Had trouble finding an electrician, a carpenter, a bricklayer, or any one of a number of other skilled craftspeople for that little project you just can’t handle yourself? Probably. We often read about the scarcity of those we used to call "trades people." (Well, we really used to call them "trades men," but that’s neither proper nor accurate any more.) The trade unions were strong and had extensive apprentice programs so young people could learn the trade from the experts—people who usually had rough hands, sometimes used less than perfect grammar, but sure knew how to build and repair things....