Young workers and our future

These are exceptionally painful economic times for the young Americans who will shape our future. Recent academic and labor studies show , as AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka notes, that "young workers across the board are struggling to keep their heads above water and not succeeding. They've put off adulthood - put off having kids, put off education." Consider these findings: * More than one-third of workers under 35 are still living with their parents because they can't afford to live on their own, and only about one-third of those who do live outside their parent's home make enough money to set aside some savings after paying their bills. More than 20 percent are unable to pay their bills on a regular basis. *Another third of the young workers have no health insurance, 80 percent of them because they can't afford it or because their employer doesn't offer it.