Death of Blue Collar America

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

No, not the Apple guy– It’s all about the death of “blue collar” America. The energy which fueled the American dream has been taken away. What replaced the American dream was the “age of entitlement.” Let me ask you, which works best for you, entitlement or opportunity?

Let me rephrase that, left alone in a room by yourself, which works for you “entitlement or opportunity?” The big qualifier here is guilt. Guilt heaped on you and me by the those who realize they did nothing to warrant their station in life. You can look at names like Gore, Kerry and Kennedy for examples of white anglo-saxon males who inherited wealth and privilege. While many people accept the concept of “noblesse oblige” and go forward, some wallow in the guilt.

Being wealthy does not qualify one as a leader, nor does it give a person station to lecture others. With wealth comes responsibility but not much else. Others may grant privilege or a level of status to the rich, but that does not warrant a title or station which is not earned by each individual. Yet, we give individuals who earned mega millions in sport, movies or politics a pulpit on which to lecture us.

Individual such as Kerry, Gore and Kennedy care less about the poor starving folk in south Alabama than they do the elevated position their preaching affords them.

Now that we’ve covered the wealthy, the political class and other guilt mongers, let’s get to the basics of employment. Or in this case, unemployment. Post WWII, young men returned from the war eager to build a life. Industrialization was in full swing. Investment was strong and the U.S. was earning a place in the world. Prior to WWII, we were an” also ran” in the world. In the next 20 years the U.S. became the major power, replacing England on the world stage as the deterrent to Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union expansion.

At the height of our position as leader of the Free World, the U.S. became embroiled in Vietnam. Our first entry into the SE Asia conflict was under the tutelage of John F. Kennedy. Yes, that bearer of the flame on the hill thought to be a modern day Camelot, got us into Vietnam. The escalation in Vietnam was under the direction of Lyndon B. Johnson, JFK’s replacement post assassination. Along with the Great Society, Johnson may be more responsible for the destruction of the US as Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

Johnson’s Vietnam became a quagmire from which there was no ready escape, much as today’s Afghanistan. In the 60′s, with the affluence of the average American came a softness. No longer did people have to labor 10-12 hours a day six days a week to feed their families. Jobs were plentiful and the pay was good. At that point we stopped worrying and started relaxing. After all “we deserved it.”

Somewhere in there, the mindset changed. From the depression era, “save, save, save,” we moved to the “we can afford it.” But we weren’t done yet. Beyond, the “we can afford it,” lie “we deserve it.” One might never find the author of “we deserve it.” That one phrase has done more to destroy the quality of life in the U.S. than any other. That of course, is my opinion.

The “I deserve it,” mindset disregards all the solid principles on which the blue collar generation built the “American Dream.” Hard work, family, trust, honesty, responsibility are just a few of the words which one might assign the “blue collar generation.”

Under the shiny, newness of suburbia a cancer was spreading. The cancer of discontent. Children of the baby boom, were given more than any generation to ever populate the earth. Like the Kennedys, Gores, and Kerrys the “baby boomers,” knew they did not deserve it. The baby boomers grew up and gave us the “we deserve it” generation which followed. No longer was there a depression era foundation to temper the frivolous attitude of baby boomers.

Before you haul out the gallows, yes, I was just as guilty as anyone else in the “pampered generation.” Somewhere along the trail, I sobered up, the kool aid of psychobabble wore off. So, when they kept heaping guilt on me, while telling me they deserved it, I just walked away shaking my head.

That may be the point, I dropped out. Not from business, or parenting or working 12 hour days, walked away from the concept of “touchy feely.”

Along with running a small international business, I have since been a laborer, rented a room by the week, and struggled to survive. So, while I have enjoyed some of the finest in life, I have also wondered when my next meal would be more than potatoes. But when you asked me personally, I can tell you without hesitation, “I have been blessed.”

Why is the “blue collar American dream” dead?

The “I deserve it” mentality was used to seduce people into believing they could have “more” than they deserved. No one in the collective bargaining process, ever said, “this may bankrupt our industry or drive business away.” People with nothing more than a high school education and no real skill set believed they deserved the house in suburbia, two cars, a boat, complete health care and vacation to Las Vegas.

In short people felt they deserved what others spent years in gaining education, experience and skill just by agreeing to a collective bargaining agreement. Are they responsible for the “death of the American Dream?” No, the death of the American Dream is far more complicated than just getting paid more than one is worth. The core of the problem lies in the lack of responsibility. Every person in the food chain has been guilty of looking the other way.

Business signed the contract, rather than close down factories, or face labor unrest. It was just a lot easier to give in than, draw a line. Government contributed by allowing unions to bully, and allowing corporations to loot pension funds. Voters bought into the guilt program rather than say no.

We are all guilty as individuals for not being willing to stand up and say, “no.”

The cure for the “death of the blue collar American Dream,” is hard work, individual responsibility. There is no other option. The cure lies with people thinking and acting as individuals. Collective process is a cancer which will destroy us if we do not turn away from it.

Part of my youth was spent in farm country. Farmers helped each other, but would not take money for the help. They knew their neighbor would return the favor. There was no collective effort, it was an individual thing. A farmer made or lost his profit because of his ability and weather.

There will always be work for people with a skill set needed. Being a great drummer may not put food on your table in rough times, being a good auto mechanic will. But how does that help you today? How does that help a nation with 300 million people and a economy which will never get off the floor without a reconstruction? An individual is responsible for themselves. They look to no one else for survival.

Faced with basic survival the individual will go to great lengths. Without a re-think of what it means to be an American, we can never walk away from this “collective- we deserve it” attitude. Today, on a 90 degree Summer day, there is a man on ladder 30 feet in the air painting a house or building. A man is walking a fence line replacing broken wire, and steeples. Right now some one is taking a nap, waiting for their check from the government. Another is standing in line for a hand out at a food kitchen.

These are the attitudes of individuals. The first half exhibit a do-it-myself attitude. The second half feel it’s another’s responsibility to keep them going. Until every individual feels they are responsible for themselves, we will be losing the war of independence from the collective path to communism.

The “green manufacturing” ploy is a political scam. There is nothing in the green spectrum which cannot be produced more cost effectively in Asia. The green energy plan works on the individual level, where we each make investments in green energy to power our own homes. Again, it’s up the individual to find cheaper sources of energy.

Manufacturing in the US which built the “blue collar American dream,” is dead. No one can support a family of four on $5 an hour. The American Dream has ballooned into living way beyond our blue collar skill sets. Communism got us here with it’s back door collective bargaining policy. Once on the collective bargaining train, the ride is all down hill.

Shuffling paper for someone else is short term. One day, they realize they cannot afford to pay for paper shuffling. The service industry is a myth. People in other countries are performing more and more of the service task at a fraction of the cost. The US has priced itself out of the service industry market.

“What is the answer? I need a solution,” you say.

Get involved in local elections, support candidates for the US Congress. Send your check to them directly after you have spent time to learn who they are and what they represent. You must not take another’s word, be responsible, “do it yourself.” Take back your share of America and become a part of the governing process.

Tonight I am attending a “Meet the Candidate Night.” That’s a start for each and every one of us. Beyond that, I support candidates who reflect my beliefs.

If you believe we are heading for a crisis, as I do, save cash. Be prepared. Find a skill set you possess, which is marketable in hard times. Start a small business which can hire an extra worker or two. We must rebuild the American Dream at the local level. You and I know better what our community needs and how best to serve it. We know if there are 50 unemployed mechanics or lawn services begging for workers. You probably won’t be rich, but you’ll know you’re your own person and you make a difference in your community.

We can build a dream “one person at a time.”