A bit of good news came out of the Senate as Sen. Bernie
Sanders announced that his Youth Jobs Bill has advanced, and will be
added to the Senate’s immigration reform bill.
Senate leaders announced today that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ plan to
spend $1.5 billion creating jobs for 400,000 young people age 16-24 has
been added to the immigration bill. Sen.
Sanders said,
“At a time when real unemployment is close to 14 percent and even
higher among young people and minorities, it is absolutely imperative
that we create millions of decent-paying jobs in our country. The
establishment of a youth employment program for 400,000 young people is a
good step forward but in the months to come we must do even more.”
Theoretically, Sen. Sanders should have bipartisan support. It is not
a government mandate, but a grant program that would give the states
extra money for job training and creation. It is a practical plan that
guarantees every state grant money to help them solve the problem of
youth unemployment.
As we wrote when the plan was first proposed,
the bill is modeled after the stimulus, and President Obama’s American
Jobs Act. The Youth Jobs Act would provide $3 billion to create hundreds
of thousands of jobs for the country’s low income and economically
disadvantaged young people. The legislation would also provide skills
and job training. The Department of Labor would provide $1.5 billion in
grants to states to provide job opportunities. States could also use the
money to identify employment opportunities in emerging occupations, or
occupations that will help their own communities through the public or
non-profit sector. Another $1.5 billion in grants would be given to
state and local communities to provide job training and apprenticeship
programs. All states would receive a minimum of $15 million for summer
and year round jobs. The rest of the funding would be used to target
areas of high youth unemployment and poverty.
In a congress where job creation is a completely ignored priority,
what Bernie Sanders has managed to accomplish is huge. It is possible
that the Senate could vote down his amendment, but getting the amendment
included in a piece of legislation that is expected to pass with a
great deal of bipartisan support is important. There still are a few
members of Congress who understand the importance of job creation, and
are trying to do something.
Sen. Sanders gets it. The government doesn’t have to give people
jobs, but it can give cash strapped states the resources that they need
to innovate and create. A New Deal style or Great Society type program
would never pass the Senate. This bill may not pass either, but it’s a
start. The youth jobs plan could be the first major legislative step in
deal with the stubborn problems surrounding unemployment.
Much more needs to be done. There are millions of middle aged workers
who lost their jobs during the recession, and have not been able to
find work for years. As the nation gets caught up in scandals and
partisan bickering, it is easy to think that the long term unemployed
have been forgotten.
Not everyone has forgotten. Bernie Sanders is still fighting, and his
battle should inspire others to remember that this country’s government
is supposed to be for, of, and by the people.
The
full moon on today will be the closest that the moon gets during its
full phase this year, so some are calling a "Supermoon." Yes, the moon
will appear larger because it's closer to us, but according to Phil
Plait, the Bad Astronomer, the effect is not as pronounced as it has
been hyped to be. The moon will appear about 1% larger than last month's
full moon, or about 10-15% larger than the smallest full moon of the
year. Here's the science behind the moon's differing appearance:
