Child labor laws? We don't need no stinkin' child labor laws!

[mjncad]

I emailed the video of the 5-year old operating the loader to a number of friends, and one replied back with the following observation, which is a valid point.

"I like it, a kid there having fun, developing a skill and contributing to his local economy, versus a knuckledragger here collecting food stamps, dealing crack in the hood and showing up at your place to shop?

Constructive vs. destructive....... "

[Qapla]

My only criticism of the video is that he needs to learn to drive forward with the bucket a bit lower and raise it when he is near to the dump. Other than that, great job and a good learning experience.

I would also gather that the person filming the video was riding with him during part of that. I doubt the 5 year old "does this for a living", he is probably just having fun with his Dad in a society that does not litigate everything that is done.

[Heywood Jannockitov]

He's not using his rear view mirrors, ...oh, wait there aren't any, and he isn't looking where he is going when backing up. At 3:20 he backs into that dump body and whacks it!! Funny how he has to reach back for the loader controls. When he gets big enough to sit in the seat it will probably seem weird to him.

[tjflicek]

Kids today dont work to fix, repair, operate anything other than a computer. Run it till it breaks, get new one. Even if a kid wants to learn something like the little boy on the loader, IF neighbors saw your child doing something like that the cops would be on you before the diesel smoke cleared. Some of the child protection services are good but just like any law it can be abused by the powers of office. Look at the Chinese economy vs ours and tell me that we are better off now with our laws than we were 50 years ago.

You paint todays youth with to broad of a brush. I see many kids today doing much more than sitting in front of a computer. Don't blame the youth of today for not having the skills to fix something or interests beyond computers or video games, put the blame where it lies, with their parents. Just because some parents are willing to put their parenting obligations in neutral when their kids are occupied with games or videos doesn't mean they all are.

All I have to do to see proof of this is take a quick drive around this area and see young people working on snowmobiles,4 wheelers, old cars, even restoring old tractors. I know kids around here that raise calves for 4H, chickens,rabbits, whatever. I know kids that are involved in hunting, fishing, high school rodeo, mutton busting and all sorts of other worthwhile pursuits. Kids involved in boy scouts, girl scouts, church youth groups and the like. What is the common denominator? Parental Involvement.

Lots of kids today have plenty of drive and ambition. On occasion one will stop by and ask if I have any farm work they can do. The last one rode up on her horse and wanted to know if she could clean my barn, I said no and she rode off, I thought if she had enough gumption to ride into a strangers yard like that and ask for work she deserved a chance, I chased her down and gave her a couple days work and she did a good job. Our local game wardens young son and daughter 9&11 have come by the last two years to trap gophers for me.

I would venture to say that more than a few TBN parents and grandparents would agree that some kids are eager to help out and willing to learn. Go to any threshing show, antique tractor or logging show and look around, there are lots of kids participating and engaged in the activities. I've seen a lot of young folks at these events driving tractors in parades, driving tractors pulling people movers, helping at the sawmill, driving teams of horses pulling bundle wagons etc. and I don't recall seeing any cops trying to put a stop to it.

Do you really think that adopting the child labor laws of Communist China, a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world, not to mention pollution, is the solution to our economies woes?

Why don't we go all the way and adopt their views on how many children we can have? Less kids would mean less lazy kids. Lets adopt their views on gun ownership also, fewer guns fewer murders. Religion also less religion fewer corrupt televangelists right ?

The reason we were better off 50 years ago is because dummies like you and I hadn't yet started buying
cheap imported crap yet in mass quantities.

How do we stop this? I don't have a clue, the horse is out of the barn and we can't shut that door and expect it to do any good, but I do know that putting the blame on labor laws and advocating going backwards isn't the answer.

[pat32rf]

We have had so many new rules and "licenses" in the past 20 years that I couldn't legally return to any of my former jobs, even if I wanted. And my son who was just laid off after 12 years at his work would have to return to school so he could get the letters behind his name to get the same job with another company. They don't want the liability of him working without those "letters"...