Youth unemployment is above 70 percent. Jobs that used to go to teenagers are being taken by retirees and stay-at-home moms reentering the workplace, or eliminated entirely due to the recession.

This is a critical problem because young people who don't work show lower rates of employment later in life. Without youth employment, we risk our future labor force. 

Creating a youth stimulus program will stimulate spending, curb violence on our streets and help create a generation of skilled, motivated workers.

Last year's stimulus bill authorized over a billion dollars for youth summer jobs, and Congress recently considered continuing and expanding that coverage. An amendment to the Senate jobs bill would have put $1.3 billion towards summer jobs and another $1.3 billion toward year-round opportunities. But that amendment was recently struck down.

Tell your representatives to pass a stimulus bill for teenagers to create a new TARP - Teen Age Relief Program.

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