This generation is screwed up.

I said nothing about minimum wage, but since you mentioned it, only 19% of employees paid the federal minimum wage are teenagers (16-19) and 45% of minimum wage workers are over 25 years old, which presumably means they are out of college. And 33% of minimum wage jobs are full time jobs, not part-time jobs. These stats are only for at or below the Fed minimum wage. They do not take into account state or local min wages, which are higher and they do not take into account people making +$0.10 above minimum wage, like those who have been with the company for five years and got a raise once.

I am happy you had a great experience 16 years ago during the Clinton economic boom, but I'm not sure how that applies to the current economy and education system.

Personally, I think the real problem is not the youth or education system, but the economic system, where population growth out-performs job growth. Supply and demand of workers and jobs, pushes wages down. Low wages decreases spending, which decreases GDP and job growth. Low wages increases government dependence. When 40% of Walmart employees are on food stamps, and the owners are four of the top ten richest people in America, we need to look at something other than our 'liberal education' as the problem.

Is that enough substance?

@Greathands01: Its plenty for me. Game set and match IMO. :-)

@81redhead: So sample size of 1 of a under-resourced public school. Imagine if they were adequately funded.

@81redhead: Your own statements are betraying your own argument, and you're showing yourself as poorly educated and lacking in rationality. Anyone suggesting that their personal experience is automatically true for everyone in the country, is frankly an idiot, and I severely doubt your claim of a BS because of that. An MBA is more plausible, because that qualification doesn't require rationality, only the ability to make rationalisations.

@GoldenWorm: I tutored children from different school districts and even different counties. So the sample is much larger.

Ooh, slavery of imperialism, have not heard that one since growing up in USSR. How about looking at more recent events and reality?

Right now the bullying is rampant, racism is unchecked and sexist tendencies have gotten worse.

that is the thing, people have always been sheepish, but actually got ahead in adverse conditions, now I see opposite.

Educators failed to attract people away from the reality TV and crappy video games.

Well, one can either join the herd or work for themselves, current generation is joining the herd.

I see that only when the conditions are favorable. But mix in any adversity and now everyone else is to blame.