sammyk: "Sadly we've taxed-and-spent our way to an economy in which there's intense competition for just about any job. Combine that with government meddling in the student loan market that has artificially inflated the cost of higher education, and young people are getting screwed over even worse than the country overall," Evan Feinberg, president of youth advocacy group Generation Opportunity, told the newspaper.

What? Has nothing to do with deregulating the financial industry at all there huh?

Would that be the same Evan Feinberg who worked for the Heritage Foundation and Rand Paul? The same one who's slogan is "A Principled, Conservative Voice for Western PA"?

He seems an odd choice to head up an organization that claims to be non-partisan. It seems even stranger that their previous president also worked at Heritage. You'd think these shiatheads would get better at lying. They're certainly practicing.

Fast food workers are going on strike in NYC today.

Either they're crazy or the manager wanting a college graduate to work the counter is. Maybe both.

It's almost as if an economy cannot be healthy and vibrant when you continually enact and enforce legal and business policies that enable a wealthy vanishing minority to lock up the majority of wealth in property and investments that never flow outside of their little clique.

But, no, the problem isn't that we irrationally overprotect the vast wealth of dynastic families in ways that ensure it never flows out to the economy in a productive manner, the problem is that we "tax and spend" too much....

I've lived in MA/RI for most of my life and have never heard of the town in the article.  There are too many goddamn towns in this state.

"Sadly we've taxed-and-spent our way to an economy in which there's intense competition for just about any job. Combine that with government meddling in the student loan market that has artificially inflated the cost of higher education, and young people are getting screwed over even worse than the country overall," Evan Feinberg, president of youth advocacy group Generation Opportunity, told the newspaper.


Derp.

You get your Ph.D
How happy you will be
When you get a job at Wendy's McD's
And are honored with Employee of the Month


/ dem chicks ain't wearing no clothes

"Sadly we've taxed-and-spent our way to an economy in which there's intense competition for just about any job.

Lost me in the first sentence.

The only problem for me is my situation would be the same no matter the economy. No employer likes someone who's stayed at every job less than a year since she graduated college. I have perfectly legitimate reasons, but they make people REALLY uncomfortable to discuss. So either I lie, which I'm horrible at, so you can tell right away, or I tell the truth, and you end up think I'm one helluva unlucky person (and you're probably right) and don't hire me anyway. Example: Was hired as a mechanic while I was in school for my degree is Auto Service Tech, three days later blew out my knee and had to be released for medical reasons, and three weeks after that I was in a car wreck as a passenger that busted my knee up even worse.

Good news: Giving up the 9-5 dream was probably the best idea. Need a partner to do it, and I'm lucky enough to have a good one, but it works well. He's primary income, I supplement, and get paid better per hour than I ever did in corporate. Can I be self-sufficient? Probably not, and probably never. But I am working: I've got a veggie garden project I'm starting at my church, I just spent 3 months as the Sunday school teacher, and I do general labor for cash when I can. I'm not a lazy, entitled, special snowflake, but anyone would look at my story and go "Holy crap!" It doesn't make sense to me to only get money from one job anyway. My fiance and I dogsit, paint houses, do general gardening, all for cash or food, and sometimes other little perks, like a window A/C that would have cost us about $800 or a standing invitation to a cabin in the mountains. You wanna protest taxes? Shadow economy is the way to do it.

I think the reality is that there just aren't enough jobs for people who want to work, due to automation and globalization, and especially when the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is. So, a) encourage entrepreneurship and creative thinking, so that when doodoo happens, people can mobilize multiple income streams and/or start their own businesses, and b) have a strong, accessible welfare system so that when doodoo happens, people don't starve and start killing each other and can take the time to make the changes needed to become self-sufficient again without having to sacrifice health, family, or safety to do so.

That Generation Opportunity group is a known right-wing astroturf group; why they're being quoted here would be beyond me if it weren't for the prominently displayed Fox logo.

Peki: the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is

The government has no interest in that, it's just that around 4% is nothing to worry about. Things happen. 0% unemployment doesn't.

thurstonxhowell: Peki: the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is

The government has no interest in that, it's just that around 4% is nothing to worry about. Things happen. 0% unemployment doesn't.

I believe the current goal is 6.5% so the Fed can begin raising rates.

So...basically, we're going to get to this....

All education will be provided online, because neither the student or administration want to pay the extra costs of the building, teachers or maintenance.

Education will formally be extended both ways, starting earlier (likely at 2yo)...and at least extending to the equivalent of a BA/BS.

Cost will sooner or later become another tax or direct fee.

Testing will also be online or at established secured facilities.  Only labs with equipment will be necessary otherwise.
Education beyond this will likely go more traditional since they are more involved.  (Theses, etc...)


Is this ideal?
No, but it's where it is going to, because of convenience and budget.

thurstonxhowell: Peki: the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is

The government has no interest in that, it's just that around 4% is nothing to worry about. Things happen. 0% unemployment doesn't.

I would think 0% unemployment would be a bad thing, since it would signal a labor shortage and at this point would likely mean that most of the populace had been killed off.

Rapmaster2000: thurstonxhowell: Peki: the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is

The government has no interest in that, it's just that around 4% is nothing to worry about. Things happen. 0% unemployment doesn't.

