Mike Rowe: This story is everywhere, and it's not being covered | Brian Kilmeade Show 

I had a young guy show up to clean my carpets a couple of months ago. He was on-time and did a real good job and did not waste time on his cell phone. When the job was over, I commended him for his work. He said he was very happy with his new job and further added that his boss was proud of him for showing up and being pleasant to his customers. Looks like his boss found a winner.

It started with no child left behind in 2000. As a teacher I witnessed cut backs on tradeschools, high schools not offering mechanics, or shop classes or home economics. We now have young adults who have no life skills. Their parents taught them next to nothing, now we have a mess.

Im 22 years old and just enrolled in job corps about 6 months ago, currently working towards my certification in Building Construction Technology. I was tired of working job to job for such little pay knowing I could be putting the same effort into learning a trade. But I tell you, goin to Job Corps is probably the smartest move I’ve ever made. We learn just about everything ( plumbing , carpentry, HVAC, flooring, basic tools, forklifting, excavation, you name it). Pretty much the jack of all trades. They also have other trades such as painting, culinary, business and many more based on location. But guys I highly recommend it for any adults wanting their children ages 16-24 to get their foot in the door.They even provide free meals, housing, transportation and diplomas as well as placing you in a job once you finish. Coming from a small town just outside of Atlanta, I can say it was not an easy transition but it was definitely worth it. Just a heads up👍Wish me luck.

I am a 68 woman who works as a waitress at a restaurant, been there for 8 years and i love my job the good the bad and the rude customers. Living in Houston texas I make an hour drive for work. I am there everyday and will pull doubles. Always at work never late give great customer service. Two months ago I applied at two restaurants that were hiring, but i never was offered a job, comments were made, well servers cant sit down if they get tired and the other restaurant never called. These two were close to my home. After a couple of weeks I went to check the restaurants out and well I guess I was too old because all I saw were young girls working there. No experience with customers some servers were rude but i guess they just want young pretty ladies. Well I may be a senior but I can guarantee that I can still run circles around those young ones. It is their loss not mine.

I was a bricklayer like my father back in the 70s. I decided to go back to school and became an Electrical Engineer. I learned 50 years ago that as a bricklayer I would not earn enough to buy the houses I was working on or have enough skill to work in the office buildings I was helping build. Today no bricklayer, framer, concrete worker, roofer etc earns enough to live in my neighborhood. I completely understand why they are checking out. They see a system which doesn't accept them as a member. Every year more people just give up. It's a sad case but the America I grew up in is gone. We have a government which is too stupid to run a hotdog stand trying to regulate a 7 trillion dollar budget. They line their own pockets and pretend they are putting in a life of "PUBLIC SERVICE". What a disgrace.

I work part time in a grocery store deli and I have my own handyman business. At the deli that I work at, there's this 84 year old woman. She's always there, never calls in, works harder then all of the younger kids and as always the last one to leave. They just don't make them like they used to.

Mike Rowe is spot on in his comments. My son has his own construction business for 20 yrs now. He has 2 good employees now whom he works along side, because he has too. He has had trouble finding help. He has a guy in his 60's that helps him occasionally & he says this guy works hard when on the job! My son doesn't know how the guy can do it knowing how my son's body is feeling the aches & pains from the physical work.

This is what happens when you take the trade schools out of the schooling system. That’s insanity.

I'm a 46 year old trim carpenter with 22 years experience. When I go into a home, the electricians, plumbers, HVAC, and painters are usually all there. At 46, I'm often the youngest guy on site. A kid coming out of high school could learn any of the trades and in 10-15 years charge whatever he wanted because the demand will be there with nobody to do it.

About 7 years ago I had been unemployed for a while after being laid off...again (IT field). I looked at everything. I applied with the local IBEW to become an electricians apprentice. I filled out the miles of paperwork. Jumped through the hoops, crossed the T's, dotted the I's, paid the fees. Crickets. Nothing from them at all. I couldn't even get them to return a phone call. They were happy to cash the check for the application fee though. I did the same with a few trucking companies, trying to get onto something, anything! I just wanted to work and was in my late 30's at the time. I can only surmise they didn't want the "old" guy. It's not just one direction. Employers need to change their hiring practices and who they look at. I still have decades of good work left in me. Give us a chance.

