BigDaddyCool

Dirty jobs, they’re everywhere, just take a look around.
Down the street, or up the stairs, or even underground.
You don’t need to borrow, beg and you don’t need to rob,
All you’ve got to do is get yourself a dirty job.
All you’ve got to do is get yourself a dirty job.

Now I have been trying to figure out just how to write an entry about Dirty Jobs. No, not the show on Discovery, but the actual jobs that are out there just waiting (hopefully) for the unemployed and underutilized alike. You would think that in this economy those would be the jobs that would be in the local fishwrap every morning. Sadly, it seems that (at least in my case) those jobs are not to be found in the Idaho Statesman. I’ve looked for Dirty jobs online at various places but to no avail…at least not yet.

However, according to Patrick Erwin who is a writer for CareerBuilder.com there are dirty jobs out there – you just have to know where to look. Not only that, but also have to really, reeeeeeallyyyyyyy want to undertake a dirty job. He writes an article in which we hear from some people who have jobs that you or I might not ever consider doing. Jobs that are dirty, smelly, disgusting, and in some cases downright dangerous. I won’t go into the details of the article, I’ll leave it up to you to read it in full.

Now that I am talking about blue-collar jobs and considering what I wrote about last time,  I’m having one of those “here’s what I don’t get” moments. That’s where I need an answer to a question that only one of you readers can answer for me, and I especially want to hear from those of you who count yourselves as Conservatives out there because I really need to get your perspective on this. Now I seriously doubt that everyone who considers themselves a Conservative thinks in the way that I am about to describe. However I have heard and read a lot of venom on talk radio and on the Internet which makes me think that for every ten “reasonable” Conservatives out there, there is probably one loudmouth who doesn’t think about what they say before they speak. That is who this is addressed to – I’m talking to all the “haters” out there…

With the economy the way it is right now and with so many people either out of work or in danger of losing their jobs, why are politicians in The District, the talking heads on FOX Noise, and Rush Limbaugh EEEEEERRRRRRRRR,I mean “Boss Hogg”, so against programs that could possibly create jobs that would employ these people? Is it that you truly believe that President Obama’s Stimulus Plan will not work out and that everything will only get worse, or is it that if we start going back to work then it means that the President’s plan is working and that it will make you look bad, which is why you want more tax breaks for billionaires instead of letting us get our hands dirty? Is the prospect of people going back to work somehow against all that you believe in? Do you not want us to support our families and keep them warm, housed and fed? Do you really believe that a job is a handout and that job creation is Socialism?

Well ladies and gents I’ve got some other questions for you – if you honestly believe that a job is a handout then why don’t you feel guilt and shame every-time you accept that handout from your boss which the rest of us call a paycheck?

If you are against Socialism then why aren’t you actively campaigning for the abolition of every Police and Fire Department in this country as well as the closing down of all of the schools? After all, we have socialised Police protection, socialized Fire protection, we even have socialized Education in this country but I don’t hear any of you “Patriots” bitching about that!

Instead of saying that unemployed people are lazy, selfish deadbeats who only want to sit around and collect unemployment for the rest of their lives, why don’t you inquire about any job openings where you work so that you can tell one of us about it?

(When I made this suggestion on another site one Conservative accused me of “having a pity party” and that I should “stop crying and hit the bricks”. He also said that if he were in my position he would get a job “shoveling shit and not complain”. In response I said that my only complaint would be that I’ve been told by hiring managers that I’m too “overqualified” to shovel shit and that’s why he hired the high-school dropout instead of the College Graduate. He had no answer to that one.)

And don’t even get me started on what I think of some of these so-called “Real Americans” when they talk smack about GM, Chrysler and Ford and how evil the UAW is supposed to be. Those blue-collar workers on the assembly lines in Detroit are the backbone of American Manufacturing and, what, you just want to toss them out on the street with their families in tow? Meanwhile you send money overseas and take jobs away from Americans when you buy your vehicles from Toyota, Honda and Nissan while all the time you maintain that you love this country and what it stands for. How can you say you love this country when you send money overseas and then criticize the people you just put out of work?

Blue Collar workers in this country need our support now more than ever, because they are the ones who are being hit hardest by this economy. And if you think that the problems in Detroit have no influence elsewhere, then let this little blurb that I found at Jayski’s Site tell you a different story:

As General Motors continues to be battered by grim economic news, those who drive for the struggling manufacturer can’t help but wonder what impact it will have on their NASCAR programs. On Thursday, GM said in its annual report that auditors raised serious doubt about the automaker’s ability to continue operating. The company has received $13.4 billion in federal loans and is seeking an additional $16.6 billion from the government. Tony Stewart, who has a long relationship with GM, said he believes the company is doing what it can to recover. “The biggest thing is we’ve got to get people to not be afraid to spend money again,” he said. “GM is doing their part. The Chevy brand is building cars that are affordable and economic and efficient. From a manufacturer’s side, that’s all you can ask for. I think they’ve really responded and done a good job in that respect.” Stewart said the fallout would be “tremendous” if any of the major American automakers went out of business. “I think it’s at the stage now where we can’t rely on the government to do it all for us,” he said. “We have to take an active role ourselves. I’m not saying as drivers or NASCAR. I’m saying our country together. We’ve got to get off our wallets and go back being Americans again and living life the way we used to.”

Atlanta Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith called on the federal government to do whatever it takes to keep the Big Three from going under. “It’s an abomination,” he said. “This country owes them.” He pointed to the role Detroit played during World War II, when the car companies quickly shifted their focus from automobiles to producing the machinery of battle. “They saved this country during World War II,” Smith said. “What if we get in another major, major war? Who’s going to build things? We need to do whatever we can to save those companies.”

Exactly, we need an automotive industry in this country because like I said, it is the backbone of our manufacturing sector. And this doesn’t just effect passenger cars either.

I’ve already said this as a comment for a different post on this site but it bears repeating: we as a nation need a car industry not just from an economic standpoint, but from a security standpoint. Think about this – most if not all of the vehicles that are being used by our military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan right now are made by Ford, GM and Chrysler. If one or more of those companies go down, where are our troops going to get their vehicles from, Japan? Do we honestly think that Japan or Germany or Italy is going to be able to make military vehicles up to the standards that our troops need? Here’s another question, even if they were able, would they want to? Would they put in the effort making the best military vehicle for our troops, or would someone on the assembly line do a half-assed job because they don’t like that we are over there?

And it’s not just our military that’s effected. We already rely on other countries for our gas and oil. What’s it going to be like if we have to rely on them for all of our transportation as well. Not just passanger cars, but planes, trains and busses if things get bad enough.

Hopefully things will start getting better soon for everybody and we will all be able to pull out of this – soon. Here’s another thing to ponder…the limo that President Obama rides in which has bullet-proof glass and is armored, which is why it is nicknamed “The Beast” – is made by Cadillac – a GM company. Who is going to build the next generation of limo if GM doesn’t pull through?

Blue-collar workers are important to this country because they keep this country going. From the assembly line workers in Detroit to the pipe-fitter in Boston, to the ditch-digger in Baton Rouge, to the roofer in Orlando, to the plumber in Kansas City, to the farmer in Iowa, to the Iron-worker in Manhattan, and to the guy who fills in the potholes in Boise, Idaho. They all make life easier for the rest of us. Not just here at home, but also for our loved ones abroad.

Save General Motors, save the troops.