Victory. Sort Of.

Paul Petersen from Philadelphia 4/14/10

The public hearing into the true state of Pennsylvania's child labor laws arranged by our friend, Rep. Thomas Murt on behalf of the Republican Policy Committee went very well indeed today. An attentive panel of adult male Representatives from PA's House were on hand to listen and learn from Jodi and Kevin Kreider, Ms. Gloria Allred, Esq., a qualified child psychologist, Yours Truly…and (this is when you sound the horns), three representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry who, to the surprise of everyone in the room, announced that they had arrived at a conclusion in the nineteen-month investigation into the working conditions on the five-year television series, "Jon & Kate + 8."

Don't get your hopes up. The officials of the Labor and Industry enforcement division…without visiting the actual workplace/home of the alleged violations of PA's existing child labor laws…actually discovered that TLC and the parents (that would be Jon and Kate) DID NOT HAVE THE WORK PERMITS REQUIRED BY PENNSYVANIA'S EXISTING LAW! GUILTY AS CHARGED.

And what is the cost for this massive five-year saga of child abuse and conscious deception?

No criminal charges. No fines. Just an agreement that TLC will now conform to the child labor laws in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth.

Oh, and the establishment of an irrevocable Coogan Trust consisting of 15% of the Gosselin children's computed gross income. 15% split eight ways.

Now, don't you feel better America? My formal statement is here on our Home Page. I wonder what I would have said had I known that an "official decision" had been reached three weeks ago?

Stay tuned.