Editor, Times-Union:
Just when I thought the extreme right party of whatever they are called these days could not stoop any lower, well, they just keep outdoing themselves. It isn’t enough to try to keep our children from learning real American history —warts and all. It isn’t enough to fortify their schools and scare the bejeezus out of them with active shooter drills beginning at age 3. It isn’t enough to dumb down their education by limiting their book reading choices and their right to learn by questioning. And it isn’t even enough to allow them to be themselves, no matter how those selves develop or how much physical or mental pain and anguish they must endure in order to be accepted — no matter what. Maybe it will be enough now to just put those “puppies” to work.
Florida, Missouri, Minnesota and Georgia are some states whose legislatures have been pushing to loosen child labor laws. By June 2023, Arkansas, Iowa, New Jersey and New Hampshire had enacted legislation that weakened American child labor protections.
“Iowa’s state Senate … approved a bill to allow children aged 14 to work night shifts and those aged 15 … to work on assembly lines.” (Daily Mail)
Arkansas’s new laws eliminate work permits and age verification for workers younger than 16. Way to go, Governor Huckabee Sanders. Did you send your own kiddos out to work?
It has been observed and reported that kids under 18 who work long hours or do strenuous jobs experience a disruption of childhood development. Also, their work hours interfere with their schooling as well as depriving them of much needed sleep.
“Expanding child labor can encourage kids to drop out of school and jeopardize young people’s health through injuries and work-related illnesses.” (Charlie Niebergall/AP)
The Economic Policy Institute in March reported the “number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws nationwide” increased 37% in the last year. Also, this year the Department of Labor officials said in July that “over the past 10 months alone, the DOL’s wage division has concluded 765 cases involving 4,474 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws ... and has seen a 69% increase in child labor violations from 2018 and 2022.”
(My question is why do individual states have the right to ignore federal laws and create their own archaic rules and laws ... especially to the detriment and endangerment of children?)
But the far-right conspiracy junkies have the audacity and ignorance to accuse Dems of child abuse and endangerment? Is the use of child labor how they intend to keep children safe and thus make America great again? Are sweatshops next?
TV personality Joy Reid recently offered a possible slogan for the abusiveness: “Get ‘em born; make ‘em ignorant; put ‘em to work.”
“Suffer the little children ...” (Jesus)
Jeanne Schutz
Winona Lake