It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Well, Nicole, I'm not touching that line, but thank you very much for the introduction. My name is Dan Ray, the host of Night's Side, heard every Monday through Friday night from eight until midnight right here on WBZ Boston
ten thirty or on an AM dial. If you're listening anywhere in the eastern half of the US and are spinning the dial on your radio at home or map praps out in your car and you've heard this strange sounding voice, it is i WBZ Dan Ray of WBZ in Boston, So lock us in in your car dial. Of course, you also can pull down the iHeart app and you could put us in as your number one
pre set on that as well. It's all We make it all so easy for you to follow us, and remind you that Rob Brooks is back in the control room at Broadcast Central. He's all set to get us going through the night. We're going to talk about a local issue at nine o'clock. Boston is gonna would like the charge be food app delivery companies the grand total
of fifteen cents for every delivery they make. Boy I'll tell you these politicians they have an unyielding appetite to get their hands in your pockets in what I will talk about that that is for sure. And then we're going to talk about who's going to lead the Democrats out of the wilderness tonight at ten o'clock. There seems to be a political shift amongst young people actually, which might surprise some of you, and I think that Bernie
Sanders and AOC might soon. They say nature apports a vacuum, and I think there's a vacuum of leadership in the Democratic Party right now, and we'll talk about who might actually fulfill that very important position to say, to actually state the ideals and the standards of the Democratic Party. But first here in this hour, we are going to
talk with four very interesting guests. One of my most interesting guests in a long time is someone who I've known for many years, and he's kind of popped back off on my radar. I'm not going to go old school with you and talk about how we knew each other, but Mark Epstein. Epstein Mark is a author, went to high school here and a college at Worcester State, and after some period of time relocated and became an educator in South Carolina, but also never lost his passion for sports,
particularly baseball and basketball. He played basketball at Worcester State back in the day, and he has written a book entitled Cape Dreams, A Season with the Brewster white Caps, which is one of the franchises, one of the teams down in the Cape Cod League. Mark, I really mean this. Welcome to Nightsott, how are you hey.
I'm doing great.
Dan.
It's great to hear your voice again. That was a fun round reunion we had earlier, certainly was, so I want.
To jump into it. This book actually is going to hit the bookstands tomorrow, and anyone who's a baseball fan or anyone who is from New England's certainly knows about the Cape Cod League. But you spent last summer literally living with the Brewster Whitecaps and traveled with them on the bus and got to know all the players and
how this Cape Cod team came together. So in the few minutes that we have, let's talk about why people should pick up this book if they're from New England or if they're a baseball fan of any sort, because I'm sure it's a great read. I have not had a chance to read it yet, but I'm sure I will.
It really is, you know, Peter Gammis wrote the forwards, and I would say the biggest reason is that not only is there something real special that endeared me to the town of Brewster, Massachusetts, the organization, the volunteers, the players, the president Luke Dillon, the manager Jamie Sabschek, the maker dom Inshodge of host family, James Sullivan. But it's such a quaint town and it's so Cape Cod they don't
even have a red light. But you know what the most proud of, the most proud of the Brewster white Caps. And what we did is we got into the lives
of the players. I was real fortunate that I worked closely with the mandager, Jamie Shevshik, one of the great baseball minds in America today, maybe one of the most successful collegiate coaches of any sports, actively managing at Keystone College where he's won nineteen straight conference championships in Pennsylvania, and he spends the summer managing the Brewster white Caps, and they have a tremendous tradition. But we were able to get into the lives of the players. It were
no restrictions. He wasn't. He was very secure in himself and allowing me full privileged to live dine e travel. I was almost a teammate. I felt I had gone back to college and I enjoyed every second of it.
The guys, well, now these are the best, all of these, these Cape Cort League teams, they're the best college players in the country. It is the premier college baseball league. It's primarily for either freshmen or sophomores. Uh and and some of these, I mean, we could we could list the players that have graduated from the Cape Cod League and.
Gone on our judges on the cover of the book.
