Commentary By Ron Beasley
I have a great deal of respect for James Joyner and his does a good job of critiquing the really offensive book by Charles Murray, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.
But in the comments section he goes too far:
As a matter of sheer economics, the gravy train in which low skill laborers could make fantastic livings in manufacturing was unsustainable. But the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction and huge swaths of the country are finding it hard to make a decent living. Blaming that on the 1960s counterculture isn�t very helpful.
My response:
Why? Those �Low Skill Workers� may not have had a college education but that doesn�t mean they weren�t skilled. As an engineer I appreciated the skills of those �low Skilled� people I worked with. And what created the economic miracle that was the US in the 50s, 60s and 70s. It wasn�t the wealthy it was those �low skilled workers� that had money to spend. The wealthy don�t create jobs it�s those �low skilled workers� with money to spend that create jobs.
James is still a believer in supply side economics. He is also guilty of thinking that only the college educated are skilled. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Excellent observation, Ron. My experience managing food service employees for thirty years underscores your point. The word "skilled" is among the most abused in the language. Snide remarks about hamburger flippers make me cringe. There are skills in food service that would make the average executive as worthless as a used hamburger carton. Employees who are good at their jobs make hard work look easy. And the qualities that make good employees are not very different for fast food than for most jobs up the economic food chain. It's true that education has a role in success, but the education that turns work into money has more to do with opportunity and durability than academic and technical certification.
ReplyDeleteThe marketplace is a savage and unforgiving environment. And those who emerge more successfully than others are in most cases standing on the shoulders of others. The smart ones understand that their continued success depends on the protection, good will and continued support of those they left behind.
Its official, Currently, the only way for low skilled workers to come in as through agricultural business where they work less than 1 year. Only 66,000 slot is available in the quota. Other than that there is no way for an employer to sponsor them.
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