Hoping to close the gap and lay the groundwork for a more rational immigration policy, activists are again pushing for the the DREAM Act, which would broaden educational access for undocumented immigrant students--and again meeting stiff political resistance.

As traditional industries collapse, the consequences of public disinvestment in higher education are becoming desperately clear. Blue-collar manufacturing, long a bulwark for lower-skilled labor, is withering, while the number of people stuck working part-time jobs to scrape by is approaching nine million nationwide.

A recent study by the Urban Institute found that race adds yet another tier of inequality in the low-skill workforce. Among newly hired workers without a college education, white workers earn higher wages on average than Black or Latino workers, and Blacks and Latinos are more likely than whites to be working entry-level jobs. Overall, a greater percentage of whites are working jobs in which a high school education is an important qualification.

One of the worst casualties of the recession could be what's left of the tattered American meritocracy. The losses will be borne by tomorrow's workers—another generation brought up in an economy that siphons opportunity by color and class.

Image: LAEastside.com