And judge is one that comes to mind. CC Sabathia, who's about to be aducted uh next summer into a Hall of Fame, great pitcher with the Indians, and little bit and on the back, yes, so and and a lot of great Red Sox players have spent time down there. So you had probably two or three players on that team that you spent the summer with. That two or three four five years from now, you're going to look up at major league rosters and say, I remember.
That guy, and I'll give you their name.
White Caps. Yeah, absolutely, I'll give me the name. Sure.
One of them has become one of my best friends. Andrew Fisher, a star run, he's all He's got to go into Tennessee that ranked number one in the country. They're twenty two and two. Another one who's could be in twenty twenty six. The first player taken in the MLB draft, Dan Covey reminds me a little bit of maybe a compacted size without the reigns of an a Rod. Incredible talent. And we got a guy named Nick Doulasil who exploded on the cake this summer, and he's not
right now. By the one hundred scouts that followed the team this summer, they have him in the top ten to fifteen players tape getting drafted this year in the first round. And it goes on and on.
It.
Every team in the league can rattle up names of players that have gone on to start him after they left the Cape. And you know, Peter Gammons does a great job of saying it best, and he's so eloquent anyway, but he.
Says, probably I think I read that there's about two hundred alumni. If I'm not mistaken, maybe it's more from the Cape League who have played and in many cases, excelled in Major League baseball.
There are three hundred and fifty on Major league rosters last season alone. There are almost two thousands through the history of the league that goes back to nineteen twenty three.
Wow. Well, and there's only about by the way, when you think about it, it's only about twenty two thousand people players who have ever on the major league uniform. So that means about ten percent of everybody who's played in the major leagues spent some time with one of the Cape Cod League teams. What what?
And last year? Yeah, you're right, you're right. So I'm the scent of the rosters last year were Cape alumni. It's incredible.
Yeah, it's only going to get more, So let me do that.
And you know what they kept, Dan, you know, you know what's so special about it? You know, and not just Brewster. All the teams are highlighted throughout the story, but yeah, emphasis is on the Brewster White Caps for sure, But you know what's those special? They kept the same old school values that our country was founded by that made the national pastime the real national pass line. There's no entitlement. The guys don't get paid. It's one of
the last amateur athletic organizations left in America. The guys pay their own way. They're housed in with host families. The Ball of Tears work twelve months a year, like the James Sullivans of the world, and it's just something that when you stop attending, there's something that pulls you in and it tapped as you for the rest of your life.
Well, yeah, what A lot of people don't realize, Mark, and you of course know it better than Mars. But I got to tell you one quick story. All these players have a summer job which.
They used to they are doing that. Yeah, three five years ago that you eliminated that front of it.
Well, the reason the reason I know that is I heard Buck Showalter tell a story once that he played in the Cape League one summer. This would have been back sometime in the nineteen eighties, and he had a job I think it was Sho Walter that told the story with some sort of a painting company, and one of the jobs that summer, besides playing baseball office he during the day they were painting fences, including fences at
the Kennedy Compound down in Hyena. So and look, let me do this, Mark, I'm running out of time here. So the most important part of the interview. You certainly have the passion and the enthusiasm I'm sure is going.
I want everyone to read this story and fall in love with the Cape League because one show hook you.
Okay, So what we gotta do here real quickly. Now we're running out of time. What we got to do here is we got to tell them how they can get It's going to be a whole lot of Barnes and Nobles bookstores tomorrow also going.
To be able to order it.
Go ahead, yeah you can. You can take the plane if you want to fly. We only got thirty seconds left, Mark, so go for it.
The Barnes and Nobles will be able to order it for ingroospot tomorrow. It goes online for retail. Tale Online retail sales April fifth, and my website is Mockpass find
your books dot com. You can order from me. You can go into a bookstore on the tape or through the northeast Barnes and Nobles and your bumblestock ay them soon and there's a big event at Polar Parking on It's the Polar Part Great Writers series and doctor Charles Steinberg and Ted galluped on the host it and it's going to be a celebration at Cape cod Baseball with Paul Mitchell and Ronnie Tarry's coming there before.
