The young are also growing alienated by politics in general—and Obama in particular.

[Karmadillo]

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_20/b4178028160412.htm

The College Job Market: Tough on Democrats
Graduates of the Classes of 2009 and 2010 are hard up for work, and that's eroding their support for Obama and the party
By Mike Dorning

More than 1.6 million college graduates are about to emerge into a cutthroat job market, one where last year's graduates are still scrambling to land entry-level positions.

Class of 2010, meet the competition: the Class of 2009. "It's discouraging right now," says 24-year-old Matt Grant, who graduated 10 months ago from Ohio State University with a degree in civil engineering and three internships. He finally has a job—as a banquet waiter at a Clarion Inn near Akron. Grant has applied for more than 100 engineering positions around the country. "It's getting closer to the Class of 2010 ," Grant says. "I'm starting to worry more."

So is the Obama Administration. The plight of the young and cubicle-less could hurt the Democrats in midterm elections. The youthful voters who helped propel the party to victory in 2006 and 2008 show signs of waning enthusiasm amid their economic travails. "It's definitely tamped down the energy and the excitement and activism that the Obama campaign had sparked among that entry-level age group," says Democratic strategist Joe Trippi, who advised Howard Dean's 2004 Presidential campaign and is involved in several midterm races. "The problem is they have other things to worry about now."

The party's lead among younger voters already has dropped sharply. While in 2008 Democrats held a 62-percent-to-30-percent advantage over Republicans among "millennials" born after 1980, that 32-point margin shrank by the end of March to 18. Then, 55 percent leaned Democratic, vs. 37 percent Republican, according to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press from October 2009 to March 2010.

The young are also growing alienated by politics in general—and Obama in particular. Interest in voting has dropped faster among the under-30 set than any other age group. In March, only 44 percent of registered voters under 30 said they were "absolutely certain" to vote this year, vs. 78 percent in June 2008, according to Pew polls. Some of the disillusionment extends to the President. "I was inspired by how he was talking about creating new jobs," says Grant, who voted for Obama in 2008 but is unsure how he will vote this fall. "I guess it takes a lot to get things changed."

more...

[Brickbat]

1. Oh, always.

They get excited for the big election, then fade away for the midterms and party work. Just like most voters. This is nothing new, IMO.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. It might also be because they're still waiting to see that change.

[Brickbat]

7. Could be.

Just seems I've seen an article like this every four years or so.

[KonaKane]

12. Instead of waiting for it, why don't they get off their lazy asses

and help make it happen? Didn't Obama himself say innumerable times that he couldn't do this all himself?

I get very sick and tired of listening to people bitch about him when they thought their involvement ended after their vote was cast.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KonaKane]

22. So you're enabling the lazy ennui. Nice.

I can see why so many of the young are not motivated, if they are viewing role models like yourself. Are you the sort of person who buys sod seed, a garden hose, and a shovel - then throws them on the ground and kick back on your porch, yelling "GROW!" at them?

[FiveGoodMen]

47. You are blaming people who have no power to stop what's going on

and exonerating those who are responsible.

SHAME ON YOU!

[Marr]

21. Talk about battered wife syndrome.

So when Obama services Wall Street, it's *our* fault. Because we let him.

[KonaKane]

25. More like stop blaming everyone else because you think that voting ends your duty.

I lost count of all the times that Obama said "I cannot do this without you". My question is, how many of these people so put out with Obama right now did a blessed thing to help any sort of change along after slapping an OBAMA sticker on their car?

It's a fair question, and so far I've seen nothing but righteous indignation at the suggestion.

[Marr]

27. What exactly do you expect people to do?

Do you think a nice parade or a bunch of cardboard signs is going to flip them into liberal mode? I should say, *another* nice parade, and *another* bunch of signs.

As for what people have done themselves, maybe they just don't feel any need to justify themselves to you.

[CTLawGuy]

40. get congress to cooperate with him

tell your congressperson that you want a bill about x, or y or whatever. The president really has a minor role in the legislative process.

[William Z. Foster]

31. what can we do?

The only thing that we could do, the only thing that ever works is to pressure the administration to act. But people here will then accuse anyone who does that of disloyalty and of helping the Republicans.

Corporate lobbyists are pressuring the administration and elected officials every day. If we don't, then it is impossible for any elected official to do anything progressive. Any sort of pressure would have to start out with a discussion of the things that have not been done, with the sources of dissatisfaction. But then you and others say "no, no there is nothing wrong with what the administration has done, it is those lazy voters." So... we can't pressure the administration, yet we don't like the way things are going, we are told that the right people are in there so we should trust them to do the right thing, yet they are not..."

