Mike Rowe doesn’t want to be considered an expert and doesn’t want to talk about policy.
The host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” merely came to Washington Wednesday to tell members of Congress and the public that those “dirty” jobs should get some more respect.
Rowe joined up with the “I Make America” campaign, an effort supported by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, to talk about strengthening domestic manufacturing jobs.
“I am the opposite of expert, I am a good sport, I am a perpetual apprentice and the only qualifications I really have are that I’ve been to most every state and I’ve had about 300 dirty jobs,” the TV host told Yeas & Nays, calling himself a “B-list” celebrity.
Rowe explained that “dirty” jobs, like those in manufacturing and farming, used to mean success, but now look like settling. He wants that to change.
“I don’t think the country is going to fall back in love with manufacturing and I don’t think these policies are going to change, until or unless we reignite a fundamental relationship with dirt, work, and the business of making things, as opposed to the business of buying them,” he said.
He said one of reasons this is occurring is because community colleges and vocational education have taken the backseat to four-year college degrees.
“It’s not happening because people hate community colleges, it’s not happening because people hate the trades, it’s happening because we’re promoting a very specific kind of education at the expense of the others,” he said.
And while Rowe’s lobbying trip was billed as his dirtiest job yet, the Baltimore native didn’t quite come away with that impression.
“It’s a suspicious job,” he said, smirking.
