NYT reports 37% of 18-29 year olds are unemployed Forum

[bk1]

The only solution I can think of at the moment to curtail this problem would be an astronomical increase in the use of spermicide.

I'm thinking more along the lines of forced sterilization.

[General Tso]

I would like to hear others' ideas on the direction of our country and how we can make things better.

I believe we have reached a critical mass. There are too many qualified people for too few jobs (across the spectrum of careers) and as our nation grows more technologically savvy and efficient this will become an even more pressing issue. The only solution I can think of at the moment to curtail this problem would be an astronomical increase in the use of spermicide and the abolition of all on-line colleges/universities.

Yeah but then you have thousands of people with CSU Stanislaus, etc. phds out of work.

I kind of agree with you, right now it looks like we are quickly becoming Russia (overeducated and underemployed).

[D. H2Oman]

"The college-educated among these young adults are better off. But nearly 17 percent are either unemployed or not seeking work, a record level (although some are in graduate school). The unemployment rate for college-educated young adults, 5.5 percent, is nearly double what it was on the eve of the Great Recession, in 2007, and the highest level — by almost two percentage points — since the bureau started to keep records in 1994 for those with at least four years of college."

This is a terrible article by the way. The unemployment rate for college educated young adults is only 5.5%?! Grow some balls you pussies and quit bitching.

[General Tso]

"The college-educated among these young adults are better off. But nearly 17 percent are either unemployed or not seeking work, a record level (although some are in graduate school). The unemployment rate for college-educated young adults, 5.5 percent, is nearly double what it was on the eve of the Great Recession, in 2007, and the highest level — by almost two percentage points — since the bureau started to keep records in 1994 for those with at least four years of college."

This is a terrible article by the way. The unemployment rate for college educated young adults is only 5.5%?! Grow some balls you pussies and quit bitching.

you are misstating the data. 17 percent of people with college degrees are not working now, either because they cant find a job, they aren't looking for a job, or they have returned to graduate school. that's the highest number since 1994.

that includes people between age 20-34. if you looked only at college grades between age 20 and 26, I suspect the rate would be alarmingly higher.

[billyez]

"For young adults, the prospects in the workplace, even for the college-educated, have rarely been so bleak. Apart from the 14 percent who are unemployed and seeking work, as Scott Nicholson is, 23 percent are not even seeking a job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total, 37 percent, is the highest in more than three decades and a rate reminiscent of the 1930s."

[D. H2Oman]

"For young adults, the prospects in the workplace, even for the college-educated, have rarely been so bleak. Apart from the 14 percent who are unemployed and seeking work, as Scott Nicholson is, 23 percent are not even seeking a job, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total, 37 percent, is the highest in more than three decades and a rate reminiscent of the 1930s."

Comparing employment rates of young adults in the 1930's to 2010 is dumb. In 1930, you were in the work force at age 18. Not true even close to true now. It's an extremely intellectually dishonest comparison.

[KingJames6]

war with china would rev up the economy nicely

[seespotrun]

war with china would rev up the economy nicely

Totally. Nothing like going to war with a low cost producer that's one of your principal trade partners.

[romothesavior]

The problem with going to war today is that it is SO expensive. Yeah you might see a boost in the economy, but the federal debt that comes along with it is pretty staggering.

[DaveBear07]

Being future lawyers, leadership should be something we are prepared to do.

Areas of change needed: Policy, Cultural, Social

Policy: renewable/sustainable energy, fiscal responsibility, job creation

Cultural: consumerism, greed, apathy, prejudice

Social: compassion, service, trust, love, community, responsibility, wisdom, virture, etc etc etc

this is one of the few substantive posts in this thread....how do you go about achieving these changes? how do you convince people to stop maxing out 4 or 5 credit cards on stupid shit? that's especially difficult when 90% of the economists think that consumer spending is a good thing and banks and foreign governments keep throwing credit at us.

and how do you engender these social changes when the country has become so polarized? do you curb free speech? (ie fox, msnbc)

Personally I've found the best change to come through relationships and inspiration. It's hard to really communicate with people you don't know. And it takes time too.

We need better parenting, schools, communities, and relationships. But I think it's worth reiterating that it has to start with ourselves.

[clintonius]

And that all you need is love. Even capitalism buys it -- Cirque du Soleil, anyone?

[Grizz]

And that all you need is love. Even capitalism buys it -- Cirque du Soleil, Heroin, anyone?

FTFM

[General Tso]

war with china would rev up the economy nicely

I don't really care for the cavalier attitude young Americans have towards war. I know you are just joking, but consider the thousands of people who have already died and the billions (almost a trillion by now) of dollars that have been flushed down the toilet over the last 10 years.

