Politics

[Aaron N]

Wow.

My son, who is one of the best read young men that I know, has a "degree" and certifications in imaging from Texas State Technical College. Rather like Charlie Kirk (another fellow without a university degree), I am confident he could handily debate you on any public interest topic you cared to surface. To further clarify, he is what is termed a medical services engineer and he is the poor ignorant fellow who services and repairs all that exotic imaging equipment that may save your life one of these days. His salary, adjusted for inflation is more than I made as a colonel in the United States Army - God knows his hours are somewhat more manageable. The home which he and his wife own is larger and more modern than anything we had until we moved to Texas a little more than a decade ago.

It seems like you missed the post I had made before this one about how we want better for our kids than the lives we lived, and you think I’m shitting on trades. I hold two journeyman tickets and a technical two year diploma and run a business providing services to the largest oil and gas producer in the country (none of this is bragging, I’m just stating my background). I work a rotation of seven days on and seven days off, twelve hour days, six hours away from home, wife and family. I stay in a remote work camp in a lovely 8x10 cell where I can hear my neighbour shit his guts out in our shared bathroom (which is illegal by OH&S, but the fine is cheaper than the cost of renovation). I have spent my entire adult life in steel boots, and it has worked out well for me, but it’s also come at a cost. Time away from my wife and kids is the biggest downside. It’s shutdown season now, so I get the pleasure of working 12/2’s for the next two months.

Now I know all of that is NOTHING compared to what you had to deal with during your career, which proves my point that we want better for the next generation, and it sounds like your son has successfully hoed his own row.

If my kids choose the trades, they have my 100% blessing, but I would be even happier if they became teachers so that they could spend every summer, Christmas, and spring breaks with their kids. Or make every Christmas concert, hockey game, birthday, and anniversary.

 

[Datchew]

Robert Heinlein was one of the great cultural philosophers of the 20th century. "Starship Troopers" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" should be required reading. Let's throw in "Glory Road" as well.

100% agreed.
Troopers is one of the strange and minute genre of books that i can go through in a couple days or a long flight (like a beach read) and still feel like I got all the depth and literary red meat of Chesterton, Lewis, or Berlinski.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

It seems like you missed the post I had made before this one about how we want better for our kids than the lives we lived, and you think I’m shitting on trades. I hold two journeyman tickets and a technical two year diploma and run a business providing services to the largest oil and gas producer in the country (none of this is bragging, I’m just stating my background). I work a rotation of seven days on and seven days off, twelve hour days, six hours away from home, wife and family. I stay in a remote work camp in a lovely 8x10 cell where I can hear my neighbour shit his guts out in our shared bathroom (which is illegal by OH&S, but the fine is cheaper than the cost of renovation). I have spent my entire adult life in steel boots, and it has worked out well for me, but it’s also come at a cost. Time away from my wife and kids is the biggest downside. It’s shutdown season now, so I get the pleasure of working 12/2’s for the next two months.

Now I know all of that is NOTHING compared to what you had to deal with during your career, which proves my point that we want better for the next generation, and it sounds like your son has successfully hoed his own row.

If my kids choose the trades, they have my 100% blessing, but I would be even happier if they became teachers so that they could spend every summer, Christmas, and spring breaks with their kids. Or make every Christmas concert, hockey game, birthday, and anniversary.

Agreed. If someone can be home every night and be a tradesman then more power to them. That said if an occupation gets in the way of what’s truly important then something else is preferable. I’m glad I quit working 14 on 14 off when I did. That’s single man stuff IMHO. Married now with a little one I can’t imagine it. I observed mostly misery with that type of employment, for attached persons that is.

Military is different IMO.

 

[Tanks]

Agreed. If someone can be home every night and be a tradesman then more power to them. That said if an occupation gets in the way of what’s truly important then something else is preferable. I’m glad I quit working 14 on 14 off when I did. That’s single man stuff IMHO. Married now with a little one I can’t imagine it. I observed mostly misery with that type of employment, for attached persons that is.
...

True, for almost all jobs, not just trades. When I started my first company, I put in 70-80 hour weeks with no time for vacations. Worked out great financially that enabled me to cash out and fatFIRE at age 33. It also cost me my first marriage. I was very focused on work at the exclusion of everything else, heck I remember telling my first wife that my work was my number one priority and most important thing when she used to complain about being lonely. So, balance is important.

 

[Pondoro]

At 62 I still work 2 x 90 hour weeks at an offshore oilrig.. Growing up working from early on..then the military with officer training etc. As long as one is in good health it is perfectly possible to work hard beyond 60..

 

[spike.t]

Guess who owns/runs these places.....

Police freeze £1m as high street raids find cannabis farms and evidence of slavery

Thirty-five arrests after hundreds of barbershops and other businesses raided in UK money-laundering investigation

www.theguardian.com

Police raid sweet shops, barbershops and car washes in huge crackdown

Officers from 19 police forces across England knocked on the doors of 265 businesses as part of Operation Machinize, a mammoth crackdown on high street money laundering.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[spike.t]

China hits back to US by increasing tariffs to 125%

Global stocks fell, the dollar slid and a sell-off in US government bonds picked up pace on Friday, reigniting fears of fragility in the world's biggest bond market. Gold, a safe haven for investors in times of crisis, scaled a record high

www.tbsnews.net

 

[mdwest]

True, for almost all jobs, not just trades. When I started my first company, I put in 70-80 hour weeks with no time for vacations. Worked out great financially that enabled me to cash out and fatFIRE at age 33. It also cost me my first marriage. I was very focused on work at the exclusion of everything else, heck I remember telling my first wife that my work was my number one priority and most important thing when she used to complain about being lonely. So, balance is important.

