College Degrees in Modern America

I am constantly amazed at our assumptions in life that are wrong. The biggest surprise is how few people have a college degree. Back when I was young and Ohio was one of the most business friendly states in the union, Governor Jim Rhodes…the greatest Ohio governor of all time…decided that all Ohioans should have a state university within driving distance. We benefited from his vision right here in the Mahoning Valley as Youngstown University was absorbed into the state university system becoming Youngstown State University.

There are numerous state universities within 60 miles of Youngstown, including University of Akron, Cleveland State, Kent State…it is almost an embarrassment of higher education riches. And what’s really impressive is that Akron, Kent and Youngstown are within 40 miles of each other. During my lifetime I have seen Ohio move from the top of business friendly states to the bottom, and from the lowest of taxed states to the third highest. But I always assumed we were an educated state.

Imagine my surprise when I saw an article relating to student debt that also listed the percentage of adults with college degrees. In Ohio, only 16.6% of the adult population has a Bachelors degree. Just 16.6%! Compare that with New York’s 22.9%; Alaska’s 24.4%; and Vermont’s 29.2%. Massachusetts and Maryland are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 respectively with around 36%. In fact, Ohio is ranked only 40th in the union with adults with college degrees.

What happened to Jim Rhodes vision of a highly educated population driving economic growth? I have my suspicions. Ohio’s greatest strength may also have been its Achilles heel. As Rhodes was expanding the university system, wages in manufacturing went up. Ohio still had a large manufacturing base during the late 1960’s. In the Mahoning Valley, General Motors built its Lordstown plant which had the effect of raising blue collar wages across the area, and eventually contributed to the shutdown of the mills in the late 1970’s. Even as the mills were closing down, Youngstown was still ranked as having among the highest per/hour wages in the nation, which nobody wanted to pay!!!

So the Mahoning Valley got the double whammy. As late as the early 70’s, you could graduate from high school and still get a good manufacturing job paying good wages. Then just as the mills started to close, the cost of a college degree began its rapid ascent state institutions notwithstanding…and folks couldn’t afford it.

Today, the worth of a college education is under scrutiny. Certainly those in the liberal arts have always had a hard way to go in the job market…even in the best of times. Those degrees associated with a skill fare much better, especially those that involve a high degree of math or science skills. But the cost is so high, students are graduating with massive amounts of student loan debt making for a difficult life launch. People are now DOING the math…calculating whether debt sometimes exceeding $100,000.00 is worth it.

I have questioned for a number of years the value of a college education. My family believed that education for education’s sake is a good thing. Granted! But I taught my son that a college education is no ticket to guaranteed success. It should be viewed as one more tool available to help you with one’s life goals. In my law practice, outside of physicians and such, my most successful and wealthiest clients do not have college degrees. These folks have vision, street smarts, and are willing to work very, very hard.

Vocational training in things like plumbing, electrical work, cooking….all of these things can also be useful tools in achieving a great life, and for too many years have been looked on as the poor relations in educational endeavors. Have you tried to get a good electrician these days? Seriously!

Add to the problems the students coming out of high school with less than stellar academic knowledge and/or talent, the nation is in a real pickle. Even the valedictorian of one of this area’s top high school’s had to take some remedial classes in college. Not a good thing.

I think it is time for the nation to re-assess what college education means, and to up the ante on the value of the trades and vocational training. Even in a high tech world, the nation needs good mechanics, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, masons, draftsmen, tool an dye guys, chefs…you name it. And all of those vocations lend themselves to self employment.

Those that have the inclination to go to college should…but with both eyes open as to what is available at the other end of a very expensive education. And those that are talented in other areas should be encouraged in every possible way to follow the vocational path. All contributions to our society are greatly appreciated.

Death of (White) America?

A television news story last week said that by 2062, the white European population of the United States will be a minority. This is the result of low birth rates among the middle and upper class white population, and the high birth rates among lower class minorities and immigrants. The news reporter and commentators were positively shaking...you know…the ones who love to classify Americans into various ethnic groups…the ones who view white European Americans as evil and will now get their just desserts.