Brian, thanks to you and Mike for bringing this to light. I’ve been knowing something is seriously wrong, but didn’t realize exactly what was/is happening. I’m seeing it in the professional services as well. Companies I’ve dealt with for 15 years, used to be dynamite customer service. Now even those companies lost good employees during the pandemic, Probably people near retirement saying “it’s just not worth it”! Now, something that used to take 10 minutes and one call, can literally take all day or days into weeks to get anything done. Recently someone ran into my truck. It took me 6 calls to preferred body shops to get someone to even take it before June or at all. I’m almost 63 and I’ve never been so frustrated in my life/every day of my life.

I'm 69 years old and retired but in defense of the young people jobs have no incentives anymore. I worked for General Electric and for decades if you had a job there you could plan on retiring with them and have a company pension plan. In the 1970's all that started falling apart. Big companies we're relocating to Japan for cheaper labor. I trained Japanese engineers how to build Air Conditioners my last year there because the company sold out to Trane and moved to Japan. Then by the 80's companies we're selling out and mergers were the thing. Big companies swallowing up the small ones. Everytime this happens employees are fired and either replaced or those jobs were deleted. We live in a world today where there is no job security anywhere. Forget about retiring from a company. That doesn't exist anymore. Those that want to work have to float from one company to the next never gathering any moss, benefits or promotions. Sad shape this country has become.

I am a retired industrial arts teacher. My son and my grandson grew up around my home garage shop, learning to use the tools. My grandson went to SUN tech his senior year of high school for welding. He was blessed to have an excellent teacher, Jamie Kotarsky. He then went to Penn College of Technology and graduated with associate degrees in welding and metal fabrication. He was hired by JLG before he graduated and earned a promotion and 50% raise after 7 or 8 months. They sent him to Chicago for training to program cnc lasers. He is the type of guy who will always be in demand because of his training and willingness to work and stay until the job is done. All this country needs is a few hundred thousand more young guys like him!

Mike is the reason I decided to get into the trades, HVACR technician. His words on recession proof work stuck with me as early as 15years old. Show up early, stay late, ask for more.(more work I mean) Edit: I'm 26 now and the sheer lack of work ethic, selfishness, and level of entitlement among my generation and the one before me is disgusting.

When I went into industrial maintenance in 1980 I had already received an Associate Degree in electronics and then starting my new job I went through a 4 year apprentice program. The company I work for now does not want to do any in-house training but expects to hire people already trained and there just aren't any people available. They hired 3 people a while ago and the only reason they were available is because the company they worked for caught fire and burned down and they were our of a job. I started working where I am now 15 years ago and the reason I changed jobs was the company I was working for was sold and moved to China. This shortage of workers didn't just happen but has been going on for many many years. I'll be 67 in August and would like to retire some day.

Mike Rowe is a “real” man!! Wish we had more of them. Our Country needs a few REAL men! You’re a real man too Brian! 😍😍

40 years ago you could work a regular job and have a nice life. Today a regular job can barely get the bills paid.

This is what happens when self esteem is pushed over self respect. Self respect teaches respect for others, respect for opportunities, etc., but self esteem only teaches narcissism.

This is evident in all types of work. I work in retail and also there are so many young people that will do anything to NOT work, and I see that only the older workers are the ones doing the heavy work while the younger ones are just lounging around especially if the boss is not there to witness it, they group up and just start chatting and fooling around while the older ones are doing all the work. Is just not fair, but the way children are being brought up with an entitlement that they should get paid without working, is really sad because this country will definitely fall apart, and we are seeing it right now.

FAMILY VALUES ARE A EXCELLENT START TO A SUCCESSFUL CAREER. Parents need to be PARENTS.

As a business owner of 17 very succesful years, i was devestated when Covid forced me to close forever and persue a different career....I worked hard 70 hour weeks and valued the lifestyle that it afforded me....but after watching my new workplace and its environment i was massively surprised at the lack of work ethic coming from the younger generations...

