If you are reading this, you probably have (or will earn at some point) a college degree. If you want a simple definition of the "elite" in this country, that piece of paper denotes it.

One-fourth of adult Americans in the work force have college degrees. Which means that three-fourths don't. If you want to mobilize a political base, it pays more to go after the less educated. There's more gold in them thar hills.

Sarah Palin (who attended many more colleges than me) and many of the tea party folks are actively anti-educated folks. Oh, those folks prefer to refer to "elites" and the like, but hey, I'm who they're talking about.

The educated have always been resented. And despite the fact that anyone can attend college--the price can be dear, but there are programs to help just about everyone--those who don't have degrees tend to hold it against those of us who do.

I understand. There are folks who hold their degrees over other people. I've met quite a few who have sniffed at my meager bachelor's degree from a moderately-good state school. That sort of thing isn't cool, and I don't like it either.

But most of us are simple shlubs who managed to complete enough classes over four years to get a piece of paper. In my case, I spent five years getting a piece of paper that seems to have disappeared some years ago. Which is okay by me.

Here's the thing that a college degree gets you: Choices.

When you have just a high school diploma, there are a limited amount of jobs you can get. And after you've been doing one for a while, it's hard to change gears.

This is a short list of jobs I've had since college:

political operative (for the 1992 Clinton campaign)
clerk (bookstore and record store)
paste-up artist (putting together the Kansas City Star)
book designer (of motorcycle maintenance manuals)
graphic artist (converting graphics for a phone book company)
reporter (high school sports and more)
editor (web, print and otherwise)
music critic (for my site and national publications)
researcher (quantifying the availability and provenance of organic food in stores)

I've had other jobs as well. I recently interviewed for a position as a project manager at a web company. Essentially, I would serve as liaison between the real tech folks and the clients of the company. I would be the "face" of the company...and given my face, perhaps there's a reason I haven't heard back yet.

Most (though not all) of these jobs had something to do with my journalism degree. And yes, about half of these jobs don't require a degree. But that degree does give me an automatic edge in the creditability department.

And that edge is what pisses off people who don't have degrees.

Here's the thing: If that fact pisses you off (and I can see why it would), then go get yourself a degree. Conversely (just the sort of word us "elites" like to use), you can decide that a degree isn't worth the time, money and effort and then quit bitching. Those are your choices. Pick one.

It's common to hear folks run down college students. They're lazy, unfocused money holes. All they want to do is drink beer, smoke pot and tear down America.

Bullshit. Most of them are more like I was. Scholarships, Pell Grants, a small contribution from my folks and working 30+ hours a week are what paid for my school. Yes, I went out on Saturday nights. I paid a dollar to get into Shattered and split a $4 pitcher with someone. If a band I liked played at the Blue Note, I saved up and hoped that night would feature dollar pitchers of Natural Light.

It's true that I drank a few beers while I was in college. I also shot fireworks at the dorms housing kids in summer orientation. I did few other things that the older me would not do (and won't now reveal). But I also got an education and have used it extensively since. I would guess that most folks in my position would say the same thing.

Higher education is available for almost any citizen--and a lot of non-citizens as well. If you don't want to partake, that's fine. Quality of life has nothing to do with the level of education attained. I'm doing just fine without the Ph.Ds my dad and my father-in-law have. But I'm also not attacking those with graduate degrees as someone evil and elitist. Well, not because of their degrees, anyway.

Education isn't a tool for your life. It's a tool for your mind. It's not brainwashing. It's a key that opens doors.

I know, a lot of this carping about elites is just because the Prez is an unabashed intellectual. But the trappings of education don't make people smarter. They simply denote work accomplished. The smarts are another discussion entirely.

Jon Worley thinks higher education is simply a scam to promulgate the conservative values of "college" football.