“Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book. But if this law goes into effect, I’m telling you I’m not going to follow it. I’m just not. Because I can’t.”
I was sitting at a restaurant bar, talking to its owner about the potential impact of House Bill 87, the illegal immigration bill. He had contacted me, asking if I wanted to hear “the economic perspective of a small business owner,” with the understanding that he would remain anonymous.
“Some restaurant owners who publicly opposed this bill have received death threats, leading me to want to stay below the radar,” he explained in the email. On that basis, we agreed to meet.
If the law survives legal challenge and goes into effect, the owner said, he would face two choices: He could obey the law, lose a very big chunk of his ktichen staff and be forced out of business; or he could evade the law and save his business.
“I’ve got my future and my family’s future tied up in this,” he said, looking around at the bustling restaurant. “We’re doing good right now, but I’m in debt millions of dollars. And when I made that decision (to borrow the money), I didn’t have any idea that they’d be passing a law like this. My bank didn’t have any idea they’d be passing a law like this.”
“I don’t get it. They talk about jobs jobs jobs. The only two industries generating revenue and jobs for Georgia are hospitality and agriculture. And this is going to ruin them both. And it’s not just my kitchen staff who will lose their jobs. All of my front-of-the house workers [bartenders, waiters, hostesses], they’ll be out of work too. We’ve already lost the construction industry, and now we’re going to lose these too. Nobody I know is considering opening another restaurant in this state.”
In fact, if the construction industry was still booming as it was a few years ago, he said, there’s no way the Legislature would have passed HB 87. Back then, too many politically connected people were making too much money off illegal workers. And the hospitality and agriculture industries just don’t have the clout that developers once wielded.
Right now, he said, he does everything he can to abide by the law. He doesn’t pay anybody off the books, which means that everybody on his staff is paying taxes. “This claim that they don’t pay taxes — I don’t get that,” he says. “Yeah, they may not pay a lot in income taxes, but nobody else in those jobs does either [because they don't make a lot of money]. But they pay sales taxes, property taxes, unemployment taxes, and they’re paying a lot of money into Social Security that they’re never going to get back.”
“See that guy right there,” he said, nodding his head toward a nearby waiter. “He’s been in this country since he was five, when his parents brought him here. He graduated from high school here, and he probably speaks better English than I do. He doesn’t know a damn thing about Mexico. And they want to send him back? Back to what? Have you seen what’s going on in Mexico these days?”
“I’m trying to grow my business; I’m trying to help my people grow and build good lives. I don’t think the politicians know what they’re doing. I just don’t think they’ve thought this through.”
780 comments Add your comment
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
7:14 am
I don’t think the politicians know what they’re doing. I just don’t think they’ve thought this through.
“through”, as in, past the next election? probably not, no.
Granny Godzilla
May 24th, 2011
7:18 am
Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide…..with morality.
God Bless and protect refugees all over this world.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
7:31 am
Not to belittle the restaurant owner, but depending on how he voted last election, it could be a case of “be careful of what you ask for, because you just might get it.”
People want undocumented aliens removed from our society, so they elected people they thought would do just that. I think the disconnect comes into play when you look at the long term effects and costs. Nobody looks long term at anything anymore, so it doesn’t surprise me.
After the results of the last election, I can’t say that I feel sorry for the owner, but that’s just me.
arnold
May 24th, 2011
7:32 am
Politicians need to scare voters in order to get elected. At least it currently seems to be the practice. Therefore, the bogey man about illegal immigrants. Anything for a vote.
Jefferson
May 24th, 2011
7:33 am
It’s like a speeding ticket eh? Laws only govern those who will be governed.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
7:38 am
The neo-cons simply have to have somebody to despise. It is part of their ideological DNA. The Latinos have merely replaced the blacks, that were their target thirty years ago. And the Muslims have become their new Jews.
Yes they hide behind their transparent argument that this is merely respect for the law. To which I give a huge belly laugh! The Republican Party machinery has become more or less, law-averse.
Need evidence? Howe about a serially impeachable administration and scandal ridden scofflaws by the dozens, at every level of the organization. White collar criminals are adulated instead of incarcerated.
I see their position, regarding these “unfortunates”, as little different than their position on abortion. Their claims about caring for the “babies” are again laughable, given their abysmal track record and obvious inconsistencies. This is why they are like two peas in a pod with the hard-core reactionary religionists and other reactionary xenophobes.
They just hate life when they cannot force people to do exactly what they want them to do. In old parlance, their “bag” is to tell folks how to live their lives – BY THEIR RULES.
And the rub? They are growing ever more incensed because they used to be able to get away with it.
No more.
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
7:39 am
Jay, I hate to say it but this sounds like a made up story. You say he is in debt Millions of dollars, he must have one hell of a restaurant. If his business is doing that good why doesn’t he pay his debt? He must be a liberal. just keep borrowing and worry about it later.
If our Govt. was worried about losing low wage help then why doesn’t Obama get more legal immigrant help for everyone and our illegal problem will slowly go away as they won’t have jobs.
I think you heard what this guy had to say after way to many drinks.
Mick
May 24th, 2011
7:41 am
Very good column today where real world reality collides with fanciful ideals. Tell this guy if his business fails to come to miami and start over down here where nobody knows and nobody cares about illegal immigrants…
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
7:44 am
He must be a liberal. just keep borrowing and worry about it later.
It didn’t take long for the labels to start flying…
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
7:48 am
Jay, please tell us what will be the result on our economy in 10 years when 10 or 12 Million illegals have illegally crossed our borders. Does anyone ever think of that or are you wringing your hands just thinking about all the votes.
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
7:50 am
SoCo, isn’t that what they preach, keep printing money and we can spend our way out of debt.
kitty
May 24th, 2011
7:51 am
He must be a liberal. just keep borrowing and worry about it later.
So the GOP Congress under Bush was a bunch of liberals….gotcha.
I gotta learn how to do the rolling eye emoticon…good grief.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
7:52 am
Morning, AmVet
“My bank didn’t have any idea they’d be passing a law like this.”
Yeah, there’s a lot of complicity here. Aiding and abetting? It’s not just the worker, or the business owner. But as the guy pointed out, his industry doesn’t have ‘clout.’
________________________________________________________________
Is not this man also saying “if I have to fire these workers, American citizens will not come forward to take these jobs. I’ve had some of these people on staff for years, but an American won’t take this job for a week”?
Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?
Jay
May 24th, 2011
7:53 am
Poison, votes have nothing to do with it. In fact, if Republicans were to compromise and help find a way to make these people legal, Latinos would probably be at least as likely to vote GOP as Dem. It ain’t about that.
The restaurant owner also mentioned that a couple of his top employees were legalized under the Reagan amnesty, and have done very well as citizens and hard-working contributors in this country.
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
7:54 am
AmVet @ 7:38, WHUT PART OF ILLEGAL DON’T U UNNERSTAND?!?!
There, got that brilliant riposte out of the way.
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
7:54 am
“It didn’t take long for the labels to start flying…”
yeah, kinda like “undocumented alien”.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
7:55 am
“this sounds like a made up story” = “this conflicts with my view of reality, so it must be false”
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
7:55 am
Howdy Paul.
Now you’ve gone and thrown a monkey wrench in the works by asking questions like that?
Pragmatism isn’t usually in the con’s repertoire.
And how ironic that that 7:41 about fanciful ideals immediately follows that bizarre screed.
I may get a yellow card here (or worse), but what the heck – to essentially call the host a liar and the interviewee a drunk, just because you don’t like the information being relayed, is a hand that only a loser would play.
“Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.” ~Martin Luther King, April 30, 1967
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
7:56 am
poison pen
Haven’t heard someone preach that message, but if you have…..
ty: “It didn’t take long for the labels to start flying…”
yeah, kinda like “undocumented alien”.
Don’t know much about immigration law, do you? That is one of the plain language legal terms for people who enter without inspection or have no legal immigration status. I could use proper immigration lexicon here, but few would probably understand what I was saying.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
7:56 am
On a positive note, it looks as if Texas Gov Perry’s “emergency legislation sanctuary cities and checking for illegals” bill is going to die in the Senate. Law enforcement organizations around the state (the guys with another view of reality) were also opposed.
the watch dog
May 24th, 2011
7:58 am
It is hard not to be sympathetic to this businessman. However, being a little slow on the uptake, why is it that he would lose his business if HB 87 is implemented. I am guessing it is, he does well because of the low wages that he pays illegal immigrants that work in the kitchen.
There is no easy solution to illegal immigration.
Let us say, that one of his employees has an accident after leaving work. He goes to the hospital and because it is a serious accident, the man racks up $500,000 in medical bills. The county and state pay the bill, Government cannot afford that. There has to be a solution and a start is having people that are in the country legally as workers and have insurance for them.
Misty Fyed
May 24th, 2011
7:58 am
What good comes from a law like this?
Well, a law is intended to curb behavior. That the thing that makes being an illegal immigrant so easy is the access to employment. Take that away and the incentive to come here illegally goes away. There will be pains as the workforce adjusts. Maybe the restaraunt owner will have to raise his wages. The good is that there is less motivation to be hear illegally.
These kids of illegal immigrants however are American in everything but paper. They have nowhere else to go. As far as I’m concerned, that water has gone under the bridge. Any good immigration plan is going to have to deal with them compassionately. That said, there is nothing wrong with changing the environment to deter further illegal immigration..
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
7:59 am
“He could obey the law, lose a very big chunk of his ktichen staff and be forced out of business”
You mean with 10% unemployment, he couldn’t find ANYBODY to hire? Pahlease….
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:00 am
The restaurant owner talked about the new bill from his standpoint, but it will also affect the economy in other ways. Apartment complexes will be effected, as well as rental properties, county and city buses / jobs, grocery stores etc. This is gonna become one big domino effect, and like SoCo said, no one thought the process out to its conclusion, they just wanted to look good before the next election.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:01 am
watchdog
“He goes to the hospital and because it is a serious accident, the man racks up $500,000 in medical bills. The county and state pay the bill, Government cannot afford that. There has to be a solution ”
Remember how during the health care reform battle there was a proposal to allow undocumented workers purchase health insurance, an full cost with no subsidies?
Care to guess who killed that idea?
Mick
May 24th, 2011
8:02 am
I’m sure L.A. might be number one with this problem but if you ever want to see illegal immigration run amok – visit miami, not miami beach, two different worlds there. Spanish is the primary language and people give you dirty looks if you start speaking english, this is america? There are so many illegals trying to get everything for free, miami is numero uno in medicare fraud, it’s pathetic. Those of us who have been down here for decades liken it to an invasion of locusts – it’s a plague, they consume and leave the environment worse than was handed to them. Yes, we have achieved third world status but there is a bright side to all this mess, there is money being shoveled around. Where it comes from, I just don’t know. But everday people pull out wads of cash and buy lottery tickets and other consumables but when it comes time to buy groceries, out comes that familiar card with the americn flag on it…
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:03 am
Ty, that was funny, SoCo it always comes back to bite ya.
Cherokee
May 24th, 2011
8:03 am
Great column, thanks.
Although I kind of agree with Southern Comfort – I would make a wild guess that this restaurant owner voted Republican in the last election. Be careful what you wish for.
Misty Fyed
May 24th, 2011
8:04 am
Dawg,
He can’t find anyone to work that many hours for those wages.
When your workforce is illegal you don’t have to worry so much about complaints regarding working conditions, breaks, vacation, time off, and you never have to worry about unions.
Don't Tread
May 24th, 2011
8:04 am
Well, if said restaurant owner knows he’s going to lose much of his staff if the law passed, then he also knows they are here illegally.
Who borrows millions of dollars on the premise that cheap illegal labor will always be there to do the work?
“I’m telling you I’m not going to follow it. I’m just not. Because I can’t.” Apparently he hasn’t been “following the law” up to this point, so what’s the difference?
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:06 am
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:00 am
The restaurant owner talked about the new bill from his standpoint, but it will also affect the economy in other ways. Apartment complexes will be effected, as well as rental properties, county and city buses / jobs, grocery stores etc. This is gonna become one big domino effect, and like SoCo said, no one thought the process out to its conclusion, they just wanted to look good before the next election.
Wow, does our country even have any legal people working anymore, the sky will fall. Maybe we should takt the Millions of people in the unemployment lines to backfill all the imagined loss of jobs.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:08 am
Jay, please tell us what will be the result on our economy in 10 years when 10 or 12 Million illegals have illegally crossed our borders
Look back in history for your answer. When the Chineese immigrant flooded American shores, their labor built the locomotive industry into a giant and made a lot of men rich. Just saying………
willydoit?
May 24th, 2011
8:08 am
Try hopping the fence at Turner Field and see what happens…they’ll tackle your butt and haul you off to jail for trespassing!!
Why??? Because trespassing is illegal!!
Undocumented Workers are trespassing on USA soil without the expressed written consent of the owners….Americans!!
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:09 am
Maybe the restaraunt owner will have to raise his wages.
And cut back on his profits????
poison pen
Didn’t bite me. Undocumented is what they are, and it’s not meant as some derrogatory slur unlike trying to label someone as a “liberal” is meant to be by conservatives. However, you can play your partisaned reindeer games all day if you like. Doesn’t change my knowledge of immigration one bit.
Call it like it is
May 24th, 2011
8:10 am
Complete utter fairy tail…………the end. Nice thing about being a blog writer. Facts and truth arent necessary.
Misty Fyed
May 24th, 2011
8:10 am
DebbieDoRight
And the chinese immigrants were a subclass that lived in near slavery conditions.
Are you suggesting that was a good thing for the Chinese?
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:11 am
“Undocumented Workers are trespassing on USA soil without the expressed written consent of the owners….Americans!!”
America was built by undocumented workers. Just ask the Indians/Native Americans.
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:11 am
Don’t get to excited people, save some of it for tomorrows Global Warming Blog and then Pawlenty’s
announcement.
Where's My Party?
May 24th, 2011
8:12 am
“I don’t think the politicians know what they’re doing. I just don’t think they’ve thought this through.”
Change “this” to “anything” and you have the understatement of the year.
“Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide…..with morality.
God Bless and protect refugees all over this world.”
Holy beejeezus…how’s that fainting couch? Comfy?