I was an Industrial Maintenance Man for a major corporation for 42 years before I retired. I joined their in-house apprenticeship right out of high school and never looked back. About 15 years after I finished my apprenticeship they decided that they didn't need to train skill tradesmen in-house. Very soon after that, let's say 1990, or there abouts, every school started ditching their metal shop, wood shop, machine shop, general shop curriculum in favor of computer labs. By the time I was 5 years short of my company's retirement age I was offered, day after day, extra shifts at double time for every hour, that was like $70 per hour, for as many hours as I could work, all because the guys that trained me eventually retired and there were no new hires for me to train over my long career. Industrial Maintenance is a broad field, but also a specific field in the skilled trades. A pipe fitter can't do it, a carpenter can't do it, a welder can't do it, a plumber can't do it, a construction electrician can't do it, and this company had to resort to hiring these tradesmen to at least get a skilled worker of some kind to fill the vacant jobs that retirements created. I ended up with a pension that is equal to my 40 hour paycheck and I worked along side guys that were healthier than me that earned over $200,000 a year for the 5 years before they retired. That company has been scrambling for the last 5 or 6 years to build a training program to meet their skilled trades needs and they can't even find any takers. Nobody seems to want grime under their nails or grease and dirt on their arms. We are over run with *ussys.

Knew a woman in NM that had a dog grooming buisness. She had to finally close shop because she could not get help. Young people in a lot of areas do not want to work they would rather be on their phones all day and I guess their parents do nothing but keep supporting them. Sad world we live in.

The most important thing that should be on everyone mind currently should be to invest in different sources of income that doesn't depend on the government. Especially with the current economic crisis around the word. This is still a good time to invest in various stocks, Gold, silver and digital currencies.

PUT MIKE ROWE IN CHARGE OF THE ECONOMY, MAKE HIM THE "JOBS CZAR!"

When my son came to at the end of high school and told me he wanted to go to school to be a mechanic I couldn’t argue with his logic. He walked out of school after a year with a degree to be a diesel and heavy equipment mechanic into a 26 dollar an hour job with full benefits. I think that is pretty good for him being 19. I am proud of him and glad that he got a set of job skills that no one can ever take away from him.

I was treated like garbage by my employers when I worked as a red seal journeyman plumber and journeyman class b gasfitter. I only work for myself now. Start treating your workers with respect! Also start allowing workers to recover from workplace injuries! I am now withholding my labour, out of principle. Plumbing made me permanently disabled by the age of 25. WCB denied all my injury claims. It took me over a decade to finally receive a diagnosis. Skilled trades are getting away with killing their workers. I will not be a part of that any longer. I am now a full-time University student, at the age of 39. I hope to one day find a safe and sustainable career..

This is dead nuts true,I am going to be 63 in September, work for a huge company, most are looking for hand outs and are absolutely unskilled, clueless!!!!

There is another issue that I'd like to see addressed is age discrimination. When I moved back to Michigan from Chicago, I was totally taken aback by the attitude of "If you are over 55 years old or older, don't waste your time applying for anything (with the exception of fast-food businesses - they have a turnover rate that is totally mind-boggling). I can't understand how or why businesses are so hesitant to hire older people. The attitude seems to be "we can't be bothered training you because you'll retire, and we will have spent time and money for nothing.) We may not be 25, but we have a lot of experience and have much to offer. Plus, we are through the child-rearing phase of life and are able to focus on our job. Yes, a lot of jobs are open, but they can't see beyond the age - and they are missing out on some of the best employees ever.

I have taught classes on the college level for 33 years. I have seen a whole generation of students come through. The lack of work ethic from this younger current generation is carrying over into the classroom. It's scary.

I'm a woman and i😢had the same issue hiring in Florida. No longer able to do the job because I have horrible back & neck pain. I am 63 this year. I miss it so much. Loved it.

