"I've Moved on" -Hilary Clinton

The Monica Lewinsky scandal with Bill Clinton happened in 1973 so I was very surprised to see this article on Nytimes talking about how Hilary Clinton has "moved on" from the scandal. When I first saw it I thought: obviously she has moved on! The scandal happened over 30 years ago! It was clear that Hilary Clinton moved on when she decided to stay with her husband after it happened. Then I asked myself why was this article about Hilary Clinton "moving on" published in 2014 in the first place?

I think that this article was published because she is said to be running for president in two years. Family is such an American value that she needs to make sure the public knows how great her and her husband's marriage is right now. This scandal is not relevant anymore but she needs to start thinking about gaining votes right now and she can play the angle of how great her family is. Not only does this article talk about her marriage but it also talks about how her daughter is expecting a baby in the fall. Clinton said that she was not dwelling on the decision on whether to run for president but she is thinking about,“With the extra joy of ‘I’m about to become a grandmother,’ I want to live in the moment.” Although she may not be thinking about running for office and she may be excited to become a grandmother, I question whether she thinks that label that will make her seem like a better candidate for president.

Going to College: A Must?

As we have been discussing class recently, this article from the Nytimes really struck me because it talked about how Americans with four year college degrees make 98% more an hour on average in 2013 than people who do not have a college degree. One part of this article that really stuck out was when the author said college is, "...the most reliable ticket to the middle class and beyond." 

Americans have become so obsessed with college. I would argue more obsessed than any other country. It has become almost a given that if you want to be part of the middle or upper class you must go to a four year college. Living on the North Shore college is always a topic people are chatting about because for most, it is not even a question whether a New Trier graduate is going to college or not. What I find interesting about the North Shore is college is taken so seriously it almost becomes part of your identity. People will make immediate judgements subconsciously after you tell them what college you attended or are going to attend. Why has is become this way? Why has college become so important to Americans? Comments appreciated!