I want my cheap gas!

In response to Andys post about higher education, there are some good points, and points that need to be discussed further. One thing Andy did bring up that is completely valid is the fact that more students are getting into universities, but those students are smarter. I'm sure thre are/will be all kinds of studies determining why todays students are smarter. But that is not for me to discuss.

One thing the original study doesn't factor in - not that they could have even anticipated this - was the rise in prominence of community colleges. With community colleges, todays students can get professional training in vocational programs without spending 4 or more years learning about the Ming Dynasty when all they want to do is learn how to weld, or become a physical therapist.

There are many great paying careers out there available with only a community college education.

BUT, as the original study indicated, there is a growing disconnect between the Joe Schmoe workforce and educated intellectuals.

Don't get me wrong, the world needs welders and carpenters. But without the higher education, those workers have a hard time understanding the context of todays world and world situations. Joe Common has a hard time understanding why we need trade agreements and why manufacturing jobs have fallen off. Joe Common believes that the Arabs and oil companies are sitting around getting rich and fat off higher gas prices. To a point, I even think they are. But I believe we need to have a firm understanding of economics and our recent economic policies to understand the sudden jump in oil prices. With the Federal Reserve pumping millions of dollars into banks and the economy recently, the value of the dollar has fallen off slightly against overseas markets, and - without going into another essay - oil prices have risen.

The intellectuals know - maybe - that we live in the United States but we our part of a global economy. 10 years ago, when you got a morning stock market update, it was just of the U.S. markets. Now, we get information on overnight trading in Asia.

Joe Common doesn't understand the ramifications of Hugo Chavez hoarding oil supplies in Venezuela, but I don't know anything about welding.

The intellectual divide is - I feel - one of the primary reasons the U.S. is getting left behind by economic giants India and China. Even though those two countries are very agrarian societies, technology is a major part of their day-to-day lives.

OK. I think thats all I can think about right now. There could possibly be a million branches off this post, but we shall see.