In last month's column, I citedopinions from other nations about our health-care system. Thismonth, I'm going out on a limb with a saw. After recently speakingwith some high school graduates who are going on to college, Ifound that their almost universal choice of major was eitherfinance or computer science. The really smart ones occasionallymentioned some high-paying medical specialty — never familymedicine because that doesn't pay the college loans — or that theywanted to become lawyers. None were even slightly interested infields like nursing, social work, or teaching. There's no money inthat. So, do J. P. Morgan, Donald Trump, and Bill Gates really needthese kids to make them another billion bucks?

Not one was interested in a career in the P&C industryeither, unless it was in some phase of marketing or investments. Noone considered a career in claim adjusting. But then, why shouldthey? They've probably never heard of it. Our end of the industryis not very big on PR, and most high school grads would probablyconsider handling claims as a dead-end job. Few know how excitingthe claim profession can be. When you were graduating from highschool, did you say, “Gosh, I can hardly wait to become aninsurance adjuster”? Most of us stumbled into our careers byaccident.

Last month, this column cited criticisms from Britishjournalists who think our “capitalistic” approach to medical careis based on greed. Well, of course it is. Haven't we all boughtinto Ayn Rand's utopist ideals, where we're all rich and famous?We're surely not going to get there teaching high school or workingfor the welfare department, or as a nurse or other non-physicianmedical technician. Those jobs are for losers. Today's Generation Xor Y wants the big bonuses customarily paid to bankers and WallStreet investors.