Monday Matters 11

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/opinion/blow-newts-war-on-poor-children.html?ref=charlesmblow

 This column of Charles M. Blow was entitled "Newt's War on Poor Children" and was a criticism of some statements the former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, has made. He basically said that poor children do illegal things, and have no working habits whatsoever. Blow was quick to come to the defense of "America's most vulnerable" - the poor. His main point was that many of the nation's poor, are in fact, employed. 3 out of 4 poor working aged adults have jobs, and therefore most poor kids have at least one working parent. He argues that Gingrich's statements aren't backed up by any facts at all, and that the true facts contradict everything that he's said. And the last point he touches on is that people who are in lack of money do not necessarily lack morals. Just because someone is poor doesn't mean they will steal and fall into other illegal activities, and he backs this up by in recent years America's overall crime rate, especially among juveniles, has dropped even though the poverty rates have gone up. After shooting down all of Gingrich's claims with facts, he criticizes the current status of the Republican party as it is becoming increasingly less compassionate and accurate in the information it preaches.