Yep.

Once I entered my current career field, super long work weeks (months) were a contributor to killing the first marriage, and got pretty close to killing the second for the first few years…

I finally dialed it back a little (the travel schedule was what was killing the second), and thankfully she also puts in long hours (regular job, plus a couple of side businesses, plus works with a non profit) and we’re both understanding of the non typical American work week (I’d guess on average we put in 55+.. occasionally more)… but that’s a good bit better than me doing “half days of work” (12 hours) 6 days a week and being on a 50-65% travel schedule like I was about 10 years ago…

 

[PARA45]

Where did the welding, wood shop, mechanics, etc classes in high school go? Oh, and the old military retired PT instructors. Our education has become too soft, and unfortunately our kids do not go to school to learn (not all of them obviously), they go to school to socialize.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

 

[Red Leg]

Murray is brilliant.

 

[Brent in Az]

Where did the welding, wood shop, mechanics, etc classes in high school go? Oh, and the old military retired PT instructors. Our education has become too soft, and unfortunately our kids do not go to school to learn (not all of them obviously), they go to school to socialize.

When i was in jr. high, and high school, the elective shop classes were extremely popular. Some hard to get into at times because they would fill up quickly.
I took many of them. Wood shop, welding, machine shop, auto shop, photography, printing, etc. Most of which helped me out later in life for practical application

 

[PARA45]

When i was in jr. high, and high school, the elective shop classes were extremely popular. Some hard to get into at times because they would fill up quickly.
I took many of them. Wood shop, welding, machine shop, auto shop, photography, printing, etc. Most of which helped me out later in life for practical application

Exactly my point, I believe they helped tremendously in shaping the future work force.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Murray is brilliant.

He has got to be one of the best journalists extant. IMHO

 

[mdwest]

He has got to be one of the best journalists extant. IMHO

I think thats the critical difference between he and Rogan (and admittedly I like Rogan)..

Murray is a legitimate journalist.. he does research, he physically goes places and sees things for himself, talks to people involved in whatever it is he is reporting on, etc..etc..

Rogan is a commentator..

He brings in guests that are "experts" in a particular field of knowledge or experience, and he talks with them, then offers his opinions/positions on what he hears..

You have to acknowledge each for what they are.. very different animals..

 

[Brent in Az]

I remember in 8th grade I signed up for the home economics elective because a shop class I wanted was full
A couple guys in a class full of girls. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[deewayne2003]

Where did the welding, wood shop, mechanics, etc classes in high school go? Oh, and the old military retired PT instructors. Our education has become too soft, and unfortunately our kids do not go to school to learn (not all of them obviously), they go to school to socialize.

Those shops closed when the men that taught them retired and there were no qualified replacements; I graduated in 2002 and the high school machine shop closed in 2005.

My HS friends that took those courses started with learning welding, cutting torch, lathe and mill. By the time we were Jr.'s they knew CAD, CNC CAD programing and were actually building things usually for their race/muscle cars.... How many 17-18yo do you know today that could bend pipe and weld good enough to custom fabricate a roll cage inside a Z28 Camaro?

I also remember the shit storm that ensued when our principle Mr. O'neal walked into that shop and caught my buddy Steve installing the mount for Nitrous Oxide bottles in the trunk of that Z28; he would have been expelled if not for our school resource officer pointing out that there is nothing illegal about an 18yo possessing an EMPTY nitrous oxide bottle. This is the same police officer that turned a blind eye to us showing up late on the opening day of dove season still clad in camo.

When I went to college, they went to Wyo tech and by the time we were 25 yo Steve and the others owned their own businesses and houses while I was just graduating and paying on student loan balances more then their houses and with higher interest rates.

Now try asking college freshman if they can explain what Square, Plumb & Level means......

It's not the kids that are failing to learn, its the education system that is failing the kids.

 

[BJH65]

I remember in 8th grade I signed up for the home economics elective because a shop class I wanted was full
A couple guys in a class full of girls. What could possibly go wrong?

While I took metal shop, wood shop and plastic shop in HS, it was a requirement as a freshman to take home economics. At least I learned how to sew by hand which actually came in handy later on!

 

[HookMeUpII]

Over 50K?

I was kind of shocked when I saw that figure and the fact he thought he could quit his job.

Wife and I finally got around to doing some estate planning because of my business' value and me getting a little older with two little mouths to feed. After sitting with the lawyer and discussing the value of my business, she innocently asked me if I sold now would that be enough to retire. I wanted to laugh but I explained to her that it wasn't possible.

For comparison purposes, it was a triple digit multiple of $50k. Which still isn't enough to "quit my job". I feel bad for people without a decent concept of money. It's a skill that's often learned the hard way.

I also feel bad for the young generation going and financing $100k cars, jewelry, expensive clothes and they can't afford their mortgage or rent.

 

[CJW]

Guess who owns/runs these places.....

Police freeze £1m as high street raids find cannabis farms and evidence of slavery

Thirty-five arrests after hundreds of barbershops and other businesses raided in UK money-laundering investigation

www.theguardian.com

Police raid sweet shops, barbershops and car washes in huge crackdown

Officers from 19 police forces across England knocked on the doors of 265 businesses as part of Operation Machinize, a mammoth crackdown on high street money laundering.

www.dailymail.co.uk

A month or two ago there was quite the buzz about those shops from folks on YouTube and the like. I guess they figured a symbolic "crackdown" was in order.