Mike for president......an American that understands the people

Love how this man encourages hard work but I’m tired of the government taking it

I worked retail for 15 years and the revolving door of young workers was mind boggling...many would 'text' out sick or just not show. Some refused to work the register because of "anxiety" dealing with customers, Some refused to climb ladders because of "fear of heights " which left it to us older employees to pick up the slack... the list goes on and on. Note: when lunching in the break room, we "elders" would laugh, joke, share our food, while the 'youngsters' sat in silence with their heads down engrossed in their cell phones. Very sad indeed.

I am an HVAC, and even the people we get that are good, aren’t even close to what we used to be. Honor pride in your work, running a service vehicle, as if it was your own. Seem to be principles that are becoming forgotten.

Thanks Mike for trying to get info out. Our college kids are being brainwashed and not willing to work…

This is because society looks down on all people who don't have college degrees and have white collar jobs. Plus the US government keeps advertising college, college, college. With all due respect not everyone is college material.

This is a problem in the medical community as well. I’m a retired nurse and my husband is about to retire and he does more work than the young people they’ve hired in the last five years, who think medicine is a 9-5 job. It’s a real problem.

Yes, Thank you for a great news piece about the current jobs and workers situation. I am retired and my auto mechanic and a separate Tire store that I use both say the same thing. They have employees that may or may not show up for work. The employees just have an attitude of "I don't want to work today and just call in.

Mike Rowe is so genuine and honest, not to mention hard working. 🙏🇺🇸🙏

When our educators eliminated vocational programs in schools for high SAT scores this is the result. I'm a machinist with over 40 years experience. I retired and went back to work part time. One, because I missed it. And another because the skilled work force isn't there. And there is good money in knowing a trade. Most young people don't even know what a machinist does. Or a welder, electrician, carpenter etc.

I'm recently retired Master Plumber From New York. I was in business for 49 years. Had trouble with workers not showing up from Day one that i opened my place of business ! !

I am a retired nurse of 45 years. I can’t count the numbers of times people would say “ I want my child to be a doctor or lawyer!!”. This has bothered me !! We need everyone!! Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, Teachers, Nurses, House keeping , Trash collectors, Chefs, Carpenters, Farmers. The list goes on and on!! You get my point!! We all should appreciate everyone !! Can’t leave out the First Responders!!!!!!!!

“We went from a skill gap, to a will gap, and soon we’re going to arrive at a skill gap AND a will gap” 💯

I used to be a school teacher in Oklahoma. I would flunk students who almost never showed up for class, yet they would still end up on the principal's honor roll, which means they made all A's and B's. I asked the principal about it and he literally ignored me and walked away. This is how kids learn they don't even have to show up.

As a remodeler, this is so salient to me. Help is nowhere to be found and I could walk off one job and walk into another in the same day because every outfit is in dire need of good help. It's crazy!

Mike, you and I are a few months apart in age. I retired from construction because help was more than ever hard to find and lumber tripled. Sad. Thanks to you and Brian for the great show.

I'm a licensed G C in 2 states. This story hits home. One thing you see now that you didn't see 40 years ago is 60-78 year old men working on construction jobs. 78 is the oldest I've seen and he was doing HVAC. Lots of 60+ including myself.

I am 74 years old. I started working in my father’s service station when I was 9 years and 10 months old. In the 1960s I started worked as a metal fabricator. That means I was a certified welder in stick, MIG and in TIG welding. I have welded just about every known weldable metal there is. I also did machinist trade work as well as sheetmetal work. I made parts from everything from forklifts to holding tanks to food processing to air craft I even made parts that are on the Voyager1 and 2. During the 1970s even having the skills I had I was laid off 17 time in a 10 year period. That was because I worked in job shops. I worked for Gallo Winery in maintenance on their equipment from 1996 to 2013 when I retired when I turned 65. As so as I retired I started getting phone calls asking me to work for them. So after a few short months I returned to work in a meat processing factory designing and building equipment for their company. Machines to process and to transport from one area to another. Equipment to cook large amounts of meats. Equipment to package ETC. After around 5 years that job was complete so I was laid off. And the calls came again and I found myself at a pickle and condiment processing plant. I worked there for 3 years at 72 years old I retired again. Then moved out of California to Washington State. Been here close to two years and I am building handrails here on Grays bay for people so they can get down the huge rocks that are in their back yards to keep the water erosion down. The large rocks have some that are set up like steps so they can get down to the beach area in their back yards. So to me to not be working is not what I can do. To work (to me) is to be alive. To crate is what make life worth getting up in the morning for. Hope you see this Mike Rowe. P.S at one time in my life I was a welding instructor one of my favorite jobs. Also I have done many other skills and jobs in my life. So I still find things to do to build and make things. even at 74 with one knee that was replaced, diabetes and the aches and pains that go along with three quarters of a century. GOD bless you Mike.

