essayist and critic
Essayist and critic; author of A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things that Really Matter and Excellent Sheep; The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life
Student Debt Is Out of Control: Is it Ever OK to Default? For baby boomers, the big issue was war and peace. For millennials it's student debt. That's according to a poll by Harvard University . With the average amount owed about $35,000, the total burden is more than a trillion dollars for college and graduate school for some 40 million Americans, — all of whom are old enough to vote. In the Washington Post , Danielle Douglas-Gabriel reports that presidential candidates of both political parties are addressing the issue. Meanwhile, the New York Times is being called irresponsible for an op-ed piece encouraging student debtors to default on their payments. Is that the start of a much-needed conversation or just lousy advice? We hear more about the high cost of higher education.
Questioning Elite Education A new school year is upon us. If you’re one of a very lucky few, you may be headed to an elite university like Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Stanford. But -- what if those at the upper echelon of higher education aren’t so lucky after all? That’s what author William Deresiewicz argues in a new book. We hear about why he believes Ivy Leaguers may turn out unprepared to live a full, exciting life.
Youth Unemployment and the Entrepreneurial Spirit Unemployment among people 18 to 34 is a " catastrophe ," according to founder and director Klaus Schwab at his latest economic forum at Davos in Switzerland. His solution is to provide young people with the capability to create their own jobs by encouraging a societal spirit of entrepreneurial risk-taking. It turns out that's exactly what the seriously unemployed generation of young Americans wants to do. So what's holding them back? We hear from one of the conference's young participants and from other "millennials."
Youth Unemployment and the Entrepreneurial Spirit Unemployment among young people in the US is around 16 percent. Elsewhere in the world, it's much higher. No less an authority than Klaus Schwab, the founder of the economic forum at Davos, calls that a " catastrophe ," but one that can be solved by entrepreneurialism. Kids who can't find jobs can go out and create their own. It turns out that "millennials" have the right spirit, but they face obstacles. We hear about student loans, inadequate training and access to capital. Also, how does entrepreneurialism become something more than just selling? We hear from one of the conference's young participants and from other millennials.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