Sounds like a formula for alienation and apathy to me.

[joe black]

46. That's a bullshit excuse to do nothing.

[amborin]

48. Obama has ignored the voters who put him in office; he reneged on his campaign pledges

[Juche]

23. The article is about alienation and unemployment

That is what is going on. Like I said (I don't know if I'm young anymore) back in 2008 I was involved. I volunteered, donated, voted in both primary & general, raised awareness.

However now I'm too busy dealing with chronic, long term unemployment to work up the energy to do that. The article was about someone with an engineering degree working as a waiter.

The sad part is there is tons of rage and frustration, but no real constructive outlets for it. We need to find constructive outlets rather than this self destructive path we've been on.

I don't feel this administration 'really' considers unemployment important. The stimulus was good, but for the most part it has been 'let the market decide' bullshit since then.

[Nikki Stone1]

26. What part of "there are no jobs" do you not understand?

The economy is horrible shape.

[frustrated_lefty]

44. That's really uncalled for.

For my entire childhood, from as young as I can remember, I was told to get a college education so I could have a job, build a home, live the American dream. I find myself telling my daughter the same things..."you, young lady, are going to college."

So, I got a collge education, a bachelors, a masters and a doctorate and I'm still struggling to find a job. The jobs I'm looking at will pay for rent, utilities, and food and not much more.

I'm old enough to know shit just happens. But, when you spend 20+ years telling a kid how important a college education is, what it will mean to their lives, and they find themselves with a degree in one hand and a spatula at Burger King in the other, yeah, they have a right to be pissed.

They're not sitting on their "lazy asses." They have worked to get where they are. They're confused because they have worked and it seems like they're being kicked in the teeth for it.

[Taitertots]

51. So we have to undo the damage caused by the older generation?

Oh, just make it happen. Such valuable advice. I can't believe the generation betrayed by it's elders didn't think of that. You should tell that to all the people who are victims of systemic unemployment. "Get off your lazy ass and make it happen" We can put that as a sign over the homeless shelters.

[sea four]

53. I get very sick and tired

of being lied to and stabbed in the back by the democrats. I'm sick of right wing policies all the time no matter who is in charge. I'm 21. You want to know why we don't get off our asses? You want to know why we are so lazy? Fine, I'll tell you.

First of all, the democrats are screwing young people over. Young people have the highest rate of unemployment out of any group, and the lowest rates of healthcare coverage. We have to pay FICA taxes even though most people on social security are richer than we are. Now the democrats want to force us to buy insurance too?

Do you know how much the payroll taxes and mandatory insurance will cost a person on minimum wage? At least 15% of their paycheck, if not more. That doesn't really make me want to vote for democrats again. I wonder why they didn't just increase medicaid eligibility?

Actually, I know why they didn't. Because they are corrupt, and have been taking money from insurance companies. That is the main issue here. We don't do anything because we have no power. Both democrats and republicans are corrupt to the core. They just ignore us. We live in an oligarchy.

What do you want people to do, exactly? Sending letters, donating, volunteering and other things like that don't work to change things. That's really the reason why people don't do it. Because it doesn't fucking work. It's a waste of time.

[Juche]

5. Did you read the article?

We are pissed about long term, chronic unemployment. If the GOP had a working plan to increase employment, I'd vote GOP in 2010 and 2012. Naturally they do not (just more of the same supply side deregulation bullshit that caused the crisis and which aren't helping the current situation since cash reserves & corporate profits are exploding while jobs still disappear), but if they did have a working plan to create jobs I would vote for them. The fact that the dems spent all of 2009 working on health care while the job situation collapsed is going to haunt them in the future.

In 2008, when I was employed, I was volunteering and donating money. Now I am so stressed out from chronic unemployment that I'm barely doing anything.

[Brickbat]

8. Yes, I know.

All I'm saying is that young people don't vote in the midterms for any of many reasons. It's not a new thing.

[Juche]

15. True

I don't think the turn to the GOP is permanent myself, because the GOP has pretty much nothing to offer young people on substantive issues (climate change, energy, health care, taxes, regulation) or moral 'I can identify with that party' issues.

Supposedly youth voting rates become more consistent after they turn 30 or so.

[cliffordu]

29. That's right.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Who isn't being alienated by not just politics, but recent human behavior in general.

I admit to starting to disengage, pull back, and start ignoring it all. Utter disgust isn't just a daily activity, but becoming hourly. As someone on another thread I read today said, people are largely disgusting pigs (with apologies to authentic mammal).

