Thread: Newt: Poor Children Have "No Habits of Working"

I know plenty of middle class & wealthy kids who have "no habits of working" too.

I'd love to see some stats on that broad generalization he's making. It feels like something a guy of his knowledge should know better than to be spewing. I thought the US population was a little more evolved than that. Maybe we're devolving at this point.

Politically speaking, I don't like the dems or the libs, but my God, the Reps are their own worst enemy. I had a lot of respect for Newt in terms of about the only guy on amongst the Republican presidential contenders who has the knowledge and expertise in navigating the "governmental waters", though I just can't see him winning any elections because he's just not much of a "people person". But with statements like this, he just seems to be completely disconnected from reality and living in an era 50 yrs out of date.

Yes, trust fund brats are just as worthless. But, I don't think he's talking about an average Joe 6-pack blue collar worker. It sounds like hes referring to kids living in inner-city, poor neighborhoods, who in many cases, are surrounded by people who've never worked or earned $ any other way than illegally. There is a poverty cycle in a lot of poor neighborhoods, where there are families who've literally lived on welfare for 2-3 generations. They have no concept of what it's like to show up for a job in the morning, stay 8 hours, wait till Friday to get paid, etc. The only people that those kids see earning $ are criminals. What he's saying is true, even if it doesn't go over well in the media.

Originally Posted by GearsMcGilf

Yes, trust fund brats are just as worthless. But, I don't think he's talking about an average Joe 6-pack blue collar worker. It sounds like hes referring to kids living in inner-city, poor neighborhoods, who in many cases, are surrounded by people who've never worked or earned $ any other way than illegally. There is a poverty cycle in a lot of poor neighborhoods, where there are families who've literally lived on welfare for 2-3 generations. They have no concept of what it's like to show up for a job in the morning, stay 8 hours, wait till Friday to get paid, etc. The only people that those kids see earning $ are criminals. What he's saying is true, even if it doesn't go over well in the media.

Its a nice big fat broad generalization tho. Who decides who the lazy ass poor kids are who get these jobs? And what about the janitors who currently have those jobs to pay for their own kids to have a good upbringing? And btw, if these kids are all crime-driving thugs, you're going to give them the keys to the school building? Nice invite to sell the school's fixtures, copper wiring, computers, etc.

Originally Posted by sassy69

And btw, if these kids are all crime-driving thugs, you're going to give them the keys to the school building? Nice invite to sell the school's fixtures, copper wiring, computers, etc.

Werd. I would've narrowed it down a bit so it didn't sound so broad. As far as the kids working in the schools, I'm sure they'd be on a chain gang or something. You wouldn't want to have them just freely running about inside the school.

Originally Posted by GearsMcGilf

Werd. I would've narrowed it down a bit so it didn't sound so broad. As far as the kids working in the schools, I'm sure they'd be on a chain gang or something. You wouldn't want to have them just freely running about inside the school.

Yea, I just see a pretty messy execution of this particular idea.....

Rational schmational! If they elect a man named... Newt?

I'm leaving the country.

If they re-elect a man named Hussein, I just may move to China!

I get where he's coming from. I've said it before, and I'm saying it now: Most of the poor deserve to be poor.

They lack nearly everything that is required to not be poor. The work ethic. The ability to move beyond just wanting. The ability to see beyond their current position in life.

So yeah, I get where he's coming from.

Just plain wrong.

The rich are the lazy ones. All the poor kids work.
All the rich kids are douche bags.

Nor do you!

You have no habit of staying all day. You received a boat load of cash from corrupt activities...Oh,boy, this guy has a very short memory and he hopes we do, too.

This is really why they plan to dismantle unions, so we can bring back child labor, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

bad behaviors and bad habits tend to repeat themselves....i'm sure this is out of context of his entire thoughts though.....as always with the media

Doctrine of capitalism (profit at all cost) has transformed him into a sub-human.

Originally Posted by Thee_One

Just plain wrong.

The rich are the lazy ones. All the poor kids work.
All the rich kids are douche bags.

I can't speak for rich kids. I've never been around them. I did, however, grow up as poor as you can in the country. I frequently went without food for up to a day a half. I was also often homeless.

I'm not sure how you're drawing your conclusion about rich kids. Did you live among them? My opinion is based on what I've seen.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I can't speak for rich kids. I've never been around them. I did, however, grow up as poor as you can in the country. I frequently went without food for up to a day a half. I was also often homeless.

I'm not sure how you're drawing your conclusion about rich kids. Did you live among them? My opinion is based on what I've seen.

I have plenty of experience with rich kids, I train quite a few wealthy people and deal with their kids. This is not a class issue, it's a parenting issue. Shitty parents raise shitty kids. As far as I can tell, if the parent raises their kid with a work ethic they get one. I know as many lazy, worthless rich kids as poor kids. You lead by example, if you own a company and just blow off work your kids learn that same behavior and it gets reinforced. It's sad actually, I see it every day and the parents don't understand why. I don't get involved because if I tell them they're shitty parents, even if I tell them nicely, they'll take offense.

