Posted on 11/19/2011 9:32:20 AM PST by BarnacleCenturion
Newt Gingrich tonight said at an address at Harvard that child work laws "entrap" poor children into poverty - and suggested that a better way to handle failing schools is to fire the janitors, hire the local students and let them get paid for upkeep.
"This is something that no liberal wants to deal with," Gingrich said. "Core policies of protecting unionization and bureaucratization against children in the poorest neighborhoods, crippling them by putting them in schools that fail has done more to create income inequality in the United States than any other single policy. It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid.
(Excerpt) Read more at nation.foxnews.com ...
My brothers attended an all male Catholic high school. There were Saturday detentions for things like fighting, chewing gum, talking back... The Brothers had their Saturday work force and weeds were pulled, mulch put down, walls painted, windows washed, bulbs planted.... whatever needed to be done. Believe me, you learned a lesson about smarting off to a teacher if your Saturday was spent painting a wall.
>>>That’s true and everyone would agree but it really isn’t what he meant. He said “fire the janitors and hire the kids”. Completely different.<<<
That’s true - and you make my point. Gingrich’s rhetoric has a punch, and sometimes that punch hits you in the head. If kids were cleaning the schools, the necessary corrolary is that some of the janitorial staff would have be let go. You don’t have to mention it, though. Bluntly saying “fire the janitors” prompts a response from the listener that might think Gingrich is being hard-hearted, or at least uncaring. Which is perfect fodder for the leftist media.
Gingrich should have focused on the kid’s working hard part without mentioning the janitors at all, thereby focusing discussion on teaching kids how to work and care for their own schools. Instead, Gingrich’s own words focus attention on fired janitors, needlessly, and to the benefit of the left. (I think it goes without saying that these rules only apply to conservatives and Republicans - a Democrat or a leftist saying similarly blunt things is always given a pass. *sigh*)
Sounds like a good idea for any school, not just Catholic.
My first grammar school (catholic). The students cleaned the classrooms. Mopped the floors, cleaned the desks, blackboards, etc. The pastor & parish members drove the school busses. Parents helped out with painting. This is distant past, we probably had some contracted janitorial/maintenance assistance - however, it was minimal. These were parents who were involved in the community.
That's it in a nutshell. If he would stay on message and quit bouncing all over the place he'd be attracting more folks.
It is because of FEDERAL CHILD LABOR LAWS that young children can't be given these jobs. Newt is proposing eliminating some of these stupid child labor laws.
This is a bold proposal. Let's see if any of the other candidates are willing to turn the clock back on some of these stupid laws.
>> Newt: Fire the Janitors, Hire Kids to Clean Schools
I’ve been suggesting the idea of providing college tuition credits through farm labor. The service industry could also participate.
One of my sons got a summer job as one of the janitors at a local school. It was not beneath him and he made good money that summer.
I did not mind him taking a job as a janitor and I paid taxes for the schools. They paid less for his summer job than for the full time union janitors used during the school year. It would have been a great way to make money for a high school kid to work a part time cleaning job after school, too. It beat working retail in pay an in less aggravation in dealing with the public.
No alternative to Gingrich? Wrong! This 4+ minute video at the link at the bottom explains why.
I’ve recently had some old and intelligent friends respond to the previous messages with “Paul can’t beat Obama. Gingrich can.”
If that IS where we are today, it says far more about US than it does the candidate. Perhaps we HAVE returned to a feudal system where the smiling, glib, attractive and powerful lord of the manor is responsible for the rest of us, his vassals and serfs. God help us if that is so!
The same media that have lied to you about anthropogenic global warming, Obama’s qualifications to be president, largely failed to expose Newt’s REAL world-view, etc., etc., etc. have been BLOCKING Ron Paul and his message of smaller, Constitutional government and individual freedom and continue to ATTEMPT to BRAINWASH you into believing that Ron is UNELECTABLE. Apparently the majority of the 700,000 citizens in his south Texas district think he’s QUITE electable — multiple times!
If Gingrich’s numbers rise, watch the same media bandwagon now rolling OVER Ron Paul start to roll FOR Newt. If and when that happens, you need to ask yourself WHY that same lying, dishonest, leftist establishment media would do that? The short answer is that Newt would advance their agenda. The next question should be a reflective one: Is that MY agenda? If it IS YOUR agenda, here is what Sam Adams had to say about you over 200 years ago:
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
I am STILL awaiting responses to my request for corrections of any errors in the Gingrich record sent earlier. I’m also awaiting Newt’s reply concerning his support for the RINO Scozzafava over the more conservative candidate in the 2009 special election in the NY 23rd.
Can't do that or you'll have lib heads exploding over slave labor.
Years ago, there was a government program that put kids to work at schools and other government entities during the summer. If nothing else, it kept them off the street. I don't think that program is around anymore.
In fact, I will throw all of my political support (and maybe a lot of financial support, too) behind the candidate who has the courage to stand up and tell the truth about public education: There is no place in a free nation for "public education" as we know it. Up until the last 150 years or so, I'm willing to bet that you will not find any documented case in human history of a society that rounded up all of its children on a daily basis and warehoused them in large buildings for the purpose of "educating" them.
When I was in 5th grade, it was standard for students to assist the lunch crew.
Newt certainly was not referring to six year olds, but what the heck
Is wrong with any teenager working???? I am quite certain many
folks on this site worked and did babysitting at 14 years old. Labor
laws are out of control, kids need to work it gives them pride and self
confidence! Very small children are on corners dealing drugs!!!! Nuf said.
In the 1960’s up in MA, when I was in the 5th and 6th grade, I was a crossing guard ALONE in charge of the safety for a couple hundred younger children crossing a busy, unlighted town street.
When I was a junior and senior in high school I was a hired janitor. There was only one full time adult janitor for the entire school and us kids did ALL the work. He inspected.
Our human ancestors of the past 150,000 years must be laughing at us. You are right. When in human history have we done this to children?
And...My father was born in 1913. Most of his generation were educated in **small** one room school houses with children of mixed ages. His friends left school at age 14. He was the top ranking engineer for his company and won **many** awards for his work. He did very important design work and supervision of production for the Mercury and Apollo programs. Yet, ...he never finished high school and attended college at night.
It’s actually not the worst idea.
My parents taught me to clean my room and help clean the house. If the school is ‘in loco parentis’ kids could learn how to clean things the right way using different cleaning supplies than they might have at home. There’s also pride knowing how to clean the right way, to be proud of keeping your home/school clean.
Kids are funny critters. If they can get out of doing something...they do. The government isn't helping.
Go shove Mitt up yours. I prefer Cain right now, but Newt is growing on me. Whereupon, question someone’s baggage and get called a romneybot
You could have just posted "I DIDN"T READ THE ARTICLE" and saved yourself a lot of typing.
rather than having an army of illegals picking the stuff, I always thought - wouldn’t it be much better if High School kids spent 2 weeks doing this instead?
A few years ago... Aroostook County used to take two weeks off from school to pick potatoes (Sorry Idaho, but Maine Potatoes are still the best, IMHO).
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