So just what is a "Liberal Arts" degree good for anyway? While there is a lot to be said for an advanced education and there are certainly vocations that warrant it in the years I have been working since age 16 I have seen more educated idiots than I care to remember.
When I worked at Chatfield SRA there was a ranger that had a degree in forestry and another in law enforcement. How pathetic that he had to come find the 18 yo long haired kid (me) to hook up a map light in his patrol vehicle because he had no comprehension of "negative" and "positive".
Educated idiot.
To address CStones point- having marketable skills is key to basic survival. I have lived on my own since I was 16 and the longest I have ever been out of work was 2 weeks and that was by choice. I have only really needed help from an outside source once, I borrowed the money from a relative and paid it back in full 3 weeks later. All because I got hurt at work and had to wait for Workmans Comp to kick in.
In a depressed economy there may not be a need for engineers or physicists.
But stuff is always going to break and there will always be a need for people who aren't afraid to get dirty, hell that aint dirt-thats money!
I have never made 100K per year.
But I have always been able to keep my family fed and a roof over their head.
People need to decide what is truly important and get their priorities straight.
There is a tremendous difference between "Wants" and "Needs".

Speaking of which- if these morons protesting Wall Street are so destitute that they have to resort to relatively extreme measures as they are just how the hell are they eating and clothing themselves?