John Ratzenberger was in Conway this morning with a group traveling the country speaking about policies and reform. It was a small attentive crowd and I recognized lots of local faces.

With any gathering in Simon Park, anticipate a train passing through. The commotion of a locomotion usually puts the speakers out of commission for a few minutes, but this morning, the train spoke for Mr. Ratzenberger.

The 8:07 train was a perfectly-timed amplification of his point regarding manufacturing jobs. He said there are hundreds of thousands of manufacturing and processing jobs in America that aren't being filled because of unskilled labor. Nationally, vocational training programs are diminishing leaving us with a generation of young people who don't know how to do basic jobs, but they do know how to play Playstation (my words, not John's.)

The point hit home with me since we have GED, freshman year, post Marine Corps discussions going on constantly in my family.

There are a lot of people who aren't made for college and high-tech professions. And there a million service positions and manufacturing jobs that need to be filled. As the granddaughter of a butcher and a bread delivery man, I consider those jobs as valuable as any that require sitting behind a desk.

Who better to remind us of the value of working class jobs than the man best known for his role as Cliff, a know-it-all postman who lived with his mother? Maybe the guy who played Roseanne's husband on TV but that's about it.

It's my understanding that John is considering a run for the senate in his home state of Connecticut. That'll be a race worth watching.