Just think if bill gates had applied himself and earned advanced degrees he might have made something of himself.
It happens to be the truth. At this point, college is a questionable decision at best for many subjects. Its like saying that every American must own a home regardless of whether they can afford one or not.
I’m a college professor. Even though it benefits my profession to have all our classes filled, I can tell you that between 1/3 - 1/2 of the students in college now are just wasting there time. About 1/3 of the students belong there (e.g., will graduate in their chosen major). The middle 1/3 have the capability (to excel) but don’t take it seriously enough. The bottom 1/3 should be doing something else entirely. This is a tremendous misallocation of resouces. Probem is that almost no one has the courage [anymore] to have a frank conversation with these kids about their future.
In the global marketplace, American workers living in nice suburbs are trying to compete with poor, short-lived Chinese peasants living next to polluted rivers. Guess what? The Chinese will work for less. This is part of why US unemployment and manufacturing are in rough shape. Our tax policies and union policies are part of the problem, but the bottomline is that we cannot compete internationally unless we want to live like peasants and put up with scandalous amounts of pollution. What to do?
But the flip side is that we produce lots of food, and we could produce vast amounts of energy. In certain respects, we live in a post-scarcity society. Americans do not need to be poor. With some sort of flat tax scheme, in which everyone is guaranteed a basic national income (yeah, I know, this veers toward Socialism) and pays no taxes on the first $20,000 or so, then we could eliminate poverty in America.
What we need to grasp is that not EVERY American can live in a 3000 sq ft house on the beach, with occasional vacation to Switzerland for skiing. We need to accept the fact that auto mechanics, plumbers, and carpenters have good lives. There is nothing wrong with just building (through sweat) a strong national economy.
Nation Building begins at home.
How true
In the famous words of Judge Smails: “Well, the world needs ditch-diggers, too.”
I think he’s right. When I got my degree in 1966 only 6.5% of men and women over the age of 25 had a bachelor’s degree. Now, it’s in the high 20s and there’s high unemployment.
But back in 1966 people had jobs and there was low unemployment. Obviously, attending college was not a big thing then and it shouldn’t be now.
If only the Supreme Court had not decided Griggs v. Duke Power Company (1971) the way it did....
If Obama had any brains he would realize that not everyone is made from the same mold.
The country would probably be better off if half of the kids in high school weren’t there.
(((((PING)))))
I have family and in laws who sacrificed their arses off to put their kids through college. Most of the silly brats took courses that do not even qualify them to ask; do you want fries with that?
If people have the want to become better educated, they will get the how by their own hook and crook.
My formal education ended at the eighth grade, but my seeking of knowledge has never ended.
I have been issued US patents, have chaired committees composed of professional engineers. I was blessed to have been able to retire from the private sector at age 52. Have I ever felt hampered or held back for lack of a sheep skin? No, not ever. It has been my personal experience that in the real world, producing results takes precedence over having a diploma.
One of my peeves. Any suggestion that the poor should be directed to vocational education is, these days, immediately labeled “racism.” Every single minority person is supposed to go to college as an Ethnic Studies major and become a social worker or community orgainizer.
Politico Santorum correctly says that not everyone should go to college, but maddeningly brings up an out-of-date what came to be demeaning job title: "auto mechanic." The term "auto mechanic" fell out of PUBLIC favor because of shoddy mechanics no better and often worse than the average "shade tree" amateur mechanic, who ran small shops and garages that charged outlandish fees for their shoddy work.
Automotive Technician is a more proper term for the modern tradesmen and craftsmen who work on automobiles. It takes considerable training and a very well-equipped high-technology shop to work on today's cars for most in the business.
There are a few, generally greatly gifted, old-school mechanics who get by in most circumstances without the formal training and high-tech equipped service bays, but those numbers are dwindling.
By using the term "auto mechanic" candidate Santorum suggests his own mind is not fully freed of the old blue collar versus white collar caste system ethos. That's the ethos that drives many parents to push their children into the modern soul destroying, body breaking and career hobbling meat grinder of modern higher education.
Yes, the harsh truth is that today's Higher Education ruins the generation now caught in it's maw. It hobbles their careers with horrendous lifetime debt loads, burdens that keep the average college grad an indentured servant for 15 to 25 years, with little ability to accumulate funds start his or her business, or the flexibility to risk poverty to undertake even the low or no capital start-up.
Modern college poisons the mind with socially deadly philosophies like Marxism, victimology, deconstructionism, relativism and nihilism, and encourages students to feel good and take easy choices rather than learn intellectual discipline and difficult studies like calculus, chemistry, or classical law, history and literature.
Too many youth exit college with lifetime physical and psychological ailments -- depression, STDs, anxiety, etc. That they gained because of the amoral and immoral chaos of modern college life.
The truth? ALMOST NOBODY SHOULD GO TO MODERN US COLLEGE.
Not just one-third, one-half. The number of kids who should proceed directly from high school into a matriculated full time away-from-home college program is more reasonably under 10%!
(1) I am using "politico" as the term to describe Mr. Santorum's chosen profession of politics, it is a more honestly American way than to call him "Senator." See note 2.I could have referred to him as "Mr. Santorum", but chose the term "politico", as it honestly represents his chosen profession of involvement in making and directing public policy. In the context as I use it the term is neutral, it carries no positive or negative valence. It is not a judgement of merit or a demeaning label.
(2) While modern custom has come to adopt honorific's for "Senator" or "Governor" even for those not currently in office, that is both sloppy and very un-American, in a roots version of "American". As a telling and good example George Washington when he became president was asked what he should be called, he answered "Mister".
There is no higher honor for an American than to be a CITIZEN.
However in the context of a conversation, interview, meeting or hearing it is often important to identify each participant by the role, office or duty they have in the context of the most significant subjects covered by the conversation, interview, meeting or hearing. Thus in a context where legislative matters will be or may be covered it is helpful to refer to a currently sitting Senator, Assemblyman, Governor, etc. by the title.
For example in an interview covering his work in the Senate it is proper to call Ron Paul: "Senator Paul." However in a debate among candidates for office, including that of debate during a Senatorial election, it is NOT proper or American to call him "Senator Paul", as he is only the equal of every other candidate in that debate. The proper honorific is then "Mister", "Citizen" or "Candidate."
Santorum bump.
Of the people I’ve met and worked with, some of the smartest, most capable never went to college, and some of the dumbest, least capable have multiple degrees.
I love it! Look at bill gates, rush Limbaugh, steve jobs, etc. There are a million ways to have a great life that wont be helped by college.
College is for people who have a goal to be an engineer, a doctor, a corporate businessman, a lawyer, a professor, etc. Or for any wealthy kid who wants another 4 years of schooling and can afford it.
No kid should go into debt for 4 years of useless study (and great parties) that don’t prepare him for anything.
Also, remember that the average IQ is 100. 100 or lower, some of that study becomes very difficult and unpleasant. There are plenty of great jobs and careers where such a person can excel and feel good about himself.
We could use a more formal internship program in this country. But right now, you can create one yourself. For instance, say you want to open a gardening store. At 18 you can go work for one. Tell the boss you’ll work for peanuts if he shows you all the different jobs necessary, while you live at home. Take some horticulture and soil classes at the local city college. It can be done.