The Senate Chamber: Make the Senate Great Again

[Paketo]

"Neutrality is all well and good, but it leaves us without the ability to call upon the aid of other nations in times of crisis. More over, we currently lack any sort of official armed forces. Our national defense is still being handled by the Indian army and the United Nations. This bill will force them out and leave us without an armed force. I personally am very much against the Non-Aligned Movement, but even if that is the ultimate path we decide to take we still must only do so once we can assure our own national defense, which as of now we cannot."

"Though I am one of the sponsors of the neutrality act, I agree with my fellow senator. We can't pass the neutrality act while we have yet to pass any kind of defense bill to establish an armed forces. We can't simply rely on local militias to defend Fernão while declaring neutrality from any foreign military pacts."

[Tectonix]

"Neutrality is all well and good, but it leaves us without the ability to call upon the aid of other nations in times of crisis. More over, we currently lack any sort of official armed forces. Our national defense is still being handled by the Indian army and the United Nations. This bill will force them out and leave us without an armed force. I personally am very much against the Non-Aligned Movement, but even if that is the ultimate path we decide to take we still must only do so once we can assure our own national defense, which as of now we cannot."

"Though I am one of the sponsors of the neutrality act, I agree with my fellow senator. We can't pass the neutrality act while we have yet to pass any kind of defense bill to establish an armed forces. We can't simply rely on local militias to defend Fernão while declaring neutrality from any foreign military pacts."

"Although, Madam President, I am partial to this concept, I'd like to defer to Senator Gonclaves and Senator Singh so they may address these concerns before I speak on them myself."

[Lykens]

"Debate shall come to a close.

We will now commence debate on the Accession to Interpol Act."

Accession to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) Act
Sponsor: Alexios Viel (RGA - Tectonix)
Co-Sponsors:

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An Act of the Senate to make provision for the accession of Fernão to the International Criminal Police Organisation, and all that entails.

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Head of the State, by and with the counsel of the Government, and the authority of the Senate by virtue of the powers placed upon it by the Law, as follows:

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§1 - Membership:

1. The Federal Republic of Fernão shall apply to join the International Criminal Police Organisation, also known as Interpol.

§2 - Funding:

1. Membership fees, if applicable, shall be paid by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

§3 - Commencement:

1. This Act is to go into effect upon acquiring the assent of the President of Fernão.
2. This Act may be cited as the Interpol Act, the Interpol Act of 2017 or the Accession to the Interpol Act.

[Collatis]

"Joining Interpol is a common sense move that will help our law enforcement combat crime ranging from terrorism to money laundering. This bill has my full support."

[Maklohi Vai]

"I concur with the act at debate. I regret my inability to reply on the floor to enquiries regarding the Neutrality Act, but will post a response in the lobby."

[Panama Coalition]

I agree.

[Lykens]

"Order, we will now begin to debate the Labor Protection Act."

Labour Protection Act
Sponsor: Alexios Viel (RGA - Tectonix)
Co-Sponsors: Shim Seo-yeon (RGA - Malgrave) — António Ventura (RGA - Arachaea) — Ritesh Bell (RGA - Roosevetania) — Akhil Rajiva (FPP - New Tuva SSR) — Jayesh Gadhavi (FPP - Socialist Nordia) — [Insert Senator Name Here] (Ind. - Vanadrene)

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An Act of the Senate to make provision for the establishment of the Office of Labour Safety, along with Labour and Workers' Rights, and all that entails.

