John Allen

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@MrBeast 101,345 Pennies

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Watch Starship's eighth flight test → https://t.co/alyJTRtgTh https://t.co/hlpEF4ICyT

[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.

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@MrBoopCannon @tropicalupdate Garden City

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@tropicalupdate It’s both! There is about a half inch of ice under the snow. This is my windshield.

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@tropicalupdate Savannah, Georgia

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@mikeduncan Excellent first episode sir! Love the combination of “history” and Sci-fi. You paint such a believable future/past! Very much looking forward to hearing the rest!

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@LiveDigitalArt The Last of Us

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@BillyM2k Beginning of the pandemic. I was captain of a riverboat with about 500 people on board. A lady was sick with a fever and the cops blocked anyone from leaving when we arrived at the dock. People were freaking out and it felt like the start of an end of the world movie.

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr]

Coming up live is THE REAL DEBATE:

8:45 pm ET / 5:45 pm PT

https://t.co/lsuMWx6y53

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr Live https://t.co/7RRIYdp6U0

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@realEstateTrent My family and I have lots of experience on Disney cruises and they are the best for families! Please check out my wife’s page at https://t.co/kv5U4ugELr and she can make sure you get everything you need!

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

I am sure 90% of my followers on here are spam but just in case you are not please check out my wonderful wife’s travel website and book the vacation of your dreams! She will make it seamless and take all the stress out of planning your perfect trip!

https://t.co/uYEPxCid3z

[MrBeast @MrBeast]

This is now the most reposted post in history 😮

[Not Elon Musk @ElonMuskAOC]

@MrBeast If I win this giveaway, I’ll give someone who likes and reshares this post: $6,900

[MrBeast @MrBeast]

I’m gonna give 10 random people that repost this and follow me $25,000 for fun (the $250,000 my X video made)

I’ll pick the winners in 72 hours

[Robert F. Kennedy Jr @RobertKennedyJr]

The latest polls show me ahead of Biden and Trump among voters under age 45. But I need your help getting on the ballot in all 50 states. Let’s break the two-party system and bring real change to America. Go to https://t.co/tCJR60zigv and donate today!

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@RobertKennedyJr I tried to donate but apparently I am a robot… could not get past the Captcha.

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Watch Starship’s second integrated flight test https://t.co/cahoRQ72lm

[John Allen @CaptJCAllen]

@RobertKennedyJr That was an inspirational speech sir! You have won my vote.