Member-only story
Child Labor was a pernicious black mark in the history of the United States and England. The industrial revolution that brought factories also brought small machines that children could climb around in, and maybe lose an arm or a hand and this was considered an acceptable loss.[i] Read your Dickens and consider where all the crippled beggars came from.[ii]
But that was a long time ago right. Practically the dark ages. It wouldn’t happen now, we know better you say, just like we would never put kids in cages or once again have concentration camps.[iii] (You might call them detention centers at the border but that is either sophistry, self-deception or flat out lying and I’m not here for it.)
And just like the first two deviations towards reenacting our worst history, child labor is being brought back by the GOP.[iv] In 2010 there was a massive shift in control of the state legislatures into GOP hands. And shortly thereafter regulatory agencies budgets were cut, and understaffed agencies cannot respond to complaints about labor violations. Thus, even when child labor is still against the law and reported, enforcement is spotty.[v] Missouri, Alabama and Iowa all either repealed law against or pass laws favoring child labor.
That’s at the state level. What about the GOP when they had charge of the senate, the house of representatives and the commissar in chief in the White House? Well sure enough Trump said he wanted to roll back federal protections against Child Labor…because of course he did.[vi] Who…
