I
A certain Texas university announced today that it would free 100 employees from the shackles of employment by the end of next month.

II
Years ago there were two boys who attended the same rural school in East Texas. One was the smartest boy in his class if not the entire town. The other played football. One went off to college and eventually completed the PhD. The other played football in college. One lived abroad for a handful of years, moved and shook with the greatest minds of his time, wrote quite a bit (and even got some of it published), studied/learned/developed fluency in two handfuls of languages, composed music, volunteered his time to the community, and taught more than a 1000 students to think, to write, and to read more critically. The other got a job out of college coaching football.

III
One of the boys is currently (for all intents and purposes) unemployed because of systemic flaws–both cultural and economic–down the many career paths he has followed, both in and out of academia. The other spent 16 years as a high school coach, winning a pair of state championships. Congratulations!

IV
One officially earned $250 in 2014. The other was recently hired to be the head football coach and “will receive about $2 million a year.” From a certain Texas university.

V
Both boys are certain: the $2 million does not include perks. One of those perks: job security.