Oops, I'd like to add...

I work with a lot of young athletes and for the most part I get more out of the "poorer" kids. The major exception being my favorite athletes who happen to be sisters and filthy rich. I think the only differentiation I can make with rich vs poor kids based on my observations is that you rarely get a rich kid with a strong work ethic when the parents don't work to instill one. On the other side, I do get poor kids with strong work ethics who don't seem to be taught that by their parents. IMO, that is just a case of wanting to pull yourself out of the shithole and it's not a large number of kids. Rich kids don't need to be pulled out of a shitty situation because their situation is quite good, although some of them try to be assholes just to piss off absentee parents. Bar none the biggest predictor seems to be the parents who give a shit as the parents who show up and watch tend to have kids with a stronger work ethic.

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

I have plenty of experience with rich kids, I train quite a few wealthy people and deal with their kids. This is not a class issue, it's a parenting issue. Shitty parents raise shitty kids. As far as I can tell, if the parent raises their kid with a work ethic they get one. I know as many lazy, worthless rich kids as poor kids. You lead by example, if you own a company and just blow off work your kids learn that same behavior and it gets reinforced. It's sad actually, I see it every day and the parents don't understand why. I don't get involved because if I tell them they're shitty parents, even if I tell them nicely, they'll take offense.

I'm tempted to believe that parents from the middle and upper classes tend to be better parents.

Like you said, it comes down to good parenting. Mothers from the mid and upper classes tend to be stay-at-home moms more than the lower class.

Also, working parents in the middle and upper class tend to have jobs where they have vacation benefits, allowing them to spend more time with their family.

I think one of the prime factors in my leaving the lower class is that my mother grew up in the upper-middle class and instilled the worth ethic of that class.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm tempted to believe that parents from the middle and upper classes tend to be better parents.

Like you said, it comes down to good parenting. Mothers from the mid and upper classes tend to be stay-at-home moms more than the lower class.

Also, working parents in the middle and upper class tend to have jobs where they have vacation benefits, allowing them to spend more time with their family.

I think one of the prime factors in my leaving the lower class is that my mother grew up in the upper-middle class and instilled the worth ethic of that class.

I'd agree with that, or more importantly, kids whose parents parents were in the upper/middle class, as you said, because back then only 1 parent typically had to work, so the Mom could devote her attention to her kids' well-being. The best way to make a shitty parent is to be one to your kid. Kids are very malleable before the age of 9, their brain wave patterns basically put them in a hypnotic state so they are like tape recorders. Bruce Lipton put it like this. Twilight Reverie is the state you're in when you are partially awake but still dreaming. You know how sometimes things that happen in the room, such as an alarm going off, can find it's way in to your dreams? That's twilight reverie. Kids are not capable of Beta brain activity (Conscious, logical thought), they are typically stuck in theta which is synonymous with twilight reverie. They are not conscious participants in society at this point, they are merely observers downloading information. This is why it's crucial to act in a way that is in concert with what you tell your kids is the right way to do things. If you tell them to be good, work hard, etc. but then act like an asshole they will become assholes too.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I get where he's coming from. I've said it before, and I'm saying it now: Most of the poor deserve to be poor.

They lack nearly everything that is required to not be poor. The work ethic. The ability to move beyond just wanting. The ability to see beyond their current position in life.

So yeah, I get where he's coming from.

Yeah, most of us are responsible for what we get or don't get (coming from a guy who has made an art of failure). Politicians always want to find a way that it's not our fault because it "feels" better.

I've worked inner city branches and people don't even have enough inner drive to shower once a week. 90% of my "clientele" was on SSI disability because they either fried their brains on drugs or "hurt" themselves somehow. Everyone is waiting for the "settlement" payday on their claims or tax returns when they get thousands of dollars back. I've seen customers get their claims in excess of 70K and blow through it in less than a month with nothing to show.

My bank branch was the only retail business in the entire area that wasn't a bar or a cricket wireless store because no one (not even McDonald's) would expect to make money in the area. We probably only stayed in the area because of the CRA (community reinvestment act).

Newt's mistake is that he probably told the truth; however, the middle class and rich kids are probably just as bad.

One thing I will say though, when I was managing a retail store about 8 years ago. I found my best minimum wage workers at the local Catholic High School. Every kid I got from there had a great work ethic, respect for management, personal hygiene...they gave me some hope for the younger generation.

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

I have plenty of experience with rich kids, I train quite a few wealthy people and deal with their kids. This is not a class issue, it's a parenting issue. Shitty parents raise shitty kids. As far as I can tell, if the parent raises their kid with a work ethic they get one. I know as many lazy, worthless rich kids as poor kids. You lead by example, if you own a company and just blow off work your kids learn that same behavior and it gets reinforced. It's sad actually, I see it every day and the parents don't understand why. I don't get involved because if I tell them they're shitty parents, even if I tell them nicely, they'll take offense.

