You're right David T. I didn't mean to give the kid a hard time; he actually writes a pretty decent post for his age.
But really, it sounds to me like the thing has completely lost compression, and it's never going to start if it has. It may fire from time to time, especially with lighter fluid, but it can't really run. Believe me, I know the symptoms. I took three motorcycles and two kids to New Mexico last spring break. I knew that two of the bikes should probably have had a top end rebuild, but I thought they would last one more ride. They didn't. I now am super-sensitive to the sound and feel of a bike that is losing compression.
Monkeymouse, either borrow a compression tester or take the bike to a good dealer; he can tell just by the pressure at the kickstarter whether you have enough compression to run.
Good luck, and keep asking questions until you get the problem solved.