An Open Letter to Newt Gingrich From the Pastors of Poor Children

[deminks]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joi-ruth-orr/newt-gingrich-racism_b_1217614.html

Mr. Gingrich,

For this you still owe our children an apology:

"Some of the things they could do is work in a library, work in the front office, some of them frankly could be janitorial; what if they clean up the bathrooms, what if they mopped the floors, what if in the summer they repainted the school; what if in the process they were actually learning to work, learning to earn money; if they had their own money, they didn't have to become a pimp or a prostitute or a drug dealer. [If] they had the dignity of work and learned how to be around adults who actually wanted to mentor them and help them. This is not a casual comment... It grows out of a lot of thinking over many years of trying to figure out how do we break out people trapped in poverty who have no work habits." -- Gingrich

We, the students and faculty of the Delaware Annual Conference Ministerial Institute of the AME Church, representing over 34 congregations and their constituents throughout Delaware and southern Pennsylvania are outraged at your continued demeaning of poor children and their families.

As a candidate vying for the Republican Presidential nomination, to suggest that poor children collectively lack a work ethic and drive for legal and productive work is entirely classist. Your national platform is no place for such irresponsible remarks. Our children deserve better than your degrading rhetoric.

In fact, they deserve an apology, and we -- their pastors and advocates -- demand one.

(end snip)

Newt - winning the hearts and minds of Americans. Umm, that is not the liburl press, Newtie.

[southernyankeebelle]

1. You know rich kids could learn to work in poor areas that way they could learn how lucky

they are and they just might make good citizens for the future.

[HockeyMom]

2. 50 years at my parochial school

The poor kids, who couldn't afford the tuition, were expected to "work" their tuition. They tutored the younger kids. They helped out in the office answering phones and filing. They helped the teachers setting up projects. Those with a gift for art helped with art projects to decorate for the school play, holidays, etc.

They did not do dirty or dangerous work like mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, painting (?). A few kids painted murals on the cafeteria walls, but that is not the same thing. They donated their artistic gifts in expressing themselves and making the school look better.

What Newt wants is to replace ADULT jobs with cheap CHILD LABOR. He wants to go back to the 19th Century.

[lunatica]

3. Cleaning excrement off of toilets, walls and floors will certainly

make them appreciate the work ethic and give them a sense of dignity. Especially with the inevitable Newtie lower wages for children because "They don't have the same financial obligations that adults do and they should learn to be grateful for what they get."