Which crap holes? Those with better healthcare less expensive and better outcomes? Those with happier citizens? Just about any metric you can name they are doing better than we are.

It never was the way, we were the place other countries sent their people to learn how we did things so well, like education, postal service, interstate high way systems, healthcare, on and on. US was NUMBER 1 in almost everything.

Now, for example, we rank 33 out of 36 in infant mortality in OECD countries. So, yeah, we suck, and as long as a certain segment of the country keeps pushing US exceptionalism, it won't get better.

Complaining about problems is not the same as hating our country. I earned may right to complain about what is going on. I love my country and I want it to be number one again - do you?

In other words you are basing your opinion on things 35 years ago. 35 years ago you didn't pay $50K for a college degree - upfront, before you had a job.

Well, the Federal Government is only getting bigger and bigger. The IRS is hiring 87,000 new agents and they will need to have a college degree. I can almost guarantee that those new agents will have job security, a great career, and make a lot more money than any plumber or electrician. The Government is immune to recessions and they pay college graduates more money than skilled workers. But, I would be smart and get an affordable degree, not one that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. But, I think that having a college degree in today's world will put a young person in a much more advantageous position than being able to install a sink. Also, it is a myth that you need to be smart to get through college. Anyone with half a brain can earn a college degree. If you are 18, why not spend 4 years and get a degree that will last a lifetime?

Which crap holes??? Pretty much ALL of them.
Those with better healthcare??? None of them even come close to the US
Happier citizens???? Well, the saying that ignorance is bliss.

We rank 33 out of 36 in infant mortality----What a joke! That is a WHO trumped up statistic. Why? Because all those other 35 countries only count deliveries beyond 34 weeks gestation in their statistics. We, on the other hand, count any 24 week premie to a crack mother than goes "wah" once and dies in our mortality rate. Level the playing field, WHO, except they don't want to because they believe in socialist crap holes.

Guess what---WE ARE NUMBER ONE!!!!!!!

But they chose to live in a high risk area where homeowners insurance would be impossible to get without either government assistance or the cost of their risky choice being subsidized by the premiums being paid by homeowners living in relatively lower risk areas. Related to that is exactly how many times are taxpayers going to pay to rebuild New Orleans, which sits below sea level smack dab in the middle of a Hurricane belt?

A friend's granddaughter went to a small local state college, lived at home, worked after school and during the summer break. Grandparents helped a bit on the tuition, but the girl paid most of it herself and received a couple small scholarships. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in marketing, a field that is always hiring. She then started working, while still living at home, on her Masters through an on-line program. Completed her Masters and was hired by Caterpillar Corp and is working at the corporate headquarters in Dallas, TX. ZERO student loan debt. She is very intelligent and worked hard to maintain a high grade point average and that is how she got the scholarships, through hard work and perseverance. You don't need to go to an expensive university to get a good paying job with a promising future.

Nobody held a gun to anyone's head forcing them to take out student loans. If someone is too stupid to research the career fields that are hiring and take courses for that field, I have no sympathy for them.

If it is so horrible, why do they keep trying to get into the country? Which country has more immigrants?

Many years ago when we went to our daughters graduation from a major state university I couldn’t believe what I saw. The diplomas were handed out by major. The engineering, physics, mathematics, science, business, pre- med, and other related departments were very small departments and almost every graduate was foreign, mostly Asian or Indian. Then came the Psychology, Philosophy, and other Liberal Arts type departments and there were thousands of students in each department, almost 100% fat, stupid, and drunk Americans, getting diplomas so they could go live in their parents basements and hope their student loans would be forgiven. I supposed a few of them wound up getting jobs in some big corporations human recourses department creating obstacles for the real workers to get productive things done. It was very sad indeed! At least back then there weren’t big departments for topics like social justice, climate awareness, or diversity and equality officers. It’s no wonder the once great USA is rapidly loosing its edge : (

Many went into the military or directly into the workforce because there was no money for college. Many, including myself, took just one or two classes at a time and self studied and took every possible clep and Dante's exam for cheap credits. It's the slow route, but it gets you there.

A Harvard professor on Twitter was expressing his gratitude on behalf of his students. If someone with a degree from Harvard needs a $10k bailout, something is amiss...

So, those that struggled for years to pay for school now have to help pay for others as well...

And, technically, those that NEVER had the opportunity to go to college, likely need the $$ way more than college graduates.

It's all very bizarre.

I went to college about 10 years after you did (75-79). Tuition, room & board (at the Univ of MD) were just over $2,100/year... I could make most of that working weekends and over the Summer (I worked construction, making $7.50/hr...)

I had plenty of friends who were able to work their way thru college.

My point was that TODAY, that is not possible...

How many colleges/universities pay $10 Million for a coach?

My point was, that those who do (those with huge football/basketball programs) get a positive return on that investment...

Apple and kumquats...

Not if he can't produce a successful program... WINNING = $$$

But I do agree, Coaches salaries have gotten to be insane, just like the athlete's salaries have...

So, you chose to start a family and buy a house. Your choice. You could just have easily waited to start a family and finished your education. Again your choice.

But I'm glad things worked out for you!

Mike Rowe has been touting this for years!