Maine Republicans seek to loosen child labor laws

The Republican/Tea Party is once again providing all americans with a sneak preview of what's in store for us if we allow them to impose their ideology upon the working people of this nation. At first, I couldn't understand why Governor Paul LePage of Maine found the mural at the DOL building offensive much less, why he would spend good money to take it down.

Well it's perfectly clear to me now, Governor LaPage is not only offended by murals that depict the reasoning behind the institution of child labor laws, he is actually a proponent of the use of child labor by Maine businesses. Furthermore, he is proposing a reduction in their current minimum wage as well as an increase in the allowable number of hours these children can work on school days. Guess it's not hard to tell where his priorities lie when it comes to work vs. education.

I've been a long time proponent of restructuring our minimum wage system in this country and I've even authored a thread on the subject in the past just to see what type of response it would get here on ATS. I've always felt like the current minimum wage of $7.50 per hr. should only apply to those under the age of 18, who are being claimed as a dependent by someone other than themselves. IMO, the minimum wage for anyone claiming themselves as a dependent should be much higher, like somewhere in the range of $12.00 to $14.00 per hr. plus benefits.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Last night, Rachel Maddow ran this segment regarding what's happening in Maine and I think she pretty well hit the nail on the head.


Anyway, here are a few other articles regarding the current situation in Maine;

www.huffingtonpost.com...
www.rawstory.com...
thinkprogress.org...
www.alan.com...

I always thought this was what they meant when they said, "We want to take our country back," but I never thought they would be so overt about it. As it turns out, they actually do want to take it back, back to the days of legalized child labor that is.

I know you need a job but, we've decided to put your children to work instead? Where does the conservative movement in this country find these crazy people and how do they get them elected? It just blows me away that there are even people out there that would actually promote these policies, much less that they were able to drum up enough votes to get elected. Is someone passing out "crazy pills" or what?

Well it's about time someone kept those little, semi-human creatures off of people's lawns (note news from the HOA in FL) and put them back in the factories where they can earn their keep for once! ;-)

There is a difference between being a le to work and being forced to work.

Permitting a human being to earn a wage is not the same as forcing a human being to earn a wage.

I wish I had the opportunity to hold a real job before 15. Paper routes don't cut it.

Kids with parents who own their own businesses can do it. Kids of farmers can do it. Why can't I?

If permitting a child to work if he so wishes is to be compared to slavery then we must conclude that all who have the ability and "right" to work are slaves in kind.


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reply to post by Flatfish


Here is the crazy part....

The new legislation comes after Maine's Republican Governor Paul LePage ordered a 36-foot mural depicting the history of labor movements in Maine to be removed from the state's Department of Labor building.

"I’m trying to send a message to everyone in the state that the state of Maine looks at employees and employers equally, neutrally and on balance," he reportedly said.

Even arch conservatives can see that employers and employees aren't equal. This gives the employers a definite advantage. Working younger people longer and paying them less than min. wage is the "fast food" restaurant owners dream.

The way people react to this type of slavery is....."pretend to pay us and we'll pretend to work"....and we will steal from you and feed our friends for free. How much is a loyal employee worth? From my experience.... a lot!!

In the long run you get what you pay for; apparently the Main GOP isn't aware of this rule that every employer is aware of. I know.... I have employees both salaried and hourly and sometime I use outside contractors. Treat your people fairly and you will prosper. Abuse them and they will be resentful and steal you blind and you won't last long in the very competitive business world.

Reply to post by whaaa

So that's the real reason behind these laws? So that unskilled adults won't have more competition in the job market?

Never thought of it that way.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
There is a difference between being a le to work and being forced to work.

Permitting a human being to earn a wage is not the same as forcing a human being to earn a wage.

I wish I had the opportunity to hold a real job before 15. Paper routes don't cut it.

Kids with parents who own their own businesses can do it. Kids of farmers can do it. Why can't I?

If permitting a child to work if he so wishes is to be compared to slavery then we must conclude that all who have the ability and "right" to work are slaves in kind.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

Even if you wanted to give children the "right to work," why would you reduce their minimum wage? Why should an employer give you a job when he can hire your children for less? Not withstanding everything else that could be said regarding child labor, I think that it has been determined that it's more important that these children concentrate on their education as opposed to working more hours for less money.

My first job was at 13. Detassling corn. Hot, sweaty, miserable work. I wish all kids would do it. They'd appreciate ANY indoor job after that.

Mark my words....

These "working" kids aren't stupid. They will talk among themselves and conspire to make their employers pay in one form or another.

Another blatant example of the GOP letting their ideology get in the way of their common sense.

Originally posted by beezzer
My first job was at 13. Detassling corn. Hot, sweaty, miserable work. I wish all kids would do it. They'd appreciate ANY indoor job after that.

Sounds like it teaches discipline
No seriously that sounds awful, I'm sure you learned to respect laborers though, which many people could do a little bit more it seems like.

My first job was in a cafeteria dish room when I was fifteen, and I made minimum wage ($5.15 USD at the time I think). I learned a lot about how much some jobs can suck and you never hear me complaining at restaurants anymore

reply to post by thisguyrighthere
"If permitting a child to work if he so wishes is to be compared to slavery then we must conclude that all who have the ability and "right" to work are slaves in kind."

" Slaves in kind"...I guess you just had an epiphany didn't you? Congratulations. You are a slave to the system. Children don't know any better and thats why they used to be protected...but not anymore. Is it me or are THEY just in your face with all of this now. Before they used to hide it, but now they don't even care....it's in your face.

Originally posted by beezzer
My first job was at 13. Detassling corn. Hot, sweaty, miserable work. I wish all kids would do it. They'd appreciate ANY indoor job after that.

