Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Another Democratic Misstep

Youth (16-24 years old) unemployment is a big problem in most of the world today, as it is in the US and also in the state of California. This is a societal problem for all of us as unemployed youth are more likely to get into trouble, more likely to get trapped in the in the vortex of accelerating drug abuse, and more likely to break the law and thus be incarcerated. However, it is also a tragedy for these young unemployed individuals, now being referred to as “the lost generation”, because once they fall on the wrong side of the employment curve (unemployed for up to years at a time), it can take 20 years for their earnings to catch up and thus affect their life-long earnings.

Obviously this is a multi-factorial problem with no simple solution. However when it comes to some obvious solutions, why are the Democrats seemingly trying to make it more difficult for these unfortunate individuals to get themselves off the mat and into the fight? One of the main Democratic missteps resulting in the aggravation and prolongation of this problem is their backing of a higher and increasing minimum wage. Nothing hurts these young potential job seekers more than a higher minimum wage.

Why would a business owner hire someone with no experience, while being forced to pay that individual as if he/she had some work experience?  A sandwich shop owner, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, when asked about youth unemployment, said, “often they lack the ‘fundamental stuff’ – arriving on time, ironing their shirts, communicating well, and taking direction” . . . “We are going to end up with a whole group of people in their 40’s and 50’s who can’t function.” Business owners cannot afford to teach these basics workplace skills at an increasing minimum wage.

As studies of this problem have shown, the poorer youths of this “lost generation” seem to be affected the most, so while the Democrats try to sell themselves as the protectors of the less fortunate, they are, in fact, harming the poorer less fortunate, the most!

Parenthetically, many, many years ago when I was in high school, I had a job every summer. During my first two ventures into the job market, I was paid less than $1.00 per hour! Now obviously my wages at that time cannot compare to wages today (inflation, etc.), but I was lucky to be able to “get into the market” and learn some work related skills, mainly because I was “cheap labor”. This was good for the employer and better for me.

Unfortunately the youth of today are not so lucky.

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