Tabatha Fields
The Corsair
Wouldn’t it be a perfect world if:
A. There will be jobs waiting for students as they complete their college studies.
B. Every citizen was able to pay their bills without any hassles.
C. The senior citizens could retire off their jobs without any worries.etc
Unfortunately, the world we live in today is not hassle free, but full of concerns about the future of generations to come .These are only a few of the many obstacles Americans are facing today. The rising gas prices and the economy as a whole are some of the major concerns Americans cope with each day.
Sharon Dortch, majoring in medical info coder/biller at Pensacola State College said, “I would like to see them help middle class families with childcare, and the gas prices are really a burden, especially if you are a single parent.”
According to 16 Policies to Help Rebuild the Middle Class these topics and many more are a priority by the Obama administration to help rebuild the Middle Class. President Obama, Bridge to a Better Economy “explains how the first thread of the economic policy has been and intense concentration on the immediate devastation wrought by the great depression: Job loss, widespread home foreclosures and vanished credit.”
The center for American Progress released 16 policy ideas to help rebuild the middle class. Those sixteen are as follows:
1. Get young people into jobs so they can become working Americans.
2. Let the aging unemployed retire with dignity
3. Expand the federal “jobs accelerator” program
4. Create a common application for federal programs for entrepreneurs
5. Reward students who work their way through college with increased access to federal student aid.
6. Save tuition costs for students by awarding them college credit for proven knowledge.
7. Automatically connect student loan repayments to post-college pay levels for new college graduates.
8. Create a web-based national career guidance system to help workers navigate career advancement, education and training, and connect with future employers.
9. Boost the earnings of workers and provide a greater incentive for firms to hire new workers by making more workers eligible for overtime pay.
10. Help all middle class working parents afford decent child care by improving the existing child and dependent care tax credit
11. Help middle class families caring for aging parents by expanding the existing dependent tax credit to include a credit for eldercare expenses.
12. Enact a consumer Bill of Rights for mortgage customers that would create consumer protections and standards for mortgage servicers to protect homeowners and ensure stability in the housing market.
13. Fight rising gas prices by helping consumers spend less on gas.
14. Help middle class families and small businesses fight the high cost of energy by making their homes and small commercial properties more energy efficient.
15. Require companies that offer their CEOs “golden parachutes” in their contracts to offer strong severance packages to their other employees in the event of layoffs.
16. Stop subsidizing excessive levels of CEO pay
According to www.americanprogress.org young adults are among the hardest hit by the unemployment rate. The results of this would more than likely have a profound effect on the long term effects of their economic prospects. On the contrary, Jalisa Lett, majoring in Medical Office Administration, at Pensacola State College said, “I am confident about getting employed when I have completed my studies here at PSC. There are always job openings in my field.”
The youth are our future. The Sweet Sixteen policy regarding the young people is to provide jobs so they can be working Americans. According to Sweet Sixteen to Build a Strong Middle Class, The challenge for hiring young people is to place young people in full-time national positions in AmeriCorps, Vista and Youth Build. These services would help prepare young people for future employment, and provide them education awards to fund college or graduate school. Tanya Gonzalez, majoring in Health Information Management at PSC said, “I would like to see young people employed after college, it provides them with working experience and help shape the economy, neighborhoods, and the overall self esteem of the young people.”