GO MIKE ROWE!!!❤

Finally someone reports on what is happening out there. This very problem forced me to close a very successful construction business.

I always thought it was weird in the 2000s that teachers and parents pushed kids to go to university... we followed the advice thinking that was what we were supposed to do, study study study... but it was terrible advice that ruined the world. We have expensive pieces of paper that did nothing for us and we all realized we were all fooled. Our education system is the problem, lets be honest we all experienced that intuitive feeling sitting in class that "this is a waste of time, when I could actually be learning something useful" but we're told to sit down, stick with it and it'll pay off... and then we graduate "good luck!" and it's confirmed that we are useless people.

It’s like this everywhere! Canada too…a bakery that was around for 99 years closed here in Winnipeg (amongst many other businesses). The owner said that they couldn’t get people to show up for work at all, no matter what they paid. That’s what happens with UBI….

I am 65 years old and have been a building contractor since I was in my early twenties. Back then when I needed help or apprentice I would go to the local high school shop class and talk to the teachers to find out what kids were looking like they had a future in construction. It was no problem finding help in those days. Two of the boys I hired are now major contractors here in West Michigan. Now it's 65 I need to still work to make ends meet. I can't find anyone! Even went to the local football team and handed them my card saying I am looking for help. Out of twenty or so boys I never received one call back. Don't know what I'm going to do since I have many injuries that are catching up to me in my age. You can't just live on social security anymore!

Absolutely Incredible 😮

My son, who is 26, just started with a local plumbing company as an apprentice. They are going to train him and send him for all his certifications. Yesterday was his first day and he said it was fantastic.

I'm master electrician in Michigan. My wife and I were self employed but I had to go back to work for the local union because I couldn't get anyone to work for me, and those that said they would accept a job offer, demand a ridiculous amount of cash to do so. We were a small biz and couldn't afford top $. And the young folks don't want to start at an apprentice wage. This entitled generation is terrible to work with.

Please help us to leave Georgia. We made a mistake when we moved here 18 years ago and now we're trapped here. Please help us to leave Georgia.

Much respect for Mike Rowe

This is sad…I needed a plumber recently….I called 4 different local people…they all said the same thing…”we don’t do residences”…..it was the Culligan man who saved me as I had NO WATER and I’m a blind 70 year old woman who lives alone….this kind man had installed my new Culligan system and he helped me with my leaking water tank connected to my well ….when no one else would…

When I had my kitchen done my plumber said he retired twice already! And you are so right about people do not want to work! I retired early last year after running ventilators over 30 years. Floor nurses would call me wanting to send patients to ICU because they are sick? New nurses want to play on their phones at the desk and everytime call lights would go they would get so mad that they had to get off their butts! Guess they expected to just come in and collect a paycheck. I got written up 1/2 dozen times the last 2 years for offending someone my boss would agree that what I said was correct but I had to be nicer…when the jab ultimatum came along I was out of there. I had already been exposed multiple times and am healthy. I could no longer support the mission.

Mike Rowe for Congress!!!!! HE has more sense that over 1/2 of those in Congress...maybe more.

This is what happens when you tell an entire generation that they have to go into debt and get a college degree.

I live in Ontario, Canada. We have a very similar problem. These kids struggle to do a load of laundry, or open a bag of chips. Just renovated my home. Did absolutely every single thing myself using skills I acquired over the years from hard work and determination. Society messed up big time, now its time to pay the piper.

