The Lack of Labor Rights for Minors in US (15-17)

[TheMaroon]

To get to the point, I am trying to get my independence, and to live on my own. However, the Illinois state labor laws concerning minors, inadvertently prevents me from obtaining a job with witch I could support myself. Along with that the lack of free education to those over the age of 18 causes unemployment for minors.

I'll start with the labor laws.
According to the labor laws for Illinois, I cannot work a job for more than 20-23 hours a week, depending on you physical ability. So if I were to gain independence from my parents at my age, I couldn't support myself. Even when the work week is extended during the summer (June 1-Labor Day), I wouldn't make enough money, or at least not on minimum wage in Illinois ($8.25/hr).
Now say I knocked up some girl, and I choose to do the right thing and man up, to take care of it. In Illinois I can drop out of high school at 16 and get my GED rather quickly. However, the cheapest apartment at the moment is 475.78 a month, not including water or utilities. So I'll do this in the summer for more money, I'm making 330 dollars a week. That isn't bad, but after you remove the 15% income tax (10% federal 5%state) I am down to 280.48, also not to bad, it's about 841.44/month. However after rent, car insurance, utilities, groceries, and the child. After all that your barely making it by, and that's all if the hospital bills are payed off.

Secondly is the difficult job market minors are faced with.
Due to the poor state of income equality, people are becoming poorer and poorer in America due to the wealth becoming more and more unequally distributed. So, with the lower class becoming more dominant, more people can't afford college, if they can't afford college then they get any job they can get and stay there(College provided by the state is another issue, I might come back to it later.). The jobs they are taking, are traditionally held by people who are 15-23, jobs like: Fast Food, Cashiers, Clerks, and Baggers. So this leaves the teens who, may or may not really need the jobs with nothing at all.
Part of the problem is that some people are also too proud to accept any form of handout, things like government aid (which will get you free college), or even JOB CORP. There are options, another option is to join the military, they will pay for college and help you get a job after your service is up. All of this ultimately resulting in a lack of jobs for minors, which results in a lack of work history, which if you don't have work history, it's hard to get any better jobs, resulting in the diminishment of the American Working-Class.

(don't know how to end this so... the end)


EL FIN

[Decolonize The Left]

A couple things:
1) 20 hrs a week at $8.25/hr is $165/week and $660/month. So let's say that that's your starting income.
2) You will pay tax on that but that's only about 8k/year in income which means you'll get almost all your taxes back in your refund.
3) Getting independent from your parents doesn't necessarily mean renting an apartment. You'd be much better off renting a room in a house which will almost assuredly cost much less.
4) Look into working under-the-table which means you're paid in cash and that transaction is not reported to the IRS.
5) You said "Now say I knocked up some girl"... is this something you're planning on doing? If not, then you should engage in safe sex and be responsible both to yourself and your partner.
6) Also, "doing the right thing and manning up" doesn't mean that your partner has a child. The right thing is whatever she decides to do and manning up simply means respecting her decision and supporting her in it and through it.
7) Are you in school? How will your parents respond to you leaving?

[Decolonize The Left]

A couple things:
1) 20 hrs a week at $8.25/hr is $165/week and $660/month. So let's say that that's your starting income.
2) You will pay tax on that but that's only about 8k/year in income which means you'll get almost all your taxes back in your refund.
3) Getting independent from your parents doesn't necessarily mean renting an apartment. You'd be much better off renting a room in a house which will almost assuredly cost much less.
4) Look into working under-the-table which means you're paid in cash and that transaction is not reported to the IRS.
5) You said "Now say I knocked up some girl"... is this something you're planning on doing? If not, then you should engage in safe sex and be responsible both to yourself and your partner.
6) Also, "doing the right thing and manning up" doesn't mean that your partner has a child. The right thing is whatever she decides to do and manning up simply means respecting her decision and supporting her in it and through it.
7) Are you in school? How will your parents respond to you leaving?

[TheMaroon]

It was all a what if (the fist half anyway), I would respect her decision but I meant if she had the baby. As for independence, I know for my self, that if I'd I impregnated a girl and dropped out, I would have to move out. I do know someone who has had this problem, he ended up moving in with a friend.

Thanks for reading and responding, it was just the ramblings of an unemplyed and frustrated 16 y/o.

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Emancipation confers new rights, for instance a 16 year old cannot sign a contract, however an emancipated 16 year old can. The laws are going vary by state but it would not be realistic for someone to live off 20 hours per week, so it seems reasonable that an emancipated minor would have a waiver or permit that would allow them to work more than that, I would look into that if it's something you're actually interested in. Emancipation is a big deal, read up on it before you say something about it to your parents and start a fight for something you may not really want.