Happy Vestober!

Vestober is here! Vestober is not actually a month, but more of a season and a state of mind. I make no secret of the fact that I enjoy wearing vests. And it is that time of year when the first cold fronts sweep away the heat of summer. Vestober can also occur on the opposite end of the year, when warm fronts wipe away the bitter chill of winter. Here in Florida, Vestober can technically last from October to March. Other areas of the nation, Vestober can be a brief but exceptionally comfortable season. It's the perfect weather for enjoying beer outdoors, or golfing in long pants (and vest, of course), or taking a refreshing hike without breaking a sweat. I'd like to issue a personal challenge: Make it a point to wear a vest during each social/recreational occasion where the ambient temperature is between 55 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Common Since: Break out that vest! It's the solution to the age-old problem of warm arms, cold core.

Put Us to Work

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/the_dead_end_kids_AnwaWNOGqsXMuIlGONNX1K

The unemployment rate for Americans aged 16-24 has risen to 53.4%. That figure is appalling, although not too surprising, given the number of people I personally know to have lost their jobs or have had trouble finding new employment. In fact, I often question my own job security.

Even though this cohort includes young people enrolled in high school and college that are not working, it also includes recent college grads (age 22-24) and the unemployment rate is never this high for this age group. The article cites a figure that 6.9 million jobs have been lost among this group. Not only have millions of jobs been lost, but there have been no jobs created for a demographic that typically absorbs new, entry-level jobs.

I have several bones to pick with the allocation of stimulus money and the Federal Government's overall response to this economic crisis. But the most alarming effect has been how young adults have essentially been economically sucker-punched. Recent college graduates are perhaps the most innovative, ambitious, and capable group of workers (or non-workers in this case). On top of this, we are more willing to work for far less of a salary than our more "seasoned" colleagues.

Common Since: Policies that create more jobs for the educated and motivated.

Introduction

Well, the last blog I started failed because 1) nobody read it and 2) I hardly ever posted. I spend enough time nowadays reading and musing on various topics that I figured it's time to give it another go-around. Seel's Common Since is my attempt to inject my "two since" into whichever issue grabs my attention at the moment.

Hopefully this blog is more successful than the last...