This is what happens when you push kids through school when they don't do well at all and pushed to the next grade , the trade schools in my area have a high failure rate people not putting the work in to not beign able to do themath they thought they would never need or read properly its sad

I'm in San Clemente CA. Just spoke to an A contractor today who said the profit margin is 6%. He doesn't know how people can do it. He had a crew of 20 people circa 2020. Now a crew of 4. Lean and mean, he isn't hiring anybody.

My stepdad with no education further than the 6th grade had two businesses. I worked with him at the age of twelve. I left for the Navy at 18. He once told me it took three men to replace my work ethics. I fear to observe I gave my youth to interests not my own, in serving 20yrs.

My husband has been saying this for years. He is a tradesman of many talents. It's the way he was trained that made him successful. He had to follow many supervisors and was immersed in, plumbing, heating, construction, finish work, mechanics, electrical, heavy equipment operation or anything that was needed to get the job done, even the laborer positions, where he started his career at 17. He worked his way up to director of operations and retired after 35 years with one Employer, due to health issues. Even now, with limited strength, he can trouble shoot, fix, design or build just about anything. He is a real man, not afraid to work, supply for his family of 6 kids, 15 grandkids an 2 great grandkids. All that being said, he built our house and assisted nearly all of our kids and others with those talents at no- cost to them, except for a meal or a place to crash. Wake up America.

Small town Texas, hear this constantly😢

My Shop teacher in the 70s told us,"the job may be dirty but the money's clean".That attitude is missing today.

Mike Rowe should get more airtime. Such a reasonable voice. His Ted talk was great, too.

Mike you fill me with hope. I am 39 years old, and you and everyone commenting here have helped me realize that it's not too late to start over and follow my passion for woodworking.

My husband is a welding instructor, CWI inspector, and is involved in AWS, and NCCR. He’s worked 40 years in the welding industry. He’s retired from 20 years of teaching inmates in the California department of corrections. He has lots of success stories of inmates working in the welding trades after paroling. Now he has recently taken a high school welding instructor position in Tennessee after only been retired for three years. He teaches two 3 hour classes, a morning class and an afternoon class. Out of 32 students he has roughly maybe 5 students (2 of them being girls, the only 2 he has) that are truly interested in being welders. The rest of his students just want to sit and look at their cell phones. He tells me the same thing, who is going to step up and maintain and build this country when all of this generations skilled laborers retire?

Mike Rowe.... How can u not LOVE this man!!??? MuaH

I owned a pool company for 20 years and worked in the business another 15. I'm so glad to be retired with the lazy young population. We worked hard and as Mike says, laughed hard all day long. It was a great life outdoors.

Each generation tries to make life easier on their kids than they had it. It's caught up to us. One of my favorite quotes is from 'Those Who Remain" by G. Michael Hopf, and I'm sure you've read it before: Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

Thanks for Truth 🙏🏻🇺🇸💔🇺🇸🙏🏻

It doesn't occur to anyone that this country is in steep decline. I'm a welder, and the company I worked for moved to Mexico. Now I'm working in a union shop as a non union employee. To say it has been a complete nightmare is an understatement. I am 52 and want to work, but I'm being hounded at every turn. I can't believe this is the USA that I grew up in and love. We are in serious trouble folks.

This trend goes a lot farther back than many people think: I graduated from high school in ‘67. The “guidance counselor” at my school SNEERED at me saying I was interested in learning auto mechanics! “There’s no future in that! You need to go to college!” And that elitist attitude has been pushed on kids as long as I’ve been alive! My dad had same attitude.

After working in a sheet metal shop Tig welding for $17/hr while unskilled warehouse workers were making $25/hr+, I began to move away from the skilled jobs because they weren't paying enough. I miss welding but unfortunately skilled labor is severely undervalued compared to other professions like a guy putting a box on a pallet all day.

I remember going into Fry's electronics interrupting a group of 4 employees just BS'ing. I told them I was looking for a CCTV system in the $1500 range. One guy pointed in the direction and blurted out the isle, then turned around and continued to BS. There was actually too many choices and I did not feel like going through analysis paralysis, so I left. This was a few years back, but they knew it was a bigger purchase yet all of them chose to chat on the clock than help a customer.

