Gingrich Says Poor Kids Have No Work Habits Except Crime

[Sensia]

Written by Casey Gane-McCalla, Lead Blogger on December 2, 2011 11:24 am

GOP Presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, recently defended his stance on child labor laws. He previously said that children as young as nine in poverty stricken areas should be given janitorial jobs, mopping floors and bathrooms and be paid at much lower rates than adults. Gingrich claimed that changing child labor laws would benefit poor children because they have no work ethic unless it involves crime in a campaign stop in Iowa.

"Really poor children, in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works so they have no habit of showing up on Monday
They have no habit of staying all day, they have no habit of I do this and you give me cash unless it is illegal.."




http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=_9ABIYqxz4Y

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Really Newt? I find this offensive and disturbing that he makes poor people and their children out to have no work ethic's and only get their money from crime.

[Liliana]

We all know Gingrich is an idiot. At least, I hope we do.

[Iaintliein]

Reminds me of Kerry telling kids to make good grades so they don't have to become soldiers. In fact, I think he was talking to soldiers when he said it.

As for kids and work ethic it isn't just the poor kids, the middle class and rich kids also don't work like in the old day. I had a job from 14 on during the summers and after school, not that that's special in anyway. But my Dad went to work full time at the age of 12 when his father died to help support the family, and he was one special guy.

So, you can call other people "idiot" all you want I guess. But the simple fact is that work ethic as well as the quality of education has steadily deteriorated in this country for decades. And only an "idiot" would deny it.

I'm glad the laws were different when I was growing up so I had a chance to actually grow up knowing how to hold a job.

[Boltfan]

#1 - Taken without any context whatsoever (because none was presented in this very short video clip) HE IS RIGHT! Absolutely no where did he say poor children have no work ethic nor did he say their parents have no work ethic. He said they have no habit of how a job would even work and they very likely have no context to watch their parents go to work so they can possibly grasp the concept.

#2 - I would really like to see the ENTIRE speach to determine what his full intent is here. If his intent is to show that minimum wage hurts because you can't give younger kids a job I agree. If his intent is to show that giving the kids the opportunity to work and earn instead of doing nothing is an improvement over the choice of nothing or turning to crime, I agree.

This article is fairly useless. The author/rapper doesn't even offer an opinion on the matter from which we can possibly garner more facts about what Newt said. The 51 second clip is hardly shocking. I grew up very poor and I was extremely happy to mow lawns, bale hay, cleanup yards and as I got older clean warehouses, schools, etc. for some money for my family. Under today's child labor laws you cannot do that or cannot do that very cheaply.

Perhaps your "outrage" is misplaced here.

[Grifter]

I dont think its a big stretch to think that parents in lower income brackets aren't working steady 9-5 jobs consistently. If they arent, then that 9 to 5 example isnt being set for the kids. The plain fact is that the example parents set for the kids and the enviroment then grow up in effects the expectations they have for themselves.

[Sensia]

The working poor are probably the hardest workers you will ever find. In fact most that are raising families in such conditions are having to work more than one job at minimum wage. Some work 80 hours if not more a week at 7.25 an hour. For most 7.25 barely makes 15000.00 a year and you can't raise a family on that. To say that their kids have no idea of work or work ethic is incredibly "ignorant" and is just another blow to the working poor demonizing them. I would not want children taking the jobs of poor working adults in school (making far less than what the adult could earn) when they should be learning in school, participating in school activities. I wouldn't want the child labor laws lifted at all.

[i'va biggen]

think Newt grew up poor checking his record

[Boltfan]

Guilty,

How are you making this leap? Do you have access to his entire speech?

[Jackie S]

the knee jerk reaction is to castigate anyone who would say such a thing, untill you stop and realize that in many instances, it is true.

Kids who live in many of the large urban projects have never seen their parents, (or in most cases parent), get up and go to work. They grow up with no concept of, as Newt said, performing a task and getting paid for the effort.

[Munchmasterman]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...?iref=obinsite

Get rid of the "union" janitors. I'm sure some are union but the idea of firing adults to hire children is unbelievable. People whose children may go to the school. Because the union people are all democrats, right? Where will all of the adult ex-janitors work?
Letting children work is one thing, firing adults to make room for them has to be one of the most stupid and assholish ideas I have ever heard of.

Vintage newt.

What a fucking dickhead.

[Boltfan]

The leap you make is truly shocking. Working as a kid is not a bad thing. I guess it is the engrained hatred of "the other side" that makes you think the worst of any idea proposed.

Whether you like it or not "Vintage" Newt and Bill Clinton worked fairly well together.

[Munchmasterman]

Originally Posted by Boltfan

The leap you make is truly shocking. What leap? Working as a kid is not a bad thing. I know since I’ve had a job since I was 12 (paper route then gas station at 16).I guess it is the engrained hatred of "the other side" that makes you think the worst of any idea proposed.
What is the best part of firing adults to make jobs for kids?

Whether you like it or not "Vintage" Newt and Bill Clinton worked fairly well together. That’s the problem. There are several types of “vintage Newt” There is the “fire adults so kids can work” and the “tell your wife you want a divorce while she is in her hospital bed being treated for cancer” newt and the newt that cooperated with a President because it was good for the country (and the nation demanded it).

Do you read before you type?

Take these steps.


Actually go to the link and read the story.

Read what I typed and apply it to the story you just read.

Don’t rephrase my words. Take them at face value.

Say it out loud to yourself.


“the idea of firing adults to hire children is unbelievable.”

And

“Letting children work is one thing, firing adults to make room for them has to be one of the most stupid and assholish ideas I have ever heard of.”

What don’t you understand about that?
I notice you make no effort to defend Newt’s actions in the story.

Or did I misunderstand and that you were talking about "vintage newt the lobbyist"?

[i'va biggen]

guess Newt doesn't watch basketball

[wellendowed1911]

Originally Posted by Munchmasterman

Do you read before you type?

Take these steps.


Actually go to the link and read the story.

Read what I typed and apply it to the story you just read.

Don’t rephrase my words. Take them at face value.

Say it out loud to yourself.


“the idea of firing adults to hire children is unbelievable.”

And

“Letting children work is one thing, firing adults to make room for them has to be one of the most stupid and assholish ideas I have ever heard of.”

What don’t you understand about that?
I notice you make no effort to defend Newt’s actions in the story.

Or did I misunderstand and that you were talking about "vintage newt the lobbyist"?

Bolt has a history of sticking his foot in his mouth- he likes to keep drama going and the majority of the time Bolt doesn't know what the fuck he is talking about.

[WTF]

Newt should hire those poor kids to work on getting him elected. Talk about ironic!