The Children's Crusade

The Monday Silly is brought courtesy of the SF Chronicle, which reports this story about "homeless" young adults in wealthy Marin County: Youth Hit Hard By Lack of Jobs, School Grants

Jordan Atkinson had all the trappings of a typical Marin County childhood. He lived in a big house in Novato, played Pop Warner football, spent weekends with friends listening to hip-hop.

Now, three years out of San Marin High School, Atkinson is homeless, a casualty of the recession.

"I was spoiled. I had a lot of things easy," Atkinson said recently while drinking a smoothie at a Novato cafe, taking a break from job applications and college forms. "Now, unless someone physically attacks me, it doesn't feel like things could get much worse."

(snip)

In Atkinson's case, the downward spiral started a few months ago when his weekly hours at Best Buy in San Rafael were cut from 40 to four. At the time, he was attending College of Marin and living in an apartment in Petaluma with friends.

"I thought I'd find a new job within a few days," he said. "But there's nothing out there. I apply for jobs and don't even get a reply."

He lost his apartment two months ago and has been sleeping on friends' couches. He would stay with his father, but his father lost the family house in 2006 when his building-maintenance business collapsed. Now Atkinson's father lives in Pacifica and sends money when he can.

Listen, drama queen, living on your buddies' couches does not make you homeless. That's a time honored way for American teens to start making their way. Also, my observation "back in the day" was that couch surfing makes you vaguely alluring to a certain type of girl. To the hypothetical her, you're a rootless bad boy with nothing holding you down and permanent bedroom eyes. Plus, there's always bedding splayed about. But nobody who is sitting around drinking smoothies and filling out college forms is allowed to assume the mantle of "homeless."

Still, there's plenty of statistical evidence that young people are suffering through their own kid-cession, to go along with their dads' man-cession:

Young people like Atkinson are among the hardest hit by the state's soaring unemployment rate. More than 18 percent of workers 16 to 24 are unemployed, a 70 percent jump from a year ago and the highest of any other group, according to the state employment office.

Two words left out of this story: "Barack Obama." I guess it's still Bush's fault. Or, the president is no longer responsible for what is going on in the economy.

Also left unstated - except for a reference to the "high cost of living"- are the conditions that make it difficult for economically marginal people to actually live in Marin County. But, Marin's high cost of living, especially its lack of low-cost housing, is due as much to the environmentally correct "no growth" policies favored by Marin parents than it is to rapacious Bush-era capitalism.

There's also a lot of talk about Cal Grant cuts (these are college subsidies for you non-CA residents), but little talk about how college kids are taking it on the chin, while over paid state employees are facing little prospect of job loss or even wage cuts.

Sadly, kids are too young and unsphisticated to realize how much their progressive ideals have played havoc with their immediate prospects. While public employee unions and liberal insiders are seated firmly and safely in their government sinecures, young people like Atkinson are sleeping on couches.

Still, I should let Jordan Atkinson have the last word, since I picked on him a little:

Atkinson continues to look for work and plans to return to College of Marin in the fall. Meanwhile, he tries to stay upbeat and focus on the future.

"I do worry sometimes. It's tough when you don't know where you're going to sleep at night," he said. "But I know I'll be OK. The economy's hit rock bottom, not me."

That's the spirit! Go get' em, tiger!