Meritocracy is the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability. Pablo Picasso once stated, “Action is the foundational key of to all success.” In other words, he was explaining that meritocratic actions lead to success. Clive Crook, the author of the article “A Matter of Degrees,” used his writing to discuss various arguments about education. He constructed a brief case relating to the correlation between family finances and the ability for this generation of students to attend college affordably (Crook 28). I strongly disagree with Crook’s beliefs about the United States and its declining meritocracy. While concluding an argument about whether or not the percentage of students attending college immediately out of