Tom Sawyer's Friend:

...the Washington, D.C. bureaucrat.
The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families’ land. 
Under the rules, children under 18 could no longer work “in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials.”
That means "no milking the cows," as well as "no picking the corn," and "no carrying bales of corn that I picked," and "no going to the farmers' market on Sunday, in the hope that your smiling face might charm someone into buying our tomatoes."  

It also means "No more 4-H" and "No more Future Farmers of America."

You can probably still whitewash the fence... at least until the next set of rules comes along.

11 comments:

bthun said...

It just might be time for an important segment of the nation, those who produce our food, to become The Scofflaw Society.


In addition the Congress, should they manage to cobble together a spine amongst em, ought to slap down the DOL idjots for attempting to enforce this ridiculous proclamation.

Laws? We don't get no stinkin' laws... We get a bunch of idiots sounding idiotic proclamations from a plethora of bureaucratic sinkholes.

E Hines said...

Can't do the fence. Too much lead in the paint.

Besides, Tom lacked the proper permits from the town for the project--which was barred by the Homeowners' Association, anyway--nor was he properly licensed to get Huck to do the job for him.

Where's a cop when you need one?

Eric Hines

raven said...

all Government, all the time.
this was posted over at the belmont club in response to this article and I think it is appropriate-
“Thomas Sowell wrote “Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late.” Our enemies understood this all too well, and as a result of “progressive education” we are no longer the people we once were.”
they are intent on removing by dribs and drabs all parental influence. State control of the kids minds and hence their actions.

htom said...

It's late for April Fool pranks.

Really?

Let. Them. Eat. Paper.

No food into the District of Columbia, no politicians or appointees out.

Texan99 said...

I wonder if it's still to require them to make their beds? I know babysitting their little brothers and sisters will be right out -- no daycare license.

douglas said...

Well of course the rules are chasing parents out of their position of authority- they've gotten pretty far chasing the doctors out of the medical treatment decision making process, just need a couple more years. I know in my business, the increasing restrictions on building via 'green' codes and the like are enough to keep me considering doing something else like building furniture. Of course, the reality is I'm just not aware enough of the restrictions on light manufacturing to scare me away from that yet.

Texan99 said...

Hey, I hear they got bright and dropped this. Someone must have explained it was an election year.

DL Sly said...

They did, T99. Although, I did have to hold back a wretch or three when I read this,"'The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, [emphasis mine] especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations,' the agency said in a statement." I guess he's thinking that he's *throwing a bone* to those who cling bitterly to their guns and Bibles instead of *at* this time.

bthun said...

"I guess he's thinking that he's *throwing a bone* to those who cling bitterly to their guns and Bibles instead of *at* this time."

And I WON is convinced that the flownover, rural bunch of bitter-clingers he's read about in the National Geographic magazine have such a short attention span that they might vote for His Most Exalted Beneficence in November.

Bwaaaaaahahahahahahahaha!

htom said...

I think the White House Chef got an earful at the Farmer's Market, and the message that she, not the kids, would have to dig the garden and spread the manure got to Michelle.

E Hines said...

...the agency said it would work with rural stakeholders, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union and 4-H to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers.

The best way for them, and other areas in government, to "work with" is to sit down and shut up. Fat chance. We'll have to sit them down and shut them up this November.

Eric Hines