[Rock Chalk]

believe it or not, I find some positive themes in Jimmy Carter's infamous 'malaise' speech:

But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past...In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.

That speech is a perfect example of great content with horrible delivery. If you go back and watch the whole thing, it's like he took a time machine and travelled to this decade, then went back to warn the past about exactly where they were headed.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what America wanted to hear, so they did the exact opposite. Increased consumption, debt, and foreign dependancy FTL.

[romothesavior]

believe it or not, I find some positive themes in Jimmy Carter's infamous 'malaise' speech:

But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past...In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.

That speech is a perfect example of great content with horrible delivery. If you go back and watch the whole thing, it's like he took a time machine and travelled to this decade, then went back to warn the past about exactly where they were headed.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what America wanted to hear, so they did the exact opposite. Increased consumption, debt, and foreign dependancy FTL.

Oh noes, not a lack of faith in god! Anything but that!

[General Tso]

believe it or not, I find some positive themes in Jimmy Carter's infamous 'malaise' speech:

But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past...In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.

That speech is a perfect example of great content with horrible delivery. If you go back and watch the whole thing, it's like he took a time machine and travelled to this decade, then went back to warn the past about exactly where they were headed.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what America wanted to hear, so they did the exact opposite. Increased consumption, debt, and foreign dependancy FTL.

But whose fault is it that Americans act the way they do? Of course individual greed is partly to blame, but it seems like the US govt has gone out of its way for the last 20 years to disincentivize saving (extremely low interest rates). At the same time, the rest of the world is pouring cheap credit into the US (see the article I referenced, "Let Them Eat Credit"). It's almost like the world economy depends on American irresponsibility.

The problem isn't unique to America though...I've been reading a lot on the Greek financial crisis and a lot of the same things have been happening there. For hundreds of years Greeks were thrifts and savers, but within the last 10 years, the rest of the world has been pouring credit into Greece. As a result, Greeks could now purchase all kinds of things that weren't available to them in the past (houses, Mercedes cars, etc.) And of course the rest is history...

[Rock Chalk]

Oh noes, not a lack of faith in god! Anything but that!

That wasn't the point.

[let/them/eat/cake]

war with china would rev up the economy nicely

I don't really care for the cavalier attitude young Americans have towards war. I know you are just joking, but consider the thousands of people who have already died and the billions (almost a trillion by now) of dollars that have been flushed down the toilet over the last 10 years.

it's kind of cool that cavalier can work two ways in this post. just sayin.

[Stanford4Me]

Oh noes, not a lack of faith in god! Anything but that!

That wasn't the point.

[romothesavior]

That Carter line has some decent points in it, but this whole attitude of "let's harken back to the days of God, family, and good old fashioned hard work" is a little excessive, as well as disengenous.

[Rock Chalk]

That Carter line has some decent points in it, but this whole attitude of "let's harken back to the days of God, family, and good old fashioned hard work" is a little excessive, as well as disengenous.

I wasn't referring to that line, I was referring to the whole speech. Have you seen/heard it?

[romothesavior]

That Carter line has some decent points in it, but this whole attitude of "let's harken back to the days of God, family, and good old fashioned hard work" is a little excessive, as well as disengenous.

I wasn't referring to that line, I was referring to the whole speech. Have you seen/heard it?

Heard of it, not actually listened to it.

I'm sure it is substantively solid. It is just the rhetorical piece (let's regress to the good old days of faith, family, and work!) that I hate. I associate it with conservative Christian Republicans and old people. I read/hear lines like that and want to punch babies.

[Rock Chalk]

Heard of it, not actually listened to it.

You should. I think you might agree with my previous post.

[rayiner]

That Carter line has some decent points in it, but this whole attitude of "let's harken back to the days of God, family, and good old fashioned hard work" is a little excessive, as well as disengenous.

I wasn't referring to that line, I was referring to the whole speech. Have you seen/heard it?

Heard of it, not actually listened to it.

I'm sure it is substantively solid. It is just the rhetorical piece (let's regress to the good old days of faith, family, and work!) that I hate. I associate it with conservative Christian Republicans and old people. I read/hear lines like that and want to punch babies.

Meh. I'm an athiest, but I kind of support the thinking. If fewer people in NYC thought they were God (*cough* IBs) maybe we wouldn't be in this mess.

[romothesavior]

Heard of it, not actually listened to it.

You should. I think you might agree with my previous post.

I am a staunch economic conservative who is mortified by the national debt and lavish, albeit debt-ridden lifestyle of the American public. So I do agree with your post.