Your government at work

From WorldNetDaily (via Business Opportunities):

A Washington state family is about to lose their home after the Department of Labor and Industries hit the father with thousands of dollars in fines for having his underage sons work alongside him in the family business – doing things the state believes are dangerous for young boys.

In 2003, Jude Doty was fined $34,000 by the agency for "employing" his then 11-year-old and 13-year-old sons even though both boys did not fit what Doty says are the criteria for official employment. Later, he was assessed $20,000 for unpaid workers' compensation insurance for his children and other workers, along with $87,000 in penalties.

"Since 1992, I had been moving houses as a general contractor, and as common for self-employed fathers, I found the opportunity to take my boys, and thought nothing strange of it," explains Doty on his website, FamiliesThatWork.org. "I was involved in teaching our children, especially in the faith, and they would accompany me occasionally, from the time they were weaned. We believe that children are a gift from the Lord to the parents, and that we, not the state, have been given the responsibility to train them."