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[midnight]

6. Many of the young see families in need of jobs, health care, and some are sickened by the vast

wealth spent on the banksters in this country. They may seem to be more visible in the bigger elections, but believe me they are still here... I think Obama would be smart to help bail out mainstreet now....

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. Seems to me that

the President can deliver for corporate Amerikkka. But not for the average Joe/Jane. Apparently they aren't nearly as important.

If he can't/won't serve to advance and protect my needs, interests and priorities - and those of millios more like me - then he doesn't fucking deserve my vote. And he won't get it.

I'm not a party loyalist or an idealogue. I want a government that frickin' works.

Obama? Who cares? His is the administration of lost opportunities.

[FiveGoodMen]

10. "the administration of lost opportunities"

When someone writes a book on the Obama presidency, that can be the title.

[Ardent15]

11. +1000

[pocoloco]

14. So fucking sad.....

way worse than 2006!

[Odin2005]

16. This young person is certainly pissed off! and I was an Obama supporter before it was cool!

[FrenchieCat]

17. In 15 months time, Pres. Obama has

Changed the amount of pell Grants, reformed Student Loans and how much interest will be charged, and the repayment terms, protected Student credit from predatory bank sharks, provided health insurance coverage by way of allowing young people to stay on their parents insurance, and changed the tax code to allow for much bigger tax credit for tuitions paid....yes, as much as $4,000 per year tax credit for 4 years. In addition, stimulus money has gone to Community college to keep fees low, and to many universities in the way of research grants allowing many more folks to be accepted into graduate schools all over the United States. He has turned his head on the issue of Medical Marijuana as well as stood down on the Drug War.

No, he hasn't pulled a job for everyone out of his ass, nor has he made college free,
but if young people don't bother to keep up with what has been done already, why should anyone
take them seriously? Especially the ones posting here!


Obama Strengthens Pell Grant Programs
http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs/education/44054/



Pres. Obama Enacts Student-loan Reforms to Benefit Students
http://www.casavaria.com/cafesentido/2010/04/13/6232/pres-obama-enacts-student-loan-reforms-to-benefit-students/



College student loan reform helps students, hurts lenders

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain-hunter/2010/04/01/college-student-loan-reform-helps-students-hurts-lenders/



Obama's College Tax Credit: The American Opportunity Tax Credit

http://collegesavings.about.com/b/2008/09/05/obamas-college-tax-credit-the-american-opportunity-tax-credit.htm



FAFSA Reform Makes Financial Aid Application Easier
http://freecollegeblog.com/2009/06/24/fafsa-appl



Obama Announces $12 Billion Community College Initiative

http://blog.taragana.com/n/obama-proposes-12-billion-plan-for-community-colleges-says-he-welcomes-job-of-fixing-economy-109417/

[MannyGoldstein]

18. $12+ trillion in taxpayer money to prop up banker junk assets

For the rest of us? Meh.

[RobertPlant]

19. this era is shaping up to be like the

Nixon-ford-carter era.

[MannyGoldstein]

20. Barack Hoover Obama

And welcome to DU!

[FrenchieCat]

24. Ok, Mr. Plant!

But personally, I'm amazed on how Business Week is so respected and revered
around here by those who claim not to believe anything linked to anything corporate,
as well as those who would prefer not to believe the documented fact of how much more this President has done for young people compared to any other President in the last 3 decades.

This piece of garbage called Business Week is doing nothing but spreading propaganda for those who don't want to know anything more, but would choose to find whatever hammer than can find
in order to beat this President over the head.

It's evident.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Strelnikov_]

34. Well, what do you expect following the idiocy of the Reagan-Bush era n/t

[okie]

30. Of course all those things are good

But what do they really mean in the grand scheme of things? A college education in the United States is still incredibly expensive. Here's a good piece on the subject:

http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/College.html

'Inflation in college tuition almost makes the medical kind look reasonable. Since 1980, the overall consumer price index is up 179%; that for medical care, 436%; and that for college tuition and fees, 827%. And while medical inflation actually slowed a bit between the 1990s and 2000s, college inflation actually accelerated.

Such rates of inflation leave family incomes in the dust. According to the College Board, posted annual costs—and in this and all subsequent cases that means tuition, fees, room, and board—for attending the typical private four-year institution were 26% of average (median) family incomes in 1979; they’re now 58%. For public four-year institutions, the bite went from 12% to 25% of average incomes over the same period. In other words, the burden relative to incomes roughly doubled for both, and the cost of attending a public university now is almost as heavy as the cost of attending a private one three decades ago.'

