perspectives of our young working class

[JCricket]

Hey Folks,
I was wondering if anyone here would care to share their thoughts on the "quality and condition" of our young working class folks. Lets say pre 24 years of age.
I have lots of complaints like anyone else, but I am going to try and offer some objective perspectives.

In the last month I have had to glaring failures. First, I clerk at sears could not calculate 10% of $60 for his life. He had to be early 20's. Last night at a Kroger super market(king Soopers here in Colorado) I had a clerk help me. I REFUSE to use the self checkout lanes. I consider them to be reduction of workforce labor in favor of corporate profits machines. My own personal beef I know.

The clerk told me I needed to use the self-destruct checkout lanes. I refused and told him these lanes cut jobs. His response, oh they do not. They make jobs. A person has to install these and maintain them. I was dumbstruck. I asked if it was any different to install or maintain than the regular checkout. Of course not he said. So the obvious, these lanes remove the need for a checker clerk. His response "Whatever"

I have lots of nieces and nephews. Most of them have not gone to college, or if they did, they waited until their late 20's. I do have a nephew in a small motor mechanic trade school and another attending the School of Mines in Golden studying ME and pyrotechnics.

I think back to when I graduate high school. I wanted to go to college, but I had to find a way to do it on my own. I did. It took me a lot of years to do. I also know those first several years I did nothing but struggle and work menial jobs. However, I was generally regarded as intelligent and ambitious.
The question, are the young workers of today really any different than those form decades past? Or am I just getting old and grouchy?

mark