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Originally Posted by TiltonBB
I agree with your point but also see that as the problem. The lack of life's experiences and the liberal leanings and teachings of the education system are at the root of the problem. Teachers who have spent a lifetime (since first grade) in the education system have the same short coming. They have not run a business, hired help, or done a lot of things out in the everyday world yet they are teaching our children to prepare them to go out into the world.
In my opinion, there should be a lot more of life's skills taught at the high school and college level. Learn to balance a checkbook. What does it mean when my car makes that noise? Teach kids (of both sexes) a small amount of building construction and minor repair so they know how to fix small things in their home. Teach negotiation skills so that when they buy a home, make a deal to purchase a car, or even ask for their next raise or promotion they are mentally equipped to best represent themselves. I know college graduates, really bright people, who barely know which end of a hammer you hold onto. When their car or home has a problem they just call someone and pay a big price. When money is tight that is not a great option and those are the people who usually get taken.
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I am not sure why you inject politics into the discussion or seem to look down your nose at folks whose education/weaknesses are different than your own. But your "balance a checkbook" example is a great illustration.
For those without Millennial kids--young adults today do not have checkbooks. They have PayPal, Venmo and several other cool alternatives, but the banks have restructured their fee schedules so that a teen or twentysomething would be a fool to ask for paper checks, and new technologies offer tools that are WAY better than the way we had to manage our funds when we were living paycheck to paycheck (our kids don't have "paychecks" either).
The goal of a liberal arts education is not to learn anything specific--it doesn't really matter if you major in English or History. The goal is to teach kids how to think critically and creatively as they navigate a complex and fast moving world.
"The people who usually get taken" today are not absent minded rich guys without step ladders. The people who get taken are the ones who accept without question when a big company or a snake oil politician makes promises that a sharp kid--who has studied history, philosophy, logic, math, etc--immediately knows cannot be kept.