Children do not yearn for the factory

Commentary

During high school, almost everyone had some sort of job — many people were fast food workers. Almost every person working at your local Whataburger drive-thru window is a child. While child labor is not inherently toxic and cruel, the violation and exploitation of children through labor is. Ensuring the safety of children in the workplace is extremely important; without government regulations and laws protecting young workers, they will be taken advantage of.

The quality of working conditions for children is declining at an alarm- ing rate, with a 37% increase in child labor law violations in the 2022 fiscal year. The problem here is not that children are working, it is that adults are taking advantage of them. In a society so focused on productivity and profit, it only makes sense that children are exploited for the gain of another.

Paisano

Instead of protecting children with harsh laws against corporations using child labor, the United States has decided to start rolling back the laws that protect and look out for them. There are reasons that these laws were

By

Chloe Williams | Web and Social Editor Web@paisano-online.com and Socialmedia@paisano-online.com

Dustin Vickers | Photo Editor Photo@paisano-online.com

Grace Robinson | Graphic Editor Graphic@paisano-online.com

Marcela Montufar Soria | Multimedia Editor Multimedia@paisano-online.com

Jenna Taylor | Magazine Editor Magazine@paisano-online.com

Genevieve Vega | Distribution Manager Distribution@paisano-online.com

Luke DeMario | Buisness Manager Buisness@paisano-online.com created. Without them, the safety and security of young children are being put in jeopardy. There are jobs that children should not have, for example, working in a Kia factory or cleaning a JBS Meatpacking plant. These are just a few examples of the dangerous situations that children experience while on the job. When the health of children is blatantly jeopardized for a profit with no intervention from the government, it is clear that the youth is not a priority. When child labor is the only solution to no one working for minimum wage, the problem is not a labor shortage. Finding willing and ablebodied teenagers to fill positions and seats at jobs should not be the answer. Yet instead of raising the minimum wage or addressing inflation, state governments are finding ways to roll back the laws protecting children from exploitation. This can not be the solution.

Will it end with Willow?

have a lasting impact on the migratory movements and habitats of indigenous wildlife within the American Arctic.

As a result, areas like Teshekpuk Lake could be in danger of ecological decline or collapse if oil development continues.

reduce emissions by approximately 50% within the next decade. Besides the planned cut in emissions, the

Staff

By Luna Infante Staff Writer Advisory Board

Diane Abdo | Advisor Steven Kellman | Advisor

Jack Himelblau | Advisor Stefanie Arias | Advisor Sandy Norman | Advisor Sofia Garcia | Advisor

John Helton | Advisor Corey Franco | Advisor Imelda Robles | Advisor

Environmental activists nationwide are rallying together in opposition to a proposed oil operation in Alaska’s National Petroleum Field. The Willow Project is a six billion dollar oil and natural gas proposal by ConocoPhillips — Alaska’s largest oil producer — estimated to produce approximately 180,000 barrels of oil per day and upwards of 600 million over the project’s lifetime.

The impact of the Willow Project could lead to devastating ecological decay as well as a massive negative effect on climate. According to EvergreenAction, over the 30-year lifetime of the project, an estimated 287 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses would be leaked into the atmosphere — the equivalent of 76 coal-based power plants, a third of the total of coal plants across the U.S.

For the project to be built, ConocoPhillips would have to disrupt the habitats of local fauna. Drilling sites, roads, bridges and more would all

The damage to the caribou population would harm native populations, especially in the village of Nuiqsut.

According to activist and city Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, “The animals are no longer in areas where your grandfather taught your husband to hunt and where he taught his son,” she said. “Now there’s a gravel mine related to the oil and gas development.”

Much of the town lives off of hunting caribou during their migratory seasons, and new oil developments put this at risk, as they have already seen a decline in local wildlife. In January, Mayor Ahtuangaruak issued a statement in an attempt to halt the project on behalf of Nuiqsut or, at minimum, to increase the regulations on the project. The statement mentions the possible adverse effects of drilling runoff on the Nuiqsut, the change in caribou migratory patterns and more.

If approved, the project would destroy President Joe Biden’s plans to project goes back on what Biden has promised since taking office — a total stop on new oil developments on federal land as well as his “stance” to take on global warming.

Environmentalists and the American public have made their voices heard; we oppose the ConocoPhillips Willow Project. The impact on the Alaskan environment, global warming and Alaskan natives will go against everything the Biden Administration has attempted to build within the past two years. The final decision on whether the project is greenlit will likely be the president’s, so he had better stick to his guns.

For more information on how to oppose Project Willow refer to www. protectthearctic.org/stop-willow.

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