stimulus package

The Kansas City Star has a cool piece that shows off how much of the stimulus that young people got I wanted to list here.

• According to an assessment of the Department of Labor's jobs-for-youth program -- part of the Recovery Act effort last year -- 313,812 young people between the ages of 14 and 24 were employed in summer jobs nationwide.
• About 45,407 were placed in jobs outside the summer months.
• The report said $717 million of the $1.2 billion allocated by the Recovery Act was actually spent on the program.
• Participants were paid an average of $7.75 an hour, working an average of 28 hours a week and earning an average of about $1,500 for the summer.
• Jobs were in public operations such as parks, community centers and federal offices.
• Citing staffing shortages, the analysis said the department's Employment and Training Administration had difficulty processing applications and determining eligibility for the program that was designed to assist low-income young people.
• The assessment also said there was difficulty recruiting private-sector employers to participate in the program as well as difficulty in knowing whether private-sector placements were appropriate.
• Bottom line: The program was a qualified success and generally deemed to be stimulus money well spent.

The piece goes on to say that they think it made a small dent in the massive youth unemployment problem - I'm not entirely certain that this is true - I haven't seen numbers comparing pre and post stimulus numbers. Additionally, this is kind of like putting a tourniquet on to stop the bleeding. You take it off and you're still going to bleed to death. We need an operation that will stop it long-term.

--Sujatha Jahagirdar, Student PIRGs

For folks who are following the stimulus package and its effects on students and the cost on education, below is a statement that USPIRG put out on college affordability provisions in the stimulus package.

"Today the U.S. House of Representatives released details of its Economic Recovery package. The proposal contains meaningful policies that help to keep college affordable and accessible during tough economic times.

The provisions that will help keep college within reach include: a $15.6 billion increase to the Pell grant program which increases the maximum grant award by $500, from $4,731 to $5,350; an increase in work study funds that provides more on-campus jobs for low and moderate income students in return for grant aid; and a partially refundable tax credit for higher education. Families and independent students can use the tax credit to offset tuition, fees, and textbook costs after taxes, and up to $1,000 of the credit is refundable.

However, the bill also includes language that increases federal student loan limits by $2,000 each year over four years. This plan comes after a similar increase of $2,000 was passed last year, and, taken together, could increase student loan debt by $10,000. These measures would be harmful for students and the economy - increasing student debt decreases the broader economic benefits of a college degree."

For more on the stimulus package and issues important to young people, check out