Trading Up

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

~ Thomas A. Edison

Everyone in the market knows by now that new jobs are hard to come by. In these inflationary times, belt-tightening companies make do with current staff at best or huge layoffs at worst. The meteoric rise of AI doesn't help the employment dilemma. Numerous entry level jobs, even mid-level jobs, in all business sectors have been eliminated by the implementation of AI. 

So, what do the high school students of 2026 look ahead to when planning their post-graduation education? I think it's time to resuscitate the lucrative alternative to the crushing debt of today's often useless college degrees. I'm referring to jobs in "The Trades."

Careers in the trades span a dizzying array of industries: construction, energy, aviation, transportation, and mining are but a few. Armed with a high school diploma, a young worker can begin on-the-job training and earn a livable salary. The opportunity to advance and increase income is built into trade jobs, and the high need and demand for these jobs ensures employment security for the foreseeable future.

Think about it. We need skilled workers who can understand, build, repair, and manage the many facets of our modern societal infrastructure. My grandchildren leap to mind, all of them Lego wizards as preschoolers. What amazing electricians, avionics technicians, or construction supervisors they would make!

I'm not dissing college; my kids and I all have bachelor's degrees. College has its place, despite today's ridiculous price tag and often vacuous course offerings. But today is a new and different time in the job market, with specialized technical skills in pressing demand.

Today's high school graduate can go on to college for several years, often incurring formidable student loan debt along with uncertain job prospects. Or they can jump right into a position in the trades and soon begin earning serious money in a stable job. That sounds like a good trade to me.

Wood jointer at work

Better Word Needed

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

~ Proverbs 27:12

Way back in college, my professor of Advanced Expository Writing distributed a cheat sheet to the class as a reference for all of his editing acronyms. There were too many to remember, but one I learned and still remember all these years later was this: BWN. "Better word needed."

Every politician and pundit railing against the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) victories use the word "crazy" to describe the candidates. No. Drop the talking points. There is a better word to define what's happening in our elections. That word is "evil."

The DSA is flat-out dangerous to our nation. The party members mean us ill; they are not even pretending differently anymore. If the DSA win enough elections, each and every American will suffer directly. A few of their stated goals are the destruction of our government, the elimination of our law enforcement professionals, and the theft of our property for redistribution.

That's not crazy. That's evil.

There are no links to DSA election victors in this post. I won't give the DSA any assist whatsoever. Their candidates will lie as needed to gain power; and when they obtain it, they will crush us. That is what communists do. Just as any "socialist" tyrant throughout the centuries has done. If history was taught anymore, voters would know that.

And while on the topic of needing better words, there is nothing democratic about the DSA. They are communists. Communism thrives on envy and resentment; it is evil. Like everything communist, the DSA name is a lie. They are not the Democratic Socialists of America; the DSA are actually the Communists of America. Communism is evil, not "crazy." 

Make no mistake, the DSA are not "crazy." They know exactly what they are doing; they are evil. The better word needed in all commentary describing the DSA is "Communist."

Death Has No Power

 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

~ Philippians 4:13

I had never heard of Fr. Mark Beard until after he died. One day on Instagram, one of his homily clips popped up in my feed, and I was captivated. Now I follow him online and rarely go a day without watching his daily message.

Father Mark Beard of Louisiana was a passionate priest, a fiery preacher, and a Catholic influencer without peer. Since his tragic death in a car crash three years ago, his online presence has grown exponentially. His presence was so charismatic that, in the wake of his death, untold numbers of his social media followers have either embraced or returned to the Catholic Church after watching and listening to his electrifying homilies.

That fact in itself is remarkable enough. But the surprising story of his pathway to priesthood is even more astounding. A worldly businessman immersed in managing the operations of his father's company, Mark Beard was not the religious type. He liked cars, clothes, and girlfriends. A trip to the Marian shrine in Medjugorje changed his life and gave the modern world one of its most effective Catholic evangelists. 

In the documentary, A Life Well Lived, Fr. Mark relates his story in his own entertaining southern style. He could tell a story as well as he could deliver a homily, with humor, sincerity, and stark truth. You can find the show on YouTube; at less than half an hour, it's well worth your time to watch.

There's a Facebook page for him, and Instagram has a tribute posted today in honor of the 3-year anniversary that contains several clips from his homilies. The man was a riveting speaker, a truly gifted teacher in the bold and fearless manner of St. Paul. Fr. Mark's parishioners still mourn him, and there is a movement stirring to research the long process towards his sainthood. 

If you want a case of the chills, watch this clip from his last homily, mere days before he was killed. He talks about our judgment after death. I don't know how many times I've watched it, but it still makes the hair on the back of my neck rise up, knowing how close he stood to that "nanosecond" of death.

As difficult as it is to suddenly lose such a dynamic force for good, there is so much more good resulting from Fr. Beard's death. Even in our depraved times, with all the evils social media can and does advance, Fr. Mark's spiritual work continues to expand and grow long past his earthly presence. It's a heavenly reminder to us that goodness can always find a footing and flourish.

A snippet from one homily - No one's falling asleep in church!