I gotta I gotta call time out. I gotta call time out because we're now be we are now intruding into the time of the next guest. Mark, I gave you a lot of time because you're an old friend and we both love baseball. Thanks so much, best of luck with the book, and we'll hopefully see you down in the Cape this summer of the ball game.
Okay, Cape Dreams, thank you.
Thanks, have a great one. All Right, we get back. We're going to I love people who are enthusiastic and uh and particularly about baseball, and that is a great description of Mark. We are going to be talking about a pay gap for women in New Hampshire, which will be talking with Jessica Williams, policy analyst for the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Coming right back on the other side of this breakout nights Side.
Now back to Dan ray Line from The Window World Nightside studios on wb Z, the news radio.
Well today is on March twenty fourth, but tomorrow's March twenty fifth, as you could probably figure out without me telling you, But tomorrow is also the what's called National Women's Equal Payday, and New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute has done a study which Jessica Williams, who is a policy analyst for that group, is going to talk about. I guess's the women's pay gap in New Hampshire is larger than national average. Jessica Williams, Welcome to Nightside. How are you.
Yes, I'm doing wonderful this evening. How are you doing tonight?
So what do we attribute I'm doing great? What do we attribute this distinction? I'm assuming that there is a pay gap. Obviously you folks have identified it. There has to be some reasons for it. What is it? The types of jobs that women are employed in? What are the factors that caused this disparity?
Yes, absolutely so, I will not generally the wage gap for New Hampshire and women in New Hampshire is wider than it is for women nationally.
So, based on data that we have.
For twenty twenty three GRANTITEDE State women working full time earned median incomes at about seventy six percent of what men earned at about seventy six thousand dollars for men compared to about fifty seven thousand dollars for women annually. Of course, when we compare data by occupational group in New Hampshire, the wage gaps were the widest among those in the legal sector, the entertainment and media sector, as well as among management occupations. So, I know you asked
about kind of the why of this wage gap. So one, considering the wage gap, it's important to note that woman experience lower labor force participation rates. So according to New Hampshire specific data for twenty twenty four, about ninety one percent of male workers aged twenty five to fifty four were engaged in the state's labor force, compared to only about eighty three percent female workers of the same ages.
Jessica, yeah, yeah, the numbers are numbers are interesting, and on radio sometimes it's tough to absorb those numbers. But so why amongst young people when you the age group you were talking about, there is the youngest sort of group of workers, the age group that you were talking about. In that group, I think you said twenty five to thirty four. So why such a disparity between the number
of people not only working. Yeah, it was, as you said, New Hampshi labor force participation, but in turn then a wage app what's the cause of that?
Yes, so those are the labor forces among workers aged twenty five to fifty four in the state's labor force. While this is true when we consider the total New Hampshire labor force size, women comprised about a half of
New Hampshire based jobs. So this suggests that women may be both less likely to commute out of state for work and may also be more likely to hold multiple part time jobs, which tend to have lower pay and of course offer little to no benefits such as health insurance and retirement benefits.
I'm just looking at something. I just want to make sure I'm following you here, because with numbers, it's the report that I'm looking at says women held forty nine point seven percent of private jobs based in New Hampshire according to the early twenty twenty four data. So that would suggest that women are holding about half of the private jobs based in New Hampshire. Or am I reading that wrong?
Yes? Yes, that would be true. So based on that data, women held slightly less than half, as you noted about forty nine point seven.
That's pretty close to Hampshire half. Okay, And so is it the type of jobs that the women in New Hampshire are holding the reason? Let me tell you the reason I'm asking this. Okay, You've had a series of women in New Hampshire in positions of real influence. Both your United States Senators are women. You've had members, there was a period of time when all four members in Congress were females. Women. There's a new Republican women governor. So women have done very well devisented to the highest
positions in the political life of New Hampshire. Have they not done their job? The political leaders up there to look at this problem and try to address it as best they can.
Yes. So with that, I think it's important to note the percent of women engaging in the labor force and what type of jobs they are working. So I can't offer you some data. Women are more likely to engage and paid care giving goals. This can include things like
childcare workers as well as home health care workers. So, based on data that we have for twenty twenty four, women comprised close to ninety one percent of early care and education workers in New Hampshire's workforce in about eighty six percent of home health care workers across the state. We know that both of these occupations tend to offer wages far below the state's media and hourly wage and workers in these occupations.
