Applecare, jobs, and Las Vegas

The normal issues with aging are bad enough but when they involve my computer or cell phone, I am forced to acknowledge that much has passed me by. In what we refer to as the cyber world, there is a common term “locked.” When either my computer or cell phone enters the locked stage it is akin to being incarcerated in jail.

Luckily for me, when I purchased my last Apple computer I paid for a product called “Applecare.” This allows me to call the Apple Computer Company directly and then be transferred to a specialist in computerese called a genius.

Once again, I was given some brief direction and my problem was solved. I have been using a computer since back in the mid 80s, and I try to stay up to date but I find that I fall a little further behind each year. Oh how old age continues to impress me.

My second portion of this column has to do with the kind of jobs that young people in this country are not seeking. On the CBS program Sunday Morning they aired a segment about this topic.

With all of the hurricane disasters in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean Islands, there is a tremendous need for workers in a variety of skilled positions. These include fields such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, painting, heating/air, roofing and a host of other similar types of jobs.

This is not the first time I have broached this subject in one of my columns but it definitely needs to be brought front and center again. As stated in the CBS story, there is a severe shortage of these types of workers. According to labor statistics, there averages only one new trained worker in one of these specialized fields coming to the labor market to replace five who are retiring.

There are many reasons for this decline. Often in the past, students in our public schools were only encouraged to enter such technical classes if they were considered to be slow in completing normal curriculum. That is of course ridiculous, because it actually takes a bright individual to learn and practice many trades.

Not encouraging top students to these classes makes little sense because the rewards can be enticing. A skilled trade person often earns considerably more than many of their fellow college graduates in today’s job market. Many college students incur huge debt, only to discover that there are fewer jobs available and the pay in many cases is less than what a trades professional earns.

One of my all time favorite television shows that I have watched for years is the weekly PBS series, “This Old House.” This season they are instituting a new program as part of the show. They are taking on a few young people as apprentices and they will be part of an ongoing training program in the multiple trades the show encompasses.

For decades the emphasis of most government education departments has been focused on college bound curriculum with scant attention towards technical areas. That was not always the case. In my day, the R-5 District schedule had regular shop and home economics classes that were required in both junior high and high school. It seems only logical that in a district that has a 3M Plant and lots of farm related industry, we would want our students to have basic learning in such related fields.

I have the following suggestion for our school district. Require all of your high school students to watch a few of the segments of the “This Old House” show. Let them see the rewards that skilled tradesman can enjoy both from their accomplishments and also from the generous pay they can earn. It is high time to dispose of the stigma that has for too long been associated with taking classes in technical schools.

I began this article late Sunday night, Oct. 1. When I arose on Monday I was shocked to see the terrible news that occurred in the Las Vegas shootings the night before.

The videos that many people took with their cellphones during the shooting were terrifying. The sounds of the automatic gunfire made one realize just how many bullets were being sprayed into the crowd.

Once again, we as a country will have a terrible debate over the issue of guns and gun legislation. Both sides will feel that they are correct and while the arguments will rage, nothing, I repeat nothing, will be changed. It is a unique American issue and one that is a part of our legacy as a society.

In my family we have been gun owners and hunters for several generations, as have many in our country. I believe in the Second Amendment but I also believe that there has to be some sensible types of controls that could be implemented to make us safer.

Despite my belief that there are things we could do, I am a realist. While I think there are many gun owners who feel the same as me there are millions who would fight any type of restrictions. There are also well-funded organizations like the NRA that support politicians who don’t want any changes.

Where that leaves us as a society is in the unenviable position, where there will continue to be more of these types of incidents. Like many of you I just hope that family, my friends and I are never caught in the line of fire.

Both sides in this controversy fail to realize that there is a larger segment of the population that wants them both to have their way. Like me, they want to preserve the Second Amendment rights, but they also want something done to try and prevent a crazy person like this from another mass shooting. I loved hunting but I never needed a machine gun. We can only hope something will change, unfortunately hope is all we seem to have.