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:12 am
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:11 am
“Undocumented Workers are trespassing on USA soil without the expressed written consent of the owners….Americans!!”
America was built by undocumented workers. Just ask the Indians/Native Americans.
Then lets get rid of all the laws, or do you want to only get rid of the ones that suit you?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:13 am
Well AmVet, twenty minutes and no one can come up with an answer to “Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?”
Now we’ll get an “I can’t think of anything so I’ll give an answer along the lines of, ‘no one answered ’cause we’re just not into you’.” //sarc//
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:13 am
“He can’t find anyone to work that many hours for those wages.” – Then I don’t feel sorry for him. Maybe he should treat his workers better and he’d be able to hire some of the 10% unemployed.
“Wow, does our country even have any legal people working anymore, the sky will fall.” – Amen! All this fear mongering about this bill is pathetic. We have 10% unemployment…give me a break. Hire those that have been unemployed for months/years.
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
8:13 am
The very first sentence on the e-verify website (http://www.uscis.gov) states:
“U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization.”
Sounds like Mr. Small Businessman hasn’t been trying too hard to follow all the laws.
wigglwagon
May 24th, 2011
8:14 am
If it were not so pathetic, this article would be hilarious.
“Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book.”
That is prevarication number one. Since long before he opened his restaurant, it has been illegal to hire illegal aliens.
“I don’t get it. They talk about jobs jobs jobs. The only two industries generating revenue and jobs for Georgia are hospitality and agriculture. And this is going to ruin them both.”
Number two. Although it should be federal, this is a good first step toward creating 10 million jobs for legal residents. Actually, it will probably create a lot more than that. Since taxpayers will no longer have to pay welfare to the illegal aliens or to the legal residents whose jobs were taken by the illegals, they will have a lot more money to spend. That should be good for a few extra jobs.
“But they pay sales taxes, property taxes, unemployment taxes, and they’re paying a lot of money into Social Security that they’re never going to get back.”
Number three. Is there anyone out there who is really naive enough to believe that the illegal aliens will not be taken care of on the taxpayers dime when they get older?
At least he was very candid about one item.
“Back then, too many politically connected people were making too much money off illegal workers.”
I doubt he intended to, but at least he did admit that the real motivation for hiring illegals is to make a lot more money than you can by operating legally. I’m sure it will be a sad day for a lot of employers when they have to pay employees to get them to work instead of just threatening them with deportation.
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:15 am
“Then lets get rid of all the laws, or do you want to only get rid of the ones that suit you?”
Nope. I just want to know how much more in taxes you’re willing to pay to locate, catch, process, and deport all those millions of illegal immigrants that are here now. And how much additional you’re willing to pay to keep our entire borders – INCLUDING our sea borders 100% secure uncrossable.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
8:15 am
Well AmVet, twenty minutes and no one can come up with an answer to “Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?”
I thought I had. First post in the thread. The good thing is, the guys who voted for it get re-elected.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:16 am
“Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?”
That 10% unemployment in GA will fall once all the illegals go back/stop coming.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
8:16 am
I couldn’t find room in the AJC column to include this, but the owner did address the wage issue. He’s been in the industry all of his adult life, I believe, and he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
8:17 am
Two more thoughts on this situation.
Why in the name of law-averse Republicans, have the fake conservatives NOT gone after the thousands of employers, in Georgia alone, who profited illegally from using these people?
Where are their loud, clear and incessant demands that these people be brought to justice and made to pay fines to offset the economic damage? Oh that’s right. After the Wall Street boys got off essentially scott-free for their criminal negligence and malfeasance, we now have this bizarre con platform whereby the thieves should never pay back the victims for their crimes.
So, as we all know – the demands from the right wing for basic, even handed, American justice never happened. Yes, a few of the more courageous are NOW starting to squeak the tiniest bit, but that is it.
Their outrage is predictably directed in ONE direction only. In fact, I doubt it is a stretch at all, to presume that they actually adore those unscrupulous businessmen, across a wide variety of industries and sectors, who lined their pockets with ill-gotten gains.
It’s the “pro-business” mentality, doncha know?
Also, to Misty’s point, the neo-cons HAD that chance.
But they went batshiite ballistic when it was proposed.
Regardless that it was a reasoned and reasonable first major step towards addressing this massive problem.
Again pragmatism was the cost for Republican absolutism…
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:18 am
Morning, sfd
“The good thing is, the guys who voted for it get re-elected.”
You and I have a serious difference of opinion over the meaning of the word ‘good.’
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:18 am
“That 10% unemployment in GA will fall once all the illegals go back/stop coming”
That’s not the only scenario possible, though. Another possibility is that school drop-outs will rise and it will be older teenagers who take those low-paying jobs as an alternative to going to school. Which would NOT reduce the unemployment rate at all.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:19 am
pp: Wow, does our country even have any legal people working anymore, the sky will fall. Maybe we should takt the Millions of people in the unemployment lines to backfill all the imagined loss of jobs.
Maybe – but if you’ve spent the last 6 years in college and owe Uncle Sugar tens of thousands of dollars a job for $7.50 an hour just won’t cut it. Not to say that someone would be too proud to take the job, however in order to live, pay off their student loans, AND eat; they’d have to take 4 minimum wage jobs just to break even. And then, they’ve have to pray that they didn’t get sick or hurt because then their Medical bill would be another burden.
Misty: And the chinese immigrants were a subclass that lived in near slavery conditions. Are you suggesting that was a good thing for the Chinese?
Look to history for your answer. The same as any class of people who started at the bottom, some of the chineese worked their way to the top. By the turn of the century, the Chineese as a group made it out of the “sub class”.
Granny Godzilla
May 24th, 2011
8:20 am
Where’s My Party?
Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide…..with morality.
God Bless and protect refugees all over this world.”
Holy beejeezus…how’s that fainting couch? Comfy?
Never saw a fainting couch at a pro-immigration rally, but I did see a picture of Nikki Halley at a Tea Party rally last week – it was her and two cheesy lawn chairs……Now I don’t care who you are…that’s just plain funny
Where is your party? On the wrong side of this issue….and most others at the moment.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:21 am
Paul: Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?
One good thing I see as a possibility is that laws will be changed so that servers are paid at least minimum wage and not what they’re currently paid. Otherwise, it will still be hard to find people to work as servers in restaurants. You’ll have the college/high schoo students but not too many others.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:21 am
“Nope. I just want to know how much more in taxes you’re willing to pay to locate, catch, process, and deport all those millions of illegal immigrants ”
We won’t have to if we keep making laws like this one. They’ll leave on their own.
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:23 am
“We won’t have to if we keep making laws like this one. They’ll leave on their own”
You aren’t betting any money on that, I hope.
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
8:24 am
“I’ve had some of these people on staff for years, but an American won’t take this job for a week”? ”
He’s be surprised what people will do when their belly gets empty.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:24 am
dB @ 8:15
First, we have posters responding to posts 2-3 minutes before the post. Now, you’re answering questions almost an hour before they’re asked. Next, someone’s gonna post Bookman’s thread the day before he does.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:24 am
“Another possibility is that school drop-outs will rise and it will be older teenagers who take those low-paying jobs as an alternative to going to school.” – That’s a bit of a stretch. But yes…it’s possible.
“So you’re saying I have a chance!!!”
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
8:24 am
Jay,
Did you challenge this guy at all, or were you more of just a shoulder to cry on?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:25 am
Peadawg
Do you know anyone out of work?
Have you asked them why they don’t take a job in the hospitality industry? (and please don’t come back with ‘they tried, but all the illegals have all the job”).
You may also want to consider the number of illegals has declined by about a million since the start of the recession. Should be more jobs for Americans, right? And our unemployment rate has changed how?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0902/Illegal-immigrants-Which-states-have-lost-the-most
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
8:26 am
“…fairy tail…”
Rhetorical question of the day.
Why do so many cons on this forum write at a fifth grade level?
No wonder they flit about as mystery meats. (If I made endless mistakes with elementary school grammar, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to keep the same moniker either!)
Silly educationphobes…
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:26 am
“That’s a bit of a stretch. But yes…it’s possible”
Not as much of a stretch as you mgiht think. It’s probably dropped off a lot, but when I was in high school it was quite common for kids to just quit and get a job. And I went to school in a pretty affluent, middle-class neighborhood.
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
8:27 am
Jay: “He’s been in the industry all of his adult life, I believe, and he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.”
Sounds like a flawed model. All his competition will be in the same boat.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
8:28 am
he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.
Jay, was that basically all of it, economically? Did he bring up the cost of hiring and training a new staff, plus what I’d imagine would be a very serious potential for some regular customers deciding not to patronize your business because their favorite people would be gone? (just curious, not trying to advance a case here…)
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
8:29 am
“Next, someone’s gonna post Bookman’s thread the day before he does.”
funny you should mention that, because it just so happens that jay had a conversation about gay marriage and DADT with a young advocate this weekend at a bar in midtown. Jay’s really on to something with this “man on the street” format.
willydoit?
May 24th, 2011
8:29 am
“America was built by undocumented workers. Just ask the Indians/Native Americans.”
No, America was built by the people that came to this country and conquered it and continue to control it. Anytime another country thinks they can take it away today…bring it on!!
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
8:30 am
All his competition will be in the same boat.
… if he and his competition live on the Honest Planet, sure.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:31 am
“You aren’t betting any money on that, I hope.” – Why would they keep crossing the border if there are no jobs for them, no schools to go to, etc. etc.? Take away the opportunities and they’ll go back on their own and HOPEFULLY become a legal citizen some day.
“Do you know anyone out of work?” – Nope.
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:31 am
“All his competition will be in the same boat”
But the issue isn’t what boat his competition is on, it’s what boat his customers are on. Sure, he could pay more and charge more…but could his customers afford to PAY more?
@@
May 24th, 2011
8:31 am
He had contacted me, asking if I wanted to hear “the economic perspective of a small business owner,” with the understanding that he would remain anonymous.
“Some restaurant owners who publicly opposed this bill have received death threats, leading me to want to stay below the radar,” he explained in the email. On that basis, we agreed to meet.
jay goes clan-destine!!!
The greedy employer isn’t exploiting his employees!!??!! He cares for their well-being!!??!!
One question…if the waiter’s been in the country since the age of 5, why hasn’t he been allowed to apply for citizenship? It wasn’t his decision to come here.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
No stands, he didn’t raise those issues. He did seem geniunely protective of his people, though.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
Jay
May 24th, 2011
8:16 am
Wouldn’t much of the clean air acts that you have been in favor of do the same thing to those business owners?
Why no fake tears for them?
Maybe Mr. Restaurant guy should come up with a new business model.
Ya know one that actually revolvs around following the law?
Do you also feel any and all who do not agree with the latest Health care reform should be able to obey it only if it makes life easier for them? You do understand there are millions who feel the health care reform willcost them more money right?
Why is that different, other than you like one idea and you don’t like the other?
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
Peadawg @ 8:21, you think our immigration laws are scarier than starving, living as a serf, or being beheaded?
You’d bloody well jump the fence in a SECOND if you were in their place.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
Happy birthday, BOB!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuQsSKzK9×0
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
“Why would they keep crossing the border if there are no jobs for them”
Because there WILL be jobs for them. As long as we are willing to punish the workers, and NOT the business owners they will come – because getting paid is better than not getting paid.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:33 am
SoCom
Raising food servers to minimum wage? That would be nice.
But some servers, like at Pappas Steak house, would surely fight it. Even in that industry there’s an upper crust.
Jay
“I believe, and he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.”
“Break the model.” Local tv station had a segment portion sizes in restaurants (I’ve had enough for two dinners and one lunch in one order before). Interviewed a restaurant owner, mom and pop operation, lots of regulars, who conducted a customer survey after seeing how much food was wasted. Said he’d go back to normal portions and cut prices by a buck or two (significant percentage of the meal cost).
Overwhelming response “we don’t care if we waste it. We want more. Every other restaurant gives us more. You do that, we’ll leave.”
That’s some model.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:34 am
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:19 am
Who forced you to take out student loans? Who we will bring them to justice!
Unless of course you chose of your own free will to apply and then accept the student loans.
But that would be silly personal responsibility and we know that is just soo 1980’s.
Actions and decisions have consequences!
Where's My Party?
May 24th, 2011
8:34 am
“Never saw a fainting couch at a pro-immigration rally, but I did see a picture of Nikki Halley at a Tea Party rally last week – it was her and two cheesy lawn chairs……Now I don’t care who you are…that’s just plain funny.”
Not funny, rather immature, ugly and pitiful. But I expect nothing less from you.
“Where is your party? On the wrong side of this issue….and most others at the moment.”
It’s also too early to be assuming so much. On this issue, I happen to agree that illegal immigration should be controlled from the employer side. Workers are trying to make a living. It’s the businesses that hire them that should be punished. Nice try though.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:36 am
“Because there WILL be jobs for them. As long as we are willing to punish the workers, and NOT the business owners they will come”
According to the guy that Jay mentions in his column…it looks like it is going to punish the business owner.
American worker who can read
May 24th, 2011
8:36 am
This from that frothing right wing NYTimes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/dining/08crackdown.html
“We always, always hire the undocumented workers,” he said. “It’s not just me, it’s everybody in the industry. First, they are willing to do the work. Second, they are willing to learn. Third, they are not paid as well. It’s an economic decision. It’s less expensive to hire an undocumented person.”
While many restaurants do comply with the law, according to government officials, labor economists say immigrants are highly appealing hires because they tend to be especially loyal, stable and dependable. They are also more likely than United States citizens to work for lower wages without health insurance, sick days or paid vacations and paid breaks.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:37 am
Peadawg
““Do you know anyone out of work?” – Nope.”
And you say Jay has a credibility problem over the believability of his column?
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:37 am
ty
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
8:37 am
“…but could his customers afford to PAY more?”
So your concern is that his customers won’t have anywhere to eat? They can eat at home. Bring PB&J’s to work. Eat cake (homemade).
I trust you all realize that this entire situation is the result of government setting wages instead of the market.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:38 am
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:21 am
Some jobs ar best if left for part time employees. Some jobs that must be done inorder for the eonomy to flow MUST be done. However simply because the job must be done does not mean that the jobs are intended tobe careers used to support ones self and ones family.
