Iowa

 There are a number of things I learned yesterday.

So at the top....the Iowa state Senate passed a juvenile labor law today that say a 14-year-old kid can work a 6-hour night shift (typically meaning up to midnight), that 15-year-olds can work on assembly lines, and that 16- and 17-year-olds could serve alcohol.  

Why?  It's an interesting thing....the state unemployment rate is near 3-percent.  If you go to Iowa-City....it's near 2.2-percent.  Des Moines?  It's just over 3-percent.  From agricultural operations, to local bars, and onto assembly plants....they are running out of manpower.  

Part of this issue is the rural nature of Iowa, and the other is the continuing crisis where a fair number of men have given up looking/working.  

The bill has yet to reach the House, and the Governor would still have to sign it.  Odds?  I'd give it 50-50 to passing fully.

So I went out into the Twitter area, and found a whole bunch of folks who were negative about this.  

It down to five criticisms: (1) no child should work, period....(2) kids will be losing fingers.....(3) abuse of kids by offering them only minimum wage....(4) farm work is too tough for kids....(5) no one should be around alcohol at such an early age.

Yeah, it was pretty weak criticisms.  

I also learned that if you tried to enter into these discussions....they immediately wanted to know your age group, and that anyone over 50....was not 'smart' on the problems.  

I also was told that education is much harder today (2023) than it was in 1973.  I tried to ask how, and was just told 'it is'. 

Poor communication skills?  Well....quickly you can figure out that you were dealing with 20-year old 'kids' who had a 5th grade mentality.  Almost none of them lived in Iowa or understood the rural nature of the state.

My humble feeling?  

First....on allowing 16/17 year olds to serve?  Most of the pubs around Iowa are 'mom-and-pop' bars....catering to around 40 to a hundred people in an evening.  These aren't wild biker bars....it's just the only outlet in a town of 500....where you can buy a beer.  You end up with a owner who probably works a full-time job in the daytime, and in this scenario....you'd have two part-time teenagers to rack/stack beer.

Second, on 15-years old in an assembly line situation?  Iowa doesn't exactly have a huge industry for assembly situations.  

Radically changing things?  No.