Since defense workers in both the public and private sectors usually make more money than people employed in the construction trades, their spending probably has a stronger impact on the rest of the economy.

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Unions, particularly in construction trades, were supportive.

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Jobs in construction, the trades and fire fighting can pay very well, be very rewarding and do not require a college degree.

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"We're revolutionizing construction, taking wet trades off the site, " he says.

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And let me just say parenthetically, one of the highest unemployment segments in the country is in the construction area, in the building trades.

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Another difference between the two trades is in the size and the construction of the spread.

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