A proposed Florida law seeking to roll back restrictions on teenage labor was drafted by a far-right conservative think tank pushing similar efforts nationwide
A new measure in Florida aims to allow 16-year-old kids to drop out of school and work full time.
An amendment to HB 49 — offered by the bill’s author, state Rep. Linda Chaney ® — would eliminate laws that prevent 16 and 17-year-olds from working more than 30 hours a week, impose 8-hour workday restrictions, and guarantee mandated breaks every four hours.
The bill, introduced in September and now under review by the Florida House Regulatory Reform and Economic Development Subcommittee, would relegate 16 and 17-year-olds to virtually the same status as an employee who is over 18 years of age — provided that the teens have either formally dropped out of school or are taking classes online or at home. Furthermore, the bill would also severely curtail local municipalities’ ability to implement their own provisions to combat the workplace exploitation of minors.
Now if only they could go after environmental laws too so we can go back to the good old days.
The great William Blake even wrote a poem immortalizing the joys of children working as chimney sweepers, and now we deny them of that.
Through hard labour and faith in Christianity, the children can reach their ultimate reward.
“the children yearn for the mines”
A good pat on the head for a job well done.
In the poem it’s a black coffin and green fields in heaven.
If you pay them it will only make it harder for them to get into heaven, and who would want to deprive the children of their best chances of eternal joy?
Silicosis, dismemberment, Death. Death like symptoms?
Thanks for introducing me to that poem. Really drives home how you can make child labour sound positive, while driving home biting critisim “dont worry, you and your friends will soon be dead after a brutal short life, but HEAVEN!!!”
I read a bunch of his poems growing up, but that one has always stuck with me.
The ending feels as true now as then, there’re so many situations where people dismiss the suffering of others as “gods plan” when none of it has to happen.