Child labor is "accountability" and "opportunity"

For those who missed it, the author of the WaPo piece in the OP was on Amanpour tonight. He ticked off the reasons for the popularity of child labor, some of which have been mentioned in the thread above: kids don’t unionize, kids don’t push back to authority (in general), kids don’t know what their rights as employees are, kids don’t understand what is dangerous.

I would add a few more. I have, with tongue somewhat in cheek, floated various schemes to force retirees back into the workforce: impose a work requirement for able bodied Medicare recipients, make SS disability only, so able bodied people don’t get the pension they paid for. Other things that would make a “JC” prefer kids over geezers, besides the geezers being better informed than kids about wage and hour laws and workplace safety, is old folks lose a step, and develop health issues. Kids are faster, more agile, and healthier, than 70+ year-olds, so a “JC” can get more work out of them.

The other thing the reporter did not mention, is that lowering of mandatory education limits would go hand in hand with working kids longer hours. He did say that the changes in child labor are aimed at low income people, primarily, as families in financial distress are more likely to want their spawn to work, but, having to get some sleep, and time for homework, would cut in to the hours a kid could work, if he is also going to school.

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Yep. The purpose of the right wing attacks on education is to increase the number of uninformed voters for them to manipulate.

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The problem with that statement is simple: Kids will vote for them to get whatever they can manage to support as a group–and there will be far more kids voting FOR such stuff than against.

More on this out today: Kids could fill labor shortages, even in bars, if these lawmakers succeed | AP News

Bringing more children into the labor market is, of course, not the only way to solve the problem. Economists point to several other strategies the country can employ to alleviate the labor crunch without asking kids to work more hours or in dangerous settings.

The most obvious is encouraging immigration, which is politically divisive, but which has been a cornerstone of the country’s ability to grow for years in the face of an aging population. Other strategies could include incentivizing older workers to delay retirement, expanding opportunities for formerly incarcerated people and making child-care more affordable, so that parents have greater flexibility to work.

In Wisconsin, lawmakers are backing a proposal to allow 14-year-olds to serve alcohol in bars and restaurants.

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Some of the alternatives are not practicable in Shiny-land.

Immigration is off the table, because, as one “thought leader” whined, immigrants to the US are not from Norway.

Olds phartz aren’t that desirable, because they don’t have the strength, speed, and agility of teenagers, nor the robust health. Who wants an old phart that keels over after you have worked him 7 day, 80 hour weeks, for months on end? A kid can endure that sort of schedule much better.

The Shiny faction is pushing to have food stamp and Medicaid recipients forced to work/work more, for their subsidies.

Hire ex-cons? Employee theft is already a rampant problem. Why add to it by hiring people who have already demonstrated a willingness to steal?

Kids are a much better choice. Especially the ones from “traditional family values” homes, that have already been whipped into submission by their parents.

Steve

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