Romney To Kids: Life Is Like “Let’s Make A Deal”

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

GRAND BLANC, MICH. -- The first sign that this morning’s speech at Grand Blanc High School wasn’t a typical Mitt Romney event came when a school official warned the assembled crowd not to use laser pointers.

The majority of the assembled audience of about 2,500 won’t be old enough to vote in tomorrow’s primary, but Romney still treated the young audience to a series of favorite campaign stories, including the one about how he met his wife in high school.

In an effort to reach out for a metaphor on life, Romney turned to a TV show that was on the air long before any of the kids in the crowd were born.

“In some respects I’ve thought, life is a bit like that show ‘Let’s Make A Deal,’” Romney said. “You make trades throughout your life, and the question is, what trades are you going to make? Are they fortuitous, or not? And the difference, however, between life and that show is that you know what’s behind the curtain. People will tell you what’s behind the curtain.”

Romney said that finishing high school meant that one’s life income would rise by about $1 million and that a college education would lead to another significant boost in personal wealth.

“Get hooked on drugs, and your life’s income and your happiness quotient will actually go right down in the basement,” Romney said.

Although there were probably other celebrities that would have gotten a better reception here than a 60-year-old politician, the kids in the crowd applauded politely and even let out a burst of cheers when Romney talked about reviving Michigan’s economy.

“I thought it was a really good speech,” Stephanie Tomczak, a 15-year-old sophomore said.

Stephanie said that her parents were likely to support John McCain but that Romney would have her vote, if she were old enough to cast one.

“When I was 11-years-old, my parents used to tell me that ‘Democrat’ was a bad word,” she said.