Harvard College accepted just 6.9 percent of applicants for the class of 2015, its lowest rate ever. The numbers were not much better elsewhere in the Ivies: 8.2 percent at Princeton, 11.5 percent at Dartmouth.

In other words, there were nearly 15 applicants for every freshman freshperson class opening at Harvard, slightly over 12 for each spot at Princeton and just under 9 at Dartmouth.

In contrast, a new Walmart in Cleveland recently received 6000 applicants for 300 positions, and, not long ago, two Walmart stores in the Chicago area received 25,000 and 15,000 applications. The Cleveland store hired one in twenty applicants. The Chicago hiring rates were far more modest.

2011 hasn't produced its crop of graduates quite yet, but 2 percent fewer 2010 graduates were hired than in the poor hiring year of 2009.

Many of those employed in 2009 and 2010 were forced to accept jobs unrelated to their major studies at compensation rates well below their expectations, despite having incurred, is some cases, much more than $100,000 in college loan obligations.

At all locations, Walmart pays full-time employees above than minimum wage at least, plus benefits and a 10% store discount. The company will accept people with no work experience, but new hires must speak, read, and write in English, have ID, and pass a drug test.

In the current economic climate engineered by a Harvard graduate and a satchel-full of administration Ivy Leaguers, one wonders how many Walmart applicants have Ivy League degrees. One wonders how many Harvard grads can meet Walmart's hiring criteria.