To his classmates and even to his teachers, he was thought of as the dumbest kid in the class,according to his own not so fond memories.

The Home Depot approach to craftsmanship - simplify it, dumb it down, hire a contractor - is one signal that mastering tools and working with one's hands is receding in America as a hobby, as a valued skill, as a cultural influence that shaped thinking and behavior in vast sections of the country.

Your least-favorite reporter suggests a dumb story idea.