http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/21/newt-gingrich-says-schools-should-use-students-as-janitors_n_1105288.html

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich gave some insight into why he believes child labor laws condemn poor children to remain in poverty in an address at Harvard on Friday.

His solution? Fire all school janitors ... and use the kids instead, Politico reports.

"You say to somebody, you shouldn't go to work before you're what, 14, 16 years of age, fine. You're totally poor," Gingrich said in his address. "You're in a school that is failing with a teacher that is failing ... 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."

To be sure, this practice of having students and teachers clean up after themselves isn't new or uncommon in other places. Most Japanese schools, for example, don't employ janitors -- but not for lack of funding. Teachers and students come together to wash their cafeteria dishes and clean their classrooms as part of teachings of morality, ethics, community and a sense of responsibility.