It’s bad enough that the state where I was born and raised elected a full-blown teabaggy idiot for a governor. But now Maine legislators are trying to ease up on those pesky child labor laws:
But under a new piece of legislation introduced in the state’s House of Representatives, employers would be able to pay anyone under the age of 20 as little as $5.25 an hour for their first 180 days on the job.
The bill, LD 1346, also eliminates the maximum number of hours a minor 16 years of age or older can work on a school day and allows a minor under the age of 16 to work up to four hours on a school day during hours when school is not in session.
In totally unrelated news, Maine’s high school dropout rate is floating just below 20%. I’m sure loosening child labor laws will help with that.
The way to combat our high unemployment is add more people to compete for those jobs! Genius!
Further proof that the GOP considers the age of robber barons to be the pinnacle of American Civilization, and can’t wait to return us to that era. Forward, to the 19th Century and beyond!
Where are you from in Maine, Paul?
@2
I don’t think they want us to go back there so much as they want us to be divided into castle owners and grass shack owners.
@4
Grass shack renters.
@5 the correct term for Grass shack renters is either Serfs or Peons.
But Servants will do nicely, if you want.
I make it a point to mention this every time our dimwit Governor Paul LePage’s name comes up: he was elected with 38% of the vote, and only beat his closest opponent by 1%. In no way does he represent the majority of Maine residents, and the frustration here (at least in southern Maine) is palpable.
@2, screw the era of the Robber Barons….BRING ON THE DARK AGES!!! The return to serfdom!!!!! And absolutist rule of the church and the super rich!! 800 A.D…HERE WE COME!!
I’m so glad that while kids in other countries are studying stupid, irrelevant things like math and science American kids are dutifully flipping burgers so they can pay for their cars. Way to go, ‘Merka!
The GOP is all about jobs. But it’s not all about pay.
When the GOP said they’d create more jobs, you-all weren’t crazy enough to believe they meant ones people could actually LIVE on, were you?
I would like to defend my state in saying that only 38% of Mainers actually voted for LePage. The other 62% were split between two more liberal candidates (the Democratic nominee and an Independent who nearly won). LePage is disliked by the majority of people in this state and it’s growing daily. This bill in particular has people seriously riled up, including many of the Republicans I know (remember this is Maine, many Republicans here are more like Senator Snowe than LePage).
I’m just thinking that The Onion will be closing down soon. They can’t compete in the Idiotic News category any longer, with the latest crop of Rebumblefucks.