Tag Archives: Education

News

Many of Obama’s young supporters now unemployed, living with parents

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From Bloomberg News.

Excerpt:

In the hard economic times since 2008, when Foster voted for President Barack Obama’s message of hope, America’s young voters have been battered. They’ve disproportionately sustained job losses, wage declines and detours on their career paths.

For many, even the normal rites of passage to adulthood have been disrupted, as they delay such life steps as leaving home, getting married and having children.

[…]One in six 16- to 24-year-olds last year was idle, neither working nor attending school even for just an hour a week, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by Lawrence Katz, a Harvard economics professor. Among 20- to 24-year-old men, almost one in five was idle last year.

As of May, 41 percent of the nation’s net decline in full- time jobs from four years earlier was among under-25-year-olds, an age group that represents just 14 percent of the workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Under-35-year-olds account for 65 percent of the decline in full-time employment, though they comprise only 35 percent of the labor force.

Even among young people who have full-time work, real wages have dropped, while older workers’ pay has kept even or slightly improved. Median weekly earnings after inflation fell 6 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds in full-time jobs from 2007 to 2011, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Pew Research Center in Washington.

[…]The portion of 18- to 24-year-olds who say they will definitely vote dropped to 47 percent this year from 64 percent in 2008, according to polls conducted by the Institute of Politics during March and April of each election year.

Support for Obama also has declined, with the president besting Republican Mitt Romney 41 percent to 29 percent in the age group compared with 53 percent to 32 percent against Republican John McCain in 2008, according to the poll.

Sixty-six percent of voters under 30 cast ballots for Obama in the last election, the highest share for a presidential candidate from that age group going back to the start of modern exit polls in 1980. Turnout in the age group was the highest in 16 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Note that Romney’s support among young people is DOWN to 29 from McCain’s level of 32. DOWN.

What amazes me is that the support is still so high for Obama. But I think this just goes to show you how thoroughly indoctrinated young people are in the public schools, and how little diversity of opinion and critical thinking there is in higher education.

Commentary

How can you convince a high school student to study something useful?

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You can give them this book by Captain Capitalism.

Excerpt:

Graduation is coming up.  Lots of little kinder will be graduating and off to bigger and better things.  Matter of fact many of you probably have little kinder graduating or even nieces, nephews or neighborhood kids you’ve seen grow up over the years.  Regardless, the question is what do you get them for a graduation gift?  Very simple.  “Worthless.”

My regular readers already know what Worthless is about, but for those of you unfamiliar with the book it is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK high school and college-age kids can read.  It IS the perfect graduation gift and I do not say that out of hyperbole or salesmanship. I say it because I believe it’s true.  “Worthless” is the perfect graduation gift.

The reason why is very simple.  Millions of kids make a huge and life-destroying decision every year – they major in a worthless subject.  Take your emotions or feelings out of it.  In today’s economy, we really cannot afford the luxury of sparing their feelings and lying to them, saying,

“Hey kid, follow your heart and the money will follow.  You’re going to be a great French Art History major!”

as we nervously put on a fake smile hiding our concern.

The amount of money they (or you) are going to spend on tuition, not to mention the sheer volume of their youth they will spend pursuing a degree, can NOT be wasted simply because nobody had the courage to tell the kids the truth about economics and the realities of the labor market.

But you don’t have to.  The book will do it for it you.

“Worthless” explains first and foremost to the reader that the reason somebody got them this book is because that person really cares about them.  And while it may not be what they want to hear, they will end up appreciating it in the future.  “Worthless” also goes into detail and explains in clear, understandable language the economics behind the labor market, showing the reader how and why some degrees are worthwhile and others are literally worthless.

The book is $13 in paperback and only $5 on Kindle.  A miniscule fraction of the tuition and time costs of earning a four year degree.  Because of its potential to prevent kids from making a VERY costly mistake, the cheap price practically compels you to at least consider it.

So do a graduate you care about a huge favor.  Buy them “Worthless” for a graduation gift.  And if you’re so kind, do me a favor and simply spread the word by sending people this post.

You do not want to have someone you love go off to college and study things that don’t lead to a job. You especially don’t want them to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in student loans only to be unemployed after graduating.

News

Wisconsin public school teachers protest the publication of their salaries in flier

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From the Wisconsin State Journal.

Excerpt:

Janesville teachers and their supporters expressed outrage this week after an anonymous group distributed fliers listing their salaries and urging parents to request their child be assigned to a “non-radical teacher” next year.

The fliers, which included the names, titles and salaries of the 321 highest-paid Janesville teachers, also urged readers to go to iverifytherecall.com to determine if the teachers signed the petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

[…]The flier angered teachers, who were already targeted by a flier earlier this year accusing them of having a “Marxist, globalist agenda,” said Ted Lewis, regional union representative for Rock County teachers.

“It’s trying to intimidate them and make them feel guilty for earning salaries,” Lewis said. “They’re creating this witch hunt for people who engaged in their civic duty.”

Lewis said it was “ironic” that whoever distributed the fliers “very publicly posts the names of individuals and their salaries and yet he or she won’t even divulge their identity.”

Do you know what I find ironic? That unionized teachers want to hide how much money they steal from taxpayers – taxpayers who have to see their children graduating from these public schools with more left-wing ideology than marketable skills.