I waited tables and tended bar all through college. Made good money when I had time to work, never once looked at it as a possible career or felt i should be paid as such.
Hell $200 in tips each night ain’t bad though. Com to think of it not that much less than I make in a year now, if you average it out
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:39 am
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
There are people starving that are documented citizens in our country every day.
Does that forgive them of any wrong doing for any crime they may commit?
Selling drugs to get money? Killing another person who was trying to sell drugs in ther area?
Stealing?
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:39 am
“Peadawg @ 8:21, you think our immigration laws are scarier than starving, living as a serf, or being beheaded?
You’d bloody well jump the fence in a SECOND if you were in their place.”
That’s Mexico’s problem…not ours. We have waaaay to many people HERE that need to be taken care of first to worry about other country’s problems.
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:40 am
“I trust you all realize that this entire situation is the result of government setting wages instead of the market”
Government has to step in when the private sector fails to step up.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
8:41 am
“Do you know anyone out of work?” – Nope.
Now this is an interesting variation of an argument I’ve seen posited here before. That one was that in some supposed Republican suburban neighborhood, of one of the more strident contributors here, nobody was paying the price for the Wall Street foisted disaster forced upon the people.
It apparently only affected non-GOP environs…
And Aquagirl, thanks for the heads up earlier. You know me, always forgetting those little details!
jt
May 24th, 2011
8:41 am
I DO prefer a Mexican cook and waiter when consuming mexican food.
I will not mention the name of my mexican restaurant(1845 May st.,Winder), ,
but before ordering any food…………I insist on my waiter AND cook show me his or her green card or SS # card.
.
They are always happy to comply.
.
Just doing the job that the Federalies won’t do.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:41 am
“And you say Jay has a credibility problem over the believability of his column?” – Nope. I never said that.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:45 am
thomas
The part time thing, I can understand. I was actually referring to the hourly wages paid to servers. I think it’s like half of minimum wage or something like that.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
8:46 am
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:01 am
watchdog
“He goes to the hospital and because it is a serious accident, the man racks up $500,000 in medical bills. The county and state pay the bill, Government cannot afford that. There has to be a solution ”
Remember how during the health care reform battle there was a proposal to allow undocumented workers purchase health insurance, an full cost with no subsidies?
Care to guess who killed that idea?
Actually, the idea is not dead! Under Obamacare, the resturant ownweer will have to pay $2500 dollars per month per employee unless he gets the Pelosi treatment. Now, do you honestly think the resturamt owner is going to insure the same employees that he says he can’t afford to replace? Come on, seriously, why do you suppose he wants them to begin with? In the real world, injuries at work are covered under Wormans Comp Insurance. Want to place a bet as to whether his employees are covered?
@@
May 24th, 2011
8:47 am
I agree with thomas. Minimum wage plus tips? My daughter bartended while at UGA…made GOOD money in tips. My nephew, the oyster shucker, made even more.
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:47 am
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:15 am
“Then lets get rid of all the laws, or do you want to only get rid of the ones that suit you?”
Nope. I just want to know how much more in taxes you’re willing to pay to locate, catch, process, and deport all those millions of illegal immigrants that are here now. And how much additional you’re willing to pay to keep our entire borders – INCLUDING our sea borders 100% secure uncrossable.
Doggone, please show me where I said any of this in any of my posts, Please
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:47 am
Peadawg,
Sorry. That was poison pen who questioned Jay’s credibility.
You questioned the restaurant owner’s credibility.
So here’s the do-over.
““Do you know anyone out of work?” – Nope.”
And you say the restaurant owner has a credibility problem over the believability of his statements?!!?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
8:48 am
The neo-cons simply have to have somebody to despise. It is part of their ideological DNA. The Latinos have merely replaced the blacks, that were their target thirty years ago. And the Muslims have become their new Jews.
And THAT’S why I really like AmVet — no beating around the bush — just says it like it is.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
8:48 am
Dylan is 70?
” All I really want to do…is remove my walker leg from this sidewalk crack”
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
8:48 am
thomas: Who forced you to take out student loans?
Ummm thomas, I was speaking metaphorically. I had a 4 year scholarship.
Who we will bring them to justice! Unless of course you chose of your own free will to apply and then accept the student loans.
You know it’s dang if you do and danged if you don’t with you huh? Not making enough money? Well, then take your behind back to school this is America anyone can do better!! Can’t afford school? Get a student loan, this is America anyone can do better!! Can’t get a job to pay off your student loans? Well you chose, of your own free will, to take out student loans; that’s YOUR problem!!
But that would be silly personal responsibility and we know that is just soo 1980’s
Tell that to Rumsfield, Cheney et al.
Actions and decisions have consequences!
then why did the right go bananas when Obama made BP pay for their mistake? Does that sentence you made only apply to “the little people”?
SoGaVet
May 24th, 2011
8:49 am
I’m a real fence sitter on this issue. Don’t like the profiling part, but like employers hiring illegals less.
Sounds like this employer doesn’t pay a decent wage, hence why he only hires illegals. If the illegals go, then employers will have to raise wages to hire Americans. Hire more Americans, they become taxpaying, employed citizens. Ooo-o-o-oo I like the sound of that.
Don't Tread
May 24th, 2011
8:50 am
higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable
Too bad. I say he needs a new model, one that actually fiollows the law. The really snooty high end restaurants don’t seem to have a problem making a profit – hire a good executive chef, require a coat and tie (and maybe a membership) to be seated, and go for it.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:50 am
“You questioned the restaurant owner’s credibility.”
“And you say the restaurant owner has a credibility problem over the believability of his statements?!!?”
Wrong again, Paul. Where did I say I didn’t believe the owner? That’s 2 strikes. Do you want to try for 3?
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:50 am
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:45 am
That is used because they also must report tips, although many do not report an accurate amount.
The small wage usually 2.13 an hour is averaged in with the tips. In my case an average of around $200. That would be for a diner shift from 4pm-10pm. Adding in the $2.13/hr for 6 hrs is like a total of $212 for around 6 hours of work.
What does that come out to? Around $32/hr total
Wow those poor souls!
How many folk you know right now making $32/hr?
What is that over 50k per yr, if working 40hrs per week?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
8:50 am
“this sounds like a made up story” = “this conflicts with my view of reality, so it must be false”/i
And THAT’S why we like our Paul……
…and BLOG GOD!!!! I’m getting tired of you telling me to slow down on my posting…..just saying.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
8:50 am
“I trust you all realize that this entire situation is the result of government setting wages instead of the market.”
???????????????????????????
(Actually a few more are in order after that doozie, but you get the idea!)
Finn, great call!
A nice cover of my favorite Zimmerman ditty from my fave Dylan LP…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5NkDnWGKuE&feature=related
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
8:51 am
Pea, for those people it’s not MEXICO’S problem, it’s THEIR problem. They don’t really give a crap who started the problem. They don’t want to see their kid malnourished or raped or shot in crossfire. How very christian of you to blather “hey, it’s not MY problem.”
And what makes you think we don’t contribute to Mexico’s problems? Hey, your government is helping cause those problems.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
8:51 am
The really snooty high end restaurants don’t seem to have a problem making a profit
LOL, so the high-end restaurants don’t hire them? Wake up, please.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
May 24th, 2011
8:51 am
Basic criminal law 101….you keep raising the “penalties” but it does not accomplish deterrence and actually encourages otherwise law obedient citizens to fail to report “crimes”. If harsh penalties worked to deter in and by themselves, states which had death penalties would have lower crime rates than states without.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:52 am
Mighty Righty
How is “the resturant ownweer will have to pay $2500 dollars per month per employee unless he gets the Pelosi treatment” the same as “allowing undocumented workers to purchase their own health insurance with no subsidies”?
And workmen’s comp applies, if I understand correctly, only to on the job injury. Not other medical costs for the person or family.
But that all avoided the question: Guess who killed the proposal?
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
8:53 am
Overwhelming response “we don’t care if we waste it. We want more. Every other restaurant gives us more. You do that, we’ll leave.”
That’s some model.
First reaction: Shaking head, muttering “whaddaya gone do…”
Second reaction: “Hey, Paul might get a kick out of this, particularly if I mention that the writer hails originally from El Paso and grew up in West Texas…”
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/food_saturdays_eat_a_tamale_for_michelle_edition
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
8:53 am
I guess some people just don’t like capitalism. A business owner pocketing more money by being choosey in hiring practices is a keen eye on maximizing profits.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
8:54 am
For the record, he said he pays his kitchen staff between $8 and $15 an hour and abides by all tax and employment laws.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:54 am
thomas
That’s fine and good for the person that averages $200 a day in tips, but I know people who work as servers, and that’s not the norm, especially with the economy down as it is right now. I understand your point, and I don’t disagree with you. Just playing devil’s advocate today. Anything and everything done in America boils down to money. If we’re all aspiring to get to that corner office with a view, there has to be someone to take the server, fruit picker, and other jobs that we’re trying to leave behind.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
8:56 am
“Question I have to ask: what good comes from a law like this?”
Sorry for not answering earlier. I was too busy breathing a sigh of relief after finding out that the preacher who predicted the end of the world for last week, now says his calculations were off by 5 months. We get a mulligan, folks!
Anyway, what good comes from a law like this?
Balance.
We have restaurants, hotels, golf courses etc. keeping costs artificially low by using illegal aliens and paying them less. Some pass on those savings in lower prices we pay, and some just take higher profit margins. Either way, there is an inherent imbalance in the system when illegal aliens are hired over legals or citizens.
In addition, estimates run as high as a trillion dollars each year in health care, infrastructure and law enforcement costs due to illegal immigrant activity, all of which are passed on to the taxpayer or the insurance companies in higher costs to do business, ultimately affecting the rates of those who pay.
In this rare instance, we have a case of government INACTION, rather than the usual action, that is causing this imbalance in our economy. I remember a comment from last night where someone said that big government doesn’t necessarily mean bad government. Guess what? This immigration issue is a perfect example of big, bad government.
Balance is the good that comes from dealing with the illegal alien problem.
Reduce their levels, hire Americans at more equitable wages. Prices go up accordingly, but costs across the board in the other areas mentioned above go down.
Balance. Not an artificially induced marketplace made possible by big, bad government interference.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
8:57 am
AmVet, that’s my favorite album too!
Meet me in The Morning
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Shelter From the Storm
Tangled Up in Blue
Pretty amazing record
SoGaVet
May 24th, 2011
8:57 am
Jay, sounds like he can’t get American workers because all his jobs have gone to the illegals.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
8:57 am
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
8:51 am
There are kids in our country who are malnourished or raped or shot in crossfire?
Shouldn’t we worry about our own problems before fixing others who have teh same problem as us?
http://www.paralumun.com/issuesrapestats.htm
http://www.news-press.com/…/Children-caught-Fort-Myers-shooting-crossfire-hospital-faces-aftermath – Cached
So shouldn’t all of us south of Canada be running accross those boarders?
Everyone to Canada, where nobody will starve, be raped or get caught in any crossfire!
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
8:58 am
The “solution” some have that they can just get rid of the “illegals” and hire Americans is not really a solution — again, it’s theory vs. reality. If they do hire Americans, the prices go up and you lose clientele.
poison pen
May 24th, 2011
8:59 am
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
8:32 am
“Why would they keep crossing the border if there are no jobs for them”
Because there WILL be jobs for them. As long as we are willing to punish the workers, and NOT the business owners they will come – because getting paid is better than not getting paid.
Doggone, at what point in time should Mexico take care of their own people. There Govt is extremely corrupt and the drug cartels run just about everything over there. Why do you feel that we have to allow these people into our country illegally?
I think they should take control of their own Govt and demand better living standards and more jobs, it’s called a revolution.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
8:59 am
“How very christian of you to blather “hey, it’s not MY problem.””
I’m more than willing to help other countries IF WE CAN AFFORD IT…which we can’t.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:00 am
“and BLOG GOD!!!! I’m getting tired of you telling me to slow down on my posting”
Bosch, you have two choices when going up against the BLOG GOD.
Acquiesce, or face the consequences.
Just sayin’!
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:00 am
“For the record, he said he pays his kitchen staff between $8 and $15 an hour and abides by all tax and employment laws.”
but…. but….. but………so okay, the restaurant owner’s exaggerating again to make himself look good, right?!!? And now he’s encouraging even more illegals to move to Georgia because he’s paying them so much more while decent real Americans can’t find a job!!!!!! , right?
heh heh.
(I like the way you let the thread develop and the comments flow before releasing that little tidbit)
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
9:01 am
Jay : “For the record, he said he pays his kitchen staff between $8 and $15 an hour and abides by all tax and employment laws.”
“U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization.”
So what is his worry?
thomas
May 24th, 2011
9:01 am
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
8:54 am
With a 10% unemployment rate, the value of the dollar falling continuously it seems, and our boarders aboutas open as a drunk prom date maybe we shouldn’t be running away from all those jobs.
BTW I have no aspirations for a corner office or any of that. Can’t stand being couped up all day.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:01 am
Dave R. 8:56
Care for a mulligan in light of Jay’s 8:54?
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
9:02 am
???????????????????????????
(Actually a few more are in order after that doozie, but you get the idea!)
AmVet, I don’t have the time to school you on the free market but I’m sure if you take a minute to think about it, it will begin to make sense. Start by thinking “The employee’s value to the employer.”
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:02 am
Jay, why does the Blog God hate Amanda Marcotte?
(this is the second time in the past few days that I’ve tried to link to her blog at pandagon dot net… and the post doesn’t say “awaiting moderation”, it just goes poof. the hell?)
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:03 am
I don’t have the time to school you on the free market
tell me about the rabbits, George.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:04 am
our boarders aboutas open as a drunk prom date
that’s so wrong on so many levels.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
May 24th, 2011
9:05 am
I’m more than willing to help other countries IF WE CAN AFFORD IT…which we can’t
What a crock! While I am not advocating a return to the tax rate from Ike’s time, we can afford and have afforded a lot more taxes on citizens and corporations in a progressive system. The “we can’t afford it” baloney is all part of the starve the beast deception to benefit the corporate and rich overlords.
Okay…….I am done with my AmVet moment
I return you to regular programming.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
9:05 am
“For the record, he said he pays his kitchen staff between $8 and $15 an hour and abides by all tax and employment laws.”
