GOP Senator: We Need 'Child Labor' To Fight Obesity Epidemic | ThinkProgress
At a recent town hall meeting, Grassley said, re labor department limits on child labor such as for use of heavy equipment and being around pesticides if they are under 16:
“This farm bill will greatly affect our FFA and 4-H programs,” said Grassley. “Kids won’t be able to help on farms not owned by their parents.
“It’s interesting that this child labor bill goes against Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity initiative,” said Grassley. “How can kids be active if they are limited by this law?“
Iowa also produces alot of the high-fructose corn syrup that is contributing to obesity. There are 400,000 children working on farms in this country. When I was a kid in South Dakota, young boys would miss critical parts of elementary school to work on the farm. What happened was that they never advanced economically, and by now alot of their family farms have been taken over by corporations anyway. I myself flagged for a crop plane at age 12 and was sprayed with DDT. I am not going to argue that this benefitted my health or work ethic. That was also many years ago.
Senators ask labor secretary to withdraw ‘misguided’ child farming regulations - TheHill.com - 30 of them - including outgoing Ben Nelson
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