The article linked above reveals a striking trend: college enrollment in the U.S. has declined for the eighth consecutive year, according to new data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. This report, which accounts for 97% of enrollments at federally funded degree-granting institutions, underscores a growing shift in attitudes toward higher education. Perhaps this approach to shaping the future is not so different from other “unconventional” strategies—like trying to stop Hurricane Dorian with prayers, as exemplified by these Florida Christians: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/08/31/these-florida-christians-think-their-prayers-will-stop-hurricane-dorian/
Or maybe American families are simply taking notes from billionaire Peter Thiel, a devoted Trump supporter who champions “unconventional” thinking in education. After all, why bother with traditional learning when you can just buy influence instead? https://www.newsweek.com/2017/03/03/peter-thiel-fellowship-college-higher-education-559261.html
This is the same Peter Thiel who graced the world with his philosophical gem, "Competition Is for Losers," an article published in The Wall Street Journal. With breathtaking hypocrisy, Thiel argued that tech companies should ignore competition and focus solely on innovation—apparently forgetting that his own company, Palantir, secured a cushy $1.5 billion in contracts under the Trump administration. But of course, when billionaires manipulate the system, it’s just “entrepreneurial genius" https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2019/08/12/study-trumps-paid-peter-thiels-palantir-1-5b-so-far-to-build-ices-mass-surveillance-network/
Thankfully, in March of this year, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz pulled back the curtain on an inconvenient truth: many American billionaires find it far more profitable to invest in politics—purchasing tax cuts and influence—than to invest in actual business ventures.
Meanwhile, the student loan debt in America has reached a staggering $1.5 trillion https://time.com/5662626/student-loans-repayment/ Of course, that’s still pocket change compared to the $17 trillion funneled into bailing out banks.https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikecollins/2015/07/14/the-big-bank-bailout/#23b72c5a2d83 But in true American fashion, a bank bailout is hailed as a natural function of capitalism, while the mere suggestion of student debt relief is dismissed as a dangerous step toward communism.
