Come Heller high water …
- Are you shocked by the college admissions scandal? If so, why? What’s new here? The wealthy and famous have always used their money and fame to get their kids to the front of the line. This is only big news now because of the 1 percent conversation we’ve been having in this country. This doesn’t suddenly mean the playing field will suddenly be even for all. It simply means the wealthy will go back to greasing their kids’ way into college the old-fashioned way: by donating to
the football program or building a wing on the science building. Trust me, Muffy and Biff will be fine - At least the parents were doing it on behalf of their kids. What’s the excuse on the college end? It’s pretty clear they believe whatever students tell them on admission forms, as long as the check clears. It’s also clear some were just filling slots. I now regret not having the kids list themselves as left-handed, synchronized swimmers who are saddled with too much Yooper DNA. They could have gotten into Stanford.
- Felicity Huffman I can see doing this. Why, I don’t know. But Lori Loughlin from “Full House”? She’s in the “America’s sweetheart” class of stars. Lori, how could you! What would Jesse say? I’ll bet Joey put her up to it.
- A far bigger college issue that needs fixing is student debt. Forget the rich kids. I’m worried about generations of kids owing the equivalent of a home mortgage when they graduate. And it’s not just Ivy League schools that are charging an arm and leg, it’s mid-size state colleges, as well. We’re close to pricing the dwindling middle class out of 4-year college degrees. But then that’s nothing new. We’ve already priced them out of new vehicles (new cars and trucks now cost more than my first house), sports, concerts and more. Clearly, it doesn’t pay to not be wealthy in America.
- The FBI’s code name for the operation that broke the scam was “Operation Varsity Blues.” If they were going for a high school movie name, I’d have gone with “Pretty in Pink” or perhaps X-Men: First Class.” Much better movies.
- Here’s what I learned at the South by Southwest festival this week: it won’t be long before private cars are banned from the biggest cities; robots write a lot of routine business news; the best ads evoke empathy (which is true, but once you realize that’s what advertisers are doing, you’re on the lookout for it); twice as many women contribute to crowdfunding campaigns as men; people from countries that drive on the left also walk on the left, which leads to a lot of near collisions; no matter what festival you attend, there’s always a guy who brings his pet python.
- I loved South by Southwest. But I’ll tell you what, ArtPrize in Grand Rapids is damn near as good. Why is it we tend to overvalue things elsewhere and undervalue what we have right here in Michigan?
- My pet peeve at events is people on the street who want to have a “conversation” with you about their cause. I politely declined to talk to one of these people and she called after me “I love you!” I wasn’t sure how to respond: “Um, I love you, too?”
- If you haven’t been to a big city in the last six months, the first thing you’ll notice is that rental scooters are everywhere. And Uber, Lyft and cab drivers hate them, not because they’re stealing fares but because the scooters are fast and scooterers have no idea what they’re doing. Every driver I talked to was afraid of running one over.
- “Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.” ― Kurt Vonnegut
It is worth noting that all of the big names from the college fraud scandal are vocal, liberal Democrats who actively bash President Trump and conservatives.
Regarding college loan related debt, we do not need a new welfare program. All debt is easily understood. If you borrow X, you will have to pay back X plus interest over Y months. Your monthly payment will be $Z.
If you don’t want to.pay back a huge loan, don’t take one. It is the individuals responsibility. It is not “a society problem” requiring a new welfare program. It is completely possible to go through college with zero debt. Save your money, work while in college, don’t take stupid “academic trips” to France (which are really just $8k vacations), don’t pile money onto loans. It is very simple.
I don’t need to pay higher taxes because your child runs up irresponsible loans. It’s very simple.
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover your high school class is running the country…….Kurt Vonnegut
Happy St Patrick’s Day
It’s reported that Lori Laughlin’s husband is a confirmed Trump supporter whose insufferable rants about “takers” and “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” made him a must-to-avoid at parties. While he was writing LARGE checks to make sure his little twit made it in to a college she had absolutely no interest in.
Abner, nothing you have to say is ever worth noting.
Although the debter does bear the responsibility, the point you are missing is that college education should be affordable. Everyone should have the opportunity to get a degree, trade or skill set without breaking the bank.
It is sad you only care about yourself and your precious bottom line for your finances. Maybe once in awhile you should think about your fellow citizens.
Nothing new from you though. So it goes.
Tommy B, it shameful that you can’t respond to someone without saying nasty things about their character. The point is that plenty of people WORK their way through college and come out smarter because they have the benefit of having a foot in the real world of a job while learning. Too many of these kids and parents spend more on beer, entertainment, and other things, and then when it comes to the tuition think they should have it free. A person can get an excellent education at a smaller, less renowned school that fits their budget better. That’s the point.
One of my pet peeves is college sports programs that lose millions of dollars each year. Money that is tacked on to “tuition fees.” Why should every student be shackled with debt that really means nothing to their education? One popular Michigan university had a football program that LOST nearly five million dollars last year . Given their enrollment, figures out to about a mandatory $240 per student. If the NFL wants “farm teams” they should foot the bill.
My pet peeve is college professors that make over a hundred grand a year and don’t teach. T/As do all the teaching and the arrogant professor requires the book that he wrote for the class.
Jims, Agreed. I am friends with several professors that work their butts off to provide good teaching. I have also had instructors (I will never call them “professors”) who were in it only for the money. Oh yeah, I was half way through a Masters program when I swore I would never, EVER take another class where the “instructor” wrote the text.
1. The REPLY function has a problem. Does not work for me. Is it just me? (More properly, is it just I?)
2. Abner actually needs a semi-colon toward the end of his second post.
Apropos of nothing: I respect Opera, but I never have enjoyed it. I never have enjoyed Rap either. Two things Opera and Rap have in common: You cannot understand what they are saying, and they sound annoying as the dickens.
Me too. Opera’s appeal escapes me. Rap, i get, but hate the my misogyny
Opera escapes me most of the time. However there are two pieces I really like. Of course most music lovers like “Nessun Dorma” when sung by a great tenor. One of the greatest duets ever is “The Flower Song” from Lakme.
Just remember that I am someone who also loves Mother Maybell Carter, Flat and Scruggs, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, and scores of others. “If it sounds good, it is good,” Duke Ellington.
Oops, that should have read “Mother Maybelle Carter.”