So that brings me back. That brings me back to the question that I asked before, And perhaps you didn't understand. What I was trying to say was that New Hampshire, above all, has had tremendous representation. Both United States senators currently are female, one member of Congress, and until recently, both members of the House of representatves are female. You've had women governors out there, both of whom ascended to
the US Senate. Have these political leaders dropped the ball when it comes to trying to level the playing field for women? They are themselves women who, from a political point of view, are at the apex of power. You may not want to criticize political leaders, but I'm sort of giving you that opportunity to tell me why they have not been able to make a greater difference for women working in New Hampshire.
Yes, Dan, and thank you so much for that question. I wish I could answer your question more directly. I can say, when we, of course consider potential policy initiatives that may help mitigate some of the harms in the higher paid gap at New Hampshire, it's important to consider why women may have some of these lower meeting incomes compared to men, and may be more likely to work some of these lower income jobs, as I noted. Of course, access to higher education you know, may help to lessen
the gap in New Hampshire. As I mentioned, women are more likely to work in occupations offer lower wages and typically require lower levels of educational team.
Well again, you represent tonight the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute and that sounds to me like a great organization. And I hope that some of the women leaders political leaders in New Hampshire will take the time to read this report, which is entitled Spotlight on Granted State Women in the Labor Force for National Women's Equal Payday. Jessica,
appreciate your time. I'm flat out of it though, and people can find that report just by going to NHFPI, which stands for New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Into Institute dot org and I hope they do read it. It's interesting statistics and it's available on the web. Thank you very much for your time tonight.
Yes, thank you so much for having me on the show.
Appreciate it.
Have a great night. Good night. When we get back, we're going to talk about lowering your energy rates and how you can do that, particularly here in Massachusetts. Back on Nightside right after.
This Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news radio.
Welcome back, everyone. This is a Monday night. It is March twenty fourth. We are officially in spring. Baseball starts for real this Thursday for the Red Sox down in Texas. But I'll tell you what is something for real for us every day of the week, winter, spring, summer, and fall, and that is our electric bills, are heating bills, all of those public utility costs that everyone has to experience and pay off and through the nose here in New
England with us is Abbi Foster. Abby's the vice president of Policy and Advocacy for REAL, the Retail Advancement Energy League. Abby Foster has been a guest in this program before. Abby. Welcome back to Nightside.
How are you, thanks, Dan? Doing well well?
Thanks? Very much for coming back. I am a huge advocate for energy rates availability, and we have in Massachusetts this website that I'm sure you're familiar with, which allows us as consumers to compare our energy rates with that energy rate that might be offered by other companies here in Massachusetts. Explain it and why people should be going to this. I think it's mass Energy rates dot org if I'm not mistaken, or dot com. I'm gonna look
it up in them while you talk. But it's a very important people should have it earmarked on their computer. Explain to everyone why it's important.
They certainly should so. Back in the late nineties, Massachuset's decided that they wanted to have competition in their electric market, and so they broke up the electric utility monopoly and made it so that customers could choose who their energy supplier was, and so that all sorts of companies and private investors could invest in the state and build generation
and not just one company. And so because of that, customers and Massachusetts residential, commercial, industrial business customers the same. They can all go and shop on the state managed website energy SWITCHMA dot gov and look at the prices, compare the utility offer, look at municipal aggregation if that's offered, and then look at the offers from competitive electric suppliers. And if they want cost savings, they can shop based
on cost. If they want one hundred percent renewable energy, they can look for that free electric vehicle charging, you name it. That's the benefit of the competitive market. There's a customer demand for something, the market responds and customers have options.
