women and society as a whole.

 

One in seven males ages 16 – 24 is in what Galloway calls the NEET crisis – Not in Education, Employment or Training - and that number has doubled in recent years. Many are so isolated that they spend less time outdoors than prison inmates.

 

Among the alarming ways Galloway reports men are falling behind:

• They are earning just 43% of bachelor’s degrees.

• They account for only 1/3 of the top 10% of high school graduates.

• They account for 51% of college dropouts.

• One third of those with only a high school education are out of the workforce.

• Their rates for suicide, addiction, and homelessness are on the rise.

• 15% under the age of 30 report having no friends.

• 62% under the age of 30 report having given up on dating.

• 20% of those in their 30’s live with a parent.

 

Galloway’s prescription to reverse these trends: Men must return to being provider, protector and procreator.

 

 People are Building Things in America Again

 

President Trump’s vision and leadership are responsible for a manufacturing and construction resurgence in America, and you will never hear about it if his enemies in the political establishment and the media have their way.  He has artfully used a combination of carrots and sticks to “reshore” the manufacturing of American products back to the mainland and attract foreign producers to the country. Companies have already announced trillions in planned U.S. manufacturing investments to expand domestic production capacity and strengthen supply chain resilience. Key sectors include pharmaceuticals, semi-conductors, technology, and automotive. This is in addition to the more than $10 trillion in infrastructure that will be required to support the Artificial Intelligence (AI) boom.

 

530,000 skilled trade jobs, critical to transforming these plans into reality, currently sit vacant. Construction alone needs almost 350,000 new workers in 2026 to keep pace with demand. By 2030, 2.1 million skilled trade positions for electricians, HVAC techs, plumbers, welders, pipe fitters, and heavy equipment operators are at risk of going unfilled unless significant steps are taken to turn the tide.

 

Supply Meets Demand to Create a Massive Win-Win

 

In a much-needed show of the kind of thinking that can turn this country around, Dina Powell McCormick, President of Meta, and Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation but best known as the star of “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel, recently announced the launch of America’s Workforce Academy.  Meta is investing $115 million in this skilled trade training program to meet the need for tomorrow’s skilled trade workers in their own company.  Mike Rowe described the program as “opportunity without impediments”.

 

This creative approach to growing their own future workforce marries beautifully with the urgent need to get America’s young men in particular, but women too, on track to the fulfilling lives that will only come from achievement and self-sufficiency. 

 

Mike Rowe’s reputation as a strong proponent of the skilled trades makes him the ideal spokesman for this initiative. His unbridled enthusiasm comes after years of frustration trying unsuccessfully to get members of Congress concerned about the extreme skilled labor shortage that is about to cripple the country.  He points out that the program design will eliminate the “friction points” that prevent people in low paying jobs from being able to pursue a trade because they cannot afford to quit their job.  The other big hurdle to overcome, Rowe says, is the bad rap the trades have gotten over the years.  People have been duped into thinking college was the only path to desirable work, and millions have gone deep into debt to earn a degree that prepares them to do absolutely nothing. These are high paying - $80,000 - $100,000 a year - jobs and an excellent way to earn a great living. They cannot be outsourced to India.

 

I have seen firsthand in my own family the boundless opportunities that come with a skilled trade.  As a career destination, a trade can provide a comfortable living with plenty of resources for the luxuries as well as the necessities.  It can also be a path to new and unimagined opportunities.  An expert welder is tapped for his leadership skill by his company and becomes a member of operations management.  A Master plumber is now the owner of his own thriving company.

 

The program is being launched in Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas. It is open to applicants from anywhere in the country and the goal is to train 300,000 workers by 2036.

 

The particularly unique and exciting features of the program include:

• Fully paid training, including travel to the training site, lodging, and a stipend to live on. The program is 5 weeks of intense basic skills training that fully qualifies the trainee for an entry level job on completion.  It is expected that many will want to continue to higher levels of training and certification within their trade once they enter the workforce.

• Credentialing at the end of the training will make the graduate “job ready”. Meta has partnered with the National Council on Construction, Education and Research, the organization that grants the credentials. 

• A guaranteed job awaits each participant upon completion of the program.

 

McCormick and Rowe could not contain their excitement when describing what happened with the program pilot in Ohio.  There were 1,000 training slots that received 30,000 applicants, a sure sign they are on to something big that can be taken to scale by other companies following their lead. 

 

Modern Day Slavery

 

A toxic brand of liberal extremism has taken hold in the Democratic party and is spreading rapidly. The American people are being told many lies - the government should take care of them; entitlement is a replacement for personal responsibility; and those who have achieved the American dream through hard work and perseverance have no right to what they have earned.  Those who succumb to this ideology will be robbed of their freedom just as certainly as if they were in shackles.  It is time to snuff out this dangerous thinking like cockroaches infesting our home and re-embrace the character and values of the people who made this country strong and free.

 

The life of James Braddock is an American rags to riches story. He became known as the “Cinderella Man”, a working-class hero during the Great Depression.  He held the title of the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1935 to 1937. 

 

Braddock was a blue-collar working man who struggled mightily to keep food on the table for his wife and three children and a roof over their heads.  His boxing career suffered setbacks with serious injuries to his hand, and, at his lowest point, he was forced to go on welfare just to keep the heat on.  Following his title win, he paid back every cent of the relief money he had received, making him an idol to millions of struggling Americans.

 

A reporter once asked him why he did it.  He answered, “I believe we live in a great country, a country that’s great enough to help a man financially when he’s in trouble. But lately I’ve had some good fortune and I’m back in the black.  I just thought I should return it.”  Amen to that.