Newt Gingrich: Child Labor Laws Are 'Stupid'

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called child labor laws "stupid" Friday in an appearance at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid," said the former House speaker, according to CNN. "Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they'd begin the process of rising."

"You're going to see from me extraordinarily radical proposals to fundamentally change the culture of poverty in America," he added.

Generally, the Fair Labor Standards Act allows minors over 14 to work in most jobs, with several exceptions for minors under that age. Hours are limited for minors under the age of 16. Some states have higher age standards.

He also said Saturday Occupy Wall Street protesters should "take a bath" and "get a job."

Gingrich has risen in the polls to a virtual tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

He still faces questions over his role as a consultant for Freddie Mac, for which he was paid at least $1.5 million for strategic advice from 1999 to 2007. Gingrich has denied ever lobbying for the company and had criticized then-candidate Barack Obama for accepting campaign contributions from the firm. In an interview with USA Today published Monday, he said, "You start with people with a socialist bias that you shouldn't earn money. If you do, "you're automatically suspicious of having done something bad," he added.

Timothy Carney of the Washington Examiner disputed Gingrich's claim that he was never a lobbyist. The columnist reported that the former House speaker tried to convince Capitol Hill Republicans to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare while being paid for by drug companies. Gingrich denied the report Monday, saying he publicly advocated the benefit and was doing well financially at the time.

Gingrich unveiled a plan Monday to allow younger workers to invest their Social Security in private retirement accounts, similar to an unsuccessful plan proposed by former President George W. Bush.

In an interview over the weekend with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Gingrich was asked how he is a better candidate than in the past. He said, "I do fewer dumb things."

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[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Right on Newt!

Oh, and take a bath!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Child labor laws are stupid.

Sucks when you're 12 years old and you want to work and potential employers have to tell you NO because of some nanny-state bullshit.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

My 3 year old wants to work and quite frankly, we're tired of spending our hard earned money on his growing toy collection.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

We're now applauding the idea of child labor? Really?

What a fcuking sad state of affairs. This is really becoming a true Banana Republic. Faster than anyone would have ever thought.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What a fcuking sad state of affairs. This is really becoming a true Banana Republic. Faster than anyone would have ever thought.

Just think of the money-earning potential that children can provide for struggling families?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Just think of the money-earning potential that children can provide for struggling families?

It's disturbing that we are actually having this discussion. In developed economies and countries, children are sent off to learn so they can move the country forward. Here, we're talking about how we can move back to the 1900's. This way, we'll ensure that America will go from leader of the 20th century to being absolutely irrelevant in the 21st century. And we do that by choice. Because we don't want our kids to learn and lead. We want them to sweat. Preferably in coal mines somewhere. Or on farms or something.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

It's disturbing that we are actually having this discussion. In developed economies and countries, children are sent off to learn so they can move the country forward. Here, we're talking about how we can move back to the 1900's. This way, we'll ensure that America will go from leader of the 20th century to being absolutely irrelevant in the 21st century. And we do that by choice. Because we don't want our kids to learn and lead. We want them to sweat. Preferably in coal mines somewhere. Or on farms or something.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yeah, they should have sent you to school instead of having you toil on the farm. We might have been able to have a discussion then.

[웃 910]

I wanted a job at 12 or 13. So 1996/1997.

My mom asked the local grocery store manager and he offered me a job of 50 cents an hour to sweep the parking lot! I declined his offer.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So where do you draw the line with regard to child labor laws? If Gingrich wants to make it legal for poor kids to clean schools, why shouldn't kids with more entrepreneurial skill sets be allowed to work elsewhere? What about limitation of hours worked? Isn't it all or nothing?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Yeah, they should have sent you to school instead of having you toil on the farm. We might have been able to have a discussion then.

Wow, he has jokes! I'm impressed! Not really, but it's about the subpar response I would expect from someone of your ilk.

Some of us believe in working hard and educating ourselves at the same time. Some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time. Others cannot. That's fine and dandy. However those can walk and chew gum at the same time shouldn't be prohibited from doing so by those who are jealous of the ability to do multiple functions with ones life.

So where do you draw the line with regard to child labor laws? If Gingrich wants to make it legal for poor kids to clean schools, why shouldn't kids with more entrepreneurial skill sets be allowed to work elsewhere? What about limitation of hours worked? Isn't it all or nothing?

I think minimum wage laws eliminate the need for child labor laws. No one is going to pay a child minimum wage for a job, and no adult is going to take minimum wage if that's what a child is making.

The problem with child labor laws is they assume too much and don't take into account individual factors ( like most nanny-state laws). Some kids legitimately want to work, can work, and have the ability to study at the same time. Other's cannot.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Wow, he has jokes! I'm impressed! Not really, but it's about the subpar response I would expect from someone of your ilk.

Some of us believe in working hard and educating ourselves at the same time. Some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time. Others cannot. That's fine and dandy. However those can walk and chew gum at the same time shouldn't be prohibited from doing so by those who are jealous of the ability to do multiple functions with ones life.

Kids can still walk and chew gum - once they reach an age where they can reasonably make such determination. Child labor laws do not prevent kids from working. They only define an age under which they cannot be hired. That's quite reasonable. No need to have 10 or 12 year old children clean the school bathrooms.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Kids can still walk and chew gum - once they reach an age where they can reasonably make such determination. Child labor laws do not prevent kids from working. They only define an age under which they cannot be hired. That's quite reasonable. No need to have 10 or 12 year old children clean the school bathrooms.

Don't forget chimney sweepers. Their small frames are ideal for really getting inside the chimney.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

How backwards can he be? Child Labor Laws were extremely important to the welfare of families. Children used to lose limbs in machinery etc.

On the topic of schools why not take the Japanese example? Students maintain their own classrooms after class etc as a part of class...you know free.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Sousuke