I believe the current goal is 6.5% so the Fed can begin raising rates.

They can't wait that long.

If it takes a college-educated employee to remember to put the damn dipping sauce in the bag, then dammit, I want a college-educated employee doing the work.

rogue49: So...basically, we're going to get to this....

All education will be provided online, because neither the student or administration want to pay the extra costs of the building, teachers or maintenance.

Education will formally be extended both ways, starting earlier (likely at 2yo)...and at least extending to the equivalent of a BA/BS.

Cost will sooner or later become another tax or direct fee.

Testing will also be online or at established secured facilities.  Only labs with equipment will be necessary otherwise.
Education beyond this will likely go more traditional since they are more involved.  (Theses, etc...)


Is this ideal?
No, but it's where it is going to, because of convenience and budget.

Not sure what level of education you think will go online.  Schools provide an excellent babysitting service.

Public Access/State supported colleges may go that way, there will still be private traditional colleges where the monied class will network, get "better" degrees and we will return to a state where money truly does equal privilege.

MOOC(massively open online courses) are starting to scratch at this idea, the problem is vetting the knowledge of the students who "took" the class.  Also there will still be buildings (granted not as many), there will still be maintenance (both physical plant and IT) and there will still damn sure be administration.  The only thing that will be cut will be teachers.  A sad side effect will be the corporations that will design the education content/software will eventually monopolize and we will have less and less control over what is taught.  The private schools for the monied class will teach what is needed to stay in power, the online will teach what is needed to stay a good worker.

Damn, what the hell are high school drop outs doing?  That was the big scare back in my day "You better finish high school or you'll end up working at McDonald's for the rest of your life."   Now I guess that line won't even work on college dropouts.

xanadian: And to think...only 9 years ago (while looking for *proper* full-time work), I was considered "over-qualified."

Good to know that's changed...

there was a week in the fall of 2007 where you were considered "qualified". A letter was mailed to your address on Tuesday of that week informing you of your change in status.  I hope you received the letter in time because we sent a letter to all companies on Monday of that week informing them that your status would be changed to "unqualified" in the following week.

"Sadly we've taxed-and-spent our way to an economy in which there's intense competition for just about any job."

taxed-and-spent
taxed-and-spent

When the hell did this happen?!  Does this idiot even live in America?  How could he be so incredibly ignorant of our tax policies for the last 10 years?  The last 30?  WTF am I reading?

Opening themselves up for a legal ass raping. 1) no way a college degree is necessary for operating a register 2) minorities earn college degrees at much lower rates than whites. See Griggs vs. Duke Power

Black guy with just a high school diploma should apply and then walk straight over to the nearest EEOC office once he is turned away.

Even with a BA they will still fark you at the drive thru.

/fark it
//still not eating the fish

To be fair, most college grads don't have much else to do with their time these days.

thurstonxhowell: Peki: the government has a vested interest in keeping the unemployment at 4% or whatever that number is

The government has no interest in that, it's just that around 4% is nothing to worry about. Things happen. 0% unemployment doesn't.

IIRC we nearly had full employment during WW2. And full employment is bad because it causes inflation. The government doesn't want inflation, so it institutes practices and regulations that artificially keep employment at at least 4%. It seems pretty dickish to me to set up a system like that and then say "Fark you!" to the people who happen to fall into that 4%.

sammyk: "Sadly we've taxed-and-spent our way to an economy in which there's intense competition for just about any job. Combine that with government meddling in the student loan market that has artificially inflated the cost of higher education, and young people are getting screwed over even worse than the country overall," Evan Feinberg, president of youth advocacy group Generation Opportunity, told the newspaper.

What? Has nothing to do with deregulating the financial industry at all there huh?

Yes well that is why we should cut military spending to just 100 billion a year.

MadMonk: Damn, what the hell are high school drop outs doing?  That was the big scare back in my day "You better finish high school or you'll end up working at McDonald's for the rest of your life."   Now I guess that line won't even work on college dropouts.

"You'll be selling drugs to the college graduates that work in fast food so that they can cope with their crippling depression."

FN;DR (Fox News; didn't read)

maxx2112: You get your Ph.D
How happy you will be
When you get a job at Wendy's McD's
And are honored with Employee of the Month


/ dem chicks ain't wearing no clothes

Enroll at the local college
Earn me a degree and I could work weekends
If I work real hard
I could mow your backyard

Also...

Never spent a single day in retail
Telling people what they wanna hear
Telling people anything to make a sale
Eating in the food court
With the old and the bort

It's not a point of pride that I know the words by heart...

Hyjamon: we will return to a state where money truly does equal privilege.

When did we ever leave that state? Even in the heyday of democratic elitism that was the 1960s, money and privilege corresponded at roughly 1:1.

This garbage is exactly why I left my university this semester. Your degree needs to be ridiculously specialized or a PhD in order to land a decent job. The market is awful out there. Most of the grads I know are making 30K at Enterprise or selling odd forms of insurance. I was making 40K a year at a summer job. Nothing will make you more disillusioned with current higher education than attending a class.

/In a sarcastic aside when asked why I was late by someone in a class, I answered that a unicorn had been hit on the road. She asked what color it was.
//Completely serious
///She had a 3.8