'In 1991–92 school year, the net cost of attending a four-year public institution for a student from the poorest quarter of the income distribution was around 48% of that group’s average income; by 2007–2008 that had fallen to 44%. At least it hasn’t risen—but 44% is still an impossible number, especially a family with an income of $20,000, the quartile’s recent average. For the richest 25%, the burden was steady, at around 10% of family income. For private universities, the net cost for the poorest quartile went from 63% to 80% over the same period; for the richest, it fell from 19% to 17%. For those in the middle two quartiles, the burdens stayed fairly steady, falling between these extremes. But even for a family in the second-richest quartile, average income around $80,000, a year at a public college still cost about 19% of income after grant aid. Of course, better-off parents have savings to dip into, or grandparents to put the touch on. Still, students from all but the richest families have to borrow to a public university. No wonder two-thirds of college graduates now emerge with massive debts—an average of $23,200 in 2008, up 24% from 2004.'

Basically, we've been stuck with a system that is simply far too expensive for most people, unless they take on crippling debt burdens. All we get in response to this reality are cosmetic changes that don't even address the fundamental problems. No one is going to complain about lowering fees at community colleges, but when the cost of attending those institutions has skyrocketed over the past three decades, and the job market at the end of the tunnel looks bleak, it shouldn't surprise us if there are a lot of frustrated, upset students out there. We should take their concerns very seriously.

[FrenchieCat]

32. I know....my daughter graduated from Harvard last year,

and is now in graduate school for the next 6 years at Washington University in St. Louis.

Still, 15 months in, if what one is looking for is this issue you point out to be solved
in order to decide to got out and vote, that's showing a lack of reasonability, period.
There is only so much that the Federal Government can do in reference to Private institutions.


Obama Urges Colleges to Curb Rising Tuition -
April 2009
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/obama-urges-colleges-to-curb-rising-tuition/



“We continue to expect colleges and universities to do their part to hold down tuition increases. That has to happen. We’ve got to work on that.” - Barack Obama


Obama Plans New Rules as For-Profit Colleges Mobilize (Update2)
May 04, 2010, 4:06 PM EDT

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama Administration is gearing up to produce tougher regulations that may reduce the amount of federal financial aid flowing to for-profit colleges, cutting the companies’ annual revenue growth by as much as a third.

snip

The proposed rules may disqualify for-profits from receiving federal financial aid if their graduates must spend more than 8 percent of their starting salaries on repaying student loans. The regulations may slow or even halt tuition increases at ITT, Education Management Corp., Lincoln Educational Services, Universal Technical Institute, and Career Education because many graduates take low-paying jobs in criminal justice, cooking and medical office work, Trace Urdan, an analyst at Signal Hill Capital Group in San Francisco, said in an interview.

Pricing Power

Education companies have increased revenue by as much as 15 percent and enrollment by 8 to 10 percent on an annual basis, while raising tuition about 4 to 6 percent a year, Urdan said. The new rules may slow their revenue growth by one third by limiting their ability to raise tuition.

“The days of 4 to 6 percent annual tuition price increases are over,” Urdan said. “The new proposed rules will bring some school’s power to increase prices down to zero.”
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-04/obama-plans-new-rules-as-for-profit-colleges-mobilize-update2-.html

[KillCapitalism]

33. Making college more accessible is great & all but...

What are students supposed to do when they graduate & there are no jobs to be found?

[FrenchieCat]

35. I guess sitting one's ass at home mad instead of voting could be an answer

to those problems, but most likely,
it would be like cutting ones neck off cause one can't see his/her ass.

[FrenchieCat]

36. and......

Ten immediate benefits of HCR | Crooks and Liars

Adult children may remain as dependents on their parents’ policy until their 26th birthday
Children under age 19 may not be excluded for pre-existing conditions
.....
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/what-you-get-when-hcr-passes




What New Credit Card Reform Will Mean to Youth

http://www.youthradio.org/news/whatcredicardreformmeanstoyouth




Obama is AWOL in the Drug Wars

http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obama-is-awol-in-the-drug-wars/






New Medical Marijuana Policy: Obama Administration Will Not Seek Arrests For People Following State Laws

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/19/new-medical-marijuana-pol_n_325426.html




H.R.1388: GIVE Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
"The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act"
Increases the full-time education award service members receive in exchange for their work to $5,350 for 2010. This award would also be linked to match future increases in the Pell Grant scholarship in order to keep up with rising college costs.

http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0286





Money for youth service and energy conservation

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/438/create-youth-service-corps/





Obama Admin. Strengthens Title IX
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2010/4/20/95825/9686



Nonprofit Policy Trends under President Obama
The Social Innovation Fund: The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) will run the Fund through private regrantmaking institutions, largely foundations, to find and bankroll innovative nonprofits worthy of replication and expansion.

