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Months ago the White House launched -- summer jobs initiative urging businesses and nonprofits and government to get together and work together.
-- higher at least 250000.
Teenagers this summer.
The effort doesn't appear to be working out so well.
In fact new figures from the National Center for Education Statistics show teen -- this summer faced a dismal job market.
The number of employed high schoolers as if the lowest level back and more than two decades back in 1990.
And these numbers are terror.
32%.
32%.
Of high school students.
Held jobs compared to now.
16%.
And among the most difficult places for teens find a job Washington DC.
California South Carolina Rhode Island.
But it's not just high school students of course back in 2052%.
A full time.
I -- -- students were working back into -- 52%.
Of -- -- a number -- falling to 40% now.
And some 23 Americans.
2.3 million Americans obviously are still unemployed.
Underemployed or given up looking for work.
So it's no wonder that increasingly critics are questioning the State Department program you may not -- heard about.
This is an Obama program.
Designed to bring in in the midst of all of this.
100000.
Foreign college students.
To the United States every summer to find jobs so in addition to these desperate straits.
Did brilliant idea on the part of this State Department and this administration.
Is to bring in a 100000.
-- 100000.
Foreign students.
While we have 250000.
Students as the objective for the administration -- -- -- Which just isn't happening as you can say.
The administration doesn't appear ready to eliminate that program by the way either.
Earlier this month they announced new protections for foreign workers banning them from jobs that could be harmful like manufacturing.
And construction limiting them to -- seasonal work like.
Being a like car.
That program by the way is aimed at creating goodwill abroad of course.
Would love to bring you some good news to kick start your holiday weekend but it just gets worse not only are high school students working blasts.
Many of them are not graduating in -- graduation rates fell from 1990.
To 2008.
From 1990.
To 2008.
Graduation rates.
Fell in 20.
States.
It's just about half.
Of Hispanic kids from high school her dropping allies were just about half a blanket and I school are dropping out of high school.
And were worried about goodwill abroad.
This administration is.
The declines were significant in the western part of the country of course New Mexico by the -- from more than 5% -- students graduate.
Over that period Wyoming a 6% decline Nevada a stunning twenty almost it almost 27% drop.
-- -- 21% drop in graduation rates.
So what do you think.
-- if there -- every time to think back to those expressions that you may have heard growing up this country's going to hell on hand basket.
Quite literally for a number of our young people they are.
And we're responsible for permitting that to happen we've got to change its.