Paleocrat's blog

I've always been confused by the lack of days or months dedicated to the celebration of various European cultures, but it really came to the forefront of my thinking once I entered college. For an institution that prides itself on cultural diversity, it seemed to be a no-brainer that European cultures would find their way into the mix. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to resonate with the decision-makers. This no longer seems to be the case.

The Associated Press recently quoted John McCain as having admitted that unless he convinces the people Iraq is succeeding, he may lose the election. In familiar "straight talk" fashion, McCain quickly recanted. Unfortunately for McCain, the cat was already out of the bag. He could spin his comments like a top, but the people heard him loud and clear.

Consumerism and news media are strange bedfellows. On the one hand, without satisfying consumers, news outlets wouldn't have the audience that provides revenue for their continued existence. On the other hand, consumer driven news makes it difficult for news agencies to focus on what Pope John XXIII referred to as "serene objectivity." Instead of getting a mountain of truthful information about public events we tend to get a mound of relatively insignificant factoids.

Breaking news! Britney Spears is a lunatic.

Breaking news! Someone is experiencing something dreadful... somewhere.

Breaking news! There was a house fire in Timbuktu.

How are these examples of breaking news? Well, they aren't. Honestly, this type of "breaking news" should be on page 37D of the newspaper. Unfortunately, these stories make their way to the "top of the hour" broadcasts and page 1A of many of our newspapers.

Sure, economics can be boring. Trade agreements can be even worse. But both of them play a major role in the lives, both present and future, of college students. Trade agreements help determine what kind of job market we have to look forward to, and job placement is the reason we are paying the big bucks to attend Olivet College.

So what does the job market look like? What are the projections over the next ten years. What kind of American job market do we have to look forward to once we graduate? The answers may infuriate you.