Tom Cotton Opposes Protecting Kids On Farms

Fourth District Congressional candidate Tom Cotton and Newt Gingrich have something in common.

No, not that – but both of them apparently believe certain child labor laws are unneeded and just needless meddling from the federal government.

Cotton made national news last week when he was profiled on The Huffington Post for opposing new child labor law regulations. The Labor Department has proposed new federal regulations barring children under the age of 16 from performing certain dangerous agricultural duties, such as driving tractors or operating power equipment. The new rule doesn’t prohibit children under 16 from working on non-hazardous agricultural tasks.

Cotton seems to believe that protecting kids on the farm is a bad idea.

“We need more young people who’ve worked all day in the fields, not less,” Cotton says on his web site.

What’s almost as bad is that Cotton is spreading false information about the regulations proclaiming they would “forbid our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews from working their family farms.”

Turns out that’s not true. Children working on their parents’ farm would be exempt from the new regulation and could do whatever chores their parents deem fit.

One could argue that Cotton is not actually fighting for the romantic notion of the family farm, but rather for corporate farmers who hire the children of migrant workers.

Cotton has just started his Congressional campaign and it seems he already has problems telling the truth. Not a good sign.

The more I learn about Tom Cotton, the more he sounds just like the Republicans in Congress: out-of-touch and not fighting for our nation’s children.