God bless people who work at useful jobs

Millions of Americans do not work. Some are unemployed and looking for work; Others simply refuse to look for a job. In fact,12 percent of men in their prime working years Not in the workforce and not looking for work. Millions of healthy men are living away from relatives, surviving on government benefits, or working in the underground economy and not paying taxes.

Millions more have jobs but are not doing anything useful. I’ve spent 25 years in higher education and I can tell you that many professors have retired on the job. These professors don’t do research, teach their classes poorly, and don’t show up to their offices except for mandatory office hours (perhaps six hours a week). Hardly any universities schedule classes on Fridays, meaning that a large percentage of university faculty members are working a four-day week.

Throughout the national economy, we see Americans doing nothing more than pushing paper around. People in the advertising game bombard us with mindless ads for products we don’t want or need. The gaming industry is promoting gambling, which is a harmful and addictive pastime,

Thankfully, millions of Americans are working hard at the jobs that need to be done. I had a stroke last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I dialed 911, and six EMS professionals showed up at my location within five minutes, despite the fact that I gave them the wrong address. I was able to open the front door despite being partially paralyzed, but the 911 dispatcher assured me that my rescuers were willing and able to break down the door to get to me.

Those guys work hard and are well trained. My EMS team got me to the hospital in time to receive a time-sensitive drug that limited the long-term damage from my stroke.

Now I’m in rehab, working with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, and a speech therapist. All my therapists are highly skilled young women who are passionate and full of energy for their jobs. They assure me that I will make a full recovery and will be able to walk again.

Our economy is changing rapidly, and many college students are taking out loans to pursue an education that will not lead to a good job. A bachelor’s degree in the humanities, liberal arts, or social sciences is a dead-end degree. A young person taking out student loans to pursue a degree in these soft subjects could be committing financial suicide.

Most of the youth want to have a satisfying career in a field that pays well. Most of them look for work that is useful and meaningful. Today, smart young people don’t go to college to get a liberal arts degree. Instead, they choose major companies that offer a well-paying job and a clear path to a satisfying career.

I am grateful that some of these intelligent young people are choosing to serve as first responders and healthcare workers. Our society needs them. I’m not sure it needs humanities professors.