This liberal mindset

[MikeDC]

With reduced money and shrinking opportunity, many of us would elect to take jobs more suitable to our levels of education and intellect, only the job market is awful and getting worse.

This is why I can't call myself a "liberal" (in the common, modern use of the term). Modern liberalism channels intelligent folks into fundamentally unproductive but "safe and secure" endeavors, and basically has created a situation where they seem to look down on folks that actually have to produce things.

Where do "smart people" direct their talents? Being lawyers, teachers, bureaucrats, or private bureaucrats in heavily regulated and/or government dependent industries (any of the vast array of "government consulting" companies I worked for around Washington DC, finance, utilities, telecom, education, accounting.

Jobs that are, ultimately, created in their currently recognizable form largely by government fiat and spending. These are the safe jobs that pay well, and these are the kinds of jobs "smart" people want. Though we as a whole, would be better off would we be able to direct these folks' talents elsewhere. On a related note, I find intellect extremely overrated.