I honestly do not know how to respond

[Guest]

to this item.

.....100,000 young workers are now in this country to take JOBS for the summer. Most from Europe.

.....50 million workers in this country are out of work

.....The US government sponsors this program.

They will be doing jobs that some say our young folks do not want to do, even in non summer. I suppose in reading the article it also includes " Today, more than 50 *million Americans of traditional working age are not employed, and yet a growing number of domestic jobs — from hotel clerks to nurses to computer scientists — are being performed by foreign-born workers."


"The Obama administration is going to great lengths to make sure Scherbina and about 100,000 other foreign student workers are not disappointed. Last summer, the popular program, aimed at creating good will abroad, was rocked by scandal when students working at a candy warehouse in Pennsylvania staged a protest, complaining of isolation and overwork.

On May 11, the State Department issued rules that ban foreign students from jobs that could be harmful, limited them to light, seasonal occupations that are not likely to displace U.S. workers and required closer scrutiny of their conditions."

Foreign students enjoy new summer job protections — but what about Americans? - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/foreign-students-enjoy-new-summer-job-protections--but-what-about-americans/2012/05/22/gIQA3D1CjU_story.html)

I honestly do not know how I feel about this at all. There is a lot to digest in this article but have we really become such an entitled country that we want JOBS but not these jobs.

100,000 people ...that is quite a sum.

I would hope that this is read and discussed, because the entire thing makes me uncomfortable.

[Guest]

I am in full agreement. No visa should be approved for work unless every American is employed. OK for professional positions, but common labor should be done by our IN NEED OF WORK Americans first.

[Guest]

I am in full agreement. No visa should be approved for work unless every American is employed. OK for professional positions, but common labor should be done by our IN NEED OF WORK Americans first.

Did you read the article ?

How about the fact that there are american WHO SEEMINGLY DONT WANT TO WORK AT THOSE JOBS ?

[Guest]

This should also be added to the conversation...

"As summer break approaches and school seasons conclude, teens in California will have a more difficult time finding a job than their demographic counterparts in every other state, according to Census Bureau data released by the Employment Policies Institute.

With 36.2 percent of its teens unable to find employment, California leads all other states in teen unemployment — only the District of Columbia, with its 51.7 percent teen unemployment rate, surpasses the Golden State.

Overall, teen unemployment rose in 17 states and Washington, D.C., between April 2011 and April 2012, and fell in 32 states.

Nationally, the teen unemployment rate stands at 24.9 percent, and has averaged above 20 percent for over 40 months. The number of employed teens fell by 14,000 from March to April 2012.

“Although the jobs outlook has improved slightly for summer 2012, teens searching for summer employment are still faced with more competition and less opportunity than past generations,” said Michael Saltsman, research fellow at the EPI, in a statement."

California tops states in teen unemployment | TheUnion.com (http://www.theunion.com/article/20120522/NEWS/120529976/1001%26parentprofile=1053)

This article is sort of different than the other link I gave......while the government sponsors those from Europe taking these summer jobs...this is a quote from this new link...

"Economists have shown that the value of a summer job goes beyond a paycheck. Research published in the Journal of Labor Economics found that high schoolers who worked part-time had a greater likelihood of higher wages and better benefits in future employment, as compared to their classmates that didn't have a job.

“Missing out on summer jobs deprives teens of the opportunity to learn responsibility and important skills not taught in the classroom,” Saltsman said. "

Seems to me but I suppose I am not that smart that maybe our government could have spent some money on advertising and helpin young people make contacts all year in order to participate in a program FOR AMERICAN YOUTH !!

[Guest]

Did you read the article ?

How about the fact that there are american WHO SEEMINGLY DONT WANT TO WORK AT THOSE JOBS ?

Yes I did and I say don't pay them benifits with jobs open.

[Guest]

There is nothing new about this. Many of the hotels in national parks rely on the foreign summer help because they cannot get American youths to apply for the jobs at job fairs. Most of the seaside resort areas hire foreign youths for the summer as the American youths do not want the jobs and would rather party at the beach than work at the beach.

It has been going on for years and years.

