Happy, Safe, Children at Work
Yes, education and safety are far overrated issues in America. Honestly, a five-year-old has the nimbleness and dexterity to sew in factories, or hold a toothbrush for hours on end to clean the hard to get to spots in the Koch Brothers’ mansions. And let’s face it, it is far easier to get a five year old in the coal mines than a grown person. If right wingers/tea party members like Justice Clarence Thomas get their way, we will soon become a developing third world nation. Thomas, (who shares a brain with Scalia) has:
called for a return to a discredited theory of the Constitution that early twentieth century justices used to declare federal child labor laws unconstitutional.
Yes, you read that correctly! This news will be a delightful tonic to Scott Walker and Paul LePage. We won’t need to worry about pesky unions or teachers if we start forcing children to join the work force for pennies–and just look how famous Oliver Twist became. He should be thankful that he did not go to school! Turning the clock back a hundred years is just what we need–back when black folk new their place, women knew their place, gay folk knew to stay in the closet, and good rich white folk could profit from good hard child labor. Click here to see the full disgusting article.
Tags: child protective rights, Civil Rights, Clarence Thomas, hypocrisy, Racism, Tea party antics, Unions
Oh thank goodness! I’ve been wanting to hire someone to do some domestic work around the house. Grown-ups keep wanting a ‘reasonable wage’ and refuse to clean with harsh chemicals because it’s ‘deadly’ and ’causes cancer.’ A 3 or 4 year old could even climb up the chimney and get those hard to reach places!
I’m so glad we are of one mind on this issue!
My last comment for a while I promise.
I really don’t know what to say on this issue. I was taken out of school and started work by the time I was 13. I worked in foundries, welding shops and cement plants. A ten hour day was not a foreign concept. I can’t really say this screwed me over in any way as far as education went as I passed my GED and went on to finish trade school with an Associates. We always lied about my age to get to the jobs but for the most part nary an eyebrow was raised in question on whether I should be working or not. Now, I’m not saying anything in the positive for the issue but in my case it wasn’t a bad thing. And this didn’t occur in days gone past either, I started working back as a kid in 1998.
You must never feel censored to comment, regardless if we don’t agree! Did you have a voice when you started working at 13? There is so much time to work and be an adult, I should hate to see young people exploited for cheaper wages.
I wouldn’t say I didn’t have a voice but in my family kids were there to help with the work. That is often how it is on ranches and farms. There is too much to do for just the adults therefor the munchkins were conscripted. And fair wages weren’t a problem. I started at $8 an hour and by the time I was sixteen I made $15 an hour. I worked my ass off but I received a more than fair wage. I’m of the opinion that work is a good thing regardless of age but the traditional concept of child labor was never a good thing. Kids were generally used and abused for the most part.
And thus we need the current laws in place to protect children from being abused and exploited for cheap labor.