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the Head of the State, by and with the counsel of the Government, and the authority of the Senate by virtue of the powers placed upon it by the Law, as follows:

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§1 – Definitions:

1. Employee (interchangeable with Worker and Labourer)—any person whom is hired for a wage, salary, fee or payment to perform a type of service/work for an employer.
2. Employer— a person contractually bound to their worker - the employee(s) - to provide them with money in the form of wages or salaries, as an exchange for the ongoing work of the employee(s); the employer retains the right of directing the work and fundamental control over said work.
3. Workers' Compensation—an insurance agreement between an employer and employee, stating that if said employee is injured while performing work for the employer, the employer is obligated to provide wage replacement and medical benefits, with the employee relinquishing their right to sue their employer for any perceived tort of negligence.
4. Workplace—any location in which workers are performing work/task(s).
5. Primary Contractor (interchangeable with First-level Contractor)—a person who agrees to undertake to carry out all or part of a job for the benefit of the employer and themselves in the form of stipend from the employer.
6. Secondary Contractor (interchangeable with subcontractor)—a person who makes an agreement with a first level contractor by undertaking to carry out all or part of a job under the responsibility of the first level contractor for the benefit of the employer, and shall also mean a person who makes an agreement with a secondary contractor to undertake a sub-contracted job under the responsibility of the secondary contractory, regardless of how many stages of sub-contract there may be.
7. Employment Agreement—a written or verbal agreement which is clearly stated, where a person referred to as the employee agrees to do work for another person referred to as the employer, and the employer agrees to pay a wage throughout the period of work.
8. Workday—the amount of time in a day fixed for an employee to do normal work.
9. Workweek—the days of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, in which employees are to do normal work, unless otherwise stated in the Employment Agreement.
10. Holiday—a day fixed for an employee as a weekly holiday, a traditional holiday or an annual holiday.
11. Concessionary Absence—a day or number of days on which an employee takes: medical leave; leave for the purpose of essential business (which must be approved by the employer); leave for the purpose of military service; leave for the purpose of training or development of knowledge and competence; or maternity leave.
12. Wage—the amount of money which an employer and an employee agree on as stipend for completion of the work under the employment agreement for the normal working period, based on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or other period of time, or which is paid according to the amount of work achieved by the employee during the normal working hours of a working day, and shall also mean the amount of money which an emloyer pays to an employee on a holiday and a leave day on which the employee did not perform any work but for which the employee is entitled to receive payment under this Act.
13. Salary—a fixed amount in each pay period, with the total of these fixed payments over a full year summing to the amount of the salary. This person is considered to be an "exempt" employee. There is no linkage between the amount paid and the number of hours worked.
14. Minimum Wage—the hourly wage prescribed by the appropriate body, defined by the Senate.
15. Overtime—work on a working day or holiday, outside or in excess of the normal working hours or in excess of the number of working hours in each day agreed on between an employer and employee in the Employment Agreement, whichever the case may be.
16. Overtime Pay—the money which an employer pays to an employee as payment for overtime on a working day.
17. Compensation Payment—the money which an employer pays to an employee upon termination of employment over and above other categories of money which the employer has agreed to pay to the employee.
18. Labour Union—an organized consociation of workers formed to protect and further their rights and interests.
19. Labour Law—any legal law or legislation that pertains to anything related to the work life of a person.
20. Collective Bargaining—the negotiation of wages and working conditions between an employer, or employers, and a collective group of employees.

§2 – Establishment of Workers' Rights:

1. All employers are to be legally liable for the continued welfare and health of their employee(s), unless otherwise specifically stated in an agreement of Workers' Compensation.
2. The workplace is to always be free of—
   1. Biological contaminants that can jeopardize the health of the worker(s), including but not explicitly: diseases, mold, parasites, waterborne illnesses, amoebae and disease-carrying insects and animals.
   2. Chemical contaminants that are not specifically labelled or previously-known-of in a comprehensible way, or were already present, including but not explicitly: flammable substances, exothermic-reacting and endothermic-reacting substances (to a degree that could pose a threat to the health and welfare of the worker(s)), ionizing radiation without adequate protection, toxic gases (ex: hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, etc.), asbestos and asbestos-like substances and corrosive substances.
   3. Environmental threats that can jeopardize the health of the worker(s), including but not explicitly: temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius and below -18 degrees Celsius (unless explicitly stated and agreed to in the Employment Agreement), natural disaster factors (ex: tornadoes, floods, forest fires, maelstroms, earthquakes, waterspouts, hurricanes, sandstorms) unless previously agreed to.
3. No employee shall be permitted to employ any person below the age of fifteen, effectively defined as Child Labour. Violation of this shall be listed as a federal crime punishable by ten years or more in prison.
4. No employee may be penalised in any way, shape or form by anyone else, including their employer and their associates, for joining, founding or in any way participating in a labour union and its activities.
5. Every employee shall have the right to collective bargaining, without fear of penalisation by their employer and their associates.

