[foooobaba]

“Do I want my 16-year-old operating a power saw as a job? No, I don’t“

- then don’t let them? Why do you need to make it illegal for everyone else?

Iowa is mostly a rural state, and growing up on a farm you learn to operate power tools when you’re 10, and there are plenty of 16 year olds in Iowa that are more than capable of running a power saw and working on roofs and are proud to do it. Better than sitting around and playing video games, getting in trouble, or even sports for that matter. IMO more likely to get injured in sports like football than operating a power saw.

[matthewdgreen]

Because it's dangerous and a lot of kids have economic pressures that force them to do dangerous jobs they don't choose to do. Sometimes those kids don't have engaged parents or guardians present (many are recent immigrants or migrants) and sometimes their parents/guardians are economically desperate. These laws were created to stop terrible abuse of child labor that took place in this country, seeing them repealed even slightly is very concerning.

[bryanrasmussen]

>- then don’t let them? Why do you need to make it illegal for everyone else?

I'm sure my abusive step dad would have liked to make me go get a better paying job then the one he forced me to take at the bar where he gambled illegally so he could steal the money I earned and gamble some more when his ran out. I mean that bar wasn't even full time and it paid hardly anything, if I was operating power tools whooaah. Hell he could have probably had me go work for my uncle with him learning to weld! yay.

>Better than sitting around and playing video games,

and gosh darn it much better than reading books which I did all the time to piss him off.

>IMO more likely to get injured in sports like football than operating a power saw.

Or getting shit thrown at you for reading. Probably better to let those kids go out and get a good paying worker job to help support their struggling families that can barely afford beer and drugs!

[BaseballPhysics]

> then don’t let them? Why do you need to make it illegal for everyone else?

Spoken like someone who doesn't understand the history of child labour.

There's an old saying: regulations are written in blood. Unfortunately, it seems some folks have forgotten the history and lessons that brought us to modern labour laws...

[CuriouslyC]

This is gonna play out the same way women entering the workforce did. It'll depress wages and the end result will be that a lot of families will need to send their kids off to work as soon as they're old enough just to make ends meet.

I'm fine with kids working, in the context of apprenticeships and other places where they're subject to gentler conditions and reduced workload with an emphasis on skill building. Learn to frame, plumb or wire? Sure. Pouring drinks, cleaning/yardwork/etc, no.

[duxup]

>Why do you need to make it illegal for everyone else?

Because 16 and 17 year olds aren't adults and in a position to make that call? Just because a parent might be ok with them operating a saw / take the risks doesn't mean the child should take that risk.

Child labor historically speaking involved parents sending their kids to work.

[Kon-Peki]

> Iowa is mostly a rural state

Iowa isn't mostly a rural state (though I'm sure plenty of Iowans think that way). It's approaching 65-70% urban - not even close to being in the top 10 most rural states in the US.

What is really surprising it that the small towns all over Iowa have excellent urban form. Suburban sprawl is mostly limited to Des Moines, with a little bit in Council Bluffs (part of the Omaha metro area).

Check out the US Census urban area map and notice how many urban areas there are in Iowa (If a city is represented with a dot, it is an urban area of fewer than 10,000 people):

https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/UA20/UA_2020_WallMap...

[foooobaba]

Iowa is the 12th most rural state according to 2020 US census [1][2]. It is 63.2%, urban, so true it’s not mostly rural in terms of total population, but it’s pretty rural.

[1] https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/g...

[2] https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/State_Urban_Ru...

[Kon-Peki]

The 2020 Census was messed up, partly because of Covid and partly due to "politics".

I stand by my assertion that Iowa is the area of 65-70% urban and within a group of states that are in that range. It could just as easily be the 20th most rural state as the 12th. But go back and look at that list - this group of states are significantly more urban than the ~10 most rural states.

Iowa doesn't have a lot of small landholdings outside of the towns/cities. Basically you are either living on a city-sized lot or a 100+ acre farm, with very little in between. So there is definitely the rural identity associated with Iowa, but the population facts paint a very different picture.

You really should take a trip out there and visit some smaller towns. The urbanity will surprise you.