You have a serious problem if the only opportunities for working class

[malaise]

rural and urban young folks is via the military who do the bidding of the billionaires starting with MIC. Eventually they will understand that the system does not defend their interests.
One of these days, it will be the ReTHUGs who declare that they are the socialist party working for the underdogs.
Wake up and get back to your social good underpinnings Dems Stop hedging in the middle of the road.

The Slobfather's coup failed miserably, but others will try again. Strengthen the system and at the same time return to defending the interests of the ordinary people.

[BlueGreenLady]

1. Hear, hear!

[Yorkie Mom]

2. There is a huge shortage in the trades.

We need to go back to strong trade schools to give kids more options.

There has to be more than military, retail, and restaurants.

[malaise]

5. Precisely

Some time ago, a close friend sent me an article written by his former college roommate about the frustrations of the young rural folks - you are correct - military, retail and restaurants are a huge part of this frustration. They had way more options in the past and the government used to be part of that solution. The education system deteriorates by the day and opportunities are few and far between.
Wake the fuck up world - because this is not merely a US problem.

[madville]

14. Rural people have been leaving small towns for

Larger population centers, since, well since the invention of rural areas with small towns and larger population centers.

People have migrated to where opportunity is for 1000’s of years. Not sure how you artificially place opportunities in rural areas where there is no demand for that labor.

[madville]

11. My 24 yo son is an electrician

Went to a two year technical college at night while working for an electric company as a helper during the day, graduated with zero debt. Works as an electrician for a large beer brewing company now after being at a paper mill for a couple of years, does PLC programming as well, they have sent him to many extra training classes on their dime. Made $90k in 2021, says he’ll clear $100k this year easily.

His buddies that have gotten into plumbing and welding are doing well also. There are lots of opportunities in the trades everywhere, if you’re willing to travel it’s almost limitless.

[Yorkie Mom]

16. That is awesome!

[madville]

19. Thank you, I'm proud of him for finding a niche, it's across all trades really

I had a concrete slab done recently for a metal building on my property. The concrete guy and his employees were all 40+ years old, he said he can’t get young people to come learn that trade, granted it’s hard work but this guy has done a lot of projects for people I know over the years, he does very well and said he can be selective and even turns down work just because demand is so high. It’s an interesting dynamic, it’s like any trade, it takes years of learning the craft as a worker and then having the drive and aptitude to run a business to be successful.

[Tickle]

13. I couldn't agree more

There is nothing wrong with vocational schools/trade schools. There is good money to be made especially since we have a shortage of tradespeople.
I made my children go state schools to ensure there was no student dept. (It all paid off for them to) My thought process back then was a bachelors degree would be equivalent to yesterdays H.S diploma. From there you can be what you want to be.
Did I mention I paid for their state schooling? I did and my children = 2 8 years apart so it wasn't that difficult for me.

Both were able to find decent jobs and buy a house before they were 30.

[3Hotdogs]

3. There was a gif on D.U. --- comparing military service to Squid Game.

Hunger Games works, too.

Or you could get a bit more sophisticated and read General Smedley Butler's, "War Is A Racket."

[Marcuse]

4. !

[twodogsbarking]

6. Project 100,000 wasn't a one time thing.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Too busy chasing votes by raining tax breaks on the upper middle class

Benefits on the lower end have too many means tests. Ok, not enough incentive too.

But more practically, if you think these rural enclaves want any help you're crazy. Help is like a vaccine with cultural strings in their minds. You be uppity to visit and suggest it. They're all related for generations, defending themselves against outsiders. City folk family often return to retire with them and breed some more fortresses against change.

[NoMoreRepugs]

8. The war on science and the distaste for intellectuals will be

tremendously difficult to overcome. Curriculum control by the ReichWing here in the US is going to take decades to overcome and negate.

Heading out to buy some new tinfoil shortly.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Hoping for tinfoil hats shaped like Napoleon would wear

To protect us from nazi-esque propaganda

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. Yep.

But, when the narrative is "You are a failure if you don't go to college!" (and, let's face it, that IS the prevailing narrative), it is difficult to offer anything else. I agree fully. There used to be many options for a decent life in the US but once the MIC truly took control, all that crap went out of the window. The oligarchy cannot make more money if you don't play their game to make more money. The lie is that only a college degree will secure your existence. The reality is it is all part of the oligarch's attempt to steer the entire society into doing solely what they want. 'Land of the Free' my ass...

[captain queeg]

10. I agree the military is a good option for a young person to get started.

It’s too bad the military serves business interests. I’m sure most young people haven’t figured that out yet. It’s why the rethugs praise military folks and are always willing to increase their budget. Remember when we were supposed to see a “peace dividend”?

War is good business, especially if you can wage it somewhere else. It makes me wonder a bit about Putin starting a war with Ukraine. It’s not a small helpless country and they share a large border. It’s not the kind of place he can conquer swiftly and they are obviously willing to fight. Doesn’t seem to me to be a good idea for the Russians.

[ancianita]

15. The MIC is global corporations' idea of running humans' land bases. It's lobbied for war

and set up pretexts for war in the stans for that reason.

There, after our MIC left, governments have been powerless shells of former selves -- if they ever had a chance at all.

To "constitute" government power is what we as democratic nations thought we were doing for ourselves, and fooled ourselves into thinking we could do that for other nations.
What we sent there, privatized corporate militarism, is now here, and decades after Eisenhower's early warning, staring us in the face. We should see, too, that those without broadband don't know this, and likely don't have enough info to have these direct conversations. So it's not just about all of us waking up.

By the time humans within militaries see their families' best interests are not served through the military, nor served by corporate government (hello, there, Texas and Fort Bliss in El Paso near surrounding towns and the border) either presidents like Biden and generals like Lloyd Austin might uproot the divide-and-conquer racism of privatizers, or it's too late.

I don't want to be negative, but structurally, tens of millions of Americans won't even know when or even if it is happening. That's not their fault that they believe sellouts. It's not the fault of those with broadband that they have been gradually bamboozled, either. It's hard to be big-picture vigilant when one struggles for years with getting the basics.

I'm with you. We do have to fight. Still, the nation's too big to mobilize against stealth disasters, as Biden has learned. This serious problem will likely hav to take at least another administrative term.

[Hekate]

17. It's called a "poverty draft." We could fund schools, instead, but noooo...

Funding schools is what Democrats talk about.

[brooklynite]

18. Last time I checked the military was under the control of President Biden. Am I wrong?

Or is President Biden doing the bidding of the billionaires?

Care to try and dig a bigger hole?

[LuckyCharms]

21. The problem is much bigger than something POTUS can address.

It's systemic, and it runs through the military, the financial world, the online world, and even local governments.

And it's not something new.

[LuckyCharms]

20. malaise, I've been personally closely involved in something...

that makes me see just how corrupt and upside down everything really is (I'm talking about the opposition here). It's not a conspiracy theory. They just do stuff out in the open for everyone to see with their own eyes, and they don't care.

I agree with your post 100%.