I am an older gay guy in a long-term wonderful relationship. My spouse and I are in our 36th year together. I love politics and news. I enjoy civil discussions and have no taboo subjects. My pronouns are he / him / his and my email is Scottiestoybox@gmail.com
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6 thoughts on “Childhood should be for children to play and learn, not work and earn”
I remember during the Red Wave and W’s admin, it was widely discussed that the Republican majority wanted to loosen child labor regs. My kid was a kid then, and we were at the library often. One time we found a book called “Kids At Work,” and he was interested because of a photo of a barefoot boy in a room that even a 4 year old could tell that boots ought to be required. We read that. Later, when our Republican US Rep began discussing loosening regs and MoveOn had a big ad campaign about it, the kid was confused, because of course some of what they were discussing was against the law, and he knew it. At 5. Needless to say, it’s taken them from then until now to get things going-remember when Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law in AR to loosen regs, not caring that part of it violated then-federal law?-but, yes, they want to go back to the 1910s-30s, for sure.
Although I agree that capitalism has been corrupted and was never sustainable as a decent system, I don’t believe that all capitalists want labor regs lifted. That ought to be said. If they all felt like that, we’d have never gotten the regs to begin with. It’s just that many people don’t believe that those regs can go away, even as they do go away.
This is true. And many families will not turn the kids into actual slaves; they work side-by-side and the kids still attend school, do their homework, play sports, etc. So the regs don’t affect those families, because they already regulate. And the law stands in to make sure that things like a combine overturning on an 8 year old driver don’t happen, in case someone is tempted.
Hi Ali. I do agree it is not all capitalists or the upper incomes that want child labor. But getting child labor laws along with the other caps on what employeers could force workers to do was a very hard faught fight. My understanding is it took a lot of blood and suffering from workers willing to face bullets to stand up for some rights. I agree your son is exceptional to understand what he did at such a young age and I believe that is because of the guidance of his mother. I do remember recently the loosening of child labor laws in Arkansas and if I remember right a lot of it had to do with slaughter houses and other companies that used illegal underage workers did not want a paper trail that would show they knew what they were doing. They prefered to be able to shrug their shoulders and say they had no idea that 12 year old immigrant was not an 18 year old worker with a green card. Hugs
Hi M. I agree. Sadly it is happening again in the US as the upper incomes try desperately to return the US to the pre1920s gilded age where businesses ran the country and the government had no power to restrain them. If the current SCOTUS has its way they will do all they can to help accomplish this. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 
I remember during the Red Wave and W’s admin, it was widely discussed that the Republican majority wanted to loosen child labor regs. My kid was a kid then, and we were at the library often. One time we found a book called “Kids At Work,” and he was interested because of a photo of a barefoot boy in a room that even a 4 year old could tell that boots ought to be required. We read that. Later, when our Republican US Rep began discussing loosening regs and MoveOn had a big ad campaign about it, the kid was confused, because of course some of what they were discussing was against the law, and he knew it. At 5. Needless to say, it’s taken them from then until now to get things going-remember when Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law in AR to loosen regs, not caring that part of it violated then-federal law?-but, yes, they want to go back to the 1910s-30s, for sure.
Although I agree that capitalism has been corrupted and was never sustainable as a decent system, I don’t believe that all capitalists want labor regs lifted. That ought to be said. If they all felt like that, we’d have never gotten the regs to begin with. It’s just that many people don’t believe that those regs can go away, even as they do go away.
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it’s one thing to work for your family on a farm, or in a family business. yes,it can be hard work, but you’re not at the mercy of strangers.
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This is true. And many families will not turn the kids into actual slaves; they work side-by-side and the kids still attend school, do their homework, play sports, etc. So the regs don’t affect those families, because they already regulate. And the law stands in to make sure that things like a combine overturning on an 8 year old driver don’t happen, in case someone is tempted.
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Hi Ali. I do agree it is not all capitalists or the upper incomes that want child labor. But getting child labor laws along with the other caps on what employeers could force workers to do was a very hard faught fight. My understanding is it took a lot of blood and suffering from workers willing to face bullets to stand up for some rights. I agree your son is exceptional to understand what he did at such a young age and I believe that is because of the guidance of his mother. I do remember recently the loosening of child labor laws in Arkansas and if I remember right a lot of it had to do with slaughter houses and other companies that used illegal underage workers did not want a paper trail that would show they knew what they were doing. They prefered to be able to shrug their shoulders and say they had no idea that 12 year old immigrant was not an 18 year old worker with a green card. Hugs
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That sickens me
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Hi M. I agree. Sadly it is happening again in the US as the upper incomes try desperately to return the US to the pre1920s gilded age where businesses ran the country and the government had no power to restrain them. If the current SCOTUS has its way they will do all they can to help accomplish this. Hugs
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