§3 – The Office of Labour Safety

1. The Office of Labour Safety is to be the governmental worker, workplace and workers' right authority for all of Fernão, charged with routinely inspecting workplaces through Inspection Officers, ensuring the adherence to labour laws and establishing a minimum wage, among other things.
2. The OLS is to be headed by a Director, appointed by the President and the advice and consent of the Senate, whom bears the responsibility to appoint a Deputy Director to assist in overseeing the Office, appointing any OLS department officers, approving the hiring of Inspection Officers.

[Tectonix]

Blowing the dust off his copy of the bill, Viel stood up and said, "Madam President, as this bill's author, I move to make the following amendments:"

"STRIKE AND ADD TEXT—Replace Ritesh Bell...RGA with Ana Ernst...MNP"
"STRIKE AND ADD TEXT—Strike Section 1, Clause D, and replace with: Workplace—any location in which workers are performing work/tasks, the work in question outlined in the worker's Employment Agreement."
"ADD SUBCLAUSE; SECTION 2, CLAUSE B—These workplace safety guidelines may be added to and subtracted by the Office of Labour Safety; their subtractions may only be what they had already added, and was not included in the original version of this Act.'
"STRIKE AND ADD TEXT—Strike Section 2, Clause D, and replace with: No employee may be penalised in any way, shape or form by their employer(s) and/or their associates for joining, founding or in any way participating in a labour union and/or its activities."
"STRIKE AND ADD TEXT—Strike Section 3, Clause B, and replace with: The OLS is to be headed by a Director, appointed by the President, and is charged with approving the hiring of Inspection Officers, ensuring the adequate funding of the OLS' activities, representing the OLS-at-large in public and Senatorial forums, and other such executive duties not defined thereof."

[Ainin]

"Madam President, I rise in strong opposition to section 2, sub-section c of this act. While there is nothing innately wrong with punishing those who perpetuate child labour ― in fact, it is an excellent idea ― the inclusion of a minimum sentence of ten years is ridiculous and excessive. If this were to become law, it would be the only crime on our books other than aggravated murder and treason to have a minimum sentence. It deprives the Department of Public Prosecutions of its independence and prosecutorial discretion, and does not allow the courts of law to consider the context and mitigating factors behind such crimes."

[The Miaphysite Church of Coptic Archism]

"Madame President, I rise in support of the bill before us. The lack of labour protections in this nation have led to shocking results, up to and including the death of workers like Nutan Ashtikar. Secondly, I second the amendments offered by the author, and lastly I support the statements made by the honorable member across the aisle. Minimum sentencing has no place in our legal system, I trust our courts of law to deliver justice."

[Zurkerx]

"Madam President, I rise in strong opposition to section 2, sub-section c of this act. While there is nothing innately wrong with punishing those who perpetuate child labour ― in fact, it is an excellent idea ― the inclusion of a minimum sentence of ten years is ridiculous and excessive. If this were to become law, it would be the only crime on our books other than aggravated murder and treason to have a minimum sentence. It deprives the Department of Public Prosecutions of its independence and prosecutorial discretion, and does not allow the courts of law to consider the context and mitigating factors behind such crimes."

"I stand with my colleague, ten years is a bit excessive and gives our judicial system less flexibility when we consider a minimum sentence for such a practice."

