Deb Fischer: “today I rise to call attention to a problem that seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle recently. That issue is our…”

“today I rise to call attention to a problem that seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle recently. That issue is our unemployed and underemployed American youth. On September 14, the Wall Street Journal published a must-read story entitled: ``Wanted: Jobs for the New 'Lost' Generation.'' I would like to read a brief excerpt from that article. Like so many young Americans, Derek Wetherell is stuck. At 23 years old, he has a job, but not a career, and little prospect for advancement. He has tens of thousands of dollars in student debt but no college degree. He says he is more likely to move back in with his parents than to buy a home, and he doesn't know what he will do if his car--a 2001 Chrysler Sebring with well over 100,000 miles--breaks down. ``I'm kind of spinning my wheels,'' Mr. Wetherell says. ``We can wishfully think that eventually it's going to get better, but we really don't know, and that doesn't really help us now.'' Derek Wetherell's experience is hardly unique. It is unfortunately an experience shared by Americans across this Nation, including in my home State of Nebraska. Despite promises of economic recovery, jobs remain scarce, particularly for young people. A quick survey of family members, neighbors, and friends reveals that too many adult children are now living at home, stuck in their parents' proverbial basements.…”