The Strengthening Communities Fund: A creation of the stimulus, SCF replaces the Bush era Compassion Capital Fund by funneling resources through regional and national intermediaries to build the capacities of poverty-fighting and job creation organizations.

NeighborWorks: Although the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation dba/NeighborWorks has existed for some decades, the Obama Administration has continued the practice of the last congress of allowing NW to administer a large part of the nation’s foreclosure counseling assistance in response to the subprime (and now conventional) mortgage foreclosure crisis.

Living Cities: The Obama Administration has actually increased support to community development corporations through the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Enterprise Community Partners, and Habitat for Humanity through Living Cities, the new name of the National Community Development Initiative.

Youthbuild: Working with a network of affiliate organizations and others that follow its model, Youthbuild provides comprehensive implementation technical assistance to a wide range of groups providing construction job training to young people with support from the Department of Labor.
http://cspcs.sanford.duke.edu/blog/cohen_nonprofit_policy_trends_under_obama



Obama gives Nobel money to charity
College students, Haiti quake survivors among beneficiaries
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35823326/ns/us_news-giving/


and he has worked at insuring unemployment compensation for maximum number of weeks,
passed Equal pay for Equal work (benefits young women),
Make work Pay tax credit (which provided tax credits for all, including the youth,
even if they worked part time or during the summer),
and is working to safeguard net neutrality,

as well as taking other actions that directly or indirectly helps young people.

If someone can tell me what other President has done more for young folks in particular,
I'd like to know who it was and what they did.

[CTLawGuy]

42. God bless you!

for screaming into the wind like this, Frenchie :)

[Flaneur]

52. You've got to be kidding? You're citing Cliff Kincaid, well-known rightist nut job?

In some bizarre effort to suggest that Obama is winding down the drug war?

His new federal drug budget is exactly like Bush's federal drug budget, heavy on law enforcement, interdiction, and eradication. That means more of the same. With some token increases in treatment and prevention spending.

I know about this stuff. It makes me wonder how much of the other stuff you post in Obama's support is absolute crap, too.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. I Was Reading An Interesting Article

I was reading an interesting article that showed that crimes committed by eighteen to twenty five year olds spiked during the two recent deep recessions but there hasn't been a spike in this one. Researchers attribute it to the advent of the video game and the internet. I guess they have replaced religion as the opiate of the masses. I guess pacifying young folks is a good thing or isn't it.

[Karmadillo]

37. As long as they take to World of Warcraft and not to the streets, pacification is great.

nt

[Jennicut]

39. Since when do younger voters vote in midterms? I voted for Clinton in 1996 at the age of 20. I had

no clue back then that midterms were all that important. I did not vote for the midterms in 1998. Or 2002. In fact, the first time I voted in midterms was in 2006. I was 30. Younger voters may be alienated by Obama to begin with but traditionally they don't vote much in midterms to begin with.

[CTLawGuy]

41. how is not voting

or voting Republican going to get them a job? If stuff is not getting done, it's because of the Senate and to a lesser extent the house too. People need to hold their congress person to the same expectations they hold the president.

[NNN0LHI]

43. Thats good because they will deserve what they are about to get

I hope they don't think 99 weeks of unemployment is the norm. Because it isn't. I can remember when the unemployment rate was higher than it is right now and the maximum number of weeks someone could collect unemployment was 39 weeks.

Going to be a lot of people wondering what happened when they find out the only good jobs left are as a Walmart greeter.

The rest will either be out working in the farm fields picking tomatoes and getting paid 2 cents a pound or living in their parents basements watching Fox news for entertainment.

Don

[earth mom]

45. Welcome to the real world. nt

[gulliver]

49. It figures. The less wise one is, the more likely to be...

...a slave to instant gratification/dissatisfaction. It is one of the biggest structural flaws in our civilization, IMO. There is a ton of information out there, but there is little wisdom, character, and patience. Information alone is thought to be enough. But without depth and thought, the emotions and actions of these folks end up being nothing more than deeply sincere reflex actions. That's how we end up with amoebas like Bush in the White House...the emo-mob mentality lacks intellectual support structures for a larger creature.

[NNN0LHI]

50. Bush once had a 90+ percent approval rating

Kind of says it all doesn't it?

Don