Mike "Rowe will be spending time with Caterpillar customers and dealers to get a real world perspective on their jobs and how the two partner to be successful. These encounters will be featured on cat.com and at Cat Dealerships across the country and will be used to demonstrate the solutions that Cat Dealers provide their customers throughout the lifecycle of their equipment, highlighting their superior parts and service support." More at: http://heg.baumpub.com/news/570/mik...e-dirt-with-caterpillar-customers-and-dealers Rowe appears to be more than just a cable TV show guy. He's trying to resurrect the nobility of work -- you know, the stuff people get dirty doing so that other people can enjoy their lives. Check out Mike's mission: http://www.mikeroweworks.com/2009/02/mikes-mission-video/
Mike Rowe is my favourite TV show guy, hands down, a real person with character who made a great niche spot for himself, long may he be successful...
I couldn't agree more:drinkup:usa
Good video. Great topic. I couldn't agree with him more.
I agree with him in that we need work, but beyond that, I am not sure what he is suggesting. If he is suggesting further expansion of the government under the oft used pretext of fixing our “crumbling infrastructure,” I think that is making the problem worse, not better. We have not declared war on work, as he says. We have declared war on capitalism. And the so-called “crumbling infrastructure” is one of the big weapons that creeping socialism is using against capitalism.
The ideology involved in "war on work" partially has to do with the inherent laziness found in western cultures where its more noble to be highly paid for doing as little as possible. This is part of what Mr Rowe has issue with. America has much bigger problems than just sustaining "infrastructure" projects, its not a good idea to believe for a second the Government would be moved by a media lobbyist before they would examine the hard facts of where and how money is spent. Mike Rowe is a noble individual with good intentions, how far he goes and how much he gets done depends on the directions of the political winds at the time.
I don't understand what you mean. The work is going to be put out to competitive bidding to be done by private companies. You could start a contracting company to make a profit from some of that work, if you are so inclined. That is capitalism, nothing socialistic about it.
Yes that is capitalism. But socialism grows and spreads by finding reasons to expand the government. Building expensive high-speed rail and light rail transit systems is one of the favorite ways to expand government. Building a whole new energy grid is another way. Still another way is to convert all energy production from fossil fuels to renewable energy. They also want to use public money to electrify all of our freight railroads and transfer 80% of long haul trucking from the highways to rail for the purpose of stopping climate change and making us an oil-free society. Some of these same big government boosters also contend that our entire public infrastructure is in need of replacement. I agree that some of it needs replacement, but the boosters exaggerate the problem and refer to it as our “crumbling infrastructure.” All of this is socialism, even though the private contractors bidding on the work are capitalists. And I agree that anyone getting the public sector work would be grateful and better off than had they not gotten it. But in the larger context, all of this unbridled deficit spending by our government is dragging down the economy. To be fair, I am not sure what Mike Rowe has in mind. Maybe I am jumping the gun when I assume that he is on the crumbling infrastructure bandwagon, but I saw it mentioned in the thread title that he is promoting infrastructure spending. I watched his presentation, but I don’t recall too many specifics. I know he said that we don’t value hard work enough. I agree that the work ethic needs some work in this country, but the work ethic of others is not a problem for me. My work ethic is just fine. What I need is a growing free-market economy that creates real private sector jobs. Risking capital is an integral component of capitalism. The private sector knows that this runaway government spending has got to be paid for with future tax increases. So this apprehension about future taxes is adding to the overall backdrop of risk that threatens private capital investment. That is socialism. The financial bailouts, the stimulus spending, the healthcare reform bill, and now the financial reform bill are all slowing down the private sector because their added costs and uncertainties are increasing risk to investment.
Part of the problem with infrastructure spending is knowing when and how it will begin to pay itself off. Nobody seems to take into the consideration the actual VALUE of what money is being spent where. You mentioned rail as transport instead of trucking. Great idea, when rail transport actually comes to fruitation after billions are spent and begins to save the commodities markets some money wouldn't that be a benefit to all? Rail transport could/should be increased and promoted for individual transportation as well. If the average person could commute to they're employment using public transportation instead of having to take one car with one rider a huge savings would occur not only to the individual but too the American public as a whole. Theres PLENTY of upper middle class European people who do not even own cars and live lifestyles on par with what we consider as just barely acceptable. And thats only a little scratch at the list of problems America needs to figure its way out of.
I am not objecting to doing any type of improvement that actually justifies its cost by the use it gets. But the people who want to expand government will come up with things for government to do that don’t need doing. Government grows itself by spending public money. For that motive, it makes no difference what they spend it on or what they get in return.
I didn't watch the little presentation, but I watch a lot of Dirty Jobs (favorite show on tv). From watchin Mr. Rowe on that, I would say he's just trying to get people to apprecieate hard work of the blue collar worker and put a little more pride into getting dirty at work.
Yes, That is most certainly agreeable. At the same time its what the taxpayer gets in return for all the money the goverment allocated. If it costs less for Walmart to get products, its going to cost us less to buy them. Growth of Goverment here is something no one wants but can society manage itself well enough to keep Government OUT of the areas they need to stay out of?
If they can, they had better start soon.
Govt has never been able to successfully manage anything, period!! It is always the private sector that creates jobs, and makes this country prosper. If the Govt would get out of the way, stop trying to micro-manage everything the private sector does, we would be out of this mess in no time. This "society" aka country certainly can manage itself. The late former President R. Regan said it best.."If those among us can not manage themselves, then who among us can manage someone else.." AND "Government is not a solution to the problem, government is the problem.."
So, why did he run for office?
I'd have to completely disagree but will not argue for this is not the place.