[Tectonix]

"Madam President, I agree with my colleagues regarding the issue of mandatory sentencing — it is a holdover of a time whence which we had no criminal code, and I intend to rectify it. I move to amend the Act by striking the language regarding mandatory sentencing entirely, and replaced with: "Violation of this shall be listed as a contravention in the Fernãoan Criminal Code, with all that entails."

[Roosevetania]

"Madam President, the people of Fernão badly need this bill. This bill protects the backbone of our nation: the workers. In Fernão currently, there is a shocking lack of workers' rights. I second all amendments proposed by Senator Viel, bar the first one, in honor of the slaughtered Ritesh Bell who would have stood with the Industrial Scrap Workers and would have supported this bill in the strongest of terms. I insist that we must pass this bill immediately except for the changes that must be made because of the ridiculous amount of time that has passed since this bill was written.

[Davincia]

"I do not believe that our economy is adequately prepared at this time to secure workers' rights in a way that does not threaten smaller businesses. Many families rely on child labor to survive, as horrible as the reality is, we are at risk of cutting off a large revenue source for many people, including children that are homeless or poor."

[Tectonix]

"I do not believe that our economy is adequately prepared at this time to secure workers' rights in a way that does not threaten smaller businesses. Many families rely on child labor to survive, as horrible as the reality is, we are at risk of cutting off a large revenue source for many people, including children that are homeless or poor."

"Madam President, I don't believe parents should have the right to shove unwitting children into smoke-filled factories and farms, stripping them of their childhood, ability to enter higher education, and condemning them to a horrid impoverished life of economic immobility and perpetual work. We as the nation's governing body have the responsibility to ensure the rights of every Fernãoan, especially those who still are not mentally prepared to face the realities of being an adult. Children are our future, and my colleague wishes to condemn our future generations to such horrid conditions? I say no. If families are so utterly cash-strapped that they need to resort to child labour, we should be placing them in public housing and connecting them to social workers so they can find and keep jobs, not look the other way while they destroy their children's futures."

"Please, let us not make the mistakes of our past. We as a country of morals and principles should not, and cannot allow children to be in the workforce — our nation's future truly does depend on it."

[Roosevetania]

"I do not believe that our economy is adequately prepared at this time to secure workers' rights in a way that does not threaten smaller businesses. Many families rely on child labor to survive, as horrible as the reality is, we are at risk of cutting off a large revenue source for many people, including children that are homeless or poor."

"Madam President, I don't believe parents should have the right to shove unwitting children into smoke-filled factories and farms, stripping them of their childhood, ability to enter higher education, and condemning them to a horrid impoverished life of economic immobility and perpetual work. We as the nation's governing body have the responsibility to ensure the rights of every Fernãoan, especially those who still are not mentally prepared to face the realities of being an adult. Children are our future, and my colleague wishes to condemn our future generations to such horrid conditions? I say no. If families are so utterly cash-strapped that they need to resort to child labour, we should be placing them in public housing and connecting them to social workers so they can find and keep jobs, not look the other way while they destroy their children's futures."

"Please, let us not make the mistakes of our past. We as a country of morals and principles should not, and cannot allow children to be in the workforce — our nation's future truly does depend on it."

"Hear, hear! Madam President, the right will find any excuse to oppose workers' rights. Now they want to force children to work in factories like adults. No child should have to do that, and my colleague across the aisle should be ashamed."

[Collatis]

"Madam President, I don't believe parents should have the right to shove unwitting children into smoke-filled factories and farms, stripping them of their childhood, ability to enter higher education, and condemning them to a horrid impoverished life of economic immobility and perpetual work. We as the nation's governing body have the responsibility to ensure the rights of every Fernãoan, especially those who still are not mentally prepared to face the realities of being an adult. Children are our future, and my colleague wishes to condemn our future generations to such horrid conditions? I say no. If families are so utterly cash-strapped that they need to resort to child labour, we should be placing them in public housing and connecting them to social workers so they can find and keep jobs, not look the other way while they destroy their children's futures."

