Student Debt

The zip code effect

Comparative resources to pay for higher education

Contrary to what some have been led to believe, a college education is not a panacea, only a distraction from the real reasons for our predicament. The fact is, even if colleges and universities wanted to accept each and every high school graduate, they do not have the physical capacity to do so. And even if they could, and did accept them, the nation would still need  farmers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, mechanics and cops, among others, many of whom are chronically unemployed or underemployed. A large, healthy middle class is absolutely essential to any society, and that means wages high enough to own a modest house in a safe neighborhood, to raise kids and pay for their education, to save for retirement, and to have  enough disposable income to make their lives worth living. These are not the outrageous, intolerable expectations of the 47% of the population accused of demanding government entitlements and not paying taxes; not long ago they were the American norm and the envy of the world.