PAUL HARVEY COMMENTARY
Thank God for firefighters
The following Paul Harvey commentary goes along with Bill Manning`s “Fighting Fires with Words” (Editor`s Opinion, January 1997).
“We have become a nation where we try to upgrade our status, not by hard work, but by words. In recent years, even persons that win large amounts of money, or are very rich, feel they must either own or start a business just so they can give themselves a title. In social settings, it is no longer enough to be employed, supporting a family, and giving to the community.
“It used to be salesmen were respected for their ability to generate sales; now they have become account executives. With the title change has come more golf, more planning time, and less time actually doing what they were hired to do, see potential buyers and sell the company products. With the change of title from stewardess to flight attendant, those who serve us in the air forgot how to smile and to truly help the flying public. Waiters and waitresses are now servers. Bricklayers and electricians are now “in the construction trade,” and policemen who used to have our respect have changed their title to law enforcement officers and are no longer as respected as they once were.
“Thousands of jobs are begging to be filled in our nation, where a person could easily earn $500 a week or more. Unfortunately, those jobs are for plumbers, mechanics and no new titles have been found for those jobs. We used to have panhandlers, now we have the homeless and it is now society`s problem to house and feed them instead of their own responsibility.
“There are only two jobs left in our nation that remain unchanged in title and respect. They both work hard, take care of their families, help their communities, command respect from us all. Thank God for our farmers and firefighters.” n