If that’s the case then I’m sure there are many many unemployed that would be willing to take that job and all his whining is for nothing.
jt
May 24th, 2011
9:06 am
If I suspect that help is using forged ID,,,,,,,,,I sometimes give a little American history quiz.
Not once have I had one give the incorrect answer to this question………What were the three greatest presidents?
1-George Washington
2-Jefferson Davis
3-Sir Ronald Reagan
Overall, we have much to learn from these folks(how to ignore corrupt Federalies) and we have much to teach.(what Poncho Villa did wrong).
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:06 am
Illegal immigration is the 2011 version of slavery. Once here, they have to work for wages that are less than minimum, live sometimes 20 people to an apartment, are taken advantage of at every turn, are scared to death and in general are treated less than humanitarian. These conditions are promoted by liberal Democrats continuing to oppose any program that will lessen or stop illegal immigration. Immigrants who are here legally have rights and cannot be treated like slaves. It is Democrats, not Republicans who favor importation of illegal cheap labor. But then, Democrats do have a history of importing cheap labor.
kayaker 71
May 24th, 2011
9:06 am
So, if I am hearing you right, we have to keep these illegal “refugees”, as Granny calls them, to keep US business from taking a dive. We have become so dependent on these poor unfortunates that to lose them threatens to close down business and let present employees go. Give me a friggin’ break. Wonder what US business did before the several million of these people were here to save our arse? Is that why the present unemployment rate is still at about 10%? That’s a great sob story, Bookman but it just don’t wash. If these “refugees” were sent home, perhaps we could employ a few Americans, if they would work. But your liberal handout programs make it cheaper for those that suck off of the govt teat to just stay home and crack their first beer before 9:00 am while talking on their govt supplied cell phones about the next crack sale. Don’t tell me that that eatery owner didn’t know he was taking a chance by hiring illegals after borrowing money to get his business off the blocks. We had another financial crisis not long ago about, let’s see, lots of people who signed contracts to purchase houses that they couldn’t pay for….. and now it’s someone elses fault. This business owner has no one to blame but himself.
jd
May 24th, 2011
9:07 am
If we’re worried about folks getting benefits for free — how about the folks who pay no income taxes cuz they sent their businesses overseas? Yet, they rely on US Govt to defend those business interests?
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:08 am
“Care for a mulligan in light of Jay’s 8:54?”
No, Paul. Don’t need one.
First, we have the third-party accounting of an anonymous restaurant owner.
Second, we have no way to verify his statement.
Third, Jay is hardly an unbiased source of information.
Fourth, even if ALL the article were true (and there are certainly some statements that smack of incredulity) we have ONE account of conditions and wages.
So, are YOU willing to concede that even if the wages are true, that those wages do not automatically translate into similar wages in other industries for illegal workers?
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
9:09 am
“tell me about the rabbits, George.”
First Peadawg throws out a great Dumb & Dumber reference, and now some fabulous Steinbeck, to boot!
Thanks, Bosch, You’re a good buddy.
I suppose some of those indicted think I write such things simply to stir up trouble.
Not so.
I can and have changed my positions on several matters of import over the past years- nuclear energy and capital punishment for example.
BUT, when it comes to taking adamant positions on these great ideas of our times, I don’t act like a capricious Republican, and dance to whomever is leading the band.
I excoriated Bush for Iraq. I’ve done the same with Obama. I flamed the previous administration for their disregard for US laws and sacred personal liberties – habeus corpus, illegally spying on Americans, etc, etc, etc. And I’ve done the same with this one. I hold virtually all of them accountable, to some complicit degree or another, for the wholesale sell off of we the people’s sovereignty to corporate dictators.
And it is irrefutable that some of these pro-war, pro-corporatist cons found some level of redemption on these matters. On January 21, 2009.
And then only until another Republican sits in the West Wing…
N-GA
May 24th, 2011
9:10 am
Good morning, Paul!
r.e. your 7:56 post. It’s so very interesting when police departments express support or opposition for/against an issue. Police departments across the US want to ban assault weapons, but politicians think they know better. Those same police want to require gun show dealers do the same background check as storefront dealers. Why do conservatives hate our police?
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:13 am
It was falsely ID’d as spam, Stands. It has now been posted.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
9:13 am
“Do you advocate the support, (monetary, weapons & intelligence) that we give to Israel (in the billions) yearly?”
I don’t pick and choose which countries, Debbie. Nice try though. I’ve stated me position about foreign aide on here many times.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:13 am
I’m more than willing to help other countries IF WE CAN AFFORD IT…which we can’t
Do you advocate the support, (monetary, weapons & intelligence) that we give to Israel (in the billions) yearly?
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
9:13 am
Thomas @ 8:57, no, we shouldn’t be running to Canada, because there are actual working police and places that are relatively safe in this country. But funny you should mention that. Have you seen the buses headed North to get cheap Canadian drugs? When grandma can’t afford her heart medication, telling her “that’s not MY problem” doesn’t work well. Fortunately the Canadians aren’t as xenophobic and just plain nutty to think screaming “go home” at the top of their lungs will make grandma decide to place their offendedness above her survival.
Mexicans and other Central/S. Americans aren’t coming here for the scenery. They’re streaming here because of huge political problems, and wingnuts could care less about why. Hell, if we stopped SENDING money to those governments for their drug wars we could have double savings: less payments and fewer illegal immigrants.
But gosh, that’s not as much fun as telling everyone else in the world what to do and screeching like a fruitcake. You keep on hollering. It’ll do nothing, but apparently you enjoy that temporary hit of hate-adrenaline to actually solving the problem. Enjoy your crushing tax burden and pressing 1 for English.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
9:15 am
“AmVet, I don’t have the time to school you on the free market …”
Lord be praised!
jt, I salute you fro being mysteriously deceptive.
Reading your posts – especially that 9:06 – it is exceedingly difficult to determine if it is outright sarcasm, or if you really do proffer those ideas!
Well played. Keep me guessing…
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:16 am
This guy is already knowingly breaking the law, and wants to claim its the governments fault for suggesting some kind of enforcement for law? Are you kidding me?
Today must be parable day, because this story is just too much of a joke.
His complaint: I already hire below legal wage immigrant workers so I don’t have to pay them minimum wage and benefits. Therefore, I’m going to keep breaking the law because I won’t comply with the law. Whatever
Ernesto
May 24th, 2011
9:16 am
I agree with most conservatives regarding with abortion, spending, definition of marriage, some foreign policies… but when it comes to immigration I just can’t agree. We have over 12 million of illegal immigrants in this country and many of them if not most of them are just trying to make a living. They cost taxpayers a lot of money but they also greatly contribute to our economy. It’s just idiotic to have laws such as HB87 with out having a legal path for those who are in the country illegally or having the border secured.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
9:16 am
the dollar falling continuously it seems
That is what’s best for American manufacturing. Makes our products more affordable overseas.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
9:16 am
“The truth is we’re all in this together”, says GOP candidate Tim Pawlenty.
I’m guessing undocumented immigrants won’t come under that “WE” here for Pawlenty.
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:17 am
“The only two industries generating revenue and jobs for Georgia are hospitality and agriculture”
inflated sense of self importance. wrong.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:17 am
jt: What were the three greatest presidents?
1-George Washington
2-Jefferson Davis
3-Sir Ronald Reagan
Overall, we have much to learn from these folks(how to ignore corrupt Federalies) and we have much to teach.(what Poncho Villa did wrong).
LOL
Too funny!
PS: the president part was a classic!! you named a federalist, a manifest destiny whack job and indian murderer, and someone who, while still in office, couldn’t remember if he talked to Oliver North or not!!
Classic!!!
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:18 am
“It was falsely ID’d as spam, Stands. It has now been posted.”
Jay, it took you about 11 minutes to correct an issue brought up regarding spam. Good work, BTW.
Why hasn’t anything been done about the time warp pre-posting and the BLOG GOD saying that two fingered typists are posting too quickly? Is anyone even looking into these issues?
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:18 am
Dave R., I’ve filed a ticket on that but haven’t heard back. I will resubmit.
Common Sense
May 24th, 2011
9:18 am
“I’ve got my future and my family’s future tied up in this,” he said, looking around at the bustling restaurant. “We’re doing good right now, but I’m in debt millions of dollars. And when I made that decision (to borrow the money), I didn’t have any idea that they’d be passing a law like this. My bank didn’t have any idea they’d be passing a law like this.”
So here is a business that has millions in debt, and the key to it having a chance to make it is lower than what the prevailing market wage would be because of illegal labor.
What other resources would we be willing to allow this business to use to try to break even?
This and so many other businesses are out there, competing against businesses that use only legal labor. This business takes away sales and profit from the legitimate businesses, causing them to fail as well.
Without the allure of this cheap labor that would allow (in theory) this business to earn a profit, would they have gone into business in the first place?
Would the strip malls that are everywhere, housing thousands of these businesses which now rely on illegal labor to operate, have been built without this demand?
Bookman would like to paint a picture of this poor businessman struggling to make it, and how important it is for him to have access to this labor.
Hospitality and construction businesses were ruined before the collapse. This is because the artificially high demand was fed by the flow of illegals into this area.
Had we kept the lid on the borders, and on illegal labor, the markets would have grown slower, not reached the size they did prior to the collapse, and would have been healthier for all legal residents in every way. Legitimate businesses would have had more, sales, more profits, and paid higher wages to many of the unemployed legal workers.
When you allow a free market to be artificially stimulated via below market loan rates, 0% down payments, and yes, below market illegal labor, the downtown will always be more severe.
No legitimate business owner should be forced to compete with those that go into business, and rely on illegal labor.
Even with the illegal labor, this business cannot turn a profit. It should be out of business, and not competing with those that use legitimate labor.
Forcing businesses to continue competing with others that should not even exist is one of the many reasons that there are not enough profits to stimulate hiring here in the metro area.
Profits are the key to future hiring.
And as long as this illegitimate business is taking dollars and customers from legitimate businesses, everyone suffers.
This is NOT a victimless crime.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:19 am
Paul
May 24th, 2011
8:52 am
Mighty Righty
How is “the resturant ownweer will have to pay $2500 dollars per month per employee unless he gets the Pelosi treatment” the same as “allowing undocumented workers to purchase their own health insurance with no subsidies”?
And workmen’s comp applies, if I understand correctly, only to on the job injury. Not other medical costs for the person or family.
But that all avoided the question: Guess who killed the proposal?
It is apparent you don’t understamd that Obamacare passed. It is the law of the land. It was not killed and it was not modified. It does not contain “free health care” for anyone.
Workers Comp. pays a weekly wage for as long as an employee cannot work. It matches the amount one would get under unemployment.
md
May 24th, 2011
9:19 am
OK, so half his employees are illegal……I get that……so why would replacing them with someone legal cause him to close?? Is he not paying them minimum wage??
I’ve got folks all over the place around me looking for work…..ANY work…………
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:20 am
Mighty Righty: Illegal immigration is the 2011 version of slavery. Once here, they have to work for wages that are less than minimum, live sometimes 20 people to an apartment, are taken advantage of at every turn, are scared to death and in general are treated less than humanitarian.
True story — used to work as a social worker, knew this little girl (about 14), who kept running away from home to work the streets for this low life pimp. I used to ask her “Why? If she was looking for something better, (better life), why did she keep going back to this pimp who beat her up etc.?” She told me the life with him was better than the life she had at home. That opened my eyes big time.
These conditions are promoted by liberal Democrats continuing to oppose any program that will lessen or stop illegal immigration.
Well you just got off the boat from crazyville. That’s my cue to say goodbye. Goodbye.
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:20 am
With real unemployment at 25%, there’s no shortage of people available to work for minimum wage, if this guy is paying people minimum wage.
Jay, it sounds like you got fed a bunch of semi-BS. All the facts may be true. But (error of omission) what is left out is a guy that is already breaking the law is just saying he’s going to keep breaking the law simply because he likes to employ illegal immigrants because he can pay them less.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
“Police departments across the US want to ban assault weapons, but politicians think they know better. Those same police want to require gun show dealers do the same background check as storefront dealers. Why do conservatives hate our police?”
They don’t They DO hate any organization which tries to CONTROL their actions, even if said actions are not a threat to others. While I respect many police officers, I do not respect many police organizations who try to limit freedoms.
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
Two lines in the article stand out to me:
(1) “Some restaurant owners who publicly opposed this bill have received death threats, leading me to want to stay below the radar.”
This reminds me of the death threats received by civil rights workers in the South in the 1960s. Have these death threats have been made by the children, or grandchildren, of those people – progeny of the KKK types, with their prejudicial worldview still lingering in the South? As in the 1960s, control by violence and violent threats would keeping kinder, more rational people from speaking up for a kinder law to accept those illegals into citizenship here, over time.
(2) “I don’t think the politicians know what they’re doing. I just don’t think they’ve thought this through.”
Republican politicians know exactly what they are doing. They are aligning themselves with a national Republican agenda, to which they have, for the most part, forfeited personal conscience in order to remain in good standing with the power base which gives them direction. Perhaps that direction, shortsighted as it is, is to build a stronger, larger middle/working class Republican voting base which is anti-immigrant, and which is based on the fears of those who are different, with a different cultural background.
Again, I wish to refer readers to the following video clip – if they have not seen it – that gives facts to substantiate this point. Overlook, please, the hyperbole dramatically drawn in the Latino commercial and focus, instead, on the facts presented, especially those after the commercial.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43070587#43070587
There are, IMHO, two worldviews pulling at the heart of the American soul, and it goes beyond the immigration issue. One worldview will supersede the other for the remainder of the 21st century in America. Those different worldviews can be presented as a question. Are we all interconnected, one with the other, or are we totally self-sufficient as individuals? The world will move in the direction of interconnected and egalitarianism. The proof of my assertion is shown through an emerging global economy and global warming, as well as in the spontaneous risings in Middle Eastern countries of that egalitarian spirit and need for individual freedom of expression.
