There is so much fukked up about fint's post that I'm not even going to respond.
Seahawk, I love to do this. It works nicely with policemen also, though I generally target State Troopers. I enjoy offering them my honest opinion that they give us the utmost in professionalism and service to the community, and that we appreciate those things very much. The look on their faces is priceless.
By the way, guys, and I wonder if I should create a thread for this (naw, probably won't but here is some good information
There is a program called Helmets to Hardhats. It is a national program. There are similar local programs. Public agencies are the first to embrace programs that can help target their spending and other efforts so that this spending has the maximum beneficial impact on the community. They try to make sure their construction dollars stay in the community, rather than being siphoned away by out-of-area contractors (this, gentlemen, is the purpose behind prevailing wage laws). They try to make sure those contractors hire a diverse workforce that includes apprentices, so that important construction skills can be passed on. Demographics in the construction industry are frightening. Right now, agencies and labor groups are all over the growing problem of disabled vets coming back into the community after having sacrificed their earning potential to a IED in Iraq. Or maybe they are not disabled, but are veterans of that conflice. Helmets to Hardhats is a conduit for those service men and women to consider construction careers. These are good jobs. The transition makes good sense. This and other similar programs are being woven into the labor agreements I deal with. And by the way, those nasty, ugly, terrorist, baby-killing Labor leaders are working hard to make opportunities for these vets and help them in the transition.