I don't think it's lazy, Carlyle. I think it's economics.

Your opening item wins Cheap Shot of the Week. Not sure if it sprang from a reading comprehension failure or sometihng calculated. EIther way, less of that, please, o Intern.

Wonderful long article in the NYT today about the energy inefficiencies baked into the internet right now. Great result of a yearlong investigation - well worth spending some time reading. It's the first of a series called The Cloud Factories, "about the physical structures that make up the cloud, and their impact on our environment." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/techno…

Four years and tens of thousands of dollars of debt for a degree that may or may not make a difference in the worst economy in generations? I'd say the kids are being remarkably practical.

Too Many Opinions

In my opinion, graduates from a two-year school are the best ones to have an opinion on this matter. That is why I am waiting for the expert opinion from the main Slog writers. Personally, I'm withholding my opinion on the college issue, as I feel a disconnect. Post-doc work on the other hand, and I'll never shut up.

Obama White House male chauvinist pig sty according to these women staffers:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS8J_Oky5…

@2, yeah it was unclear. Added a sentence to show I'm referring to grad rates.

@8 Yeah, I believe everything posted on "Mitt Romney TEA PARTY Supporters Page". No, really. OK, not really.

I helped with ecology research as a high school student. It was hands on, physical, and you didn't need to know any theory. Nonetheless the work exposed me to working scientists and inspired me to pursue a (different) scientific discipline in college. I was a working class kid from a bad school, and the opportunity was life changing. I hope the convicts now doing this kind of work are able to benefit in the same ways.

We have pushed some of the high school graduation requirements into colleges and universities.

@10, no, what needs fixing is your inaccurate headline that Carlyle's blaming community colleges. He's not. He's saying people like him whose job is to fix the four-year system are shirking their work by hiding behind the success of the community college system.

@3 would you like to comment on the failing EU states are the most religious with lower tax rates than their less religious more taxed states that are doing just fine even with propping up the failing states?
I'm going guess not, otherwise you'd know what you're talking about.

Apparently, in some countries it's considered a failure of government when it cannot meet citizens' basic health care needs.

@15 Doesn't Germany still collect a church tax on behalf of Christian churches?

@3,4: Most of the economic troubles in Europe are actually the result of austerity measures. You know, the kind of thing that the GOP wants to bring to this country.

@17 probably. It's not really all that different than the tax status churches get in the states. I just like pointing out that the EU countries that have done 'well' during this crisis have been much more 'socialist', or at least in a way dumb Americans think of as socialist.

#17 Yes it does, but you only have to pay it if you're a member of a church, and it goes to that church. Atheists do not pay church tax, Catholics do not pay tax that goes to Protestant churches. So it's like Mormon tithing, then.

@20 In case you haven't heard, churches now get tax money. Religion is subsidized by atheists.

@21 in this country. I'm not sure if all countries offer tax breaks to churches.