Monday 20 April 2020

Book Review: Breakdown of Higher Education

By John M. Ellis

I'll go through thirty to forty books a year, and most all of them are history pieces.  This one was a bit different.  I should note that it's a recent product (in the past couple of months). 

This 210-page book is one that covers the downward spiral of the college system over the past forty-odd years.  It's a well-documented research piece which goes to discuss a losing situation with university degrees today.

I've generally said this for the past decade.....four-year degrees now will cost you in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, and with debt situation in full view.....with the value of the end-product questionable......it's not what existed in the 1970s/1980s.

In simple terms, you have fake college graduates walking around and trying to impress you with a 10th-grade high school mentality.  The sad thing is that their professors demonstrated nothing over the past four years, in exchange for the $80,000. 

The chief failure?  There are dozens of problems but Ellis goes and lays out the problem of analysis and reasoning now lacking in the case of virtually all graduates.  Most programs have become more of a political indoctrination episode....instead of instructing kids how to view a situation, analyze it, or predict the problem or the outcome....you end up believing a product without any true reason. 

If you were a parent with a kid finishing high school in the next five years.....you might want to read the book and find a alternate path for the kid.  It's a book that you can easily finish in three to four days. 

When It's TOO MUCH

Over the past week, I've watched a lot of interviews with Americans explaining things to journalists, and the chatter is concerning.  It ought to worry people.

'On the edge' is used a lot.  'Risk' is used a good bit.  One lady used the phrase 'defeated'.  'Things are deranged' was another phrase put out there.

Way too many people sitting at home, instead of work or at their favorite hobby.  Way too many people focused on the news networks or Twitter.  Way too many people worrying about the unknown.

In some ways, this is becoming like an episode of Marvel, with evil people fighting good people on a daily basis.  In one version, Nancy Pelosi is like Captain America.....and in another version, she's 'Red Skull' (the most evil of bad guys).  I don't have a problem with a Marvel movie consuming my interest three or four times a year.  But if you said I have to watch a major Marvel release each single day, well....it's going to be a problem sooner or later.

I sat and watched a piece where the CNN journalist tried to hype-up President Trump.  Finally, Trump says to the guy....."You don't have the brains that you were born with."

Trump-enthusiasts will likely agree  that somewhere along the path....this poor CNN guy lost his 'brains'.  Some southerners would even go and say a prayer for the guy....hoping that he finds his 'brains'. 

The anti-Trump enthusiasts will get all peeved....how dare Trump insult the poor CNN guy.   Then they will want to sit by you at the pub or bar and talk about this insult and frustration they feel presently.  You being the bold person that you are.....suggest that maybe they are getting a bit too much of TV news and maybe you ought to flip over to Bonanza reruns, or watch pro-wrestling repeats from the Randy Savage years. 

I read this morning....off the NY Times, that your condition of your testicles (meaning men only, not you fake women-to-men) may be impacted by the Coronavirus.  Both me and the male-cat in the house got hyped up real-quick over that health discussion.  Again, it's 'worry-chatter'.  I can speak for the cat....that last trip to the vet where the balls thing was discussed, it didn't help his disposition 

At any moment now, I expect some expert to appear on US TV, and hype that some miracle solution has been found, and that if I could just eat four plates a day of broccoli.....I'd be spared the virus. 

Yeah, it's all gotten to a point of being 'TOO MUCH'. 

A Little Fantasy

Pause and think over this....you live in a state which has shut down business operations for the most part, and the chief financial officer of the state tax revenue business has asked to see you (the governor).

So the two of you sit down, and he hands you a sheet.  There's two numbers on the sheet.  One is 44.9 billion.  The other is 445-million.  Then he says in a normal year, you collect via tax revenue for the state around 44.9 billion.  The 445-million he says.....is what you are missing each WEEK that you keep business operations for the most part....shut-down.

So just three lousy weeks of a zero-business situation....means you have a short-fall of 1.3-billion minimum.  You (as governor) then ask....how will we make up the short-fall?   The finance guy just grins.....then says 'you can't make it up'.  Either you open things up, or you go to the banks to borrow a massive sum, which you have to pay back with interest later.  That means a massive tax increase coming in 2021/2022.   

Then the little geek finance guy says....if you attempt to go three additional weeks, that brings the sum to 2.7-billion dollars.

So imagine states like Michigan, Illinois, and California.  If you had Obama, with a Democratic-controlled House and Senate....you'd get a free 'gift-money' package.  Presently?  You get nothing.

So pause over the problem here.  Everyone, I suspect....will be open in about two weeks.