Anna Roman-Mercado

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@WallStreetApes If this is in any way true why would the company and pilots agree to do this?

[Beauty of music and nature 🌺🌺 @Axaxia88]

Like a dog with it's head out the window, only better cuz he doesn't have to run to get the wind! 🤗

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@DruBat95 @DrLoupis__ Beautiful. Well said.

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

“CPAC? Really, Mike? Since you’re now officially out of the closet, are you still going to insist that you’re not a Republican stooge? I’m guessing you will. Go ahead, prove me wrong.”
Carol Blevins

Hi Carol
The only way I can prove you wrong is by ignoring you, which is tempting, since there’s no hope in trying to change the mind of a person who doesn’t like me but follows me anyway. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that other people on this page who share your disappointment - but not your lack of manners – might be curious to know why I accepted an invitation to speak at the largest gathering of conservatives in the country. So, I’ll answer your question with them in mind, and do so by sharing an open letter I wrote to Barack Obama sixteen years ago, shortly after I launched mikeroweWORKS. You can read it here/ https://t.co/CTjJav0KDL

That letter was posted in 2009, when the country was entering a recession and lots of people were unemployed. In an effort to get America back to work, President Obama pledged to create three million “shovel ready” jobs as part of his Highway Infrastructure Act. In my letter to him, I wished the new President every success, but shared my concern that many of the business owners I had met on Dirty Jobs were already struggling to fill thousands of “shovel ready” positions. According to the BLS, even with twelve million people out of work, 2.3 million of these "shovel ready" positions remained open, many in manufacturing and the skilled trades.

Despite the mainstream assumption that more jobs would automatically lead to less unemployment, it seemed pretty clear that the skills gap was not a consequence of too few jobs, but rather, a consequence of too little enthusiasm for the jobs that already existed. In other words, along with the skills gap, there was also a “will gap.” It seemed to me that “creating” more shovel ready jobs would be a tough sell to a country that was not all that excited about picking up a shovel. That’s when I started to incorporate recruiting messages into every episode of Dirty Jobs. And that’s why I offered to help the Obama administration make a more persuasive case for the new “shovel ready” opportunities they hoped to create, by partnering with mikeroweWORKS.

To be honest, I didn’t really expect President Obama to respond to a guy who had become famous for crawling through sewers, but it never hurts to ask – especially when you’re trying to raise awareness about an issue that impacts every American. And so, I wasn’t discouraged when my offer was ignored. In fact, over the last sixteen years, I’ve made similar offers to other presidents, and other elected officials. I’ve met with several governors, partnered with several likeminded state-run initiatives, and spoken to Congress, twice, about the importance a national campaign to reinvigorate the trades. Unfortunately, the “will gap” is still with us. Today, 7.2 million able-bodied men are not only unemployed, they’re not even looking for work. And still, according to the BLS, we now have 7.6 million open jobs - most of which do NOT require a four-year degree.

In part, I think the “will gap” is a consequence of stigmas, stereotypes, myths and misperceptions that dissuade millions of people from considering a career in the trades. I think it’s critical to debunk those misperceptions with real-world examples, and mikeroweWORKS does that every day. But there’s nothing we can do about the underlying math, which is exacerbating the problem exponentially. Consider: for every five skilled workers who retire this year, two will replace them. It’s been that way for over a decade, and the arithmetic is clearly not sustainable. In fact, every big company in the country that relies on skilled labor – including those responsible for our national defense – is in desperate need of skilled labor, and competing with each other to get it. And now, President Trump wants to create more skilled jobs by bringing manufacturing back to America.

As with President Obama, I wish President Trump every success. I want our country to be less reliant on China, and less dependent on foreign workers. But my questions today are no different than they were sixteen years ago – if the President succeeds with his objective, where will the skilled workers come from? As of last February, there were 600 hundred thousand open jobs in the manufacturing sector. If we can’t fill the jobs that already exist, how will we fill the jobs the president wishes to create? How will we persuade the next generation to give the skilled trades an honest look?

At mikeroweWORKS, the answer is simple. We award work ethic scholarships to people who qualify, and then, after they begin their career of choice, we share their stories as widely as possible. Stories like Johnny Goodson’s, a former musician who found a rewarding career repairing heavy equipment. Johnny is one of 2,200 people we’ve assisted to date, who found a new and rewarding life in the skilled trades. Its stories like his that need to be shared far and wide, so please help me do so.

As for my party affiliation, it’s hardly a secret. I’m a registered Independent, and have been for some time. It’s true that I hold some conservative opinions, but those opinions haven't kept me from addressing dozens of liberal organizations over the years, or from appearing on countless liberal outlets to talk about this issue. Nor do my political opinions keep me from encouraging you, Carol, or any other liberal leaning person you might know, to apply for a work ethic scholarship from https://t.co/ju76O0XWgC. This month, we have $2.5 million dollars set aside to help train the next generation of skilled workers. I wish we had ten times the amount, because as of today, we have ten times the number of applicants we did a year ago.

Anyway, that’s why I went to CPAC. To let them know that we’re moving the needle, and to invite them to help us move it further still. The stakes are very high. In my view, closing the skills gap is now a matter of national security, and something ambitious needs to be done to reinvigorate the trades. We're doing what we can at mikeroweWORKS, and I welcome all the help I can get.

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@TrumpRealDaily A

[SparkToro @sparktoro]

We've updated our post on Twitter's fake/spam analysis to answer some of the most-asked questions since publication.

We also included a link to Twitter's API offering. We encourage people to replicate our methodology and improve.

https://t.co/IBr2hmTRrr

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

A step backwards for Virginia ☹️
https://t.co/wUhvJHf2Gp

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

The Uncomfortable Truth About Reopening Schools https://t.co/KK1sLtrgqL via @YouTube

[Rebecca Anne Stewart - Author @NeamhainC]

Way of the Wolf: Endeavour
(The Wulvers Series Book 3)

How can I rise to meet my fate when the scars of the past still define me?

#Preorder link: https://t.co/2XxxM8Pbzy

#WritingCommunity #QuarantineBookClub #paranormalromance #fantasy #shifter

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@henshaw @SlackHQ @zoom_us @Google @Facebook @telegram @Twitter @Apple @asana @Jira @trello @gmail The new reality of staying in touch.

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@limitlessbooks Congratulations @whiskeyqueenn! Great series and great story.

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

Way of the Wolf: Ascension Coming out June 11.

[Rebecca Anne Stewart - Author @NeamhainC]

TEASER

https://t.co/eXNx6OkKtu

#writingcommunity #publishing @limitlessbooks #authors #novels #werewolf #fantasy #teasers #promotion

[Rebecca Anne Stewart - Author @NeamhainC]

If you know any bloggers that'd be willing to do a review of Way of the Wolf: Ascension, send them this link to sign up!

https://t.co/txyvr8vIrH

#WritingCommunity #WritingCrew
#author #bloggers #reviews #novels #publishing @limitlessbooks

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

Loved this story when it came out on Wattpad. So excited to order the book!

[Rebecca Anne Stewart - Author @NeamhainC]

Share away!!

https://t.co/dBfJdQ8V3G

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

Now that’s how to describe a hero!

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

This book will be in my hands!

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@NetflixLifee "Now I'm living on the B side of life, ..." The Girl Who Stole My World by @whiskeyqueenn https://t.co/iwcci8AGUc

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@NetflixLifee The worlds created in the "Shíoghra Series” or the “Wulvers Series” by @ @NeamhainC!

[Anna Roman-Mercado @armercado]

@NetflixLifee the "Shíoghra Series" by @NeamhainC ❤️ https://t.co/ao1BylWa61