Dude

The Trouble With Child Labor Laws

Inside Catholic has a great article on the antiquated child labor laws.

Let's say you want your computer fixed or your software explained. You can shell out big bucks to the Geek Squad, or you can ask -- but you can't hire -- a typical teenager, or even a pre-teen. Their experience with computers and the online world is vastly superior to most people over the age of 30. From the point of view of online technology, it is the young who rule. And yet they are professionally powerless: They are forbidden by law from earning wages from their expertise.

Might these folks have something to offer the workplace? And might the young benefit from a bit of early work experience, too? Perhaps -- but we'll never know, thanks to antiquated federal, state, and local laws that make it a crime to hire a kid.

Pop culture accepts these laws as a normal part of national life, a means to forestall a Dickensian nightmare of sweat shops and the capitalist exploitation of children. It's time we rid ourselves of images of children tied to rug looms in the developing world. The kids I'm talking about are one of the most courted of all consumer sectors. Society wants them to consume, but law forbids them to produce.

You might be surprised to know that the laws against "child labor" do not date from the 18th century. Indeed, the national law against child labor didn't pass until the Great Depression-- in 1938, with the Fair Labor Standards Act. It was the same law that gave us a minimum wage and defined what constitutes full-time and part-time work. It was a handy way to raise wages and lower the unemployment rate: simply define whole sectors of the potential workforce as unemployable.

You can read the rest of the article here. I found the piece to be even more enlightening considering that a a school in Georgia is now paying students to study!

“Jane Roe” Endorses Ron Paul

Guess who just got the endorsement from the most famous ex-pro-abort around? Thats right, Dr. Ron Paul! Norma McCorvey, who was Jane Roe in the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision thirty-five years ago today, officially endorsed the candidicy of Ron Paul for president.

“I support Ron Paul for president because we share the same goal, that of overturning Roe v Wade. Ron Paul doesn’t just talk about being pro-life, he acts on it. His voting record truly is impeccable and he undoubtedly understands our constitutional republic and the inalienable right to life for all. Ron Paul is the prime author of H.R. 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v. Wade. As the signor of the affidavit that legalized abortion 35 years ago I appreciate Ron Paul’s action to restore protection for the unborn. Ron Paul has also authored H.R. 1094 in Congress, which seeks to define life as beginning at conception. He has never wavered on the issue of being pro-life and has a voting record to prove it. He understands the importance of civil liberties for all, including the unborn.

“After taking all of the presidential candidates into consideration, it is obvious that Ron Paul is the only one that doesn’t just talk the talk. For this reason and those stated above, I am publicly endorsing Ron Paul for president.”

Read the full press release here.

Roe V. Wade & the March for Life

Today marks the 35th Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s tragic Roe v. Wade decision, legalizing abortion in all 50 States. Over the course of the last 35 years, more than 48 million innocent children have been aborted in the U.S. alone. Every January 22nd since that infamous date in 1973, pro-lifers from across the nation converge on Washington, D.C. to march in solidarity with one another and to stand up for the most defenseless among us, the unborn.
Although the media will either blatently ignore the scores of people converging on our nations capital, or brush over it so lightly that it appears to be a small event, the truth is that every year over 100,000 people will make the treak to D.C. in order to make a stand for life. This is the second year that I am unable to attend, however, I am there in spirit. Check out these photos from the rally and march last year.

Sammy Adams Quote

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."

-Samuel Adams

Don't Castrate My Decor!

And I always thought rubber balls were just plain hilarious, if not in questionable taste. When will the absurdity stop?

Thought of the Day

"It's hard to get a man to understand something when his salary
depends on him not understanding it."

-Upton Sinclair

Photo of the Day - Weird!

Apparently this guy hasn't actually been guillotined, the picture was taken using a large mirror with a hole to put your head through. The camera is focused on just the mirror. Simple, who doesn't have a huge mirror with a hole in it laying around the house?

Hat Tip: WallStreet Fighter

Electibility

Ron Paul Toolbar

What a great idea this is!

My Kind of Phone!

Hat Tip: Jeremy's Status Message

Quote for the Day

"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-James Madison

Ron Paul Mag

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