America’s educational system is a fraud. The lie begins in elementary school and continues through graduate school. But why complain? Our whole society is built on massive fraud.

This is because the neocons took over college administrations just as they took over local governments and local schoolboards. The “educated” elite never cared about doing anything good for society because they believed their livelihoods couldn’t be touched. They falsely believed that their education would allow them to benefit from the ravages of unfettered free market capitalism.

This is the result of the virtual ‘Counter-Reformation’ perpetrated by the elites following the sixties, when they decided to kill off that whole ‘peace & love’ ideal and put their guys in charge. They are now fully consolidated.

A segment of our country – which ironically prides itself on its patriotism – has been busily degrading education in America for decades. Schoolboards have recently been emboldened to remove factual information from biology and history books of which they don’t approve.

Teachers are constantly maligned by an anti-intellectual public, so it’s no surprise that even our most highly educated are being treated poorly. I can remember the days when being a teacher was one of the noblest professions one could aspire to. The contempt with which even the most academically qualified are treated now is a symptom our imminent decline.

When Reagan was “elected” in 1980, those who value money over integrity – those who scorn learning for its own sake – got the upper hand. The hippies had to go.

Now I understand why some older comedians have been complaining about doing college shows: the students are all squares now! PC culture is one of the ways the system represses free thinking and free speech.

Failing to address the alarming ignorance of many Americans – and their bizarre pride in that ignorance – is proving to be more of a threat to our economy, our political stability, our national security and our viability as a nation than the 1% had ever predicted.

If you don’t go into Business School and become an economic predator there is really no place for you in this new paradigm. The Ayn Rand obsessed bean-counters now run the show, and they freely impose their evil agenda on everybody else. Workers demand affordable housing, living wages and decent healthcare – and we are ignored and demonized for it.

The ‘workaholic’ is the gold standard by which all employees are judged in America, and although it’s a mental disorder we are judged harshly if we don’t live up to that ideal.

Unless you’re rich, of course.

Certainly no job security is on offer, but employees are expected to vow complete loyalty to a ruling class which shows only contempt in return. Meanwhile, we get accosted on every corner by those even unluckier than us in this Libertarian wet dream we’ve created.

This fraudulent system is labeled ‘neoliberal’ economics by the same neocons who promoted that same old fascist John Bircher clap-trap for decades before it came out of the fringes into the mainstream. So now we have politicians pushing the agenda from both sides of the corporate party while shutting real progressive voices out of the conversation to keep them from adding any ideas to the mix.

Our colleges and universities operate to benefit the few at the expense of the many. Colleges need students to pay tuition and room and board as job security for the highly paid administrators and faculty. At the same time, they make sure that most of the classes are taught by low paid adjunct faculty who aren’t entitled to any benefits. Massive student debt is the driver of this process.

Most of a student’s tuition money goes to cover the salaries for over-paid, unproductive ‘Associate Vice-Presidents.’ The students essentially subsidize this bureaucracy. A large portion of tuition goes to tenured faculty who spend most of their time writing and doing research; most have no desire to actually teach. Students also subsidize defense-related research.

Do students get what they pay for? At ‘for-profit’ colleges it’s even worse…

College students pay big bucks for what should be quality teachers. What they usually get is low status, low paid temporary part-time workers. The colleges and universities place a minimal value on the actual teachers. It is a classic bait and switch operation. But students should also consider the fact that the people giving them grades are not even valued by the institutions they attend.

Higher education is simply another racket in the USA.