Who is working in the fishing industry? And who is cultivating and processing the grapes and wine in CA? How about all the crops in CA’s San Joaquin Valley which feed the entire nation? And the local egg ranches from state to state? Except for a portion of the fisheries, ALL of the above plants are located in “rural” or semi-rural” areas, brian.
Those are but just a few examples.
There are not enough American boomers left in these areas still working FT to staff these plants. Even less of Gen X stayed back in their hometowns after HS in past decades because more of them attended college. And do you actually believe that US-born Gen Y stayed in their rural hometowns after HS to staff manufacturing plants??
Think again. The majority of Gen Y are currently in college or have already graduated with a degree so have no need to return to their small hometowns in flyover country to work for next to nothing. A portion of rural Gen Y male HS graduates are currently working for Halliburton staffing oil wells (fracking industry) and were recently making over $150K per year (plus room/board). I have no idea how much they’re making since the price of oil plummeted but most are/were saving 99% of their salaries and moving constantly for their employer wherever they are needed.
Hint: the native countries of the employee base for US farming and manufacturing concerns varies wildly from location to location. It may not necessarily be what you would expect.
FIH, I do think of you as “worldly,” yes . . . but you can’t see much of this great nation from the window seat of a plane en route from large city to large city. You need to take some time out of your busy life to hit the road, bro . . . I think you would learn a LOT by doing so! Your “armchair surfing” doesn’t compare to a (more authentic) boots-on-the-ground experience. Not by a long shot :=)
After going over Hoover Dam, you can start your Route 66 journey thru flyover America right here:
[img_assist|nid=25682|title=US 93 just over NV/AZ border|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=382|height=307]
Wait until it warms up and take a month off! I think you will find the face of US farming/manufacturing has changed exponentially in the past 25-35 years (depending on industry).
