Less than half of Americans have a four-year degree

[Anonymous]

Some of the smartest and wisest people I’ve known haven’t had a college degree, whereas some of the biggest idiots and jerks I’ve known have been college graduates.

A diploma guarantees neither intelligence nor common sense. While it does indicate that the holder was exposed to some field of knowledge, there is no guarantee that the knowledge was mastered and has been retained. Meanwhile, there have always been some intellectually curious and highly motivated individuals who pursued their passions independently. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin are just a few of the countless Americans who made profound contributions to this country despite never graduating from college.

[Anonymous]

And 80% of jobs are difficult, hazardous or low paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the smartest and wisest people I’ve known haven’t had a college degree, whereas some of the biggest idiots and jerks I’ve known have been college graduates.

A diploma guarantees neither intelligence nor common sense. While it does indicate that the holder was exposed to some field of knowledge, there is no guarantee that the knowledge was mastered and has been retained. Meanwhile, there have always been some intellectually curious and highly motivated individuals who pursued their passions independently. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin are just a few of the countless Americans who made profound contributions to this country despite never graduating from college.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Uh, a good chunk of Americans are under 22 (>30%) and a small chunk predate "everyone" going to college. So what you're really saying is about 10-20% of the current workforce doesn't have a college degree. And my response is, it doesn't take a college degree to repair my home, fix my car, fold clothes, or work at a restaurant.

It doesn’t take a college degree to do a lot of jobs not just folding clothes or restaurants. Car repair needs training courses and some engines are very sophisticated. They pay middle class salaries.

“Repair” my home? I don’t know what that means but again the training to become master electrician, master plumber along with a number of specialties pay very well. They have training that’s different but no less valuable than some bachelor’s degrees and more valuable than many.

It’s a big world out there and a lot of motivated smart kids leave college or never start to pursue careers that weren’t around 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

We have lots of boomers . Most of them didn’t go to college and somehow made a frat living

[Anonymous]

Great*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the smartest and wisest people I’ve known haven’t had a college degree, whereas some of the biggest idiots and jerks I’ve known have been college graduates.

A diploma guarantees neither intelligence nor common sense. While it does indicate that the holder was exposed to some field of knowledge, there is no guarantee that the knowledge was mastered and has been retained. Meanwhile, there have always been some intellectually curious and highly motivated individuals who pursued their passions independently. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin are just a few of the countless Americans who made profound contributions to this country despite never graduating from college.

Oh sure, your typical college avoidant American is just like Ben Franklin and Bill Gates (who did at least GO to Harvard for a year or two I believe).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, precisely why student loan forgiveness is so popular. The majority of people resent seeing their tax dollars spent that way. Plus a good percentage of those that took advantage of loans have paid them off, so also resent seeing their tax dollars going to pay off loans.

You fundamentally misunderstood how federal spending works. The US Gov doesn’t need tax dollars to “pay” for anything. We have a free-exchange, fiat currency, of which the US Gov is the only source. It taxes and borrows for other reasons (to curb inflation, influence interest rates, and to combat consolidation of economic and political power, among others), but your federal taxes aren’t truly paying for things. That’s just obfuscation by politicians who really oppose things on philosophical grounds.

[Anonymous]

Fewer, not less than

[Anonymous]

Fewer

[Anonymous]

Most Americans don’t need to spend thousands of dollars getting into debt for what they want to do as a career either.
I’m a first responder doing just fine without a degree. I have coworkers with degrees making the same money I do and paying off student loans. My spouse doesn’t have a degree either.
We own a SFH go on vacation, own a 2nd home, and our kid is in a private K-8 right now.
We’re not rich but we’re happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, precisely why student loan forgiveness is so popular. The majority of people resent seeing their tax dollars spent that way. Plus a good percentage of those that took advantage of loans have paid them off, so also resent seeing their tax dollars going to pay off loans.

You fundamentally misunderstood how federal spending works. The US Gov doesn’t need tax dollars to “pay” for anything. We have a free-exchange, fiat currency, of which the US Gov is the only source. It taxes and borrows for other reasons (to curb inflation, influence interest rates, and to combat consolidation of economic and political power, among others), but your federal taxes aren’t truly paying for things. That’s just obfuscation by politicians who really oppose things on philosophical grounds.

You fundamentally misunderstand why the student loan issue became a problem. It is because the Government became the guarantor of the loan, so no risk to the lender. Students ability or type of degree sought didn't matter, lender would be repaid. While tax dollars per say do not pay of the loans, the Government still does. Sure it could be through printing more currency and the resultant inflation becomes a hidden tax. In any case a large number of people are paying the price for people who took out loans and now cannot pay them back. Perhaps it is time to have another civilian conservation corps, the those who are having their loans forgiven can perform community service and work off the debt, reducing public spending in other areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the smartest and wisest people I’ve known haven’t had a college degree, whereas some of the biggest idiots and jerks I’ve known have been college graduates.

A diploma guarantees neither intelligence nor common sense. While it does indicate that the holder was exposed to some field of knowledge, there is no guarantee that the knowledge was mastered and has been retained. Meanwhile, there have always been some intellectually curious and highly motivated individuals who pursued their passions independently. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin are just a few of the countless Americans who made profound contributions to this country despite never graduating from college.

Ben Franklin thought so little of higher education that he ended up...founding the University of Pennsylvania.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, precisely why student loan forgiveness is so popular. The majority of people resent seeing their tax dollars spent that way. Plus a good percentage of those that took advantage of loans have paid them off, so also resent seeing their tax dollars going to pay off loans.

You fundamentally misunderstood how federal spending works. The US Gov doesn’t need tax dollars to “pay” for anything. We have a free-exchange, fiat currency, of which the US Gov is the only source. It taxes and borrows for other reasons (to curb inflation, influence interest rates, and to combat consolidation of economic and political power, among others), but your federal taxes aren’t truly paying for things. That’s just obfuscation by politicians who really oppose things on philosophical grounds.

You fundamentally misunderstand why the student loan issue became a problem. It is because the Government became the guarantor of the loan, so no risk to the lender. Students ability or type of degree sought didn't matter, lender would be repaid. While tax dollars per say do not pay of the loans, the Government still does. Sure it could be through printing more currency and the resultant inflation becomes a hidden tax. In any case a large number of people are paying the price for people who took out loans and now cannot pay them back. Perhaps it is time to have another civilian conservation corps, the those who are having their loans forgiven can perform community service and work off the debt, reducing public spending in other areas.

The problem with this thinking is that the government gives grants, subsidies, tax breaks to a gazillion different stakeholders. If you believe in this thought process, then everyone needs to be cut off...various industries (oil, gas, renewables, farmers, etc.)...all the folks on basically fake disability and other forms of welfare, etc.

The amount of loan forgiveness is a drop in the bucket in the scheme of all the groups getting handouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The world needs ditch diggers, too.

Yeah. They are all out there digging ditches.

lol