I underwent a catheterization procedure at a Baton Rouge hospital this morning. By the time the procedure was over, I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours, and I was hungry.
"Would I like some breakfast and a cup of coffee?" a nurse asked.
"Yes, I would," I replied, silently wondering what a cardiac patient gets for his hospital breakfast. Low-fat cottage cheese and a carrot stick?
Soon, the nurse returned with a Styrofoam tray and a cup of strong, black coffee. I knew from the first sip that I was drinking Community coffee, the only coffee people in South Louisiana drink. Indeed, the F word in Louisiana is not F---; it's Folger's.
My Styrofoam tray was separated into three compartments. One compartment held a single link sausage. The second compartment contained hot scrambled eggs. The third and largest compartment was filled with grits, a food I came to love after moving to Louisiana more than 30 years ago.
How about condiments? I examined a Styrofoam bowl containing packets of butter, salt, pepper, and grape jelly for my toast. I was disappointed not to find a little bottle of Tabasco sauce, but my condiment bowl contained the next best thing: a packet of Cajun seasoning, which I sprinkled on my eggs and grits.
All in all, I had a great hospital breakfast, and I was grateful that the hospital dietitian had approved me for a hearty helping of grits.
My hospital care team included seven or eight young, energetic, and efficient people. Thank God, I thought to myself, that the folks bustling around me had chosen a medical career instead of majoring in gender studies or sociology.
Millions of Americans lack skills or training for a worthwhile vocation. Seven million working-age men are unemployed and aren't even looking for work. Millions of others are pursuing college degrees in fields that don’t lead to a well-paying job.
Every day, I meet workers in the service industry who are lethargic, sullen, and resentful because they work in menial jobs they don't want to do. I wonder how many hold bachelor's degrees in fashion design or art history.
Americans should be grateful to everyone who has chosen to pursue a healthcare career. I am constantly astonished by how cheerful and competent most of these people are.
At this stage of my life, I'm convinced that universities should close their liberal arts and humanities programs and focus solely on training young people for useful and meaningful jobs. In the future, America will need marine biologists, environmental engineers, and medical technicians. I don’t think we will need many people with degrees in philosophy, anthropology, sociology, or diversity studies.
If the U.S. Department survives the Trump administration's commitment to shut it down, I hope it will stop issuing student loans for worthless college degrees in liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences. Too often, borrowing money to get an education in these fields doesn't lead to a good job and leaves graduates with mountains of debt--debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
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| Image credit: Jake West |
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