Send These Punks Packing

What happened Saturday morning on Hudson Ave. in the Pine Hills was absolutely disgusting. I apologize to anyone of our Capital Region Residents who someway or somehow were victimized by this collection of intoxicated trash. I applaud Albany Chief of Police Steven Krokoff and DA David Soares for their hard-line promise to deliver heavyweight retribution. Nobody treats our city like their personal playground. Damn right. But, after all that tough-guy talk, there’s a bigger story.

I’m talking to you, Albany State. Before the convictions hit the carpet, step up and toss these clowns off campus, sans degree. Goodbye and God speed. Prove for once that the SUNY system is interested in something other than collecting money and assembly-lining these degrees. You already validate enough kids with pieces of paper that deem them a professional of something or another. It’s an understood arrangement: these degrees are bought and paid for from day one. How do I know that? I did undergrad at U Albany. I saw it firsthand. But it’s not just SUNY, it’s every school. Our college campuses look like Vegas casinos while the cities and areas around them crumble in economic ruin. Have you seen U Albany lately? It’s Caesar’s Palace. Fact: Harvard has enough cash on hand to fully flip the next 200 Freshmen classes coming in. I'm no math major. But that's serious dough.

In my opinion, college is too easy and it’s too cheap to pay for. I know that’s the opposite of what you hear, but allow me to explain. College should be for the most elite and a degree, any degree, should cost 100K a year, at least. Why you may ask. I’ll tell you why. Quality not quanity. Right now everybody and their mother (literally) are partying their way through school on the government’s dime, sometimes beating up cars and private property after Kegs & Eggs, then earning a degree in some ridiculous thing that doesn’t parlay into a job out of school. How come? Because there’s NO jobs and a BILLION twenty-somethings with B.A.’s in communication and psychology. Everybody has a college degree, so don’t tell me about it being too expensive. You know what I did with my B.A.? Washed dishes at a nursing home in Albany. And I only got that job because two other college grads were hired then declined.

I have zero toleration for the sob stories about skyrocketing college costs when I see a bunch of drunked-up 'college kids' undress city streets in broad daylight and right on cell-phone camera. Smile wide so we can run this footage on the next TV spot when SUNY protests budget cuts. Doesn’t seem like the crippling costs of college, and the ‘elite opportunity’ to earn a degree, scared this motley crew too much.

College is supposed to be society’s farm system. Right? The contenders from the pretenders. What a joke. Trust me, that’s a joke. Step up, Albany State. Show the rest of the world that a group of kids so irresponsible and morally corrupt are not college material. Not here, not anywhere. Albany State’s President can shove his apology. Forget words. Action! Punch these punks’ tickets back to Long Island. You may say, 'Come on, Brian. They're just kids who got drunk and dumb. It happens.' I say:FORGET THAT!

I’ve been writing for a year on this forum about the outrageous and dangerous level of entitlement that young people possess nowadays. Read my most-previous post. They do what they want, say what they want, and never pay the price. Same way last year at the MAAC Championship when the Siena students rushed the basketball court after they were told NOT TO! They injured other fans by refusing to follow the rules then blamed security for dealing with them too harshly. And everyone felt so bad for the students. Get real. They were drunk, obscene, cursing in front of families and little kids. I was there. It was horrible. Not as horrible as Saturday though.

These St. Pat’s boozers: Take them down hard and fast DA David Soares. After that all we can do is hope that Albany State isn’t too cowardly and too worried about counting tuition checks to do the same. Throw the book at them. Then throw their unneeded college books out the window at them as they pack up and head back home. Like that cowboy says to DeNiro in CASINO. ‘You ain’t home. But that’s where were gonna send you if it harelips the governor.’

Read More: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Riot-a-rift-in-town-and-gown-1132965.php

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Brian Huba
3/16/11