Joblessness hits the poorly educated hardest by far

AP via Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | February 23, 2002 | JUSTIN POPE

[sarcasm]

She is 19, and simply wants work as a receptionist or office assistant to support herself and her year-old daughter.

Where is the father?

[mcook4]

Thats a typical problem.

[IncPen]

She is 19, and simply wants work as a receptionist or office assistant to support herself and her year-old daughter

When we say to her "Don't have sex, get an education" - we're cranky conservatives imposing our values on her.

Now they want our money to fix her mistakes.

And they wonder why we're angry.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

As a potential EMPLOYER, before I would hire any young, single mother, I would want an assurance that after I spend MY time and money to train her, she would not have another child and leave.

Frankly speaking, she is a BAD risk!!

[SBeck]

Doesn't matter, she has the right attitude, she wants to work, she is taking a course to help her and she wants to be independent. You ask, "where's the father" in a way that says, "where was her personal responsibility when she made an error of judgement?" Well, the same question could be asked of the upper-middle class teenage cheerleader from an affluent area who has her parents income to bail her out. (Incidentally, her father is a retired O-6 and the mother is a prominent member of church and community).

So before you start pointing fingers please remember compassionate conservatism.

[weikel]

Every idiot can get a job( if your 17 or older anyway I had trouble getting one before then child labor laws and all).

[mikenola]

After 30+ years of the Great Society, minorities still haven't woken up. Minority scholarships, set asides, quotas - it's all right there for the taking. Yet some still don't take advantage.

Being female hispanic, in Boston. Cmon! The liberals universites are there waiting to increase their diversity. Sign up!

But wait, i guess that would require some work and commitment wouldnt it?

sheesh

[cactmh]

Uhm, the more marketable skills you have, the better you will be during all economic phases. I find it hard to believe that this is even "news".

[FITZ]

"My age right now, if you want to find a decent job, unless it's like Walgreens, it's really hard to get a foot in the door," Ramirez said

She should have considered all this before having a baby with no husband. Where are her own parents? Why didn't they teach her to wait until she was educated, older and married before having a baby? Does she think her skills should qualify her for something more than Walgreens?

[lonestar]

Well, the same question could be asked of the upper-middle class teenage cheerleader from an affluent area who has her parents income to bail her out.

And today, she will have a baby shower! Thirty years ago they would have been embarrassed --and should be today.

The sad thing is, regardless of money, when a young girl gets pregnant, the carefree, fun years are gone.

[sarcasm]

I never claimed to be a compassionate conservative.

[FrogMom]

She has been unable to find a job since she graduated from high school. A half-dozen interviews have produced no offers that pay enough or meet her child-care needs.

Okay. She's 19. When did she graduate? Last June? Last January?

"A half-dozen interviews" Eight months? Two months? Longer? I would suggest that part of the problem is that she's not looking REAL hard.

[sarcasm]

She wants to go to college - maybe the government should have a scholarship program for unwed mothers.

[mountaineer]

she wants to work

Doesn't look like it to me. It seems what she wants is to be paid a very large amount of money despite her lack of marketable skills. She wants a job to pay enough to maintain the standard of living to which she aspires, while covering all her child care expenses, but she lacks a college degree or specialized training. Oh yes, and a BMW would be nice, too.

[PoorRider]

I agree to a point. For one thing, at least she HAD her baby and did not abort it. But I also believe a lot of the poor, uneducated people without jobs expect too much. Not this woman, per se, but many expect continual "hand outs"...which raises my taxes, and yours.

The title of this article: "Joblessness hits the poorly educated hardest by far" is so pathetically obvious that it is hardly news. The solution is education, not hand outs.

[GoredInMich]

Oh, those EVIL EVIL conservatives. They took the time to get an education, and work hard for what they have, and its just not FAIR, that they still have jobs, and I don't. Who cares that I have NO skills and NO experience.....it is ALL THIER FAULT. Help us, Mr. CLINTON, and MR> DASCHLE>..........PLEAAASSSSEEEEEEEEE

[P-Marlowe]

She wants to go to college - maybe the government should have a scholarship program for unwed mothers.

Why should she have to go to college. The government should just give unwed mothers advanced degrees. Scholarships are a waste. All they learn in College is how evil and corrupt Republicans are. They can learn that just waiting in the unemployment line.