Academic Rants

The Politics of Death Americans have been programmed to see death at every turn. It happens regardless of age, gender and class. We are warned about death by advertisements, physicians, religious figures, parents, teachers, friends, neighbors and politicians. Not a day goes by where death is not introduced or re-introduced into the public psyche. Death is a constant aspect of America’s consciousness. Politicians, however, work the concepts of death better than most. We are often told through their speeches and advertisements that many of us will die if particular programs and laws are not enacted. That death will be caused by a lack of poverty programs, social security, medical insurance, quality education, quality medical care, tax reform, and weapon control. In turn, we are encouraged to support politicians who will spare us from this inevitable death by supporting legislation that will create fundamental changes in the American system. In America, death is politicized. Amer

The Simplicity Factor               As a parent, the one thing I continually said to all of the children in my life is that you need to do well in school and go to college. Those were the same words said to me by my parents, older relatives, and family friends.   And as a college professor, I often repeat those sentiments to students that cross my path.             A few years ago, President Obama stressed the point that all American kids should go to college.   He tried to make it a part of his agenda by proposing ideas of free college or free community college. The president believed that having more college educated Americans would make our nation greater. More recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo supported legislation, which he claimed would create free college across the state university system.             I recently told some astonished students that I do not believe that all Americans should go to college. However, there are some consequences in that line of thin