Who doesn't fondly remember when we were kids taking on summer jobs during the lazy hazy crazy days of summer. Summers seemed so long back then, and kids were enlisted for all sorts of jobs to toil away from the end of the school year until the September when school days resumed. It was great for the kids and the economy, not to mention their parents who enjoyed the respite and appreciated that Sally and Johnny were taking on responsibilities in the workforce.

Alas, according to an article in the NY Times last week, since 2000 the share of 16- to 19-year-olds who are working during the summer has plummeted by 40%. The reasons are many.

The summer break is getting shorter, more kids are taking classes during the summer, or buffing their resumes for college applications with community service and internships. But the biggest culprit is a sluggish economy that has students competing for fewer entry level jobs, and for those that are available, adults are muscling them out to remain employed. Even the local Dairy Queen ice cream stand that used to have a couple of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed teens serving up a double dip with sprinkles, is now manned by a very grumpy baby boomer.