Your world frightens and confuses me.

Since moving to Washington D.C., I've never been prouder of holding a degree from the University of Manitoba. Much to my disappointment, I've learned that the possessors of degrees from elite institutions don't always understand how to use Outlook, the importance of showing up for work on time, or have a knack for using cogent similies. Having worked at a small, Dickensian counting house, I speak from bitter personal experience.

Recently, Elisabeth Bumiller wrote about "The Snare of Privilege" in The New York Times. Christopher Buckley (himself a Yale graduate) does a nice job of summing up my feelings:

If you loved Vietnam, brought to you by Harvard and Yale, you'll love Iraq.

A degree, money, and a suit from Brooks Brothers will never be a substitute for hard work, talent, and intelligence.