"Please, let us not make the mistakes of our past. We as a country of morals and principles should not, and cannot allow children to be in the workforce — our nation's future truly does depend on it."

"Hear, hear!"

[Davincia]

"I do not believe that our economy is adequately prepared at this time to secure workers' rights in a way that does not threaten smaller businesses. Many families rely on child labor to survive, as horrible as the reality is, we are at risk of cutting off a large revenue source for many people, including children that are homeless or poor."

"Madam President, I don't believe parents should have the right to shove unwitting children into smoke-filled factories and farms, stripping them of their childhood, ability to enter higher education, and condemning them to a horrid impoverished life of economic immobility and perpetual work. We as the nation's governing body have the responsibility to ensure the rights of every Fernãoan, especially those who still are not mentally prepared to face the realities of being an adult. Children are our future, and my colleague wishes to condemn our future generations to such horrid conditions? I say no. If families are so utterly cash-strapped that they need to resort to child labour, we should be placing them in public housing and connecting them to social workers so they can find and keep jobs, not look the other way while they destroy their children's futures."

"Please, let us not make the mistakes of our past. We as a country of morals and principles should not, and cannot allow children to be in the workforce — our nation's future truly does depend on it."

"Absolute nonsense! Fernao is hardly a wealthy nation, and so we must be extremely careful in where our money goes. The cost of new public housing and employing the necessary quantity of social workers would increase spending exponentially, beyond any reasonable capacity to pay for it all. If you sincerely believe you have a solution to families being deprived of their next meal or rent payment, as this bill would ensure, I suggest you share it with the rest of us in bill format. Madam President, my colleague has so little faith in other people that our destitute citizens apparently cannot use their work experience, or extra cash, to improve their own condition. Must we deny the chance of our own John Rockefeller to rise to the top?"

[The Miaphysite Church of Coptic Archism]

"Madam President, I don't believe parents should have the right to shove unwitting children into smoke-filled factories and farms, stripping them of their childhood, ability to enter higher education, and condemning them to a horrid impoverished life of economic immobility and perpetual work. We as the nation's governing body have the responsibility to ensure the rights of every Fernãoan, especially those who still are not mentally prepared to face the realities of being an adult. Children are our future, and my colleague wishes to condemn our future generations to such horrid conditions? I say no. If families are so utterly cash-strapped that they need to resort to child labour, we should be placing them in public housing and connecting them to social workers so they can find and keep jobs, not look the other way while they destroy their children's futures."

"Please, let us not make the mistakes of our past. We as a country of morals and principles should not, and cannot allow children to be in the workforce — our nation's future truly does depend on it."

"Absolute nonsense! Fernao is hardly a wealthy nation, and so we must be extremely careful in where our money goes. The cost of new public housing and employing the necessary quantity of social workers would increase spending exponentially, beyond any reasonable capacity to pay for it all. If you sincerely believe you have a solution to families being deprived of their next meal or rent payment, as this bill would ensure, I suggest you share it with the rest of us in bill format. Madam President, my colleague has so little faith in other people that our destitute citizens apparently cannot use their work experience, or extra cash, to improve their own condition. Must we deny the chance of our own John Rockefeller to rise to the top?"

"Madame President, this bill goes no further than ensuring the most very basic of human rights for the workers of our nation. We should never worry that we might deny an individual the chance to be better off than other people. Madame President, rather than have one or two, or any at all, at the top, we should be working hard until there is no one left at the bottom."

[Tectonix]

-snip-

"Madam President, you know what happens when we spend on public housing and social workers? People find long-term, stable jobs. When people find those kinds of employment opportunities, they pay more in taxes. When people pay more in taxes, the government is able to continue funding those programmes until we have recouped our initial losses and are now enjoying a surplus. But no, we must go back to the time of John Rockefeller, when children were shipped off to factories for pennies on the dime so cigar-smoking capitalists can laugh all the way to the bank."

