Posted on 01/08/2012 9:59:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Call it low-brow or populist if you wish, but Rick Santorum took aim at Barack Obama this weekend in the arena of education and reminded the president of one aspect of social development which often gets lost in the shuffle. While an admirable goal and extremely important under the right circumstances, not every high school student will wind up going to college. And for those who don’t, not all of them are “losers” in any way shape or form. Roll 212.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum expanded his populist message into education Saturday, accusing President Barack Obama and others of “snobbery” for pushing all kids to go to college.
“We are leaving so many children behind,” Mr. Santorum said at a forum sponsored by the Atlantic, the National Journal and Saint Anselm College. “They’re not ready to go to [college.] They don’t want to go to college. They don’t need to go to college. I was so outraged that the President of the United States [said] every student should go to college.”
“Who are you to say that every child in America goes” to college, he continued. “I have seven kids. Maybe they’ll all go to college. But if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto mechanic, good for him! That’s a good-paying job.”
This is a theme we’ve covered here before, such as our story about good jobs going unfilled, and I always try to be careful about how we handle it. A college education is, in and of itself, obviously not a bad thing. On average, workers with a college degree earn more money and have a lower rate of unemployment than those with only a high school diploma. But those figures don’t tell the entire story by a long shot.
Rick Santorum is correct here. While many people with less education go on to face problematic situations, that doesn’t cover nearly all of them. Some go from high school directly into the military and find rewarding careers there, or learn valuable trade skills which they take to good paying jobs in civilian life afterward. Others go to trade schools or apprenticeship programs, with the opportunity to earn very significant incomes in fields like heating and air conditioning, construction trades, plumbing and more.
This isn’t a one size fits all world. Insinuating that every student must go to college or be seen as some sort of lesser individual is snobbish, elitist, and any other similar term you’d care to apply. President Obama should take time out to read Matthew B. Crawford’s book, Shop Class as Soulcraft. Our schools need to prepare students for life, in addition to gearing them up for college. Some of them may profit more from shop class than a liberal arts progression. I’m sure Santorum will catch some flack for these comments on the campaign trail, but I found his remarks refreshing.
“Where would you have them be instead?”
Trades - especially if we send home the illegals that are now doing it all for us (but I live in Texas, so fat chance here).
I believe that the median educational attainment of the generation that won World War II was about eight years. I honestly believe that high school does more harm than good for most kids. If they worked at a job, or possibly received vocational training they would be far better off.
Incarcerating kids with bored, lazy bureaucrats until age sixteen is nonsensical. H.L. Mencken, for instance, was a high school drop out. Thomas Edison was home schooled from age 8 on. Mark Twain was apprenticed to a printer at age 12. Henry Ford had very little formal education. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are both college drop outs.
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.
I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s amazing what the 1/3rd that’s ‘just wasting their time’, can do with a little bit of tutoring.
But then what do I know? I work with the folks struggling and help them get back on track.
As I was told, perception is a powerful thing. If you believe you can do it, that’s a huge step in the right direction.
And before I was required to have a degree I could teach too. But sadly you need a degree to wipe your butt with these days.
Why do so many employers require it where it is not necessary? Rather then wasting time in school, they could be out working and being productive.
I have my degree - history, but I can’t say I learned very much from my time in school. It would have been nice had they let me challenge the exams, but they don’t let you do that either.
What the US needs is fewer colleges and more vocational schools and apprenticeship programs.
That is an exaggeration.
The Chinese economy loses a large number of manual, factory jobs to automation each year. US factories are highly automated -- you're more likely to lose your job to a robot rather than a Chinaman
Secondly, the average life expectancy shows that the average life expectancy of the Chinese (overall) is 82.2 years and we have a life expectancy of 78.3 years --> so they live longer than us
Polluted rivers -- you are correct on that count
What is hurting us is the increased federal regulations, not just about environment, but about taxes, workers etc.
What is also hurting us is the taxation rule that a company gets double taxed on earnings abroad if it tries to bring that money back to the US. Net result -- companies prefer to keep that money abroad and so build and invest abroad more and more.
Finally -- the US has no poverty really -- compare the "poor" here with those in India or Bangladesh -- our "poor" have a large TV and a couple of cars and do not starve...-- thank GOD and America for that.
Given enough time the "Free Traitor" Captains of industry will fix that.
I love that TED lecture. Mike Rowe rules, and his point is dead-on. Thanks for posting the link.
That’s the nail on the head and the elephant in the room -
denying a college education to the 1/3 to 1/2 that really don’t belong there will “disproportionately affect minorities” and will be labelled racism.
And being called a racist these days is the equivalent of having leprosy in biblical times. “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!”
Or, to some extent, it’s equivalent of being labelled a “witch” in colonial America.
Everyone avoids any possibility of the accusation.
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.
“some of the dumbest, least capable have multiple degrees”
Government union employees, perchance?
Well, now that you mention it...
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.
I recall another FRiend who mentioned working for a county government and how the other “lifers” he worked with would use government benefits to rack up a Christmas tree of degrees;
all dumb as rocks but really proud of their “education”.
There will always be a lower 1/3. I like fries.
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