[Guest]

Created in 1961 and maybe time for a "look see". Lets convince our youth that working in the summer is better than "other interests" as indicated and since the economists in the 2nd link feel this summer experience is essentially good for the future of those who partake, lets get our own youth involved.

And actually, a number of unemployed out of work folks who are not considered youth may have an interest.

Just a thought !

[Guest]

This is the entitlement society. Why work when Obama will give you money. Obama's got a stash and all'yall know he'll be handing it out to the people.

Why should I get out of bed for low coin? Obama gives me money and medical benefits. It's all righteous.

[Guest]

This is the entitlement society. Why work when Obama will give you money. Obama's got a stash and all'yall know he'll be handing it out to the people.

Why should I get out of bed for low coin? Obama gives me money and medical benefits. It's all righteous.

So, How in the world can we stop that. When I was a boy, I would do any work at all for 50 cents and hour and happy to get it. What can be done to change this terrible trend.

[Guest]

So, How in the world can we stop that. When I was a boy, I would do any work at all for 50 cents and hour and happy to get it. What can be done to change this terrible trend.

villlager II - your parents taught you a work ethic and enabled you to appreciate the value of a dollar and the effort that it took to earn one!

many of today's parents [our children] do not provide the same character building lessons to their children - for whatever excuse[s] they come up with! i have heard my friends admit that they feel guilty making their kids get a job; or they are guilty because they cannot spend more time with the kids since each parent works; or they want their kids to have more/better than they had [we didn't give them enough?]. excuses!

parents must take the time to guide their children from childhood to adulthood - and that takes a special effort over and over again. some just don't want to or want someone else to do it for them.

raising a child NEVER stops - regardless of their age and ours! many times we fail to offer advice to our kids who are grown, married and parents themselves, for fear that we will offend the in-law child or because we think that we have raised them to the best of our ability and they should be able to think and act for themselves.

i am 60+ years old and must still call my mother when i travel to let her know we have arrived safely at our destination! and so it goes today right down the line to the most recent 11 and 12 year old who must let their parents know where they are and when they will be home if/when the plans they had permission to do have changed! it's just a small part of the responsibility to each other that we were taught!

[Guest]

villlager II - your parents taught you a work ethic and enabled you to appreciate the value of a dollar and the effort that it took to earn one!

many of today's parents [our children] do not provide the same character building lessons to their children - for whatever excuse[s] they come up with! i have heard my friends admit that they feel guilty making their kids get a job; or they are guilty because they cannot spend more time with the kids since each parent works; or they want their kids to have more/better than they had [we didn't give them enough?]. excuses!

parents must take the time to guide their children from childhood to adulthood - and that takes a special effort over and over again. some just don't want to or want someone else to do it for them.

raising a child NEVER stops - regardless of their age and ours! many times we fail to offer advice to our kids who are grown, married and parents themselves, for fear that we will offend the in-law child or because we think that we have raised them to the best of our ability and they should be able to think and act for themselves.

i am 60+ years old and must still call my mother when i travel to let her know we have arrived safely at our destination! and so it goes today right down the line to the most recent 11 and 12 year old who must let their parents know where they are and when they will be home if/when the plans they had permission to do have changed! it's just a small part of the responsibility to each other that we were taught!


From your heart to...so many as parenthood goes down the same road as marriage, discipline, etc.

[Guest]

villlager II - your parents taught you a work ethic and enabled you to appreciate the value of a dollar and the effort that it took to earn one!

many of today's parents [our children] do not provide the same character building lessons to their children - for whatever excuse[s] they come up with! i have heard my friends admit that they feel guilty making their kids get a job; or they are guilty because they cannot spend more time with the kids since each parent works; or they want their kids to have more/better than they had [we didn't give them enough?]. excuses!

parents must take the time to guide their children from childhood to adulthood - and that takes a special effort over and over again. some just don't want to or want someone else to do it for them.

raising a child NEVER stops - regardless of their age and ours! many times we fail to offer advice to our kids who are grown, married and parents themselves, for fear that we will offend the in-law child or because we think that we have raised them to the best of our ability and they should be able to think and act for themselves.

i am 60+ years old and must still call my mother when i travel to let her know we have arrived safely at our destination! and so it goes today right down the line to the most recent 11 and 12 year old who must let their parents know where they are and when they will be home if/when the plans they had permission to do have changed! it's just a small part of the responsibility to each other that we were taught!