"If Senator Agramonte is so concerned about government spending, maybe he should take a look at the gargantuan medical expenses that the government would need to pay to take care of hundreds of thousands of mesothelioma-afflicted patients in a future with continued child labour. Or maybe he just wants to cut our losses and not pay a dime to their care, so insurance companies can deny them coverage based on pre-existing conditions and have them die in the streets?"

"Madam President, I cannot think of a single reason for why this government would spend its money on anything but its citizens, outside of keeping the lights on here in this chamber. I will continue to fight for the rights of the defenseless children and exploited workers of this nation — I stand with my honourable colleague Senator Vig, and I again call on this house to reject the notion of permitting child labour and stand for our workers by voting for this bill."

[Ainin]

"Madam President, I agree with my colleagues regarding the issue of mandatory sentencing — it is a holdover of a time whence which we had no criminal code, and I intend to rectify it. I move to amend the Act by striking the language regarding mandatory sentencing entirely, and replaced with: "Violation of this shall be listed as a contravention in the Fernãoan Criminal Code, with all that entails."

Second.

[The Miaphysite Church of Coptic Archism]

-snip-

"Madam President, you know what happens when we spend on public housing and social workers? People find long-term, stable jobs. When people find those kinds of employment opportunities, they pay more in taxes. When people pay more in taxes, the government is able to continue funding those programmes until we have recouped our initial losses and are now enjoying a surplus. But no, we must go back to the time of John Rockefeller, when children were shipped off to factories for pennies on the dime so cigar-smoking capitalists can laugh all the way to the bank."

"If Senator Agramonte is so concerned about government spending, maybe he should take a look at the gargantuan medical expenses that the government would need to pay to take care of hundreds of thousands of mesothelioma-afflicted patients in a future with continued child labour. Or maybe he just wants to cut our losses and not pay a dime to their care, so insurance companies can deny them coverage based on pre-existing conditions and have them die in the streets?"

"Madam President, I cannot think of a single reason for why this government would spend its money on anything but its citizens, outside of keeping the lights on here in this chamber. I will continue to fight for the rights of the defenseless children and exploited workers of this nation — I stand with my honourable colleague Senator Vig, and I again call on this house to reject the notion of permitting child labour and stand for our workers by voting for this bill."

"Hear hear!"

"Madam President, I agree with my colleagues regarding the issue of mandatory sentencing — it is a holdover of a time whence which we had no criminal code, and I intend to rectify it. I move to amend the Act by striking the language regarding mandatory sentencing entirely, and replaced with: "Violation of this shall be listed as a contravention in the Fernãoan Criminal Code, with all that entails."

Second.

Second.

[Roosevetania]

"Absolute nonsense! Fernao is hardly a wealthy nation, and so we must be extremely careful in where our money goes. The cost of new public housing and employing the necessary quantity of social workers would increase spending exponentially, beyond any reasonable capacity to pay for it all. If you sincerely believe you have a solution to families being deprived of their next meal or rent payment, as this bill would ensure, I suggest you share it with the rest of us in bill format. Madam President, my colleague has so little faith in other people that our destitute citizens apparently cannot use their work experience, or extra cash, to improve their own condition. Must we deny the chance of our own John Rockefeller to rise to the top?"

"Madame President, this bill goes no further than ensuring the most very basic of human rights for the workers of our nation. We should never worry that we might deny an individual the chance to be better off than other people. Madame President, rather than have one or two, or any at all, at the top, we should be working hard until there is no one left at the bottom."

-snip-

"Madam President, you know what happens when we spend on public housing and social workers? People find long-term, stable jobs. When people find those kinds of employment opportunities, they pay more in taxes. When people pay more in taxes, the government is able to continue funding those programmes until we have recouped our initial losses and are now enjoying a surplus. But no, we must go back to the time of John Rockefeller, when children were shipped off to factories for pennies on the dime so cigar-smoking capitalists can laugh all the way to the bank."

