Lester, thank you for proving my point! 

"The jobs you pine away for were killed by the unions you admire. In the 1980's a kid with a high school diploma could make $100k a year with OT putting hubcaps on Buicks..."

- Exactly.  And those workers of the 80s- some 30 years ago, are now??? 65 - 70 years old, and not only are a majority of them retired, the jobs that they had and the pay scale they enjoyed- are gone.   Those who are working in the auto industry are paid less, with fewer benefits and less job security.  The sexagenarians are mindful of the income they once had, the risk of their pensions being dismantled and the stress of becoming a WalMart greeter.  

They also realize that the opportunities they had no longer exist for their kids- that the service industry is readily outsourced.

Lester: "Don't know why you're fixated on older people..."  
Because, Lester, the article title is>... ??? 

Have a great evening, Lester.  You brought mirth and merriment to my day!