WSJ Columnist: Minimum Wage Hike Won’t Help Obama’s Black Youth Outreach

Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley joined WSJ Live host Mary Kissel on Tuesday where he praised President Barack Obama for addressing the crisis of unemployment among African-American youth. He said, however, that he was “skeptical” of just what kinds of programs Obama would propose to address this crisis. Riley noted that school vouchers would provide more black youths with educational opportunities while, for example, a minimum wage hike would only make it harder for employers to hire African-American youths.

Riley began by noting that black unemployment is nearly double the national average. “And it’s 38 percent for black teens, which is double what it is for white teens,” he said. “I’m glad to see the president during his attention to this problem, and it’s been persistent throughout his presidency.”

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Riley said that he was “skeptical,” however, of what Obama might propose. He specifically cited Obama’s proposal to increase the federal minimum wage. “You don’t help young blacks looking for jobs by making it more expensive for business to hire them,” Riley asserted.

“Another problem is his opposition to school choice in the form of school vouchers,” the columnist continued. “Vouchers disproportionately help low-income blacks in terms of graduation rates, in terms of college attendance, and in terms of test scores.”

Riley later chided the Education Department for issuing a directive to public schools to avoid disciplining minority children if they “act out” in class. “It’s not helpful to the kids who go to school to learn,” Riley said.

Watch the clip below via WSJ Live:

[Photo via screen grab ]

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