It was kind of disgusting. They mused as to what this would mean politically to America. How wonderful that the minorities would take control. Then what? They didn’t finish that thought. Perhaps they were afraid to verbalize their distorted belief that America’s salvation is in its non-white population.

Their whole premise is bogus. These folks who insist on hyphenated Americans are obsessed with what has been described as white man’s guilt. This guilt is being taught in the school in the form of the white man raping the land, Columbus killing the natives, slavery, subjugation, annihilation…it goes on and on. Unbelievable!!

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the rest of us, they got it wrong. While they are busy classifying Americans and encouraging ethnic warfare, most of us go about our business just being Americans. At the end of the day, America will continue to be the great melting pot as those seeking opportunity and freedom continue to come here for a better life. The color of skin or country of ethnic origin is ultimately, and triumphantly, irrelevant.

All Americans are descendants of immigrants, except for native Americans…who actually immigrated here from Asia over the land bridge. In a sense, even they are immigrants to our continent. And although on the surface it appears that humans segregate themselves into protected groups, at the end of the day, it breaks down. We work together. We play together. We make friends together. We intermarry. Our kids go to school together. As the generations go on, the ethnic identity disappears except for some remnants. I am 100% Italian. My son is 50% Italian with the balance being a mixture of English, Irish, Welsh, German, and according to family lore, native American!!! Quick, call that Swedish babe at Harvard running for Senate who claims to be a Native American.

Even the definition of “race” these people bandy about is suspect. Take "Hispanic." The Trayvon Martin case gave us a new ethnic group: white Hispanics. What is that? Cubans are different than Mexicans are different than those who emigrate here from Central America who are different than those that may come from Argentina or Chile where they will probably have some Italian or German mixed in.

And what about those who come from Spain? These are the most Hispanic of Hispanics…and they are Caucasian. Why are they different from other Southern Europeans like Italians and Greeks…and let’s not forget those from southern France which also is located on the Mediterranean. The descendants of those that come here, no matter from where, will end up being American. They will be assimilated and accept  American values of hard work and success if allowed to by those who would divide us.

This isn’t a racial issue. It is a political issue ginned up by a party and ideology that needs racial winners and losers in order to propagate their power and feed their guilt about American success…not just the white man’s success.

Will America’s skin color change? Of course it will. More and more Americans will be different shades of all sorts of colors as we all intermarry and have children. Who cares? The politics will be no different than things are now. Our values transcend race. We all want the same things for our families, and America, if allowed, can provide these things. That’s the genius of America and Americans. I feel sorry for those who are willing to overlook it…or are willing to destroy it.

The Phony Debate on Gay Marriage

So Barack Obama has come out in favor of gay marriage. Quelle Surprise!!! Everyone knew it. He just lied about it for several years. The only one in the closet was Barack!!!!

Let’s get to the nitty gritty. Positions on gay marriage are all over the place. My personal view matched Barack’s view up until last week. I am strong supporter of civil unions. “Marriage” as understood by our society has too many religious overtones and ought to be left alone out of respect for those with more traditional view of things as well as maintaining its importance in our societal foundation. Of course, I am an Episcopalian, and our Presiding Bishop is an advocate of blessing same sex unions. So much for the traditional view things!! But my old Barack politically correct stance now brands me a homophobe. What a difference a day makes.

Given that he lied about his position for three years, I’m not sure what he has gained by his “evolving” view. Any astute politician knows that from Biden’s so called gaffe on the Sunday show to Obama’s

“grant” of an interview to ABC News, to the hit piece against Romney in the Washington Post and the gimme cash fund raiser with the Hollywood 1% was absolutely planned. Community organizers know how to do these things unlike the rest of us, and make it look one way when it is totally another. The whole thing is a ginned up phony debate.

That being said, he certainly will bolster his support within the gay community who may now actually decide to show up to vote for him. He has re-established his left wing bona fides. The problem is that he probably actually hurt his chances for re-election. These voters…the ones to whom his actions appeal…mostly live in states he would win anyway. California and New York and Massachusetts will go to Obama notwithstanding any increase in his support within the confines of those states.  Once again this raises the specter of Obama winning the popular vote and losing the election in the electoral college.