Yeah, it's it's great. There's another way to get to it as simply. Also just mass energy rates will get the get you there as well. And it's so simple. You just you select your your utility, whatever the utility is, if it's ever source or national grid or unitil UH. Then they're asked you to explain what are you residential or commercial or a large commercial most people are gonna be residential. And then you after that, I believe that you're asked to put in like your ZIP code and
then it all, it all pops up for you. Now, this was UH. I believe was Governor Paul Salucci at the time in the legislature who worked to make this available to Massachusetts customers. I use it all the time. I use it all the time. I switched my energy provider as recently as last week. But believe it or not, the folks who are running Massachusetts these days, Governor Healey's office and the Attorney General's office, they're trying to take
this wonderful consumer choice off the books. What's going on with that?
Yeah, I think there's a lot of misconceptions.
Part of the other challenge is that Massachusetts consumer protections have not really kept pace as the market has evolved. So a lot of other states have improved market reforms and protections in place so that customers are more protected as they shop. So things like requiring newdas is to be sent to customers when it's time for renewal, for the price to be disclosed if there's changes to the contract.
And then there's also not a really high bar in Massachusetts for entry for companies who are coming to offer supply offers. Things like requiring licensing fees, bonding.
Requirements, and so those are things that we've.
Actually all suggested and represented to. Taki Chan and Senator Patrick O'Connor have introduced legislation that would improve the market in response to legislators who are just trying to close it down rather than looking for ways to fix it.
So my question is is assuming that there's a problem, and I don't really think there is a problem, but I just switched to a Consolation energy and I got in the mail today as matterford to have a file of opened up over here. They're going to notify me.
I signed up for nine months fixed rates of like twelve cents per kilo one hour for my electricity, and they have promised that they will send me a notice thirty days in advance of when the fixed rate expires and I can either continue with them or move to another company. Now, Constellation seems to me to be a pretty good on the level company. Do they have a good reputation that they will follow through and send me
that thirty day notice. I'm going to make a note in my calendar to call them also to me before the before my fixed rates run out. But do they need to have a law pass to require these companies to contact us and say, hey, your rate's running out in a month from now. You got to either change it or we're going to put you in a program whether or not you like it or not.
You know, they don't companies like Constellation and many other suppliers proactively go ahead and do things like that because it's best practice for consumers and they want to keep customers and keep them happy. Constanation has a great reputation. I've actually enrolled with them in the past as a Pennsylvania shopper in my own state. But you sound like a shopper who's informed. You look at your contract summary when.
You get it.
It's a really great tip what you just shared about setting a calendar notice when it's time for renewals so that you remember to go on and shop and look at your options. But unfortunately, not all.
Customers do those things, and so we're kind of in.
A place where those customers who either didn't review the terms and a file to complaint or a company who was a bad actor came into the state and because there aren't right proper thresholds in place, was able to take advantage of a customer. And so these are just basic consumer protections that a lot of the other states that allow for competition would the utility already have in place, and it would just bring Massachusus up to be on part with other states.
So we think of ourselves as a very progressive state. You know that we're overwhelming a democratic state, democratic governor of eighty percent Democratic Democratic legislature both in the House and Senate. All they would have to do would be
pass some legislation which would require these notifications. And what they're saying is they're going to take this valuable tool away from us, which means I assume that once you're an ever Source customer, or once you're a National Grid customer, you'll never be able to opt out for a different supplier.
Is not done right?
Bottom line?
Yeah, that's right.
So it would close down the market for residential customers. If your town has municipal aggregation, you could still shop with your municipal aggregation. I mean, this stall aggregation is a great option, but it's just one options.
So you still want to being able to have a few different players.
I'll be in Massachusetts, I tell you. I mean, there's a handful of towns who have this. The vast majority of towns we have three hundred and fifty one cities and towns they don't have it. Has have the major suppliers here in Massachusetts, ever Source, in National Grid and UNITIL have they weighed in on this. I mean, I hope they're not trying to see the energy rate option or website disappear, even though it might be in their own interest, if you get my drift.
Yeah, I have not seen public comment.
Really.
The leaders on this has been the Attorney General's office, City of Boston and several other entities, But I have not seen a lot from the Utah.
Yeah. Well that's Andrea Campbell, the Attorney General who wants to take this option away from people, and Boston Mayor Michelle Woop, two very progressive leaders so called, but are acting, in my opinion, in a very regressive way. They want to take us back to the nineteen nineties when choice was not available.