America’s and Georgia’s citizens will choose to move with the future – and also with what is morally right above simply the law (as in the Civil Rights Era) – or they will attempt, futilely, to remain in the past and, thereby fail for themselves and others, both economically and morally.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43070587#43070587
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
Jay 8:54 – if he pays $8-$15 an hour, there are plenty of legal immigrants and citizens available for hire at that price.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
These conditions are promoted by liberal Democrats continuing to oppose any program that will lessen or stop illegal immigration.
Interesting, but factually flawed.
I recommend you read closely and become conversant on a highly bipartisan measure of recent times, and rethink that specious claim. Especially in light of who gutted it…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_Immigration_Reform_Act_of_2007
@@
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
$15.00 an hour???
Now I’M suffering from a bad case of wealth envy.
schnirt
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:24 am
jm, he is not currently breaking the law. The law requires him to demand ID of his workers, and he does so. He keeps it on file, as required, and submits the necessary documents to the state and feds. He clearly suspects that a good number of his people are illegal, but he does everything the law requires to ensure they are not. He and other employers are forbidden by law from firing people he merely suspects of being illegal because that kind of discrimination would end up putting a lot of legal Hispanic residents and citizens out of work as well.
John S
May 24th, 2011
9:25 am
As usual the republicans want o have it both ways. Their big business interests love the cheap labor, hence the whining about the law from the agricultural interests. The best way to keep the labor cheap is to pass laws like this to keep the workers subservient and compliant and subject to exploitation.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:25 am
“Dave R., I’ve filed a ticket on that but haven’t heard back. I will resubmit.”
Thanks, Jay.
Wanna really get your IT dept. knickers in a knot? Publish the e-mail address for their help desk. I’m sure a good many of us will have helpful comments residing in their In-Box within a few short moments . . .
John
May 24th, 2011
9:26 am
This story perfectly illustrates the problem. This guy can’t make ends meet unless he breaks the law. I suggest he go find another career. If he can’t make money hiring legit citizens, he either doesn’t know what he’s doing or he’s in the wrong location. Either way, it’s no excuse.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
9:29 am
Outta here for a while.
Later!
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:29 am
““Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book.”
Jay, surely you have to agree this is a lie and you got either hoodwinked or didn’t think this through. The guy admits he already is hiring illegal aliens. Therefore, he’s already breaking the Federal law. This guy may be ignorant of the law (doubtful), but as I’ve been told a 100 times, ignorance is not an excuse.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:30 am
It was falsely ID’d as spam, Stands. It has now been posted.
thanks, Jay.
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:30 am
Jay 9:24 – interesting. Well, as you suggested in early postings about this, the guy is going to break the law and not use E-verify (since the penalties are mild). His choice.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
9:31 am
Here’s the NPR report on the topic that ran on All Things Considered yesterday.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/23/136579548/georgia-farmers-brace-for-new-immigration-law
The Dude
May 24th, 2011
9:32 am
This is the fault of the labor unions: prior to the enaction of the minimum wage law (something bought and paid for by union bosses), illegal immigration was almost non-existent and black men had a higher rate of employment. Crime was down in the inner city (anyone recall the difference in Harlem in the 30s and the Harlem of today).
But, in order to secure higher wages for white workers, union bosses paid off politicians, and the minimum wage law went into effect. Another law also came into effect: the law of unintended consequences. By pricing low wage/low skill workers out of the work force, unemployment among black people shot up. Unable to gain the skill and money in order to move up in lifestyle, increasingly black people turned to two sources: crime and the government.
In addition, despite the minimum wage law, the low skill/low pay work STILL needed to be done. Where do business owners turn? Thats right, the undocumented worker. These were people who were willing to stay under the radar and did not have a footprint in America that would lead them and their boss to get in trouble (unlike natural born citizens having SS numbers, ties to the communities, etc.). Plus, the bosses could exert undue influence on these undocumented citizens because they carried with them the ability to turn those workers in surreptitiously.
I am a conservative. I do not blame someone for trying to make a living. We Americans have failed in our duty to provide the structure that would allow someone to come over here legally by not funding the INS (or whatever its called nowadays) and by not standing up to the unions. My grandfather came here legally, worked in the fields with his three sons to eke out a living (along with several other jobs). If the minimum wage law was in effect, he would have undoubtedly been on welfare, unemployable and without any skills or trade. But, by working his behind off, he and his sons slowly worked themselves out of their condition.
If you want to start blaming people, start by examining yourself.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:33 am
“Wrong again, Paul. Where did I say I didn’t believe the owner? That’s 2 strikes. Do you want to try for 3? “
Your very first post at 7:59.
[[“He could obey the law, lose a very big chunk of his ktichen staff and be forced out of business”
You mean with 10% unemployment, he couldn’t find ANYBODY to hire? Pahlease….]]
Then at 8:13 you challenged the assertion he treated his workers well with “Maybe he should treat his workers better and he’d be able to hire some of the 10% unemployed.” (note: with that statement you were responding to another poster, but your assertion still goes against how the restaurant owner portrayed himself).
And at 9:05: [[“For the record, he said he pays his kitchen staff between $8 and $15 an hour and abides by all tax and employment laws.”
If that’s the case then I’m sure there are many many unemployed that would be willing to take that job and all his whining is for nothing.]]
Three strikes. You’re out!
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:33 am
PDawg: I don’t pick and choose which countries, Debbie. Nice try though. I’ve stated me position about foreign aide on here many times.
Really? Could you reiterate your position again? I think I missed your previous posts on the subject.
Devil's Advocate
May 24th, 2011
9:34 am
Am I to understand that every out-of-work real estate agent, accountant, database administrator, retail store manager, etc in metro Atlanta will uproot their families and head to south Georgia onion fields for work once the illegals are gone, or maybe devote their careers to working in kitchens?
md
May 24th, 2011
9:35 am
“And when I made that decision (to borrow the money), I didn’t have any idea that they’d be passing a law like this. My bank didn’t have any idea they’d be passing a law like this.”
No sh*t Sherlock…………………..
That is why folks have been making the choice between working for themselves and working for others forever…………it’s called trying to reduce the risk…………
As if those in the building industry knew the collapse was coming prior to asking for their loans……….maybe the guy doesn’t need to be running his own business if he didn’t account for all the variables………which include the worse case side of the equation………
Devil's Advocate
May 24th, 2011
9:35 am
I’ve seen several restaurants with hiring signs…where are all the legal applicants? So what if it’s a fast food joint…
Mark T
May 24th, 2011
9:37 am
Why would he lose his kitchen staff?…all he has to do is replace them with people that are legal. Its not like people dont need jobs
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:37 am
Mary Elizabeth: Republican politicians know exactly what they are doing. They are aligning themselves with a national Republican agenda, to which they have, for the most part, forfeited personal conscience in order to remain in good standing with the power base which gives them direction
Preach!!!
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:37 am
LWM
BTW, farmers will not (all) go out of business (though some may). Farm land itself will be worth much less. The benefits of the use of illegal immigration was accruing to land owners. I also expect further automation will occur over a longer time horizon. And farmers will generally switch to crops that are less labor intensive, though not all land will be suitable for alternative crops, so yes, some will go out of business.
I’m against the heavy hand of government. That said, just like basic protections for food safety and the environment and bank regulation, there has to be intelligent management of our borders for national security purposes as well as for general economic stability.
I’m anything but against immigration. I’m against anarchic immigration. Our immigration policy should be accepting far more foreign nationals, in particular ones with better education credentials.
Ugh. None of this is going to get solved over a blog.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:38 am
Dave R. 9:08
“So, are YOU willing to concede that even if the wages are true, that those wages do not automatically translate into similar wages in other industries for illegal workers?”
That, after saying you didn’t make what some would see as a statement without all the facts because you rejected everything the restaurant owner and Jay said?!!? What’s the word – chutzah?
But sure, other industries have lower wage for illegals. Others have higher. Nothing surprising there.
jt
May 24th, 2011
9:38 am
Sometimes………………..I’ll go to my local HomeD$pot to pick up 5 or 6 day laborers.
It is quite amusing to see them pass around a worn social security card.They thrust it into my face without asking.
.
I can’t help but laugh.
.
I explain that I (personally) still live in a country where I don’t give a rat’s but who you are,where you came from, or even your last name.All I want is your labor for eight hours.I NEED permission from NO ONE to hire who I require.
.
I mention Federalie Corrupto, we all smile ………and know the deal.That is what they are escaping.
.
I do volunteer history lessons through out the day and they do too. It is amazing how 90% of these guys agree that UNIONS COLLUDING with FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is what has destroyed their society…………………………….in Mexico……………you have to pay someone for permission to work.
.
This is what is happening here.
.
Because of me……….there are hundreds of legal or illegal aliens in the Athens area who are Ron Paul supporters.
.
The yearning for individual liberty knows no borders. If HALF of what Ron Paul supports ever gets enacted…………..there would be Americans BEGGING Mexicans to come to work.For fantastic wages.Along with mooooooslims, indians, and croates.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:39 am
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:24 am
jm, he is not currently breaking the law. The law requires him to demand ID of his workers, and he does so. He keeps it on file, as required, and submits the necessary documents to the state and feds. He clearly suspects that a good number of his people are illegal, but he does everything the law requires to ensure they are not. He and other employers are forbidden by law from firing people he merely suspects of being illegal because that kind of discrimination would end up putting a lot of legal Hispanic residents and citizens out of work as well.
Jay, don’t buy any bridges.
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
9:39 am
“The law requires him to demand ID of his workers, and he does so. He keeps it on file, as required, and submits the necessary documents to the state and feds”
http://www.dhs.gov/e-verify
As he will do under the new law. Does the new law require him to have a documents expert on hand?
I’m missing something here. How will the new law affect the guy?
Jerome
May 24th, 2011
9:39 am
How about a two prong approach. First- a President who doesn’t enable and actually patronize the great workers of Mexico. Mexico has a great workforce and an abundance of natural resources. Stop blaming US drug demand and stop being Western Pakistan.
Second- why don’t employers try hiring disadvantaged, disabled (war veteran) citizens? The employers will be wonderfully surprised!
md
May 24th, 2011
9:40 am
““Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book.”
Which seems to make this whole story moot……………..
Why would replacing one employee with another cause this guy to go belly up????
Come on Jay, please explain…….or is this just fear mongering from your ’side”?
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
9:41 am
“I’ve got folks all over the place around me looking for work…..ANY work…………”
md, perhaps you should introduce them to Peadawg! (grin)
If he can’t make money hiring legit citizens, he either doesn’t know what he’s doing or he’s in the wrong location. Either way, it’s no excuse.
Agreed, Time to close down Tyson Foods, Tilted Kilt Bar & Tavern, American Countertops & Floors, Rite-Aid, China Garden, Lowes, Ruby Tuesday, LDS Church, McDonalds, US Insulation, Hooters, Wal-mart, Burger King, etc.
And say what you will about Carlos Santana’s statement a few days back, but he is dead-on right about one thing. “I would invite all Latin people to do nothing for about two weeks so you can see who really, really is running the economy,” Santana said. “Who cleans the sheets? Who cleans the toilets? Who babysits?
“I am here to give voice to the invisible.”
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:41 am
So jt, by your own account:
A.) You demand to see the ID of servers at your favorite Mexican restaurant to ensure that you are not being assisted by an illegal immigrant. “Just doing the job that the Federalies won’t do.”
B.) You knowingly hire illegal immigrants to do labor on your behalf.
That’s pretty twisted.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
9:42 am
“Really? Could you reiterate your position again? I think I missed your previous posts on the subject.” – You’ve been here for as long as I have, Debbi. I’m not going to go back through Jay’s archives for you.
LOL Paul. Now you’re reaching with those making yourself look dumb. That’d be 3 strikes for YOU, sir. Good day.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:42 am
Kids used to get their first jobs as mowing yards, washing dishes in restaurants, etc. Not any more.
If the existence of this guy’s restaurant is dependent on paying slave wages, perhaps he needs to look at his business model.
Democrats again wanting to have an underclass, making less than White people. It’s disgusting.
Wake up dims. Its 2011. Let citizens earn a decent wage. If they are educated and can speak English better then the owner of the restaurant, TAKE THE FRIGGIN TEST AND BECOME A CITIZEN.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:43 am
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
Two lines in the article stand out to me:
(1) “Some restaurant owners who publicly opposed this bill have received death threats, leading me to want to stay below the radar.”
Mary, don’t buy any bridges.
CH
May 24th, 2011
9:43 am
Some Yawnplenty news.
Seems he wiped a child molestor’s record clean.
http://groups.google.com/group/talk.politics.misc/browse_thread/thread/1d06d897de22b6d7
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:44 am
and now some fabulous Steinbeck, to boot!
AmVet, it’s all part of an ongoing program of “dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement.”
oh, and paul, my somewhat-recently-liberated post @ 8.53 was intended for you, FWIW…
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:44 am
AmVet
So now it’s all about the poor business owner5.
You guys change your stance on business like you change your Depends.
Rightwing Troll
May 24th, 2011
9:45 am
“Jay, I hate to say it but this sounds like a made up story. You say he is in debt Millions of dollars, he must have one hell of a restaurant. If his business is doing that good why doesn’t he pay his debt? He must be a liberal. just keep borrowing and worry about it later.”
Let’s see, a building in a good retail area will run you 800,000.00 to a couple mil if you can find it and buy it. Equipment for a kitchem can easily run a from 50,000.00 to a couple hundred thousand… So we’re over a million just getting a building and some equipment, we haven’t even walked in the front door yet… a buildout, bar, and patio area, another 100 large minimum… Marketing and branding 25,000.00 to 100,000.00…
for the first 3-5 years of most any legal business you most likely won’t break even, so you’re digging into your own pockets or borrowing more…
Yeah this guy’s just a crazy lib… or you just don’t know ANYTHING about starting and running a small business…
blue_unicorn
May 24th, 2011
9:45 am
“But policywise, the key to illegal immigration has always been jobs. Illegal immigrants are drawn to this country to work, and any serious effort to address the problem at its source must include an effort to stop employers from hiring them.” Jay Bookman 2/1/11
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/02/01/ga-leaders-not-serious-about-addressing-illegal-immigration/
Jay – You did explain that to your new friend, right?
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 24th, 2011
9:45 am
Once again, it comes down to the psychological/sociological question “are We all in this together” or is it “every man for himself”. Until this question is decided, until one side wins this “war”, then our American society will be stuck where it is, trying to build bridges to the past, while the 21st century leaves us behind.
