A word from Newt Gingrich, front-runner in the GOP 2012 primaries:
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.
Gingrich was responding to criticism he's taken for his stance on child-labor laws. Recently at a GOP hangout (to call it a "debate" would be to sully the term), Gingrich explained to America (or simply we masochists who watch GOP hangouts) that he would do away with child-labor laws.
First he'd get rid of that whole minimum-age-to-work crap. Then he'd fire all those icky union janitors at schools -- and put in place a "master" janitor and then have kids work for the janitor keeping their school clean. Forget all of that "being a kid" nonsense. That 9-year-old needs to get a broom, a mop and clean some floors! So the above quote was supposed to really explain the thoughts behind this "amazing" idea.
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