The American education system is structured on the motivation of "getting a job." There's a general mistrust of education, i.e. leading people out of the darkness, particularly among Republicans as they privatize the process and wield the axe to public education. People who "think" are regarded as dangerous "Egg-heads." "Out of touch with real life." "Embryo Marxists." That spills over into the public's view of university admissions and more and more students avoid thinking and focus on careers and on making money. Why on earth would you want to read Socrates or Cicero, ancient old dudes? Learn a foreign language? Why? We have instant translation. Philosophy? What a waste of time. Breathing's enough. Geography? Place names. History? Watch it on TV. So as we barrel along towards extinction with an exhausted planet, tribal war machines building up their capacities for remote death and destruction, the seas warming, the coral dying, leaders threatening each other with nuclear warheads, beating their chests like gorillas in the forest, everything is fine. Isn't it? We're on our way to the golden city on the hill, bright and gleaming with six bathrooms, four car garages, gardeners and cooks for everyone. Did we somehow get the wrong education system?