Love you Mike!!❤

Thank you

The thing that is always ignored - the HR gatekeepers - wanting to shape society instead of finding an employee that may not have every skill but can fill 90% of a job requirements. Also - when posting jobs, put the salary range in the posting - saves everyone involved alot of time.

WAY bitd (I'm 56) in 6-8th grades, every student rotated through PE, music, art, shop class and home economics for 3 years. It was fantastic and needs to be brought back everywhere. Everybody learned things they loved/hated but definitely helped prepare for life, whether that was talking about art, using a hammer or frying an egg.

Mike Rowe is a national treasure!

God bless this man🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I love Mike Rowe. If he says anything, you can take it to the bank. My husband started out as a toolmaker/machinist, went to school for special machines design and then retired at 55 as a mechanical engineer from Chrysler.

I'm 50 and own a concrete company and the last 4 years have aged the hell out of me due to lack of help. Concrete is a team sport. I have 3 guys now and very grateful to have them.

Same in our small town in central ny

The guy that replaced my window in my house said the same thing. The people he would hire couldn't leave their phone alone, or they just didn't want to come in today. I had to wait 5 months to get my window changed due to no help. The help he does have is great, but I only know of one guy that's been with him for years. I say, work or starve!!! I am tired of paying for these losers that want to live off of welfare, but are able to work!!!!!

It's so sad. During the 1960s me and the McCaffery brothers would pull weeds in the spring, mow in the summer, rake leaves in the fall and shovel snow in the winter. We had to be the best because of the fierce competition from other kids. This included keeping our prices at a competitive rate. Today is so much different. Friends of mine have a son who lives on the second floor of their house. His parents give him $100 dollars weekly for living expenses. He does absolutely nothing around the house to help out or show gratitude for his living conditions. He also met a woman on line, married her and the two lived on the 2nd floor for a year. She finally had enough and left him. From the time he was born until today he has never ever put in a full 40 hour work week. He has also never held a job for longer than 2 weeks. The saddest part is he's 41 years old and stories such as this are becoming the norm.

This is why my son went to career center for construction. And even though its still the beginning of his senior year he's already hot a job lined up as soon as he graduates. With a construction company that's like don't worry we'll train him as we go. As long as he comes to work and puts his all in it. We will teach him EVERYTHING!

Mike Rowe for president. It needs to happen. This man makes more sense than any politician I have heard in 40years.

I’ve worked with guys in a university doing part time construction work that can’t read a tape measure…. How is that possible??

The problem I have is when you fill out a application no one is calling anyone back for a job. My two girls have applied at 15 different places and not one call. They all say they are hiring but are not.

Lol! My husband works as a maintenance worker in a factory and could not count on both his hands how many young kids get fired for making tic tok videos while on the job during their 30 probation. My boys mow lawns, pull weeds, chop wood, dig ditches as soon as they can hold a tool. They will already be ahead of the pack just having work ethic.

I retired as an electrical engineer about two years ago. I started to have people ask me to fix the lights, check their electrical panel, can I add a receptacle to their closet or bathroom....So I bought the National Electric Code book and started studying. I passed the journeymans test, started an LLC, obtained business insurance and a city license. I work small jobs and my phone is lit up with homeowners trying to find an electrician. I am 66 now so I have to take my time but people are so appreciative, especially when I tell them my price. I give those not able to pay a break.....I wish I had done this 30 years ago. It can be hard sometimes but other jobs are not too bad. I can pick my jobs. taking my Masters test next week. For the record, I also have a PE license so i can do design as well.....I live in the Hamton Roads area so.....IM me....

This is so true, I've seen it as well from family working in the industry. The ones who do work are the older union workers, good money but so many young people are just lazy that do show up and so many don't want to do this work to begin with

I have worked for over 30 years with children 0-12 yrs. I have been witness to the process of pushing the idea of Rights over Responsibilities to the children and society is now seeing how this plays out!