On the island, we already know the answer to this question.
Come to Georgia’s beautiful islands & sit awhile.
The Earth & the Ocean are screaming the answer.
Y’all just can’t hear it over the traffic. I know.
I spent my whole career there.
md
May 24th, 2011
9:46 am
“And say what you will about Carlos Santana’s statement a few days back, but he is dead-on right about one thing. “I would invite all Latin people to do nothing for about two weeks so you can see who really, really is running the economy,” Santana said. “Who cleans the sheets? Who cleans the toilets? Who babysits?”
Which is another head scratcher………so, the folks that want to come here legally wouldn’t do the same jobs??
Does having a green card automatically make them ineligible??
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
jt are you secretly Redneck Convert or Whacks Eloquent in disguise? There was this other guy who used to be on here a lot, Political Uprising or something like that…..his blog name had sexual innuedo in it. Anyway he / she was a hoot too!
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
Common Sense
May 24th, 2011
9:18 am
Great post. Great points. Unfortunately, you are talking to the deaf and dumb.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
Mighty Righty
“t is apparent you don’t understamd that Obamacare passed. It is the law of the land. It was not killed and it was not modified. It does not contain “free health care” for anyone.”
How can I rephrase this so you’ll understand?
The issue was not about health care reform passing.
The issue was about who killed the proposal, as part of the reform package, to allow undocumented workers to buy health insurance with no subsidies
Thanks for the definition of workmen’s comp. I still do not understand why you raised ‘workmen’s comp’ as an answer to who killed the proposal, though.
PEADAWG
That 9:33 was for you.
Jerome
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
“I would invite all Latin people to do nothing for about two weeks so you can see who really, really is running the economy,” Santana said. “Who cleans the sheets? Who cleans the toilets? Who babysits?
To Santana- kiss my arse for blatantly suggesting the great American work ethic is gone. You folks like Amvet need to sign off your computers and go meet a veteran in a wheel chair or an autistic adult who simply wants to work.
Incredibly embarrasing and insulting.
Jerome
May 24th, 2011
9:48 am
One has to question the intelligence level of those who listen to two bit, has been guitar players for guidance on issues.
Common Sense
May 24th, 2011
9:49 am
Good Little Liberal,
George Bush is the culprit for the three minimum wage increases that began as the employment in this nation peaked.
Coincidence? No.
http://www.nolanchart.com/article5985_Have_We_Forgotten_the_Minimum_Wage.html
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:50 am
JAy
So let’s be clear about what you want.
Democrats took over Congress and the first thing they did was raise the minimum wage. But now you support businesses that now pay slave labor wages, breaking those minimum wage laws.
MAKE UP YOUR MIND!
Steve
May 24th, 2011
9:50 am
So Jay – if following the health codes and OSHA requirements would make this restaurant unprofitable would it be OK to ignore those rules?
Is the owner also ignoring overtime rules? Where do you draw the line as to where you can break the rules?
Also – if this restaurant goes out of business the net effect will be zero. It is not like people will stop eating…especially in Atlanta.
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
9:51 am
GLL, if you wander over to the Get Schooled blog, you’ll see why kids don’t mow lawns and wash dishes anymore. And it’s not because there are no jobs. Try running a business with employees who are chronically late, curse out their employer, or simply fail to show up. Yeah, that’ll work.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
9:51 am
GLL, where do you get this notion that sub-minimum wages are being paid?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:51 am
Peadawg
Namecalling and a dismissal. Routine response for someone who can’t engage on a thoughtful leve.
My original post said it you questioned the restaurant owner’s credibility.
Before you call others dumb, you may want to look up the word ‘credibility.’
md
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
“Yeah this guy’s just a crazy lib… or you just don’t know ANYTHING about starting and running a small business…”
I know a great deal about running a small business, and have yet to see one single person explain why this law will cause this guy to suddenly go belly up………where is the cost shift/burden?
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
Blue unicorn,
(re: your 9:45)Cheers! Bravo!
THE TRUTH
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
Illegal is illegal is illegal.
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
“Why would replacing one employee with another cause this guy to go belly up????
Come on Jay, please explain…….or is this just fear mongering from your ’side”?
My guess is it’s fear mongering from Jay.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
Pdawg: You’ve been here for as long as I have, Debbi. I’m not going to go back through Jay’s archives for you.
Reiterating your position doesn’t require you to go back through archives. It just requires courage.
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:52 am
DebbieDoRight @ 9:37
Thanks, Debbie. I will. I have no choice, you see. My great-grandfather was an ordained Baptist minister and I inherited his DNA – pretty strongly.
jm
May 24th, 2011
9:53 am
If I may suggest an alternative route of discussion on this, in particular regarding this quote.
“Have you seen what’s going on in Mexico these days?”
There is no doubt Mexico is an unholy mess these days due to the drug cartels. Anyone with any semblance of compassion wouldn’t want to send someone back there. That said, I think it is ok to consider giving most of the illegal immigrants that are here permanent work visas in conjunction with a payment of penalty (not onerous). However, I don’t think it is fair to permit people who are breaking the law out of the gate (either due to their parents actions or their own) to get in line for citizenship.
Obviously this carries the risk of creating “a permanent underclass” of people with work visas but not citizenship. And I don’t like this either. So I put it to the “blog”, how do you have compassion for people who want to work hard, bring them into the workplace system legally, but without trampling on the rights of those who earned their citizenship the hard way (or from being in the lucky sperm club), while also not creating a permanent “underclass” of sorts?
For the record, I’m not absolutely certain of the “underclass” issue, but it is a risk.
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:53 am
Mighty Righty @ 9:43
Explain yourself, please.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:54 am
Aquagirl
I have run a business since 1991 and my son mowed yards and delivered papers.
So please explain why you want a slave underclass in this country.
Did you support the raising of the minimum when when the Dims took over Congress?
But now you say that it destroys businesses. MAKE UP YOUR MIND. You guys are destroying my country!!
md
May 24th, 2011
9:55 am
“GLL, where do you get this notion that sub-minimum wages are being paid?”
Maybe because he/you state this bill will detrimentally affect his business……..how?
Where is the monetary shift coming from if he is paying minimum wage??
Common Sense
May 24th, 2011
9:55 am
“I know a great deal about running a small business, and have yet to see one single person explain why this law will cause this guy to suddenly go belly up………where is the cost shift/burden?”
He is already going belly up. He just refuses to acknowledge it.
kayaker 71
May 24th, 2011
9:56 am
Bad choices made in life are just not someone elses fault. Taking advantage of the fact that you can hire illegals to improve your profit margin and then saying if they don’t continue to work, it’s the fault of those who want to enforce the law, that his business will go under. That’s amazing logic even for a liberal.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:56 am
JAy
If legal wages are being paid, perhaps hiring AMERICANS would be a better idea.
Art Thomas
May 24th, 2011
9:56 am
Jay since you advocate helping out the poor illegals and that law doesnt really matter I can assume that this owner also violates health conditions / law by the Food and Drug administration forcing to be in compliance with health codes? unlawful businesses tend to also vialoate other laws Id taxes health food cleanliness rodents etc .. this fact was underscored to me when drove by a Resturant in Conyers where 2 ambulances were parked out front and 2 patrons were visibly throwing up in the parking lot.
You can be assured I do not patronize any of these low class burger / taco or unknown food items served at these strip mall flleabags that cater to the illegal market… oh by the way these are usually located next to the nail salons and massage parlor areas.. go for an illegal food and then an illegal rubdown. would be a good topic for one of your scathingly brilliant articles .!!
Peadawg
May 24th, 2011
9:57 am
“My original post said it you questioned the restaurant owner’s credibility.” – No you’re original post was to someone else. But, instead of admitting you misquoted me and moving on…you tried to question me on things I never said.
Now, if you would like to direct a question to me on something *I* said, please go right ahead.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
9:58 am
md
Liberals see an issue. they have no clue as to the actual problem. they just see another way to demonize Republicans.
md
May 24th, 2011
9:58 am
“Try running a business with employees who are chronically late, curse out their employer, or simply fail to show up. Yeah, that’ll work.”
Hmmm…….Mickey D’s has been working within that parameter for eons…….and still making tons of money…………..
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
9:58 am
Paul
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
Mighty Righty
The issue was not about health care reform passing.
The issue was about who killed the proposal, as part of the reform package, to allow undocumented workers to buy health insurance with no subsidies.
Paul—Democrats controlled the House of Representives, the Senate and the White House when the so called health care bill passed. Republicans had no input. Republicans couldn’t stop or amend anything. The bill is 100% Democrat for good or bad. I think its bad, many think its good. But, your implying Republicans did something to the bill is uniformed.
Poor Paul, just won’t believe me because I am a Republican. Would one of you Democrats please explain to Paul that Repubicans had nothing to do with Obamacare.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:59 am
Jerome: To Santana- kiss my arse for blatantly suggesting the great American work ethic is gone.
Jerome’s in the house!! I said Jerome’s in the house!!
PS: I couldn’t resist. You have to be the only person I’ve ever “talked” to named Jerome!!
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
9:59 am
Let’s see, a building in a good retail area will run you 800,000.00 to a couple mil
I’m really kind of shocked that the trollettes here, who constantly fall prey to the seductive murmurings of political hacks who promise to “run Gubmint like a binness!”, apparently couldn’t connect those dots themselves.
(I wasn’t going to say anything because it’s shooting fish in a barrel, but jeez.)
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
10:00 am
“What’s next, feeling sorry for a child molester, rapist, murderer?”
no, they just give them oscars.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:00 am
Sooo, it’s ok and moral to hire illegals under pay them and over work them. These business owners want to keep them because they are cheap labor and they can pay them below the legal limit. It’s time to shut these businesses down. If you cannot run your business with out abusing illegals to do it, you deserve to go out of business.
Businesses who knowingly and willingly hire illegals should be shut down. It’s one step removed from slavery and I thought we were all against that. Aparently, liberals really aren’t.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:00 am
I hope this restaurant owner gets shut down. He’s is a first class jerk and a slave master. Not only shut down, but ass in prison.
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
May 24th, 2011
10:00 am
30 years ago anyone writing commentary in the media sympathetic to a business owner complaining about being restricted by law from hiring illegals would be ignored and written off as a loon. Today it’s not uncommon for someone on the left to criticize laws that protect American sovereignty and make it unlawful to knowingly hire illegal aliens. Goes to show how far we’ve fallen when we have those who place ideology ahead of our national security. The far left is still only a 20% minority but the majority has been allowing them to ruin this country from within for far too long.
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:01 am
The bank probably didn’t know he was hiring illegal aliens either. Him borrowing the money was a choice he made, and he should have realized that times change, as well as policies, and laws change as well, so he should have thought a little into the future as well. It is not just a one way street where all of the blame falls on the politicians, but this guy should have taken every aspect into account before he “borrowed the money”. If he wants to break the law and put his family at risk even more, then go ahead, and if he doesn’t and wants to do it right, go hire legal citizens that are willing to accept minimum wage to work. Sounds like a pretty simple fix to me. Love how you try and discredit the Immigration Law there Bookman by getting the opinion of a law breaker that admits he will break the law. I guess you Liberals will always have a soft heart for law breakers. What’s next, feeling sorry for a child molester, rapist, murderer?
BW
May 24th, 2011
10:02 am
I apologize if I seem callous or crass, but I have no sympathy for this business owner. If he cannot operate a sound business within the confines of local, state, or federal regulations, then he should consider a new line of work.
“I didn’t have any idea that they’d be passing a law like this. My bank didn’t have any idea they’d be passing a law like this.”
Hogwash. That’s business. The ability to address and handle changes in scope is necessary for success.
On this accord, how will he handle the changes in healthcare. “Geee, I didn’t know they were going to pass a law.” Is he going to request a waiver or does he not offer healthcare options? I would guess the latter given his payrollees.
As many have said, I have zero doubt that he will be able to find qualified documented employees. If not, perhaps it is time to find a new profession.
godless heathen
May 24th, 2011
10:03 am
Businessman: I don’t hire illegals but if this new law passes that will prevent me from hiring illegals, it will put me out of business.
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:03 am
Bookman, one other thing… Is this restaurant owner not taking advantage of the illegals by paying them less for their services? What about equal compensation since you are so against them being considered un-equals? He wouldn’t be all in a tiff if he wasn’t somehow short changing them, and making money off their lower wages. He is more worried about losing his sweat shop labor, that he could care less about them, but is being selfish and only caring about himself. Glad you decided to take the side of this moron. Keep on throwing these lame articles out, because you will be verbally destroyed by the people making comments on this blog now that Tucker isn’t around as much anymore.
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
10:04 am
GLL–I don’t want a slave underclass, I think we should–gasp–let those people work legally.
Good for your son. You let him spend his formative years undermining America by delivering left wing liberal newspapers?
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:05 am
Have fun guys.
I HAVE to go to work.
And libs: for once support AMERICANS. We need the jobs that are being given to this slave underclass that you guys so desperately want.
Do something positive. Find a Mexican National and help them become a US citizen. My church has helped dozens. Maybe your liberal organizations could consider doing that instead of always attacking conservatives.
And for God’s sake: START THINKING!!!!
Bob
May 24th, 2011
10:06 am
Hey, the business owner will be able to hire unemployed American citizens. This is great news. And if he continues to employ illegals, throw him in prison for a couple of years.
Cut off the money, and the illegals will self-deport. Go after the businesses that hire them.
Do I get to choose what laws I want to follow like the illegals?
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
10:07 am
Aquagirl: Good for your son. You let him spend his formative years undermining America by delivering left wing liberal newspapers?
He doused him with holy water everyday afterwards. Just to be sure……….
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
10:07 am
JAY, perhaps you can ask Mighty Righty why he juxtapositioned your sentence regarding “death threats” with my “not buying any bridges”? Point being? See below.
————————————————————————————————————
May 24th, 2011
9:43 am
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:22 am
Two lines in the article stand out to me:
(1) “Some restaurant owners who publicly opposed this bill have received death threats, leading me to want to stay below the radar.”
Mary, don’t buy any bridges.
jt
May 24th, 2011
10:07 am
Jay -
I was being sarcastic……………..I guess I need to work on those skills.(i still give them history lessons though)(our Stonewall Jackson would have got along with their PonchoVilla).
