Because we are in a recession, the Left will have the excuse to say that there are so many adults out of work that they'll get those jobs much more quickly, regardless of wage level, than a teenager who has no experience.

I think it would always be this way, regardless of recession, because there would always be adults looking for work and maybe not finding it, and then filling those slots that would otherwise go to teenagers.  The recession just pushes those occurrences way up.

Downturn was happening in mid 2008, so by August I think we would have seen a rise in teenage unemployment regardless of minimum wage hike.  Would it have been the full 4.1% rise?   Not likely, but I have to believe there would have been a rise.  Then from that time until now, we're in major recession so it would be hard to say how high that number would have been.  If these percentages are talked about in the MSM, I think they'll use mid 2008 slowdown and late-2008 thru present-day 2009 as the excuse.

More teenagers would have jobs to give them work-experience if we didn't let so many cross the border.  Go ahead, take a trip down to Taco Bell, McDonalds or Burger King and see who is cooking your food.  I assure you that he/she will barely speak English.

OMG!  A NYT writer knows zip about the subject she's writing about.  Neither she or her editor appear capable of doing minimum wage level work.

Why not set the minimum wage at $35/hour? If you think that is too high, why? Let the legislators explain the theory behind how they set the level, if they can.

Andrew_M_Garland

The impact of illegal aliens should not be overlooked either...

Enforce Term Limits if They Won't:  Vote Against ALL Incumbents in 2010.

EVERYTHING seems to be an an "All-Time" High, according to the press.  But, what, exactly do they mean by "all time?"  Are they telling us that the is is highest level that has, and ever will be, reached? That's BS.  I can guarantee you that the "teenage" unemployment rate was several times higher back during the Great Depression. when 25 percent of ALL Americans of ALL age groups were unemployed.  Who are they trying to fool?

BTW, the main reason the teen-age unemployment rates are so high is two-fold. 

One, most teens worked on family farms for most of America's history (which is why schools close for two weeks during harvest season).  Today, that percentage is in the single digits.

Two, those teenagers who didn't work on family farms usually worked for their parents in other family business.  Whether they helped mend shoes, build homes, bake bread, peddle produce, or any other likely businesses, they worked with their family and learned the skills necessary to start their own family business.  Today, that number of teenagers working for the family business is, just like farming, in the single digits.

Today, most people, not just teenagers, work for someone else.  They don't have a business of their own.  They must compete national for any available jobs.  The businesses will hire people who have the skills and training required to perform a given job over the untrained people. This means that ADULTS will get those available jobs before teenagers will, especially the higher paying, higher skills jobs.  So, yes, more teenagers are unemployed today than in years past (except for other recessions and depressions as they too, had unemployment rates that were at an "all-time high."  Anyone spot a trend here?), but not for the reasons the NYT's understands, or will admit.

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Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court

Based on the current youth unemployment rate, are these considered "saved" summer jobs now? 

The administration allocated $1.2 Billion of the stimulus bill to create summer employment opportunities for youth.

The administration says it will:
(June 8, 2009)

[...]

Create 125,000 summer youth jobs (Department of Labor);

[...]