Yeah. And actually there was an editorial place in the Commonwealth Beacon last year that was jointly filed by Mayor Wu and Andrea Campbell, the Attorney General, that said electricity pricing is just too complicated to lead to individual customers. They've testified before the committees in the Senate and the House and said that you'd have to be a lawyer or have a PhD to be able to figure out how to do this. But you're a first.
Hand customer with your unforstnand experience.
How insulting it couldn't be easier if you want to take the interest. And there may be some customers who don't take the interest because maybe I don't know, even if they're renting, they're paying for it in terms of the cost, they're going to be passed on by the landlords.
Uh.
It just to me, it's it's like it's like the opposite world. Here in Massachusetts, a so called progressive state basically is regressive, and they look down their noses and they think that we're all stupid and we're not stupid. We're not stupid, and they're going to learn that. They're gonna learn that lesson at some point. Abby. Maybe would
you come back later on during the week. I think that my producer has talked to you about doing this and and talk to some of my listeners, so maybe they can share their experiences with you or ask questions of you. You know this what happened? I do?
Okay, great, thank you very absolutely.
Okay, So we will we'll talk about this again later on during the week. Give you a chance to ask questions about it. Anything that I can do to help you lower your utility cost in Massachusetts. I feel that's an obligation that I have, and this is part of the obligation. I feel so abby. Foster, thanks for joining us tonight. We will talk soon, Okay, thank you very much.
Thanks Dan, You're very welcome.
When we get back. We have one more guest schedule. We'll try to get to that guest right after this break on Nightside, and then we will get into topics of the night where you can participate. And I got a very interesting story that Gayla Cawley broke in the Boston Herald, I think it was yesterday, which just lit my hair on fire. I'll explain coming back on Nightside.
Now, back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
All right, I'm doing sometimes two or three things simultaneously. It's like juggling. I don't know what it's like. Actually, sometimes here on Nightside, we try to do a lot of things simultaneously. We have a big production staff with me here. Rob good luck. I'm sure you'll be able to find that for me, and I do appreciate you, that's for sure. This effort late, we have one more guest and we're got to get to the guest right now. Let's get right to the guest who is coming up here,
and the guest is Meredith Elliott Powell. She's going to talk to us about something called catfishing, and we're not talking about looking fishing for catfish. Meredith, welcome to Nightside.
How are you well, I'm good, Thank you?
Okay. Well, the phrase catfishing, I've heard it used many times, but we're talking about a specific type of catfishing. And I guess it's the old concept of bait and switch and that's where the catfishing phrase comes from. And most workers, according to one article that I have in front of me, say that they have been catfished into taking a job. Seventy nine told Monster that their job didn't live up to the scripture provided by a recruiter or a hiring manager.
Is that in their heads or is that in reality? Or probably doesn't make a difference.
I don't know. I think I think it probably is maybe a little bit of both. But I think that, you know, I think it's so interesting today. I mean, with the pace of change happening at such a such a rapid a stings changing, I think often you're going to get hired for a job, and maybe what you need to be doing six months from now won't be exactly what you were hired to do. So well, I think there's some validity to it. I do think also businesses are needing to respond to the fact that so
much in the marketplace is changing. They need workers who are willing to adapt and take on new responsibilities, new skills, and new roles.
I would assume most new workers have been They have lived with computers since they were born. I got to tell you, when I first started in my career many many decades ago, computers you know, you heard about like an IBM, you know computer, but you knew that that was never going to impact you, and along terme, computers and those of us in media, we have to know how to work with computers. We're not the most skilled people in the world. I mean, why is it that
young workers seem to be having a problem here. I would assume what this figure is unbelievable is well seventy percent. I feel that that eighty percent. What are they? What are the jobs? Can you explain it to me? It boggles my mind. I just don't understand it. I mean, I can understand some people take a job and they don't like it, and they leave, but eighty percent don't do enough due diligence on the job to figure out what they need to do well.
