Madness: Right-Wingers Are Serious About Trying to Undermine Child Labor Laws

[upstatecajun]

The fact that we're debating the social benefits of child labor laws in the second decade of the 21st century casts the madness that's gripped our right-wing in sharp relief. It took a hard-fought, century-long battle to get compliant kids working for slave-wages out of American workplaces, and that battle was supposedly won 73 years ago during the New Deal.


But according to Ian Milhiser, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas 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” in three separate decisions. In January, Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, said that children's employment was a states' rights issue, and their regulation by the federal government is unconstitutional. Milhiser noted that “many GOP elected officials have embraced rhetoric suggesting” that they agree, but have stopped short of coming out and saying as much.

http://www.alternet.org/story/150709/madness%3A_right-wingers_are_serious_about_trying_to_undermine_child_labor_laws/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. And they're fighting for childrens' right to work.

Their constitutional right to choose hard, dangerous, menial labor over public education is being violated.

[fasttense]

2. Just think of all those kids in Foster homes and orphanages working at 50 cents an hour.

What a huge untapped CHEAP labor force.

10 year old girls could pick fruits and vegetables. 12 year old boys could run combines and agriculture equipment. How cute would it be to be served fries at McDonald's by a 5 year old? And all those lovely little girls, I'm sure some enterprising RepubliCON could think up a use for them, especially if they have them working as maids in hotels already.

:sarcasm:

I'm sure the general pedophile population is just drooling over the prospects of these new laws.

[Turbineguy]

3. What else to do

with all those kids after the schools have been closed to them?

[ikri]

4. Well you have to stay competative!

If 3rd-world countries are using child labour to produce cheap goods then the US must follow suit or face being left behind!

Besides which, do you know how hard it is to get your chimney swept these days? Nothing cleans that soot out as well as a malnourished 7 year old.

[highplainsdem]

5. Their ultimate goal is getting rid of minimum-wage laws for adults. In Maine they want a "starting"

wage for teenagers that's a couple of dollars less than the minimum wage. As soon as that's in effect and adults lose those jobs to teenagers, there will be pressure to lower the minimum wage to the same level, or get rid of it entirely.

[madrchsod]

6. i`m rereading the book that started the child labor reform in the LAST century....

"Children in Bondage"

edwin markham
ben b lindsey
george creel

copyright---1914

"childhood is sacrificed daily that profit may flow

from every turn of a mill-wheel"

in 1900 close to 2 million children were employed in wage earning occupations. this led to the national child labor committee.

111 years ago child labor was an accepted practice in this country. and now the forces of evil wish to sacrifice children for profit.


isn`t that why we buy child labor goods made in third world countries so we can maintain our crumbling middle class in the usa?

"none of us are free if one of us are chained"

[demosincebirth]

7. "states rights issue?" So was slavery, if I remember may history.

[kestrel91316]

8. There are no child labor protections in the Old Testament. The sooner

people realize that THIS is why the RW doesn't like or want them, the better off we'll all be.

People continue to misunderstand the RW's true motives and underestimate their determination. The RW is controlled by DOMINIONISTS/CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTIONISTS.

[fascisthunter]

9. maybe their kids should be forced to work first