It's clear capitalism isn't working when US politicians try to bring back child labor
Back in the good old days American children didnt sit around playing video games, making TikToks, and bingeing Netflix. They worked long hours in factories and sweatshops; they knew the value of hard graft. They didnt take sick days either, they just died of diphtheria. It was a simpler time.
Some US politicians, it would seem, are trying their best to return the country to a golden era of loose labour laws. The Wisconsin senate recently approved a bill that expands the working day for minors, allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 11 pm on non-school nights. Must be fun being a child in Wisconsin! Not only do adults want to take away your free time, they also want to take away your free food. Over the summer school board members in the Waukesha school district made headlines after they voted to leave a federal free meals program because they worried it made it easy for families to become spoiled or develop an addiction to the service. Imagine if kids became addicted to the government ensuring they didnt starve, eh? They might not be so keen to work for peanuts until 11 at night. Then you might have to start paying adults a living wage and the whole system would fall apart!
As Im sure you are aware, the United States along with much of the world is facing a dramatic labour shortage amid what has been termed the Great Resignation. Earlier this month the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that an unprecedented 2.9% of the workforce, about 4.3 million people, quit their jobs in August. Republicans have been doing their best to starve people back into the low-paid jobs that keep the economy running by cutting off pandemic unemployment benefits, but that hasnt immediately solved the issue. So some bright sparks have been turning to child labour instead. Over the summer New Jersey passed legislation temporarily increasing the number of hours that kids aged 16-18 are able to work. Meanwhile, fast-food chains across the US have ramped up their efforts to recruit kids. Last month a McDonalds in Oregon sparked headlines after it put out a banner urging 14- and 15-year-olds to apply.
Theres obviously nothing wrong with teenagers getting summer jobs. But there is something very, very wrong with a system that would rather recruit more kids into the workforce instead of paying better wages and providing more benefits to adults. Theres something very wrong with a system where billionaires have seen their net worth balloon during the worst public health crisis in recent memory and politicians seemingly have no desire to make them pay their fair share in taxes. Theres something very wrong with a system where minimum wage isnt enough to afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere in the US. And, increasingly, people arent putting up with all this any more. Theyre not swallowing the lie that if they just buckle down and work hard, they can achieve the American dream. Theyre not quietly getting on with it, theyre organising: the past year has seen a wave of labour uprisings across America. Meanwhile, socialism (once an incredibly dirty word in the US) has been gaining popularity among young Americans. And that last bit should surprise no one. If politicians are trying to bring back child labour to plug labour shortages then I think its pretty clear that capitalism isnt working.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/its-clear-capitalism-isnt-working-when-us-politicians-try-to-bring-back-child-labor/ar-AAQ80CC
Ka-Dinh Oy
(11,686 posts)Any age with a teen on the end should be working.
Am I the only one who thinks this is somewhat mixed with forced births?
Future stock for low wages.
EmmaLee E
(170 posts)For, of course, the forced births will all be in the low income levels.
The wealthier can always take a vacation abroad when needed/desired.
appalachiablue
(41,131 posts)Retired Engineer Bob
(759 posts)(if necessary)