The end of spring is often associated with graduations and the end of academic careers for many young Americans, but graduates are coming to the harsh realization that there is a serious lack of available jobs in our current market. Recently the AP reported that more than half of all recent graduates below the age of 25 are under or unemployed. For teens looking for work this summer, the prospect is grim – 25 percent of them are unemployed nationally, with more than 50 percent out of work in the District of Columbia. The Young America’s Foundation has calculated a record high Youth Misery Index of 90.6, based on the youth unemployment rate, per capita national debt, and average student loan debt. President Obama can run but he can’t hide from his record when it comes to jobs and the economy.
Pat Bagley / Salt Lake Tribune (click to view more cartoons by Bagley)
The irony is that the youth movement that so fervently advocated for Obama is the one being the most harmed by his failed policies. The young citizens who are currently out of work, out of hope, and entering into the vicious cycle of under-employment were some of President Obama’s biggest supporters during the 2008 election. They were promised such great things as “hope” and “change” for the future, only to see first-hand the complete failure of the Obama administration to stimulate our economy or produce new jobs. The only type of “New Beginning” that President Obama has produced is the beginning of the new trends of Americans dropping out of the labor force, rapid inflation because of an unstable US dollar, and extreme interest rates on loans that make it difficult to borrow money or expand one’s personal or professional opportunities. The Obama campaign’s new slogan is “Forward,” much like where our spending and gas prices are going.
The new generation looking for work is failing to find any substantive jobs, postponing their entrance into the workforce, and continuing to be dependent on their parents. Student loans are being defaulted on at a high rate, creating a downward spiral which perpetuates our debt crisis. Because of all the uncertainty created by Obama’s administration and his failed economic policies, the youth in our country and the young voters Obama counted on in the past are jumping ship, and realizing that the hope and change he promised is nothing more than indecision and uncertainty: indecision on which direction our country should and will be heading, and uncertainty over how or what the future will bring. Young Americans were the cornerstone of Obama’s campaign in 2008 but could potentially lead to his downfall in 2012.
Obama’s economic policies have made it nearly impossible for people to reach out of their comfort zones and display the type of good old American ingenuity that we are known for. Young Americans must decide whether they can afford four more years of Obama. This young generation must be the one to demand innovative economic solutions from its leaders. It’s their future and their time to step up.