"If Senator Agramonte is so concerned about government spending, maybe he should take a look at the gargantuan medical expenses that the government would need to pay to take care of hundreds of thousands of mesothelioma-afflicted patients in a future with continued child labour. Or maybe he just wants to cut our losses and not pay a dime to their care, so insurance companies can deny them coverage based on pre-existing conditions and have them die in the streets?"

"Madam President, I cannot think of a single reason for why this government would spend its money on anything but its citizens, outside of keeping the lights on here in this chamber. I will continue to fight for the rights of the defenseless children and exploited workers of this nation — I stand with my honourable colleague Senator Vig, and I again call on this house to reject the notion of permitting child labour and stand for our workers by voting for this bill."

"Hear, hear!"

[Davincia]

"Absolute nonsense! Fernao is hardly a wealthy nation, and so we must be extremely careful in where our money goes. The cost of new public housing and employing the necessary quantity of social workers would increase spending exponentially, beyond any reasonable capacity to pay for it all. If you sincerely believe you have a solution to families being deprived of their next meal or rent payment, as this bill would ensure, I suggest you share it with the rest of us in bill format. Madam President, my colleague has so little faith in other people that our destitute citizens apparently cannot use their work experience, or extra cash, to improve their own condition. Must we deny the chance of our own John Rockefeller to rise to the top?"

"Madame President, this bill goes no further than ensuring the most very basic of human rights for the workers of our nation. We should never worry that we might deny an individual the chance to be better off than other people. Madame President, rather than have one or two, or any at all, at the top, we should be working hard until there is no one left at the bottom."

"Spare me the diatribe! Each and every member of this legislative body is better off than the majority of the population, yet we are more eager to spend taxpayer money than our own. Nonetheless, we should focus at placing hard-working citizens at the top and leaving those without intuition, ingenuity, or other proper traits at the bottom. The egalitarianism you speak of is naïve and unobtainable."

-snip-

"Madam President, you know what happens when we spend on public housing and social workers? People find long-term, stable jobs. When people find those kinds of employment opportunities, they pay more in taxes. When people pay more in taxes, the government is able to continue funding those programmes until we have recouped our initial losses and are now enjoying a surplus. But no, we must go back to the time of John Rockefeller, when children were shipped off to factories for pennies on the dime so cigar-smoking capitalists can laugh all the way to the bank."

"If Senator Agramonte is so concerned about government spending, maybe he should take a look at the gargantuan medical expenses that the government would need to pay to take care of hundreds of thousands of mesothelioma-afflicted patients in a future with continued child labour. Or maybe he just wants to cut our losses and not pay a dime to their care, so insurance companies can deny them coverage based on pre-existing conditions and have them die in the streets?"

"Madam President, I cannot think of a single reason for why this government would spend its money on anything but its citizens, outside of keeping the lights on here in this chamber. I will continue to fight for the rights of the defenseless children and exploited workers of this nation — I stand with my honourable colleague Senator Vig, and I again call on this house to reject the notion of permitting child labour and stand for our workers by voting for this bill."

"An easy bypass to your dilemma would be to cut taxes and spending, thereby letting businesses grow to the point where public housing and social workers are rendered useless. Not all child laborers are sent off to the coal mines. I am assured of the fact that hundreds of thousands of people will not be getting mesothelioma as a result, either. If you wish to put our money where your mouth is, I suggest an amendment to reconcile this issue."

[Tectonix]

"Without regulations, Senator Agramonte, that's exactly what will happen. Also, do tell me how this tax-cutting approach worked out in Kansas. I think we might see Governor Brownback around these parts, running away from the angry mobs that want his head after he destroyed their economy, bankrupted their schools and had to resort to selling items whose description would be most unparliamentary."

"Madam President, is is clear that my colleague is both completely oblivious to the realities of child labour, and is only using this time to get up on his libertarian soapbox and spout on and on about cutting taxes, no matter who it hurts — so long as it contains the allure of 'businesses growing.' This approach hasn't worked, nor will it work — but of course, here we have a prime example of more paltering by the Senator to distract from the real issue: labour rights."