Mike Rowe's Open Letter To Mitt Romney

Let me just start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs. So I find this particularly awesome.

Certainly, we need more jobs, and you were clear about that in Tampa. But the Skills Gap proves that we need something else too. We need people who see opportunity where opportunity exists. We need enthusiasm for careers that have been overlooked and underappreciated by society at large. We need to have a really big national conversation about what we value in the workforce, and if I can be of help to you in that regard, I am at your service – assuming of course, you find yourself in a new address early next year.

Be sure to read the whole thing, especially the part where he says he mentioned this to Obama four years ago, but President Ladies' Tee was too busy to respond. Must've been meeting with his Jobs Council or something.

Anyhow, Team Romney isn't making this mistake.

.@bdomenech Ben, the campaign has officially reached out to Mike Rowe, & we look forward to hearing back about this worthy cause.

— Ted Newton (@Ted_Newton) September 5, 2012

In addition to Mike Rowe's work in this area, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus and actor John Ratzenberger have an initiative called the Center for America that also focuses on the skilled trades.

These efforts are dedicated to a simple idea: you did build that! Or at least you could if you knew a useful skill like welding, carpentry, plumbing or the like. Getting a degree in Womyn's Studies and the accompanying unemployment and mountain of student loan debt, on the other hand, seems like an exceptionally stupid idea.

Or, as Rowe said,

I always thought there something ill-fated about the promise of three million “shovel ready jobs” made to a society that no longer encourages people to pick up a shovel.

Indeed. More Mike Rowe goodness below the fold.

posted by Andy at 08:07 AM

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