This is true...none of the families I dealt with even had the same dads. Moms were all looking for a fix and dads were mostly in jail, dead, or who knows where. I never even really thought of these "units" as families, they were just cohabiting for convenience.

Originally Posted by sassy69

I know plenty of middle class & wealthy kids who have "no habits of working" too.

I'd love to see some stats on that broad generalization he's making. It feels like something a guy of his knowledge should know better than to be spewing. I thought the US population was a little more evolved than that. Maybe we're devolving at this point.

Politically speaking, I don't like the dems or the libs, but my God, the Reps are their own worst enemy. I had a lot of respect for Newt in terms of about the only guy on amongst the Republican presidential contenders who has the knowledge and expertise in navigating the "governmental waters", though I just can't see him winning any elections because he's just not much of a "people person". But with statements like this, he just seems to be completely disconnected from reality and living in an era 50 yrs out of date.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I can't speak for rich kids. I've never been around them. I did, however, grow up as poor as you can in the country. I frequently went without food for up to a day a half. I was also often homeless.

I'm not sure how you're drawing your conclusion about rich kids. Did you live among them? My opinion is based on what I've seen.

I remember your story and when Newt said this you came to mind...some people do catch bad breaks.
I do believe he's talking about the poor people who expect handouts and have no desire to move forward.

You guys are missing the point on rich kids vs. poor kids...

There are lazy rich kids and lazy poor kids who both have had bad parenting and no work ethic...

The problem is that the poor kids live off the tax payer and the cycle continues with their kids...

Rich kids can be lazy, who gives a fuck, they are spending their parents money not tax money...


Newt is telling it like it is, people are just to insecure when someone speaks the truth about these issues... I Newt...

Originally Posted by min0 lee

I do believe he's talking about the poor people who expect handouts and have no desire to move forward.

The bad part is that description fits most of the poor.

Originally Posted by min0 lee

I remember your story and when Newt said this you came to mind...some people do catch bad breaks.

It does happen. What it did teach me is that all you can do for the poor is setup avenues for those that want to rise up, can. If they have the really good grades, you give them a grant. If they had really good grades in collage, you give them a career path. This sort of this is already in place.

What needs to be improved is the education system.

Changing directions: I find it funny when someone from the middle or upper classes - who's been there their entire lives - tries to tell me what it's really like in the lower class. It's happened way more than you might expect.

Originally Posted by ExLe

You guys are missing the point on rich kids vs. poor kids...

There are lazy rich kids and lazy poor kids who both have had bad parenting and no work ethic...

The problem is that the poor kids live off the tax payer and the cycle continues with their kids...

Rich kids can be lazy, who gives a fuck, they are spending their parents money not tax money...


Newt is telling it like it is, people are just to insecure when someone speaks the truth about these issues... I Newt...

Broad generalizations like that just don't fly for implementing public policy. Not all "poor kids" live off the tax payer so who is going to determine who falls into this category, and then the stigma and other shit that would follow them - particularly putting them in a work environement where they also attend school. It may sound like a good and simple solution, but the mess of trying to implement it and the backlash IMO would turn it into a big fat mess. And as I said, what about the adults who would be displaced from those jobs anyway - these are people who are trying to support their families in a productive way.

Originally Posted by DOMS

I'm tempted to believe that parents from the middle and upper classes tend to be better parents.

Like you said, it comes down to good parenting. Mothers from the mid and upper classes tend to be stay-at-home moms more than the lower class.

Also, working parents in the middle and upper class tend to have jobs where they have vacation benefits, allowing them to spend more time with their family.

I think one of the prime factors in my leaving the lower class is that my mother grew up in the upper-middle class and instilled the worth ethic of that class.

the lower class don't work and are on welfare

Originally Posted by Dark Geared God

the lower class don't work and are on welfare

I don't think that's correct. A lot of the lower class that I new worked. But they spent it as fast as they could make it. They didn't even pretend at money management.

Originally Posted by GearsMcGilf

If they re-elect a man named Hussein, I just may move to China!

Waaaaaaiiiiiit a minute. Aren't you already in China?

Originally Posted by sassy69

Broad generalizations like that just don't fly for implementing public policy. Not all "poor kids" live off the tax payer so who is going to determine who falls into this category, and then the stigma and other shit that would follow them - particularly putting them in a work environement where they also attend school. It may sound like a good and simple solution, but the mess of trying to implement it and the backlash IMO would turn it into a big fat mess. And as I said, what about the adults who would be displaced from those jobs anyway - these are people who are trying to support their families in a productive way.

My point is that if you arn't living off the tax payer, you can be as lazy and as poor as you want...

If you are living off the tax payers stop and get a job...