On the other hand, he probably mobilized evangelicals, conservative blacks, and conservative Hispanics in toss up states such as Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. North Carolina, Obama’s southern prize four years ago, is now kaput. The Democratic Convention is to be held in Charlotte, but serious consideration is now being given to moving the convention to another state. Why waste the press and the money?

Obama has not stopped campaigning from day one of his presidency. People lauded him for being such an astute politician. Gay marriage is certainly a serious issue that appeals to some people. On the other hand, it only points out his lack of attention to jobs during his presidency by focusing on his progressive social policy like health care, global warming and gay rights rather than what means most to Americans: jobs, a growing economy, and reestablishing our rightful place on the world stage.

He can only deflect for so long. Sooner or later he is going to have to put the war on gays, the war on women, the war on blacks, the war on Latinos, the war on immigrants and the war on energy on the back burner and face his own war on American prosperity and energy independence. Those things affect all Americans equally.  

Bye Bye Euro Bye Bye

Europe is in turmoil, and sooner or later the effects of the problems in Euro-land will be coming to the United States. Europe is one of our largest markets. Over the past several years, American goods have been selling at a 30 – 40% discount to European goods because of the dollar/euro exchange rate. Conversely, imported goods have been 30 – 40% more expensive...especially oil.

Several years ago the members of the European Union voted to adopt a common currency. Sounds like a good idea, but it had a tragic flaw. Although it has a central bank that determines monetary policy (how much money is printed and circulated), each country kept its own fiscal policy (how much they tax and spend). Each country had to meet certain fiscal standards to join in the common currency. Germany qualified. France sort of qualified. But the lower tier countries such as Spain, Italy, and Greece didn’t. So they entered into some creative financing with the European Central Bank and borrowed lots and lots of money…then cooked the books. 

That would have been alright, but they continued to borrow money to pay for perks for their electorate. In Spain, you can retire at age 60. In Greece, you can retire at age 55. In Italy, sometimes you work, and sometimes you don’t. And in Ireland, the supposed European economic miracle, it borrowed to support a tech industry that was dated almost before it began. Bottom line, the countries can’t repay the debt.  The result is a wide disparity in bond yields...which makes no sense at all.

Germany and France imposed strict conditions on bailout money for the lower tier countries, Germany in particular where you work to 65 and sometimes 67 with only limited time off. Why should Germans work and pay higher taxes so the Greeks can sit home drinking ouzo.

The Greek government imposed a radical austerity plan on it citizens, who in turn rioted in the streets. This past week, the Greeks voted these guys out of office and replaced them with a more extreme right wing regime including some neo-nazis. The goal is to lead Greece out of the Euro-zone and back to the drachmas. Currency devaluation, here we come.

The French, also suffering under austerity plans, booted out Nicholas Sarkozy and replaced him with an out and out socialist, who has a problem with people of finance. The wealthy French, who are headed to being taxed at 75%, are making plans to move across the channel to the United Kingdom.

The Germans also shifted to the left. Although Angela Merkel remains the head of the German Government, she has lost many seats in the German parliament.

All of this means that the chances of the Euro surviving as a currency are slim to none. The only way the lower tier European countries can save themselves is to devalue their currency...and they they can't use the Euro to do that.  Europe is already back in recession, and as the currency crisis expands, it will sink even deeper. This will reduce American exports to Europe as the dollar strengthens, but should also have effect of reducing the cost of gas by 10 – 20%.

On the other hand, this shift to the left is an ominous sign for the United States. With 50% of the working population paying no federal income tax, and one in four Americans relying on some sort of federal income or assistance, the message of limited government with limited spending and limited taxes does not resonate. Why would these folks vote to upset the apple cart?

Margaret Thatcher’s warning about big government and socialism is now more important than ever: sooner or later you are going to run out of other’s people money. Sounds like a joke, but not really. The result will be the Weimer Republic in Germany in 1930. If you don’t know what that is…look it up. You should be concerned.