Last spring, a “ban the box” bill was introduced in the Colorado legislature. This bill would have prohibited employers from asking about an applicantap criminal record until the candidate had either been offered an interview or given a conditional offer of employment.
Proponents of this well-meaning bill said it would give those with criminal histories at least a chance at securing employment, as opposed to being automatically screened out when they check “yes” to the criminal history question. Employers could still hire whomever they pleased, but at least the law would allow those with criminal records to get their foot in the door.
Opponents of the bill contended that it was yet another heavy-handed, overreaching government mandate that would cost the private sector time and money and further complicate the hiring process.
The bill died on a 3-2 party-line vote in the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs committee.
Whatever the merits or demerits of this bill, it is worth noting that criminals had supporters advocating on their behalf to enact legislation that would force employers, on pain of financial penalties, to give them a fair chance at a job, criminals who knowingly broke the law and breached the trust of their communities. No matter the seriousness of their offenses, advocates urged that we forgive these lawbreakers for their transgressions, give them another chance and allow them to reenter the work force.
In contrast, where is there a group, any group, advocating on behalf of regular crime-free citizens, pushing to pass laws that would give a fair shot to those who are totally disqualified from many well-paying jobs simply because they lack a college degree? These are the good guys in the white hats who, all their lives, have stayed out of trouble, worked hard and played by the rules.
Of course, it is reasonable to require college degrees for professional jobs like doctors, lawyers and engineers. But in today’s highly competitive employment environment, it seems nearly every job above the janitorial level requires a college degree, and many if not most businesses will not even look at a high school graduate, no matter how smart, talented or experienced they may be.
The private sector has long worshiped at the altar of higher education, viewing it more as “hire education.” That they continue to do so today is puzzling, given all the news stories showing the unhinged loopiness and sheer bullying meanness happening in the Groves of Academe: speech police, safe spaces, trigger warnings. Far too many college campuses are infested with cadres of caterwauling brats who all seem to be majoring in Grievance Studies.
As for working hard to acquire knowledge, too many students devote far more time and energy to getting blind drunk and spreading venereal disease than they do to pursuing their studies. Books have been written about the comically wrong answers given by today’s crop of students on their college exams: that George Jefferson was the third president of our country and Yahoo is the God of the Jews.
And this so-called “higher education” comes at a steep price. Given that people could buy their own private island for what it costs to attend even an average four-year brick-and-mortar school, no one attends college for the sheer joy of learning. People want college diplomas so they can experience the sheer joy of earning.
The status quo is unlikely to change anytime soon since there is no cheap, meaningful, well-accepted alternative to a four-year degree, nothing like a GED at the college level. But perhaps some day, some group will convince the business world that, while “college” rhymes with “knowledge,” there are many different roads to learning that don’t cost the earth. For instance, library cards are free.
Teresa Keegan works for the courts in Denver. E-mail her at b161tak@yandex.com.
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