Mr. Obama, Put Our Youth to Work! A Letter to the President
Dear Mr. Obama,
Media reports claim 12 percent unemployment, but we all know it's worse. These numbers reflect EDD statistics of the recently jobless. But what about those who never had a full-time job? Or those working two part-time jobs with no prospect of promotion? Or those who just gave up?
Record number of intelligent, talented, and educated 25-year-olds are underemployed. High school valedictorian with B.A.s from the University of California are working part-time jobs in the mall. Attorneys with Boalt Law (UC-Berkeley) JDs are pumping gas. There is a surplus of talented youth eager to work. How can you ignore them?
America has many problems. We have finite resources and an aging infrastructure. On the other hand, we have thousands of young people with time on their hands; they are passionate about solar panels and composting. Why not organize them and put them to work rebuilding America?
I propose a 21st-Century green version of the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corp. The current Y.E.S. (Youth Engaged in Service) program can be modified. Every graduating high-school senior can be required to volunteer for a year before starting college. They can rebuild America—the green way. This provides a source of cheap labor for the business community. And, it provides a purpose for hordes of young people thereby preventing them from organizing in social protest. Everybody wins.
