Posted on 06/10/2008 8:24:34 AM PDT by Turret Gunner A20
Chances are they probably aren't working. And who can you thank for that ... the government.
Researchers at Northeaster University estimate that summer 2008 will be "the worst in post-World War II history" for teen summer employment. Only about one third of American teenagers will have a summer job and the rates are even lower for low-income and minority teens.
So why is this? One of the main reasons is because of government mandated wage increases. Economic researchers show, yet again, that increasing the minimum wage destroys jobs for low-skilled workers and does nothing to fight "poverty." For every 10% increase in the minimum wage, employment for high school dropouts and black teenagers falls by 8.5% ... and in the past 11 months alone, the US government has increased the minimum wage by more than twice that amount. But the government always knows best ... right?
WHAT'S YOUR TEENAGER UP TO THIS SUMMER?
Chances are they probably aren't working. And who can you thank for that ... the government.
Researchers at Northeaster University estimate that summer 2008 will be "the worst in post-World War II history" for teen summer employment. Only about one third of American teenagers will have a summer job and the rates are even lower for low-income and minority teens.
So why is this? One of the main reasons is because of government mandated wage increases. Economic researchers show, yet again, that increasing the minimum wage destroys jobs for low-skilled workers and does nothing to fight "poverty." For every 10% increase in the minimum wage, employment for high school dropouts and black teenagers falls by 8.5% ... and in the past 11 months alone, the US government has increased the minimum wage by more than twice that amount. But the government always knows best ... right?
IBTT
(In Before the "Thailand?")
There are jobs out there for kids who don't mind working, and working hard, for their paycheck.
That's true to a point. Mine will both be in college in the fall (1 junior, 1 freshman) and mom and dad DO NOT supply spending money under any circumstance, as my older found out in April when she had $18 to her name. In her own words "I'm not going to be poor again!" thus the 2 jobs.
Mom and Dad are hard people sometimes, but good budgeting lessons never come cheap.
Yeah, my parents were pretty good about my summers, too. They let me enjoy the summers in high school, and I kept a 4.0. In college, I did work part time during the summers, which wasn’t a big deal.
Many of the classic teen summer jobs, such as working at McDonalds or in other restaurants, are now taken by Hispanics. I haven’t been to a fast food restaurant or listened at the kitchen door in a restaurant for years without hearing everything in Spanish. I even went to a Hibachi steak house and the knife-wielding cook was Hispanic. It was kind of funny to see a Mexican cook making jokes like “this Japanese Coca-Cola” and pretending to be Japanese.
I had a friend who took 36 units at San Diego State. That's an insane amount of units. I was pleasantly surprised to see him finish the work without damaging his GPA.
Keep up the effort. That degree makes difference in starting salary. It's no picnic to finish in a compressed time frame.
Good for your dad and I know you learned the value of a dollar....I don’t think there are too many parents that are willing to do that anymore.....We bought the lawn mower but our boys had to lease it back from, so it was not a free ride and they still pocketed plenty of money in the summer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.