Hey there. There’s a verse in an old truckin’ song, “got my diesel wound up and runnin’ like never before.” This is how I felt when I was hammer down, northbound the other mornin’ and I got to thinkin’, what am I gonna scribe about this week? I pondered that, as the miles flew by, “I think I have said enough about our Govnah and the ‘Supreme Tweeter’ for a while. Gotta give ’em a rest! So that’s all I’m sayin’ about those two this week!
So I got to thinkin’ about what the Alfond Foundation is doing up at Colby College, and I admit I don’t have all the facts, but I think the meat of it is, they are going to pay either some or all of the debt these students have incurred if they stay in Maine and work here. And I thought, that’s awesome, and as the early mornin’ dawned, I got to thinkin’, well, that’s great for Colby students who have to pay somewhere’s north of 50 grand to go there, but how do we help the student that’s going to a technical school, to be a plumber, mechanic, electrician, or even a trucker?
More than likely these students probably didn’t have the means to go to a Colby, but that doesn’t mean what they are educating for isn’t just as important. I know I’m pretty happy when the plumbing works right! And yes, the engineers and lawyers that these prestigious schools turn out are terrific, but isn’t the guy who can make your car purr, or how about how happy we are when the power comes on after being in the dark for a few hours, just as important?
It kinda doesn’t seem right that school should be all about money. I know I’ll probably make some of my teacher friends a little upset with this thought, but it’s kinda like medicine: he who has the most money wins every time. These schools that have huge endowments, millions if not billions, just seem to be about raising more money, and it seems like the leadership of these institutions are all about fundraising.
How do we as a society educate the less fortunate? I know I would love to hire someone right out of driving school, so as to teach them the right way to do the job, but unfortunately, one has to have at least two years of driving experience and a pretty clean driving record before I can hire them. Why you ask? Insurance! The insurance industry dictates to my industry who you can hire. Big business! Plain and simple! Reduce risk, don’t chance anything.
I’ve asked this question a million times, “how does one get experience, if he can’t get a job?” Well, the simple answer is go to work for a big truckin’ company that is self-insured. But that’s not really a good answer, as these companies are mostly a long ways from Maine, and require being gone for four to six weeks at a time, and are more like an assembly line than an “on-the-job” training program.
As for a clean record, how many trainees never make a mistake? That’s what training is all about in my book. How about comin’ up with some kinda rules that companies could take in these new “blue collar” workers, who want to stay in Maine, and instead of a tax break to the company, give debt relief to the student who sticks around and becomes an integral part of a local Maine company, who might even raise their family here. After all, it ain’t a bad place to settle down in, if you can afford it, which, with a good “blue-collar education,” one can!
There are tons of good jobs here in Maine right now. Ask a hospital how they’re doing looking for nurses or maybe try and find a carpenter on short notice. I’ll tell ya the truckin’ business is hurting, or people with problem-solving skills that can step to the plate and resolve daily issues that all businesses face. I’m tellin’ ya, it ain’t easy, folks!
Wanted to give a big shout-out to the Lincoln Academy girls basketball team as they are playing for the South championship as I write this. Good luck, ladies. And a big thank you to my lovely lady, Miss Sue, who threw a great 65th birthday party for me last weekend. Yes, Marva, it was number 65! Not 60!
Keep ya shine on folks, till next time!
Larry Sidelinger
Yankee Pride Transport
Damariscotta
