The Utah State Legislature is in session and some of the things that are being said are making Utah look like a back-woods fly-over state. Here is an example of some of the short sided things our legislators have said.
The Debt Limit Amendment...
This is a proposed constitutional amendment that will require that the Congress get approval from the majority of states in order to raise the federal debt limit. Sounds like a great deficit fighting tool until you realize what some of the unintended consequneces could be. For Example:
-The Congress could hold programs important to states, like highway funds, in order to get the states to approve a debt limit increase.
-The Congress could pass on unfunded mandates if the states refuse to raise the debt limit.
-The Congress can use the states as a scape-goat from run-away spending.
It looks like a good idea, but really a poor idea that instead of giving more power to the states would actually give more power to the Feds.
State Veto Amendment
This is a proposed consitution amendment that would give states the power to veto any legislation by a super majority of the state legislatures.
Um, guys...that is what we have Senators for. If anyone should have a direct line to a member of Congress it should be our state legislators. If Orrin Hatch will not answer a phone call from Chris Buttars or Howard Stevenson then Hatch is not doing his job and we the poeple should hear about it.
Speaking of Howard Stephenson.
I read what he said about how the ATC's do a better job at placing our kids in jobs. This is true for SOME kids. Some kids are better off earning a degree at the ATC than going to one of our fine Universities. SOME kids simply do not belong there.
SOME kids belong in the military. SOME kids belong at culinary school and SOME kids should go directly to work right after high school.
But the data shows that MOST kids will be better off by earning a college degree. For SOME jobs, any 4-year degree is better than nothing. So many kids, not myself, end up working in a job that had nothing to do with their major. The reason this is even possible is because our colleges and universities do such a good job at giving our young people a well rounded education.
SOME four-year college degrees are worthless and should be curtailed. We know that degrees in Liberal Arts, for example, are not in as great of demand as a degree in Marketing. But even the Liberal Arts grad has a better chance at becoming a senior manager at an accounting firm than someone with an associates degree in electronics. Although that person with the associates degree in electronics may rise up and run his own firm, and hire the guy with the degree in accounting to work for him.
In America, anything can happen.
However, study after study, and here is one, shows that on average a person with a Bachelor's Degree will earn about 1.5 times more than someone with some post-secondary education and no degree and twice as much over a lifetime as someone with only a high school diploma.
It is not hard to dispute Stephenson's comments with the facts.
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