User:Mjchamp17/sandbox

Drive out to the rural part in just about every state in the United States, and visit a farming community. In that community you will find families that have made their entire lives around working land and raising livestock. In these families you’ll find kids ages 4 to 20 working their animals. These children go to school just like normal kids, and are just as well educated, but instead of playing soccer after school, they work their steers. Are the animals they work with sometimes dangerous? Yes, if in the hands of an ignorant handler. These children have been raised with the responsibility and knowledge to raise these animals safely. I myself have raised livestock my entire life, and I have had animals that I would not let my friends who were unfamiliar with livestock lead or get too close to, because I would not consider those animals to be bullet proof, however, I felt completely confident handling them myself. OSHA recently put a bill out there for review by congress that calls for laws “protecting minors from dangerous situations involving animals”. But what many don’t realize is that these laws would dramatically affect the lives of rural communities and the families in those communities. This bill should be voted down. This would, in short, make associations like AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association), APHA (American Paint Horse Association), 4H, FFA (Future Farmers of America), and NCA (National Cattlemans’ Association), illegal for ANY youth under the age of 18 to participate in. These laws would affect thousands upon thousands of families in America, ruin some long-lasting outstanding associations for youth, and take away a valuable part of American living. I am a 5th generation Colorado livestock owner, and our family farm has been in our possession for at least that long. My days after school consist of coming home, changing into my work clothes, heading out to the barn, usually riding for an hour or so, feeding, and doing whatever work needs to be done around the place. I also spend a lot of my time on the weekends preparing with my goats, sheep, cattle, and pigs, handling them and getting ready for the county fair in August. I would not have it any other way. The experience that I get working with my animals is irreplaceable by any other activity. I have learned patience, responsibility, etc. that I otherwise would not have aquired. Being raised this way, we learn to be responsible and think smart with our animals. We spend so much time with our animals that we know how to be safe around them, when their behavior is not safe, and how to deal with an unsafe animal. We know the do’s and don’t of raising livestock and very few of us are ever seriously injured by our animals, and when we are, it is out of our own pure ignorance. If these laws were to be passed, it would cause American youth to be banned from almost any contact whatsoever with livestock. Children that live on Ranches and farms would not be allowed according to law to handle and help with their families livestock, and their parents could be punished by the United States government for allowing their kids to do so. This is taking away the western heritage of not only a family, but a country, and depriving so many American youth of the way of life that they so desperately love. Many of the Associations I listed above are either strictly youth organizations, or have large youth sectors. I have personally been a member of most of these organizations and I am a proud member at that. These have made the lifestyle that I live, a social, competitive and even safer one to live. These organizations are what has made me the leader, showman, and overall individual that I am proud to be today. My favorite of these and the one that I am most passionate about would be 4H. I plan on running for the Colorado State 4H President in June, and have been a member for 9 years. If these laws were to go into affect, this organization would all but cease to exist. 4H has taught me just about everything I know and value, and I would not be near the person I am without it. I have learned character traits like honesty, responsibility, integrity, organization, etc. as well as the skill, knowledge, and dedication it takes to succeed, through showing my livestock. 4H is a community of kids with very similar interests and more in common than any other group of people. When we get together for our two state conventions per year, it is a time of complete and total belonging. We are all so relieved to be in a place where we can dress, speak, and act as we normally would, and are free of judgement. We do not have to worry about anyone asking us what 4H is, why we do it, or calling us “hicks”. I believe 4H is one of the best organizations out there for youth, and if this bill was to pass and these laws were to go into effect, it would be forced to dissolve. So I ask you again, drive into the rural part of ANY state in the US and visit a rural family. Watch as their kids from young children to young adults handle their livestock. Observe their manners and their character. I guarantee that these are some of the finest youth you’ll ever meet, and you’ll also notice, that they aren’t in danger. Why? Because they know what they are doing. That is what this comes down to. Rural youth knows how to handle livestock appropriately and safely, and benefits from this as individuals. Educated and experienced youth are not in danger around large animals, they belong there. If this bill were passed it would take away a child’s freedom to be who they are, and would steal the identity of millions of American youth. This bill should be voted down by congress because asking the rural children of the United States to give up their lively hood because of the individuals in America who choose to make the ignorant decision of handling livestock when they shouldn’t be is flat out wrong no matter how you look at it.