Student debt commentary was outstanding today.

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I didn't see this. But, Student loans are going to be the next financial crisis. We've got kids who are over $100,000 in debt holding useless degrees. This is the next bailout coming. Universities have been being propped up by debt for decades and have no issue raising tuition every year all the while growing the bloated bureaucracy that has no role in educating students. There's over a trillion dollars in debt, much of which will never be repaid. There has to be a tipping point.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Paying over 25k a year for a state university is bad enough. 50-60k for some of the private schools in this state is even worse. I'm just glad I got out right as it started to get bad and only had about 18k in loans.

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I saw that. This is a really good show.

What do you consider a "useless" degree?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

There are some for sure, but most are useful at least needed to get your foot in the door at places. The debt aspect is out of control though, I think that can be agreed upon.

It was more about the University of Phoenix's and ITT Tech's of the world.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

On top of that, it was that lots of students don't graduate and they prey on veterans with brain damage to get that sweet grant money.

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I believe only 11% graduate and the overwhelming majority that do don't get jobs in the fields they went to school in.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

This is one of the things that drives me crazy. Going to college isn't for everyone and there are some who take full advantage of the scam.
Here's what is driving me insane the most lately:
Textbooks.
Go see how much a new textbook costs, I know that the one I use for one of my classes is $180 used.
WTF?
Well, it's because the students are using their loan, grant, loan or loan money to pay for the books, so the textbook publishers/bookstores mark up the books an amazing amount because it's 'not a real' expense to the students.

Oh and the stories I have when heard and seen of the things publishers would do to for the person in charge of the introduction to psychology course at a large university (A course with 1500 students a semester - 3000 students a year x 180 = 540K a year from that class alone at a minimum): golf trips, wine and cheese baskets, computers, etc. It was pretty amazing.

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Any degree that does not likely lead to a job in your field of choice. For example, if you live in Illinois and your child wants to be a History or PE teacher, you are pretty much throwing money away unless you have relatives on a school board or related to a principal who will be hiring.

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Come to Pennsylvania! We are looking at a teacher shortage.

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The good thing with Grad school where I went is the majority of our teachers told us not to buy the books. I had a teacher in undergrad who made us buy his book for his class. It was some piece of shit book that cost 85 dollars. Then the asshole would just sit in front of the class and lecture straight from his book.

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What's weird is that people aren't responding to the market and the cost-benefit. My wife managed to rack up 6 figures in debt for a masters in psychology so that she could make 40k a year. She could make that without a bachelors.

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Yes.
I teach a course here (Professional issues in psychology). Where I talk about this issue and what fields you need more than a bachelors and what ones you do not.
Really opens the eyes of the students who think that if they go into clincial/SW that the big bucks will roll in.

Want to make money in psychology? Go into Industrial/Organizational psychology.

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Do you have any idea why they think that? Do they think that if you get a masters degree, you automatically just earn a lot of money?

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I think it has something to do with what they perceive on television (either with Dr. Phil, or the way tv portrays therapists in shows...Frasier, etc.) makes it seem like they make a lot of money. Same with forensic psychology ...they make even less money than therapists but television shows about profilers seem cool and they seem to have money. Also they have a misguided belief that a higher degree= more money, which isn't necessarily the case.

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Probably something to the idea that if you want to make money like lawyers and doctors you need more school. Not true when you consider all the aspects of earning. The other issue has been grade/degree inflation. So everyone thinks they need to get a masters as everyone deserving or not has a BS or BA.

Leesh alludes to people with a bachelors doing basically entry level HS grad work. If a HS grad was what it used to be.

Boy society kind of blows.

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Elections have consequences.

I still think of him as the drunk professor in Community when I watch this show, but it's becoming weekly viewing for me. Such a well written and funny show. This week had a great segment on the Scottish Independence.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/201 ... l_dt_tw_ru

Commentary on Drones this week was good. I love this show.

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Slams US Government for special immigrant process tonight. It is ridiculous we make people overseas helping the military go through a 14 step process to come over here that takes years.

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Just eviscerates the State Lottery system tonight.

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what a rack

It's like going to the University of Chicago for the School of Social Work. They should be paying the student to get that degree.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Comes back tonight!

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As usual it was a solid episode. Talked mostly about drug companies, pharmaceutical reps, and how they
"convince" doctors to push their drugs. Didn't realize that 70% of the population is on at least one prescription
drugs. I don't take anything, thus my surprise at the number but I found it to be believable.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

This past week John started poking at Phillip Morris and big tobacco with some pretty sobering and funny results. He also has the president of a
South American country mad at him. I'd say he is doing another stellar job thus far this season.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Pharma reps, in this day an age, dont really have power over doctors the way they used to.

He's about 15-20 years too late with the commentary.

I've seen three of his shows. The ones on FIFA, student debt, and Scottish independence. Haven't been impressed. He just screams about shit I already know about.

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

Isn't that pretty much the description of every talk show host on radio or TV right now?

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But he has an accent and is snarky and sarcastic.