Yeah, I used to mow and edge yards for $3.50 and that included the back yard too. I used to do ironing for my mom and I got paid 50 cents a piece. There are lots of jobs that kids can perform to earn some extra spending cash but they should not be working till 11:00 p.m. on school nights and furthermore, to cut their minimum wage amounts to nothing more than a windfall for business and a slap in the face to unemployed adults.

This fits in nicely with the GOP's slashing of education. Why bother sending the lower and middle income kids to school, when they can be working the factory floor?

See, if they're not part of the elite and wealthy, then why waste an education on these kids, when they were always destined to be fodder for the factories and grist mills. The GOP rationale is, the sooner we can get them into the coal mines, the sooner they can start paying taxes and supporting our nearly-trillion dollar a year defense budget and billionaire CEOs.

reply to post by beezzer


reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Can't say it better myself ........

(second line)........(burp)............

They cannot take minimum wage to 14$ an hour. This causes older adults to apply for and do jobs that the younger generation needs to pay for school and stuff... such as theatre workers or kiosks in malls.

Clearly this hasn't been thought out.

Originally posted by whaaa
Mark my words....

These "working" kids aren't stupid. They will talk among themselves and conspire to make their employers pay in one form or another.

Another blatant example of the GOP letting their ideology get in the way of their common sense.

edit on 1-4-2011 by whaaa because: tbt

I know that your correct when you say that these kids will make them pay, one way or another. Problem is that when they do, their employer will use this as an excuse to fire them prior to their completion of the 180 day trial period that would normally result in them being granted a pay raise up to the normal adult minimum wage. Or, he might even attempt to prosecute them and have them placed in one of the many "For Profit" private industry prisons springing up all over our country. This is another of the new republican trends you know, filling our prisons with non-violent inmates for profit.

Originally posted by CanadianDream420
They cannot take minimum wage to 14$ an hour. This causes older adults to apply for and do jobs that the younger generation needs to pay for school and stuff... such as theatre workers or kiosks in malls.

Clearly this hasn't been thought out.

What I said was, that once someone becomes their own dependent, they should no longer be paid at the $7.50 per hr. rate but rather somewhere in the $14.00 per hr. rage. If someone is still declared as the dependent of their parents or another legal guardian, then the cost for their "school & stuff" should be born by their parents and/or guardians, hence the term, "dependent." Furthermore, no one is stopping the theatre or kiosk owners from employing minors at the $7.50 wage scale for their businesses. Where is the need to reduce the minimum wage for children?

Reply to post by HUMBLEONE

No epiphany. I was about 11 or 12 when I realized I had to pay the state a tax for the right to exist and had to earn a wage to pay this tax which subjected me to further taxation which required me to earn an ever higher wage until I found a comfortable point of kept income versus state debt.

Earning a wage is a mandate set forth by the state. One can no longer farm or keep a family homestead and live out their days. Life is taxed. Taxes require wages. The requirement of wages creates a large pool of mostly unskilled labor for employers.

As you can imagine I wasn't a very "fun" kid and I'm not a very "fun" adult as popular opinion would define the term.

Living with a gun to your head kind of sucks the fun out of life.


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Originally posted by thisguyrighthere




Living with a gun to your head kind of sucks the fun out of life.

After reading your profile....if there is a gun to your head; it's yours.


Topic...I pay kids at least $10 and hr to work part time for unskilled tasks in my biz. They work hard, don't steal
and are willing to put forth the effort to learn and move up the ladder.

I wonder how many of the elitist GOPs kids will be working at any of these lowpaid slave wages jobs? I'll wager.......none....0....zip

what the hell my first job at minimum wage was at $3.15 and that was just to bag grocercies of course i was 16.

what do you people want paying them $50 and hour to flip burgers not enough fine lets make it $100.

yeah there is a big difference between employers and employees the employer is the person who provides the job who gets the real estate loans and who pays out everything else it takes and it takes a lot to open and keep a business running.

what you people fail to realize is that his costs continue to go up every year and everyday and the more he pays in wages means that he cant hire as means people as they might need.

taxes,regulations,insurances,lawyers,the cost for a safe work enviorment,workers comp, unemployement insurance for pete sake people.

and yes there is a difference between being able to work and forcing someone to work i say anyone who wants to make a buck can and should.

the sooner our youth gets out into the real world and stops being indoctrinated by the liberal education system in this country the better.

people preach about education and such but you look at the number of billionaires in the world who never finished high school and it will suprise you.

yeah an education is a nice thing to have but it takes more than having your heads stuck in books to be successful in this world.

Originally posted by neo96

what you people fail to realize is that his costs continue to go up every year and everyday and the more he pays in wages means that he cant hire as means people as they might need.

taxes,regulations,insurances,lawyers,the cost for a safe work enviorment,workers comp, unemployement insurance for pete sake people.

To hear you tell it, we might as well return to the days of buying and selling slaves because it's just getting too damn expensive to hire free people.

the sooner our youth gets out into the real world and stops being indoctrinated by the liberal education system in this country the better.

people preach about education and such but you look at the number of billionaires in the world who never finished high school and it will suprise you.

yeah an education is a nice thing to have but it takes more than having your heads stuck in books to be successful in this world.

Wow, I can't even believe someone would say that. Who has time for an education when they could be out earning the big bucks? Tell you what, you put your kids into the job market and I'll keep mine in school and we'll see who ends up in the "successful" category when all is said and done. In today's job market, education is more important than ever and on top of that, if you have a banker who makes business loans to uneducated entrepreneurs, well I'd like to meet him.