.
If a person is in Georgia…………already……………I don’t give a dang.
.
It is a total failure on the Fed’s part.(imagine that?)
Like local law enforcement wanting pharmacies to keep tabs on prescrip drug buyers, scrap metal dealers wanting them to keep tabs on sellers, etc……………………etc…………..
the feds are only wanting CITIZENS to do what WE pay THEM to do.
It is called a dysfunctional corrupt centralized authority…………………we have much to learn from our countries to the south on how to deal with this…………………….Ignore them.
And in closing…..to lose respect of our Mexican friends………..try mixing a top-shelf Tequila with……………anything.Take it straight or don’t sully the experience.
Mezcal is for mixing.
To them…………..it would be like us mixing a 100 year-old single malt scotch with 7-up.
.
You probably already know this considering all of the bars that you stay in.(doing interveiws and stuff).
.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
10:08 am
GLL: “Liberals see an issue. they have no clue as to the actual problem. they just see another way to demonize Republicans.”
Again, from this statement it seems you’re equating “liberal” with anyone who takes a critical view of GOP policies.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:08 am
Aquagirl
I would like to see Americans working legally. Perhaps if we didn’t have a welfare system that encouraged participation, more people would be willing to work.
BTW. Do you know a Mexican National that you could help to become a citizen? if not: FIND ONE.
Stop claiming to be a do-gooder and actually go do something good.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:09 am
Oh GLL, Liberals don’t help people, they just whine how the government should do their dirty work for them. Help an illegal? Oh no, the government shoudld do that! Help an unemployed work find a job? Oh no, it’s the governments job. Provide shelter and housing for the poor? Oh hell no. We should tax people who make money more and have the government to provide housing.
Ever seen a liberal charity organization? I haven’t.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:10 am
DebbieDoRight
Has any organization that you belong done ANYTHING to help people become citizens?
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
10:10 am
“The Southern Republican Run States are full of legislators that want all THOSE people gone”
Personally…I don’t think they do. They just want a certain segment of the voters to THINK they do.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
10:11 am
GLL: “And libs: for once support AMERICANS. We need the jobs that are being given to this slave underclass that you guys so desperately want.”
Sounds good, and I’m all for thinking, but that requires that we face up to these pesky, inconvenient details of labor law such as minimum wage, illegal HIRING practices (as opposed to getting hire illegally), etc., which I’m guessing the GOP doesn’t really want to take to close a look at. (And in fairness, the Democrats don’t either, but then they aren’t out there passing draconian anti-immigration laws either.)
Am I right?
MPercy
May 24th, 2011
10:12 am
While it is certainly true that many of the illegal aliens have been in this country for some time, working hard and trying to be a respectable part of the community. But the fact remains that they are constantly violating any number of laws and an amnesty for illegal aliens implicitly forgives these violations. If I violated the same laws, I’d be fined thousands of dollars and put into prison for several years. But many people (and politicians) seem to want to grant them eventual citizenship and all the benefits thereof instead.
First they knowingly and with forethought violate any of several immigration laws when they enter this country: they come without visas, they do not come through a legal port-of-entry, they bypass customs, they are not registered and fingerprinted as required by Title 8 of Code of Federal Regulations (8 CFR). That is, there is little or no presumption of lawful admission as required by 8 CFR.
Once they are here, they are likely to continue to violate other laws. Fraudulent papers are used to obtain work. This may include Social Security numbers and related documentation, falsified work visas, and so on. In this case, it seems that Title 18 Section 1028 “Fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features, and information” should come into play.
If they bypass the fraudulent paperwork and simply work for cash “under-the-table” they are certainly involved in some level of tax evasion. In this country, even people who earn income by illegal means are required by the Internal Revenue Code to report this income when filing annual tax returns. But they usually don’t claim this income, let alone file the required return, because doing so would serve as an admission of guilt. They are also more likely to be working at less than the minimum wage, facilitating their employer’s choice to bypass Title 29 Section 206 “Minimum wage” as well as requirements to withhold and pay their portions of the FICA and Medicare payroll taxes [conspiracy to commit, on both the illegal immigrant and the employer; perhaps RICO could even be applied to the employers].
An aside here: often the claim is made that “They do jobs Americans won’t do” when the reality is “They do jobs that Americans won’t do at those wages.” Thousands of employers are also violating our laws, notably Title 8 Section 1324a “Unlawful employment of aliens”, by hiring illegal aliens and by paying them under-the-table to avoid our laws about minimum wage, overtime, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, family leave, Americans with disabilities and so on. These employers must also be stopped and prosecuted.
When illegal aliens drive a car, they are doing so without a valid license and probably without insurance (a requirement in most states). It is not uncommon for many unrelated illegal aliens to share a single house or apartment, in violation of local codes.
The list of violations could go on and on.
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:12 am
Good little liberal,
Why don’t you find an unemployed American citizen and help them find a job? It appears you only want to help the illegals instead of your fellow Americans.
For goodness sake: START THINKING!!!
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
10:12 am
jt: You probably already know this considering all of the bars that you stay in.(doing interveiws and stuff).
you’re a hoot!! I can’t understand why no one else gets you……….I guess your jokes are just too esoteric for them. History professor huh? Viva History!!!
Adam
May 24th, 2011
10:12 am
Bottom Line: The Southern Republican Run States are full of legislators that want all THOSE people gone. Hispanics are an easy target through law because of citizenship, but if they could throw in any undesirable, be it black, or whites on welfare, or women, or gays, or not-my-religion people, they would. This is a disguised witch hunt. This needs to stop. Be accepting and inclusive, not hateful and exclusive!
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:13 am
Adam,
Last time I checked, all of those people had the same opportunity to become citizens and accepted in the country like all of the others. Why is it all of our fault? Should we have to pay the taxes to support these people? Should they get paid under the table and not pay into our school systems, healthcare, or tax system? All of which they take advantage of. So don’t sit there and call it a witch hunt against the poor illegals trying to stay under the radar.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:14 am
Bottom line, liberal support slave labor.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:14 am
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
I don’t support slave labor. That’s what Democrats called the old minimum wages laws.
Democrats are destroying my country. A little political speech and they are in the streets ready to riot and here we are three years after the largest increase in minimum wage in history talking about how impossible it is to run a business under those laws.
DUH!!!!!!
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:14 am
Adam
The problem with Democrats is your overt racism. You can’t see the difference between Hispanics that are here legally and illegal aliens. All Hispanics are not the same. Start thinking like a Republicans and leave the racist blinders of the Party of George Wallace behind in the 20th century.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
10:14 am
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
9:53 am
Mighty Righty @ 9:43
Explain yourself, please.
Mary, you were quick to believe the worst with out any evidence but his word. The article is full of unbelieveable statements which makes the entire story suspect. You however, accepted a wild accusation as truth. Thus my cynical use of an adage aimed at one being gullible. You can decide if the remark is humorous or mean, your choice. All I did was turn over the rock.
Mick
May 24th, 2011
10:15 am
gll
Man. why are you sooooo condescending? Get a grip, stop the stereotyping and think yourself…
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
10:15 am
also jt josef nix would REALLY like you, he’s a school teacher who has a phenomenal mental database on historic events. he posts here regularly but only in the afternoon when he gets out of school.
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
10:15 am
Well said, Adam.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
10:16 am
Heathen — “The very first sentence on the e-verify website (http://www.uscis.gov) states:
“U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization.”
Sounds like Mr. Small Businessman hasn’t been trying too hard to follow all the laws.”
That is EXACTLY what I thought when I read this. The guy’s “millions” of dollars in debt, but his business model relies on him being able to break or skirt the law? Well, he could realize even more profits by just falsifying his taxes, too, so why not do that as well?
Look, I’m sympathetic to a small businessman who’s trying to make it, and I’m sympathetic to illegosos, too (my wife is Hispanic, the born-here variety). But if your entire business model RELIES on violating the law by using cheap labor that keeps its mouth shut, then I’m sorry — you just didn’t think things through very far before you started your business and went into debt. Should we feel as sorry for a drug dealer who relies on his profits to keep a roof over his head? Or a mafioso who shakes down businessmen or runs hookers in order to bring in an income?
I don’t want this guy to go bankrupt, but his entire business model RELIES on being able to break the law, and he knew that when he got in. I can’t feel sorry for him.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:17 am
GLL, they have time to riot. They don’t have jobs.
jt
May 24th, 2011
10:17 am
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
9:47 am
jt are you secretly Redneck Convert or Whacks Eloquent in disguise? There was this other guy who used to be on here a lot, Political Uprising or something like that…..his blog name had sexual innuedo in it. Anyway he / she was a hoot too!
I don’t know about that innuedo or such but my name is Jumping Turtle.(jt)
Cooter is another name for turtle………..around here.
.
I have jumped a cooter or two.
TnGelding
May 24th, 2011
10:18 am
A true American. Common sense and compassion.
Let’s see if the unreal Deal tries to enforce it.
Jack
May 24th, 2011
10:18 am
If this restaurant owner is in “millions of dollars” of debt, then the banker knew nothing about the restaurant business. A single restaurant will never make enough money to pay back “millions of dollars”. Something is phony about this story.
pat
May 24th, 2011
10:19 am
I am hispanic. I am here legally, and a citizen. Amnesty is an insult to me. If I could do it, so can they.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
10:21 am
Peadawg
We can’t keep this up forever, I’ve an appointment in 45 minutes.
But as far as your earlier, I didn’t admit I made a mistake? You saw this:
[["Sorry. That was poison pen who questioned Jay’s credibility.
You questioned the restaurant owner’s credibility.
So here’s the do-over.
““Do you know anyone out of work?” – Nope.”
And you say the restaurant owner has a credibility problem over the believability of his statements?!!?]]
So which of those three posts at 7:59. 8:13 and 9:05 by “Peadawg” about the restaurant owner are “things (you) never said”?
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
10:21 am
adam,
Are you aware that president obama has increased deportations of “those people”?
md
May 24th, 2011
10:22 am
“But many people (and politicians) seem to want to grant them eventual citizenship and all the benefits thereof instead.”
Which happens to be the bigger picture problem………….granting amnesty (such as we did under Reagan) without sealing our borders, only causes the abuse of the system to increase……….
Does anyone here think we would be having this discussion if we had sealed the border and enforced the law after the first amnesty??
Shoot no……..instead, some advocate for doing the exact same thing……..which will lead to more chaos down the road………
When the precedent is repeatedly set that the US does nothing to those that violate the immigration law, those wanting to come in will multiply exponentially…………..and those waiting to do it legally will feel betrayed…………
jm
May 24th, 2011
10:22 am
Jack 10:18 – well, I’d guess he owns more than one…. second, some single restaurants (the really fancy ones in ATL) often rack up millions in debt for their interior build out, equipment, etc.
Good little liberal
May 24th, 2011
10:22 am
Mick
Condescending?
I watch the buckets of manure that liberals eat up like steak whenever any piece of garbage legislator comes up with yet another reason to hate Republicans.
You HAD to have the massive increase in minimum wage and now you are claiming that in order for American business to succeed, we can’t obey those laws and have to hire people under the table.
You are KILLING us. Now we have this clown in the White House that is encouraging Islamic radicals to take over North Africa while insisting on the Palestinian total takeover of a huge part of an established Israel. Our economy stinks and now Jay tells this fantasy story about a restaurant owner that is in debt millions and only through ignoring laws that YOUR PARTY PUSHED THROUGH can he survive.
Our country is in serious trouble, Pal. If condescension because of the crap that you support is your only problem, congratulations.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
10:22 am
GLL: DebbieDoRight – Has any organization that you belong done ANYTHING to help people become citizens?
Actually yes. Although that’s not one of my “pet” projects, (I currently like projects having to do with the military, [VA Hospital], military families and senior citizens). However my church does do a lot of things for the Portuguese, (Brazillian) community here in Atlanta to help them through the immigration process and assimilation into the American culture. My sister and my aunt, (who is special needs), work at the center and I help out as much as I can. My portuguese is getting better, since we speak it exclusively at the house; but it’s still needs work — I still have problems understanding the slang and the different dialects.
jm
May 24th, 2011
10:23 am
Must be El Azteca….. my wife love’s their food…..
Laurie
May 24th, 2011
10:24 am
This owner’s reasoning for illegal immigration smells of legalized serfdom, slavery even. Didn’t the US do away with that? Wait, didn’t we even have a civil war over it? Plantation owners needed their slaves to keep costs down and business profitable. Is he not using the same arguement for his business?
Aquagirl
May 24th, 2011
10:25 am
GLL, actually I teach ESL on a volunteer basis. I’m not fond of the press 1 for English thing either, and I’m willing to do something about it. Unlike the shrieking GO HOME crowd.
How ’bout you, pat? What do you do besides sit on your gender-ambiguous bum and make assumptions?
Billings
May 24th, 2011
10:26 am
I’ll take a hardworking Mexican over a lazy american any day. The immigrant (legal or not) is grateful, the american feels entitled.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
10:26 am
Oh, yes. The other issue with hiring teens is that they can’t understand why an employer won’t allow them to constantly text while waiting on tables, mowing yards and washing dogs.
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
10:27 am
adam,
are you aware that president obama has doubled the number of border patrol agents trying to keep “those people” out?
Halftrack
May 24th, 2011
10:27 am
The real truth here is “accountability”. Our Politicians, Government, and State have not been held accountable for their actions and in-actions far too long. Just look at our borders. This situation causes people to not want to obey the law on the local levels. It’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube once it is out. The U.S. is at a breaking point, otherwise we are slowly deteroriating into a bigger mess with nothing being done toward correction.
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
10:31 am
Let’s see. You put the help wanted sign in the window and the only folks that stick around and work are the illegal immigrants once they see what the work is even though it pays above minimum wage. Now, the law will require that those people that took the jobs be turned away. Tell me again who is standing in line waiting to take that job or who would be standing in line to take that job if only the price was right, whatever that price is. Me thinks there are too many Republicans out there that have been brainwashed from years of shock jock AM talk radio blather while those very people filling others heads with the trash talk rely on illegals for everything from their meals to their manicures.
redneckbluedog
May 24th, 2011
10:32 am
I just saw the video of Rep. Rob Woodall’s town hall….OMG…those people cheered him..? They do realize they are paying for his and his family’s health care for the rest of their lives….? And he wants to eliminate their health care…? OMG…You people down there are dumber than I thought…and I set the bar pretty low after Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal…..!!!!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
10:32 am
Jay — “jm, he is not currently breaking the law. The law requires him to demand ID of his workers, and he does so.”
