[lbo-talk] can't afford health care? bring a chicken to the doc's

[Miles Jackson]

Joanna wrote:
> I'm thinking a lot about this issue these days. I'm thinking about it 
> because my kids did not get an elite education, and will not be able to 
> step into the infinitely entitled classes. So what should they do?
> 
> Given where things are going, my feeling is that the best they can do is 
> to develop a few needed skills and try to find themselves a home in the 
> underground economy as much as possible. This will maximize the 
> purchasing power of whatever money they do make and strengthen their 
> social ties/networks.
> 
> They have defined the "economy" in such a way that the price of 
> "belonging" is a life-time of indentured servitude. A year at U.C. 
> Anything is about $30K now (including living expenses). So about 150K 
> for a public education. Unfuckingbelievable. All this so you can stand 
> in line for non-existent jobs...or for the kinds of jobs that allow you 
> to serve the people that enslaved you.
> 
> Joanna

I'll preface this with the obligatory (and completely serious) "the real 
social problem here is the existence of wage labor, not the lack of 
jobs", but I'm not as dour about job opportunities for working people. 
You can get a nursing degree at a community college in 3 years max with 
all prerequisite courses, and the CC tuition in my state is about 
$3000/yr.  You'll make at least $60,000/yr as an RN right out of school. 

    We have a number of other tech programs at our CC that also provide 
people the training and credentials to get living wage jobs (welding, 
diesel tech, auto mechanic, etc.).  Sure, these are all examples of wage 
slavery, but they also allow people to survive in our fucked-up economy 
without racking up huge educational debts.  For the most part, they also 
help us ensure that socially important labor gets done (give me one good 
auto mechanic, you can keep your 20 MBAs!).

Miles