Education is essential to society’s welfare and is the basis for much of America’s success in the world.    Our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of an educated citizenry and encouraged public literacy by forming public schools and public libraries.  They feared that, without literacy for every citizen, unscrupulous politicians would be able to manipulate people’s opinions.

Education then, and now, is what will secure America’s future success.

However, the idea of an education for everyone has been corrupted.   My Father only went through eighth grade, but he studied a variety of subjects throughout his long life.  He took correspondence courses in architecture and became a successful master carpenter….all on his own.  My Mother graduated high school and became a successful businesswoman….all on her own.

Somewhere, somehow, though, my parents’ generation came to worship higher education and insisted that all their children attend college.  College became the end of the rainbow for them because college was believed to be the only route to success.  My brothers and I went to college as a matter of course.  The thought that we might just begin working after high school was considered to be under-achieving .  Vocational education, too, had the stigma of  a sub-standard career choice.

As a result of that philosophy,  we now have a dearth of talent in the trades.  And, we have an excess of college-educated people who have no real world experience and consider themselves to be somehow too “educated” to work in many jobs, especially manual labor jobs.

And, we have an excess of jobs that require experienced workers who know a trade and a dearth of people who have the skills to work those jobs.  We have an excess of college-educated graduates who cannot find a job because so many of the college degrees have no real world relationship.  Too many of the college degrees earned do NOT lead to a meaningful job.  That is sad, but it is also reality.

This manic obsession with going to college stems from the belief that college is the ONLY worthwhile path after high school.  That is not only untrue, but has led to countless young people graduating without a practical degree and…………….with a huge debt from their four years –or more — of college.  That, too, is sad, but also reality.

But, far worse is the Lieberal belief that these college students should be reimbursed for their college debt!  The Libs claim that these “poor” college graduates have been unduly burdened by the high cost of college and that we, the American taxpayer, MUST pull them out of their financial disaster.

But, why?  Why should anyone, except the students themselves, bear the cost of their education?

More importantly, if we pay off the debt for these college graduates, WHAT DO WE PAY FOR THOSE KIDS WHO DECIDED TO WORK RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL?

Why should we reward one group for making a decision that they thought would benefit themselves…and not reward another career path?  In America, self reliance is considered the honorable way to success.  So, let’s get over the idea that just because someone has college debt that somehow, that person deserves to have those debts paid by taxpayers!

If someone chooses to go to college……great.  But, they should weigh the benefits of a college degree against the costs of that education.  And, everyone should accept that personal debts, whether they are for college or a car or a house, belong to the person who incurs that debt.

And, if high school graduates choose to begin work immediately, also great.  After all, most of the Greatest Generation did NOT go to college.  Most of them, like my parents, worked  to be successful and continued their education on their own.

Let school days be weighed against the costs and benefits.  Do not let school days daze us.