Bernie Sanders asks Congress to spend $5.5 billion on 1 million jobs for youths

[Cheese Sandwich]

Source: Washington Post

Sanders’s bill, which he introduced in a D.C. neighborhood with relatively high unemployment and crime rates, would send $5.5?billion to local and state governments to fund job-training programs. Much of the money would go to helping unemployed African Americans. Sanders suggested the investment could pay for itself if it keeps more young black men out of jail.

“If current trends continue, 1 in 3 black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime. This is an unspeakable tragedy,” Sanders said. “But this crisis is not just a destruction of human life. It is also very, very costly to the taxpayers.” Sanders pegged the country’s annual prison tab at $70?billion.

“It makes a lot more sense to me to be investing in jobs, in job training .?.?. than to be building more and more jails and to be locking more and more people up,” Sanders said.

The bill, introduced with longtime Michigan Rep. John Conyers (D), comes as declared Democratic presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Hillary Rodham Clinton have tried to find the right tone to respond to riots from Ferguson to Baltimore over police tactics that stirred national debate over racial and economic inequality.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/bernie-sanders-asks-congress-to-spend-55-billion-on-1-million-jobs-for-youths/2015/06/04/0354e9dc-0ae6-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/128011803

[Babel_17]

1. This is part of the path forward (nt)

[Recursion]

3. It's a positive idea, but training doesn't magically create a job

And it doesn't magically make an employer drop his overt or covert racism.

[BrotherIvan]

7. I would like anyone to explain what does

Do we need more laws? More enforcement of the laws? How do we do it? How does government as a legislative body do it?

[Babel_17]

14. That's why I said "part"

What Sanders proposes would be intrinsically useful to getting things rolling.

[Recursion]

2. That's "job training", not "jobs"

It's a decent idea, but I don't think the problem is kids' lacking job skills; it's employers' refusing to hire poor black kids in the first place.

[Cheese Sandwich]

4. It's both

The presidential candidate toured a small but busy office, located above a strip mall, that had successfully trained 375 people in the IT field, and seen 315 of those people get jobs that paid an average of $42,000—far above the median income locally. Ninety-three percent of graduates were African-American, and when Sanders entered a computer room—pausing to greet every student—the only white faces belonged to journalists and staffers. The room was crowded with TV cameras and iPhones, some pointed at four words on the wall: "HARVARD OF THE HOOD."

"In America now we spend nearly $200 billion on public safety, including $70 billion on correctional facilities each and every year," said Sanders from the front of the room. "So, let me be very clear: in my view it makes a lot more sense to invest in jobs, in job training, and in education than spending incredible amounts of money on jails and law enforcement."

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-04/bernie-sanders-let-s-spend-5-5-billion-to-employ-1-million-young-people

As an actual socialist I do think the government should just hire unemployed people directly. But this is a capitalist country so I guess we are just trying to fund some programs that offer training and placement assistance.

Edit: This is not a magical solution to all the world's problems but it is one nice thing we could have.

[Recursion]

5. Where do you see any direct hiring in this? (nt)

[Cheese Sandwich]

6. I think it funds programs for training and job placement assistance.

As an actual socialist I do think the government should just hire unemployed people directly. But this is a capitalist country so I guess we are just trying to fund some programs that offer training and placement assistance.

[BrotherIvan]

8. According to the H-1B visa promoters, we have a lack of skilled workers

So why don't we train workers and cancel permits? That could be upwards of 1.5 million jobs by 2016.

[appalachiablue]

11. When does the talk about the effect of H1-B Visas on US workers take place I wonder.

Orlando- "250 Laid off Workers at Disney Made to Train Foreign Workers"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11176997

[BrotherIvan]

16. We have more than a few supporters on DU

I've been told it's no big deal and housing prices in Seattle are high so it's all good. Because we have a candidate who is for them, to bring it up on DU is a "right wing smear." Le sigh...

[appalachiablue]

18. People are becoming more aware and open about the unfairness of the program to

US workers. A petition just created by a DU member is one step to address this important issue.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/end-h-1b-program

Seattle's doing great, and the importance of their economy like California's is acknowledged but we also know it's a big country with diverse needs. Candidates and their supporters will have to realize people's growing concern over this program, sooner than later and hopefully without a large amount of antagonism!

[BrotherIvan]

20. It's strange to me that people do not see that losing a job, long term unemployment, having to start

all over with new skills is a tragedy. It's as hard as a divorce. I lost my career due to outsourcing and union busting that drove the wages so low, no one over 30 can make a decent living at it (or very few in the upper echelon). The fact that people who identify as Democrats, both politicians and supporters, would be for a program like this because of propaganda about the "global economy" disgusts me. They have been working on the acceptance of corporatism for a long time. It has obviously worked.

Sanders has real proposals, real ideas about how to bring a path to employment and jobs in this case. And still, people are acting like it's nothing. Because they are conservadems and don't realize that liberals have had a historically successful program to fix this.

But sadly, there are some people willing to embrace anything, twist into an infinite number of knots to defend the indefensible. They are doing and have done as much damage to the party as anyone.

[Babel_17]

21. Yikes! Thanks for the heads-up (nt)

[Babel_17]

15. Training gives you skills and work experience

Then we need jobs in the communities and transportation to nearby jobs. It's not like there is currently much employment in huge swaths of the nation. It's the chicken and the egg, and stimulating the economy to get the ball rolling so it's self perpetuating.
The New Deal had this idea in mind and hopefully we've studied the lessons learned and can do an even better job.

[appalachiablue]

19. +1

[Android3.14]

9. This works only if we combine it with a public works program

This is a no brainer.

[davidpdx]

10. That's what I was thinking as I was scrolling down

We so badly need to rebuild the infrastructure in the US and that's where the jobs will be created. Build up unions and create apprenticeships like they once were. When I was in my 20's I applied for an electrical apprenticeship and it was extremely competitive. I didn't get a high enough score on the test to pass to the next level (shocking huh?). Fortunately for me I was able to go the college route. Apprenticeships are a good way to train people in a short amount of time and get people working though.

[mac2766]

12. I can only speak from personal experience...

I lost my job in 2002. When I applied for unemployment, I was also entered into a jobs training program that paid for tuition and books. The degree was an AAS in Network Administration. Along with the degree, I was able to get a few industry certifications. With that on my resume, I was able to get a job in the IT field. At the time it was a serious pay cut, but I've advanced and am now making a reasonable living. The company is large and they provide me with several benefits including a 403b and health insurance.

Maybe a jobs training program will work. I, for one, am greatful for the one I was in.

[Amishman]

13. the other half of the program needs to be harsh penalties for offshoring jobs

put a halt to the offshore call centers and companies will be forced to bring desperately needed entry level jobs back to this country.

[BrotherIvan]

17. Yes

But our politicians actively support outsourcing centers and the companies who do it a huge campaign contributors. So it will continue apace.