I know some serious idiots with graduate degrees. I also know some brilliant people with just a GED. Higher education is a boon to the intelligent, but I think a degree is primarily indicative of commitment to show up and do the work; it doesn't create intelligence in a vacuum.

That said, I don't have a degree. I was accepted to an engineering program at A&M while still in HS, but couldn't afford it so I chose the military instead. I've gained some professional certifications since and make a pretty good living by coupling those with experience and the ability to learn quickly on the job. I do sometimes regret not having that higher education though, as I feel it limits what I can lend to a conversation when others can bring up specific cases in history or known theories to support their point; things I may not necessarily have even heard of before.

Regarding the degradation of language by the allegedly educated, I think it's disgraceful. One should have enough dignity to master one's language. Expletives and slang used in lieu of real words are just indicative of one who lacks the intelligence to maintain a reasonable vocabulary. The best way to combat a lack of vocabulary is to pick up a book now and then. I used to listen to Dave Ramsey a lot when I was on the road for a different job, and he would say all the time, "Poor people have big TVs. Rich people have big libraries." I'd contest that rich people have big TVs too, but the point is well taken.

I was actually talking about this very subject last night with Mrs. Teufelhund, who has a Master's in human development and early childhood disorders. She was quoting a statistic that the number and variety of words heard at home by children in a poorer household is a fraction of that heard by children in more wealthy families. I think this is a very telling statistic.