I think it's I do think that do you think that number is I was a little astonished by it as well, But I think maybe our expectation are are too high. I think maybe you know, uh, with the younger with the younger generation, I hate to be the one calling them that. By the younger generation, is that you expect a job to you know, it's kind of
like a honeymoon versus getting married. You get excited that you get the job, and then reality sets in and some days are great at a job and some days, you know, are are are less challenging, and if you want to get ahead, you're going to need to take on some duties that maybe maybe aren't what you need to be doing, or maybe you don't feel match the education you know level that that you came you know
that you went into the workforce with. So I think it's a I really think that figure is high because I think it's a mismatch of expectations. I think you graduate from school and you believe that you're going to move into a really high level position and you get in there and and some other things are expected of you.
You know, I'm going to sound like a really old fogy here, but I don't anymore because I am an old Okay. I imagine that the people who were blacksmith's and used to shoe horses, when the automobile came along around twenty ten, that probably kind of changed their world a lot. And I suspect that most of those people figured it out and developed new skills or different skills.
And when I think about the eighteen year olds who were storming Normandy Beach in nineteen forty four, I just think to myself, I don't know how much you know moaning. And there's a word that goes with moaning, which I won't say in the radio they were doing. They knew they had a pretty nasty day coming up that day and they had to deal with and a lot of them were killed, obviously and mowed down. I look at the kids who are coming out today, and I know I'm going to sound like an old fogy, But does
this generation of a problem? I mean, did they need comfort pillows and comfort animals at work?
Is that?
Are they missing something that they need Mommy to be there? With them and hold their hand. I'm really serious.
When I say that now the only thing that they are missing are hard times. And you know you were right. Now as we're doing this interview, we're watching the employment picture change and it's going to be it's becoming harder to find a job. We're seeing more layoffs, We're seeing, you know, changes in the guaranteed government job. And as the times get hard, the younger generation will toughen up
with them. When you are soft, you're soft because it's a luxury, because the opportunity is there, and once the shift comes in the marketplace, you'll see that change as well.
Well. You're an optimist, and I absolutely hope you're right, because I think that our future depends on us, on the folks who are coming into the workforce. And I say this seriously realistically. You're a social security check. My so security check depends upon people coming in and performing effectively. I'm fascinated by the stories that I talked to every night of the week. You included and the fact that you're optimistic helps. It heartens heartens me for sure. I hope.
I think a lot of people, very few are lucky enough to get a job at twenty two or whatever. You know, the kids who are being successful today are not the college graduates. Maybe they were most successful in the long run the kids who are coming out of school with a trade at eighteen or nineteen and plumbers
or electricians or apprentices or hvs C, HVAC people. Those guys, they're not carrying two hundred guys and gals are not carrying two hundred and three hundred thousand dollars of college loans, and they have businesses under their feet by time they're twenty five, bear the boss by time they're twenty five. I mean, yeah, I think we've maybe oversold college, the idea that everyone has to go to college.
Well, and I think that's a big trend that you're starting to see change right now as well. It was just a reason that I'm optimistic. I mean, when the when the marketplace shifts, people shift, people shift with it. And you know, I've seen quite a few people get you know, starting to get laid off from from companies. We've had a lot of layoffs with the government. Now,
competition is going to happen for jobs. And when competition happens for jobs, people get tough and they're willing to take a job that maybe they weren't willing to take, you know, three years ago. So the market will definitely shift our community. Colleges are coming on gangbusters with starting to train kids for trade schools again, and a lot of kids, this next generation is opting out of college. How many colleges are in trouble around the country because
the trade schools are starting to go back in. So I think I hate you.
I hate you to issue, but I've gone I'm so interested in what we're talking about. I've gone over a little bit here, so I got to let you run. But I'd love to have you back at some point.
And uh, I love it.
We will look forward to it. Thank you, Meredith Elliott Powell. Turn uncertainty into opportunity. Thank you very much. Meredith. We'll talk again. Thank you. So here comes the nine o'clock News, Rob. I apologize for that. That was my fault, but that's a subject that is very important. Back right after the nine o'clock news all night.
So