Our Country's unemployment has been high for several years, especially when you include discouraged workers. Our unemployment is highest among teenagers and the unskilled labor force. This unemployment rate is exasperated by the rules and incentives built into our laws.
This noble prize winning economist (Milton Friedman) describes our laws and his idea on the Negative Income Tax.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtpgkX588nM
Milton Friedman’s idea is far better than the system we currently have in place. By replacing welfare, minimum wage, unemployment compensation, and other social programs with a negative income tax we will provide better incentives to work (even at low wages). We will also have less administrative waste while still providing a safety net for people in distress.