Love that. We have a daughter 39 years old that recently moved to CO. We would have had a hissy if she had not called each night she arrived at a hotel and each morning she was on the road again. LOL

[Guest]

So, How in the world can we stop that. When I was a boy, I would do any work at all for 50 cents and hour and happy to get it. What can be done to change this terrible trend.

How about the thoughts of the great Rep. Paul Ryan:

“Let’s take those principles of welfare reform that were extremely successful in getting people out of lives of dependency and back on their feet,”

“This is a path that we believe reignites and renews the American idea"

“It reclaims the opportunity society with a safety net, which we do believe must exist for people who cannot help themselves, for people who are down on their luck, so they can get back on their feet.”

“But we don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people to lives of dependency and complacency, that drains them of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives.”

(His plan would turn the funding for federal programs like food stamps and housing assistance into block grants… States would then set work requirements and time limits for the benefits.)

[Guest]

How about the thoughts of the great Rep. Paul Ryan:
[snip]
(His plan would turn the funding for federal programs like food stamps and housing assistance into block grants… States would then set work requirements and time limits for the benefits.)

an honorable idea, richielion. but i fear those on welfare are a smaller segment of the population that perpetuates a lack of a work and/or family ethic. parents of ALL socio-economic levels are failing their children! it is those parents who are CREATING the entitlement society. they GIVE to their children freely and without expecting anything in return - some just because they have it to give and some because they feel guilty that they cannot give more!

if parents spent more time teaching their children the values to be found in family and friends and responsibility, those kids might better understand who should truly be entitled.

[Guest]

How about the thoughts of the great Rep. Paul Ryan:

“Let’s take those principles of welfare reform that were extremely successful in getting people out of lives of dependency and back on their feet,”

“This is a path that we believe reignites and renews the American idea"

“It reclaims the opportunity society with a safety net, which we do believe must exist for people who cannot help themselves, for people who are down on their luck, so they can get back on their feet.”

“But we don’t want to turn the safety net into a hammock that lulls able-bodied people to lives of dependency and complacency, that drains them of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives.”

(His plan would turn the funding for federal programs like food stamps and housing assistance into block grants… States would then set work requirements and time limits for the benefits.)

Sound like the right guy. I have not read alot about him, but if he would leave God to do God's job and the Government to do theirs, he would be perfect.

[Guest]

This is the entitlement society. Why work when Obama will give you money. Obama's got a stash and all'yall know he'll be handing it out to the people.

Why should I get out of bed for low coin? Obama gives me money and medical benefits. It's all righteous.

As a Republican, I find it hilarious--and sad--that there are those who will take an obviously social and attitudinal issue and manage to politicize it just to make a point that it has absolutely nothing to do with.

I made the mistake once of saying that there are simply no jobs out there. I was corrected--told that there ARE plenty of jobs out there but that they fall into two categories:

Technical type jobs that a fair number of Americans are unable to fill because they spent their college years preferring booze and drugs to challenging study. (Foreign students, almost always serious about their studies, quietly laugh at their American counterparts.)

More menial type jobs that Americans feel are beneath them and they won't do them. (There are places where American welfare recipients were sent to jobs like this, and employers sent them back to the welfare offices for their refusal to commit seriously to the work, that is, if they even showed up to the work site to be sent!)

What does Obama, or Bush II before him, or Clinton before Bush, or Bush I before Clinton have anything to do with this? This is where I lose respect for my fellow party members.

While I agree with the poster that wrote that as parents we have (or had) the responsibility to instill what we think of as healthy values in our children, but in my opinion there are factors in our society that help form us as we now are that go beyond this job issue.

[Guest]

Richie,your post on this subject have nothing to do with the original thought. Just another example of your total intolerance and lack of understanding. Much easier to criticize Obama than come up with valid solutions. It really gets old.