Read Online Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works by Rick Santorum - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rick Santorum
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hotel where I stayedwas staffed by Kirkwood students learning about the hospitality business. They were as professional as any staff I’ve come across in a Marriott or a Hilton. I later learned that the hotel had even earned the “Four Diamond Award” for its services and amenities. Practical instruction like this might not confer Ivy League prestige on its students, but schools like Kirkwood can play a vital role in helping kids make the transition from finishing high school to getting a job and all that entails—becoming a productive part of the community, getting on a career ladder, and eventually getting married and starting a family.
Education reform should begin with the family. Let’s empower parents to give their children the keys to success and then give them the choice of the school that is the best setting for them to live their American Dream. A century ago, Republicans took pride in breaking up corporate monopolies. Now it’s time to end the near-monopoly of government-run public schools.
CHAPTER NINE
GIVING THE AMERICAN WORKER A FIGHTING CHANCE
J ames Harrison grew up in the shadow of an aluminum manufacturing plant in northeastern Ohio. When he was born, in 1964, the plant employed his father and more than five hundred others, and the business was booming. Since the end of World War II, the company had experienced tremendous demand from around the world, and it ran three shifts to keep up. There was a job in the factory for anyone who had finished high school and was willing to work hard. After a few years on the job, the pay was enough to buy a home in town and comfortably provide for a family.The owner of the company became quite wealthy but always lived in the town, attended a local church, and sat in the stands at the high school football games. He knew most of his employees by name and never missed the company’s summer picnic.
The company did well throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Though growth had slowed somewhat by 1981, when James finished school and went to work there, it was still the same company he had known as a kid. By the late 1980s, however, competition from overseas was taking a toll, and the company was hiring fewer and fewer people. By 1990, the factory was no longer viewed as a good, reliable employer for local young men and women graduating from high school. Its export market had disappeared, and more of the company’s domestic customers were choosing the more affordable products of offshore manufacturers.
In 1995, the company was sold to some out-of-town investors who had purchased similar businesses and thought they could run them more profitably. The new owners froze wages, cut benefits, and laid off 20 percent of the workforce. James hung on to his job, but it was a different place. Everyone anxiously waited for the other shoe to drop. Orders continued to decrease, and the factory was down to just one shift. In 1996, the company picnic was canceled to save money.
James and Susan had their first child, Jason, in 1997, and Thomas was born in 1999. In 2004, the aluminum company’s owner filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and laid off many more employees. The company never recovered, and one day in late 2008, as the Great Recession set in, James showed up to find the factory doors locked and the lights off. The company had gone into Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and its assets were being liquidated. James had been earning $22.50 an hour with a company-provided health insurance plan. Now it was all gone.
There weren’t many other careers for which James was qualified. Acquiring a new set of skills would be expensive, and he felt a little old for that anyway. After a feverish search, he took a job at a home-improvement store thirty miles away. The pay was just $12.50 an hour, with no benefits in the first year. Five years later he’s still there, making $14.25 an hour. Susan works as a nurse at an elementary school, and the two incomes are just enough to get by. They have cut back where
Education reform should begin with the family. Let’s empower parents to give their children the keys to success and then give them the choice of the school that is the best setting for them to live their American Dream. A century ago, Republicans took pride in breaking up corporate monopolies. Now it’s time to end the near-monopoly of government-run public schools.
CHAPTER NINE
GIVING THE AMERICAN WORKER A FIGHTING CHANCE
J ames Harrison grew up in the shadow of an aluminum manufacturing plant in northeastern Ohio. When he was born, in 1964, the plant employed his father and more than five hundred others, and the business was booming. Since the end of World War II, the company had experienced tremendous demand from around the world, and it ran three shifts to keep up. There was a job in the factory for anyone who had finished high school and was willing to work hard. After a few years on the job, the pay was enough to buy a home in town and comfortably provide for a family.The owner of the company became quite wealthy but always lived in the town, attended a local church, and sat in the stands at the high school football games. He knew most of his employees by name and never missed the company’s summer picnic.
The company did well throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Though growth had slowed somewhat by 1981, when James finished school and went to work there, it was still the same company he had known as a kid. By the late 1980s, however, competition from overseas was taking a toll, and the company was hiring fewer and fewer people. By 1990, the factory was no longer viewed as a good, reliable employer for local young men and women graduating from high school. Its export market had disappeared, and more of the company’s domestic customers were choosing the more affordable products of offshore manufacturers.
In 1995, the company was sold to some out-of-town investors who had purchased similar businesses and thought they could run them more profitably. The new owners froze wages, cut benefits, and laid off 20 percent of the workforce. James hung on to his job, but it was a different place. Everyone anxiously waited for the other shoe to drop. Orders continued to decrease, and the factory was down to just one shift. In 1996, the company picnic was canceled to save money.
James and Susan had their first child, Jason, in 1997, and Thomas was born in 1999. In 2004, the aluminum company’s owner filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and laid off many more employees. The company never recovered, and one day in late 2008, as the Great Recession set in, James showed up to find the factory doors locked and the lights off. The company had gone into Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and its assets were being liquidated. James had been earning $22.50 an hour with a company-provided health insurance plan. Now it was all gone.
There weren’t many other careers for which James was qualified. Acquiring a new set of skills would be expensive, and he felt a little old for that anyway. After a feverish search, he took a job at a home-improvement store thirty miles away. The pay was just $12.50 an hour, with no benefits in the first year. Five years later he’s still there, making $14.25 an hour. Susan works as a nurse at an elementary school, and the two incomes are just enough to get by. They have cut back where
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