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No more farm chores for rural kids?

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    New Obama administration proposal to apply child-labor laws to children on farms has families up in arms

  • Duration 5:07
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I see is there nice to see you Greta I get the right anchor for this -- -- -- farm state where everybody families worked on -- but there's a new Labor Department ruled that and -- -- bill to fight but tell me what it is.

Well last dog.

The Department of Labor in their infinite wisdom came up with 85 pages of regulations to tell farm and ranch.

Kids young people what they can and can't do.

And it's it really is in the it is such an example of government overreaction and just excessive regulation and being from Wisconsin you can appreciate this but.

On family farms and ranches and people grow up learning how to contribute.

To the success the prosperity of that farm -- ranch operation.

And in -- it's it's an intergenerational thing it's been going on forever they got a great work ethic on.

And in rural parts of the country and this actually cuts right at the heart of that by telling these young people what they can and can't do and it's very prescriptive and very detail there.

They they just spell out things like even operating -- battery operated screw driver.

Under these regulations would be something that would probably be -- so.

We're we're fighting at the farm organizations are fighting it and we're hoping to get more members of -- questions well.

Mean it's trying to casino we have so much corporate farming out to the extent we still have a little family farms where it's passed -- -- generated generated.

When I grew up everybody everywhere to find an -- spamming or an arm -- a -- and a Japanese and have the government I knew it was taken note that our -- that.

Our act of it anything but now it's the government is just reaching into the expanded arms and they haven't -- -- They haven't in if you look at this the day after the date on this in in in the period from 2001 to 2009 -- the Department of Agriculture.

You know farm accidents among youth actually went down by 40%.

-- obviously parents people who live and farms know best about how to protect kids they they only get them involved and what your age appropriate activities.

But if you if you look at what this means how this translates out in rural areas of the country.

People out there are asking what parallel universe -- people in Washington DC living.

-- the -- of labor is not from midwestern -- cues from Los Angeles summation knows how beautiful farm in the midwest.

I'm curious though what the second and that they -- culture has said and I have have they weighed in on this Labor Department set -- -- I asked him at a senate hearing here not too long ago about.

Secretary Vilsack did say that he had some Iowa he's from Iowa he's he's from a farm state -- In Wisconsin and Iowa and South Dakota people get this.

And he he indicated to me that he's trying to work with the Department of Labor to get these moderated.

I'm not sure exactly what that when -- ST that's.

He I think what would he indicated at the time was that this perhaps could have been a lot worse that because of his intervention.

You know some of these things have been modified some extent but if you still if you look at where they're headed.

This hasn't changed -- mean this is still a very far reaching proposal that will have tremendous implications.

For American.

What percent thought of as the black group that he might have a family restaurant where everybody -- the tables -- -- about seven you know however all the families run is that obviously -- -- it's not the same as a family restaurant and I'm curious.

What provoked this was -- some.

Terrible accident there -- why did also the secretary of labor the Labor Department thanked the they had to go with this family farms and Kelly's at least what the kids could -- conducted on -- farm.

Did there there really isn't any evidence to suggest that there was anything that provoked this in fact.

There wasn't any consultation with the farmer ranch community with the farm organizations if you talked to the farm bureau.

That nobody consulted with them there really isn't any data out there as I said that suggests that there were any it was any kind of a problem.

And so sometimes it just strikes me that there are bureaucrats in Washington DC with way too much time on their hands.

Who think that they know what's best for other people in this country.

But farming and ranching are inherently family enterprises it's been that way for generations.

And you want young people to go grow up learning the skill sets that are necessary at some point to take that farm -- ranch operation over.

But it started thinking of -- -- -- sent -- a -- of that Labor Department employees to two.

Check these RC who's doing like this there's no enforcement mechanism I'm actually what are they gonna do about it -- -- -- that the thinking is that they would potentially have inspectors.

Are expected to meet mark mark I got -- help us young people because -- on -- haystack or tractor that exceeds the six foot.

Requirement that is in these regulations or or working with the farm animal that's more than six months old -- working around the grain elevator stockyards and these are.

Hopefully prescriptive this is a dramatic radical proposal in terms of the impact that would have on.

Rule America and family farms ranches I think -- speculative -- -- definitive view.

If the anchored at an app that's have a.

That's why didn't like to do your show.

I'm stuck -- senate nice to Cesar thanks for -- agreed with you.