On Tuesday's show, The Takeaway talked about both Newt Gingrich's recent comments about putting poor children to work as janitors in their schools, and the Department of Labor's proposed restrictions on children performing certain kinds of farm work. Many listeners had a lot to say about children working, including Marie from New Jersey, who commented on our Facebook page:

Listening to the show, I heard many callers reasoning that because they have fond memories of working on the family farm, or helping Grandpa sweep the school, that it must be right. Dreadful to think of the dearth of critical thinking skills in the country, if social policy is to be based on anecdotal, personal experiences.

The excitement over Black Friday and Cyber Monday seems to fly in face of the economic realities of many Americans. The Takeaway asked listeners to give their thoughts about the shrinking middle class, and where they are financially this holiday season.

Many of you had a lot to say about Occupy Wall Street, and the eviction of the protesters from New York's Zuccotti Park. From those applauding Mayor Bloomberg's raid on the camp to those who think the demonstrators' First Amendment rights were trampled upon, this is what Takeaway listeners are saying. 

The Occupy Wall Street demonstrations are now in their fourth week, and the protests have turned into a national movement. The protests have generated many opinions, not only of the protesters and their message, but also critiques of the way the media has chosen to cover it. Takeaway listeners share some of their opinions.

On Monday's show, we talked about President Obama's declining poll numbers, especially among blacks and Latinos. We asked our listeners to rate the president's performance. Jake, from Detroit, wrote:

I still like President Obama but regret voting for him. He is the incorrect one to focus on, though — we need to shake off the offshore banking cartels and the ones with interest in the private Federal Reserve.

New Census data reveals that poverty in America is at its worst level in three decades. We asked you, does America still care about its poor? We received many responses, including this one, from Seth in New Jersey:

"The United States government does not care about its poor, and that's because they don't make campaign contributions."

Yesterday, we spoke with liberal and conservative economists about Texas Governor Rick Perry's assertion that Social Security is a "Ponzi scheme." Many of you had something to say about Social Security, and here are some of your responses.

Facebook may have lost six million American users over the course of May according to a group that tracks the site. While this is just a small percent of the social network's 700 million users world wide, we asked listeners why they may have left the site. Have you "unfriended" Facebook?

Tamara from Baltimore says: I have been using Facebook less because I decided to cut back on the services I get to my mobile phone, so I no longer have access on my smart phone. I did that to save some money and I don't mind, I'm in contact with the people I need to be in contact with.

In Troy, Michigan 40 years ago, a librarian asked cultural and political figures to write letters about the importance of reading and books. She got almost 100 responses from people like Issac Asimov and Ronald Reagan. Takeaway listeners have been telling us which books inspired them. Peggy from South Carolina says in 1954 she was in the 4th grade and remembers reading a "series of little blue biographies of every person you could possibly think of and I read every one and I was completely hooked on knowing things." What has inspired you?

Yesterday, we asked our listeners via text and on Facebook some questions about texting and driving: Critics say texting while driving is deadly. Oprah is asking people to sign a "No Phone Zone Pledge," a promise not to text while driving. Is it as dangerous as some people say? Can you offer a solution? Do you do it? Be honest!

We received a good number of responses, representing communities from Palm Beach Fla. to Tacoma, Wash., displaying a broad spectrum of opinion and behavior. So we put them into a map. 

Millions of Americans are facing foreclosure,  like Takeaway listener, Tina. She is struggling to keep her home in Miami. She has been in her house for 38 years, but is getting hit with an escalated payment. "I'm going back and forth with the mortgage company they say they're going to send me the refinance papers but they never do."

Housing prices have dropped to nine year lows in most major cities according to last weeks' S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Over 2 million homes are in foreclosure. What do you think? Listener, Monty says: "We're on the verge of buying a house, but now we're really reluctant." Linda says, "I'm 64 years old and I have rented my whole life. If the hot water tank goes out, the landlady takes care of it, if a tree hits the roof, the landlady takes care of it, I like it like that."

The S&P / Case-Shiller home price index report released Monday showed housing prices dropped in many parts of the country between February and March to their lowest level since the bubble burst in 2006. Behind those numbers, American families and American dreams were shattered by a mix of predatory lending, devalued home prices and complicated derivative trading on Wall Street. 

Today is "World No Tobacco Day" and we are asking you how you quit smoking. Listeners have been weighing in:

Victoria Heuer writes on Facebook: My quit day was Dec. 14, last. I was sick of being controlled by the addiction, sick of the money and guilt it took to continue smoking, knowing that every pack was money for food (and other things) for my son.

Stephen Barrett writes: I quit smoking by giving up one cigarette at a time, most importantly the first one of the day. The longer you postpone that first cigarette, the closer you get to quitting. Eventually, you go a full day without smoking, and then another, and so on. All it takes is discipline and a very real desire to kick the habit.

If Saturday was the end of the world as we know it, where would you want to be? What would you want to be doing? And who would you want to be doing it with? More than 100 Takeaway listeners responded to our questions. Kevin Earley, auto parts store manager, father of five, and devout Takeaway listener, told us his end of times wish was to host The Takeaway. So we gave him his wish! We hear from him and other Takeaway listeners.

As the summer season comes closer and closer, one question abounds: where are you going for vacation? If you have a large car and a large family, the answer might be closer to home. Gas prices are at a nearly all-time high around the U.S. So, is it really affecting behavior? We've been asking listeners to weigh in with the prices at the pump in their own communities, and whether or not that will have an impact on summer travel. John Manrique, Takeaway listener on WLRN in South Florida talks about his expensive commute. And other listeners weigh in.

The death of Osama bin Laden has listeners across the nation reflecting on the closure and catharsis they feel. One listener is the nephew of a victim of Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. "I'm very happy that we finally got bin Laden, it feels good, and I hope that in the coming weeks, months and years we can put continue to put an end to violence and terrorism around the world," he says.

Every year, New York City holds a celebration of its street vendors, and this year's Vendy Awards will include a new honor — a hero category. We asked you, our listeners, to tell us some of the professions that don’t get due credit, but where you might find your heroes.

Kiki from Savannah, Georgia had this to say: 

Waste management and janitorial workers are my heroes because we never seem to think about them until they're on strike and those services are no longer available.

Would you want to know whether or not you'll have Alzheimer's if you had the opportunity? The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association released new guidelines on the disease, in order to diagnose it earlier in its nascent stages as well as encourage more drug development. Readers and Takeaway listeners shared their own stories about the disease, worrying about the problems associated with early diagnosis. I don't think I would want to know. I sure as hell wouldn't want the insurance companies to know. Early screening and diagnosis sounds like a great way for insurance companies to expand the field of 'pre-existing conditions,'" writes Takeaway listener, Miriam, from Westwood, NJ.

As a government shutdown looms, we're asking listeners who they might hold accountable, and you've got a lot to say on the subject. After the announcement that even after a shutdown, some "essential" public jobs would remain, we've also been asking about how one defines essential jobs. When you think about your own job, do you think you're "essential"? Why or why not?