You’re off base on this one, Jay. My wife’s an HR professional and deals with I-9 verifications quite a bit. The law actually requires him to *verify* ID, not just demand it (and collect and retain copies of it).
If ICE decided to do an audit of his records, he’s looking at a minimum $10,000 fine for each and every employee whose ID he didn’t verify with SSA.
md
May 24th, 2011
10:33 am
“You put the help wanted sign in the window and the only folks that stick around and work are the illegal immigrants once they see what the work is even though it pays above minimum wage.”
What a bogus excuse………….there are hundreds of companies with the same problem that have never used illegals to fill positions……..been doing it forever……..
Just more pick and choose excuse making………..
blue_unicorn
May 24th, 2011
10:34 am
But policywise, the key to illegal immigration has always been jobs. Illegal immigrants are drawn to this country to work, and any serious effort to address the problem at its source must include an effort to stop employers from hiring them. JB 2/1/11
Now, we are supposed to feel sorry for this poor, ignorant business owner, who crafted a business plan that requires illegal immigrant labor to remain viable?
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
10:34 am
It’s really great how all of you liberals favor laws protecting unskilled illegal immigrant labor, while 30% of Black and White laborers that you pretend to care about are unable to feed their families because the illegals you favor are taking jobs at below market rates. How can you look in the mirror and see a caring person. I am in favor of legal immigration so long as Americans don’t lose their jobs becuae of it. According to Bookman’s interview, the Georgia law will result in helping American laborers find work by forcing some illegals to other states. That’s great news!
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
10:36 am
30% of Black and White laborers that you pretend to care about are unable to feed their families because the illegals
cite, please. (I’m focused on the “because” part of that sentence, not the “30%.”)
Mary Elizabeth
May 24th, 2011
10:37 am
Mighty Righty @ 10:14
I believe that the restaurant owner’s peers received death threats. You are certainly free not to believe that his words were true, if you wish.
However, you made no reference to my comments following that sentence from the article which I quoted – just that sentence regarding death threats – which was blatantly positioned in your post to me.
I knew that you could have meant humor regarding naivete, but I do not know you except through your moniker. Your political positions are certainly more popular than mine are – in this “neck of the woods.” So, perhaps, you can understand why I don’t particularly care for such a blatant statement regarding death threats near my name – joke or otherwise. Why bother to post such as that at all?
However, Mighty Righty, I want you to know that I do appreciate your response to me. I believe you and I take you at your word. Thanks.
I
USMC
May 24th, 2011
10:38 am
Restaurants did just fine BEFORE the Invasion of ILLEGAL ALIENS and they will do just fine AFTER the law is in place.
Sure the restaurant owner will have to adjust as others will, but he will be able to replace his ILLEGAL staff with High school kids, College kids, and others that will gladly take the job.
More of Jay Bookman’s Intellectual Dishonesty; I am seeing a pattern.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
10:38 am
Mighty Righty
“Poor Paul, just won’t believe me because I am a Republican. Would one of you Democrats please explain to Paul that Repubicans had nothing to do with Obamacare.”
Actually, this is kind of funny. I just asked ‘care to guess who killed a provision allowing undocumented workers to buy insurance on the exchange?” and you immediately thought it was an attack on Republicans.
Why so knee-jerk defensive?
If you’d bothered to do a bit of research, you might have found:
“Neither the House bill nor Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill restricts illegal immigrants from being eligible to purchase coverage through a health insurance “exchange” or gateway set up in the legislation. However, the House bill explicitly states that undocumented immigrants would not be eligible to receive government subsidies to buy insurance, regardless of income. The Senate Committee Bill is much tougher and bars illegal immigrants from purchasing health insurance through the exchange.
Baucus’ proposal also includes verification requirements to ensure that illegal immigrants are blocked from receiving federal subsidies or entering the exchange — an effort to quell Republican concerns that loopholes would allow illegal immigrants to benefit from receiving health insurance at a reduced rate. ”
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/October/23/illegal-immigrants-health-explainer.aspx
out for a bit -
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
10:39 am
our obesity problems is because of illegal immigrants!!!!!!!!!!!!
as is “30% of laborers not being able to feed their famblies,” apparently.
I learn such interesting stuff in here. Hey, did you know that Obama thinks we have 57 states? And that Nancy Pelosi needed to pass the bill before she knew what was in it?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
10:40 am
“Restaurants did just fine BEFORE ”
But there weren’t as many…..and Americans didn’t eat out as much, and were therefore less obese, and healthier…..
….okay, so, our obesity problems is because of illegal immigrants!!!!!!!!!!!! Get the torches and pitchforks!!!!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
10:40 am
Debbie — “PS: I couldn’t resist. You have to be the only person I’ve ever “talked” to named Jerome!!”
Ask him to bring you your mirror.
Don't Forget
May 24th, 2011
10:41 am
Restaurant owner losing business? two words- happy hour
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:41 am
USMC,
You are absolutely correct. How do these restaurants and bars succeed in college towns? You have college kids willing to work and make some money is how. They don’t rely on illegal aliens to keep the wheels turning. They get it done with legal citizens.
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
10:42 am
What a bogus excuse………….there are hundreds of companies with the same problem that have never used illegals to fill positions……..been doing it forever……..
Just more pick and choose excuse making………..
It’s just reality md. You may choose to accept it as such or not. Then again, I think you have made your choice quite clear.
Mick
May 24th, 2011
10:44 am
gll
Dude, you are an angry irrational fool lashing out at people that in your mind only belong to one group. Sorry to ruin your pity party but it’s a bit more complex than that. My advice to you is – drink heavily…
Jay
May 24th, 2011
10:45 am
Joe Mama, the restaurant owner submits the required I-9 forms to federal authorities. It is the feds, not the business owner, who do the validation check. If and when the business is notified that the SSI number and name do not match, the business is then required to take action by seeking clarification from the employee. However, it often takes a year or more for such mismatches to be noticed by the feds, and once the employer is notified and then the employee is notified, the employee often just moves on to the next job.
However, the restaurant owner told me that he has noticed a recent increase in the pace of I-9 mismatch letters he is receiving from the feds.
shawny
May 24th, 2011
10:45 am
Chicken Littles.
This is not going to ruin any industry. Prices will climb as business do the right thing and hire US citizens, pay taxes on them, etc. Corn will cost more and so will beef. It is a way of life. We can make up for the costs in reduced healthcare costs and additional tax revenues.
The sky aint falling.
And for that joker that is in debt millions and employs illegals; he is a poor planner and his lack of business savvy does not justify bailing him out. Sorry, he isn’t too big to fail. He needs to fail now, scrap the business, then start a new profession or even the same one except on the up and up.
shawny
May 24th, 2011
10:48 am
We didn’t lose the construction industry. Home ownership was oversold and housing capacity overbuilt.
The people making money off of illegals needs to be brought in check. Pass 87, enforce it, and welcome the new way. There are plenty of US citizens that need work. Two birds, one stone.
Irwin M. Fletcher
May 24th, 2011
10:50 am
I like the restaurant owners rationalization. He never thought that there would be a bill like this, and actually obeying the law could shut him down. I like it, maybe I could use the same logic.
Hey, when I bought my house, I never thought the economy would tank and I would lose my job. If I can’t rob banks and hold up people at gunpoint, I’ll lose my home.
Can I get an article written to generate sympathy for my plight?
Jefferson
May 24th, 2011
10:50 am
Pony up the tax money to solve the problem or just shut up. Solved the problem.
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
10:51 am
Jay,
Commenting on your post at 10:45… So you’re saying that it is ok for an illegal to come to this country illegally, then work illegally, give false identification, and just move on to the next job? How is that helping our country? American citizens get thrown in jail for identity theft or giving false identification, but an illegal doing it is just fine and dandy with you I see. And though you like to turn your cheek to it along with the other Liberals, what about when they resort to robbing, killing, drugs, joining gangs and making it unsafe for kids and citizens of this country to go outside and play?
jm
May 24th, 2011
10:52 am
shawny 10:48 – is there a restaurant bubble???? Oh dear.
blue_unicorn
May 24th, 2011
10:53 am
“Pony up the tax money to solve the problem or just shut up. Solved the problem.”
How ’bout we redraw our southern borders to match those in effect 1/1/1848? Sort of a Mexican ‘Right of Return’. As a bonus, we get rid of bankrupt California.
Howard
May 24th, 2011
10:54 am
Two words.
Crider Georgia.
The local poultry processing plant had fired most of the African-Americans who work there and replaced them with lower wage illegals. When ICE raided the plant and deported them the local African-American community were rehired and wages increased by $2.00 to $4.00 per hour over what had been paid the illegals.
The company did not go out of business, the world did not end and no bleeding-heart liberal was injured.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
10:57 am
And though you like to turn your cheek to it along with the other Liberals, what about when they resort to robbing, killing, drugs, joining gangs and making it unsafe for kids and citizens of this country to go outside and play?
Oh geez, the “slippery slope” logic of the wingnut.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
10:57 am
Enter your comments here
Another opinion
May 24th, 2011
10:57 am
I also own a restaurant and have had no problem hiring front- and back-of-the-house staff who are 100% American citizens in need of a good job. I pay them well, have almost no turnover, and run a very successful business. I dont’ know what this guy’s problem is, but if the majority of his workers are here illegally, he deserves to close up shop. Shame on him for hiring illegals when the unemployment lines filled with deserving citizens are stretching out the door.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
10:59 am
It is a huge regulation for business.
Make up your minds about no regulations cons.
jm
May 24th, 2011
11:00 am
Jay, do you forget how many people were queued up for the McDonald’s jobs? This guy’s story is a significant amount of BS. He just prefers to break the law.
Mick
May 24th, 2011
11:01 am
another opinion
Thanks for shedding some light, hats off to you…
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
11:02 am
Taxpayer: too many Republicans out there that have been brainwashed from years of shock jock AM talk radio blather while those very people filling others heads with the trash talk rely on illegals for everything from their meals to their manicures
You may be on to something — Didn’t Rush get his drugs from his (illegal) housekeeper?
redneckbluedog: OMG…You people down there are dumber than I thought…and I set the bar pretty low after Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal…..!!!!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
11:03 am
Jay — “Joe Mama, the restaurant owner submits the required I-9 forms to federal authorities. It is the feds, not the business owner, who do the validation check. If and when the business is notified that the SSI number and name do not match, the business is then required to take action by seeking clarification from the employee. However, it often takes a year or more for such mismatches to be noticed by the feds, and once the employer is notified and then the employee is notified, the employee often just moves on to the next job.”
That agrees somewhat with my wife’s experience, and she does employer I-9 verifications as part of her job. Allow me to share some details.
There’s a preliminary check that can be performed by the employer to see if the prospective employee’s SS card is even *valid* at all. My wife does occasionally encounter an invalid number this way. Anyone who’s sporting an invalid card can’t legally be employed. She also occasionally sees people with valid SS cards that are prominently stamped NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT, but who expect to be able to get a job with them. Those folks don’t get a job, either.
If the card comes back valid from the instant check, it still has to be verified as you describe above, but my understanding is that it takes nowhere near as long for mismatch verifications to come back as you’ve been told. My wife tells me that it takes a few weeks, sometimes as long as 3-4 months, for mismatches to come back.
Mismatches don’t always indicate that an illegoso is trying to pull a fast one; my wife saw a *gender* mismatch once that caused the SS number to be flagged (the male employee involved was VERY upset when he found out that SSA considered him to be female). In another case, several siblings all applied for a job at the same store, and their *sequential* SSNs caused them all to be flagged (I know that’s possible, because my brother’s SS# only varies from mine by the last digit).
But in all cases, when a mismatch comes back, my wife calls the employee and their manager (her company is nationwide) and directs them to clock the employee out (if they’re hourly), send them home and not to let them come back to work unless and until they provide Federally-acceptable documentation to resolve the flag. In about 80+ percent of cases, the individual sent home simply never returns to work, much as you describe.
“However, the restaurant owner told me that he has noticed a recent increase in the pace of I-9 mismatch letters he is receiving from the feds.”
My wife’s employer has been audited twice in the last 2-3 years by ICE. They have really stepped up enforcement, which is why I’d caution that restaurant owner to cover his butt if he doesn’t want a bunch of Federal fines staring him in the face. My wife suspects that there’s a certain percentage of mismatches to matches that will trigger a visit from ICE auditors — e.g. if you have 10% mismatches out of the SSNs you submit, then you get audited — but the ICE guys won’t answer questions about that, even if she asks them to their faces.
If he’s got a good percentage of mismatches, I think he’s setting himself up for an eventual reckoning with the feds on this.
Contractor
May 24th, 2011
11:04 am
Bosch,
Not exactly sure were your problem is with my post, but we all know that illegals turn to these avenues. Not all, but some do, and it is broadcasting on TV shows every single day. It shouldn’t be a problem in the first place, so I don’t necessarily understand your problem. So please defend yourself a little more and clarify what exactly it is you are snarking at.
@@
May 24th, 2011
11:07 am
However, it often takes a year or more for such mismatches to be noticed by the feds
Speedy Gonzales, they ain’t.
Which one of jay’s left-wingers namejacked Peadawg at Kyle’s? You oughta be ashamed of yourself.
Don't Forget
May 24th, 2011
11:07 am
It’s important to listen to businessmen but with the knowledge that they like to “cry wolf” a lot.
I’m skeptical of his claims that this will shut down his business. Businessmen have a tendency to cry wolf when they feel threatened or inconvenienced. He is either mistaken or he has a failed business model and should shut down.
The most sympathetic figure in the story is the guy who was brought here by his parents when he was 5. Yes he was brought here legally but through no fault of his own, he is kind of a man without a country.
Culinary School Parent
May 24th, 2011
11:08 am
My son graduated from a very expensive culinary school here in Atlanta. It cost MORE than a 4 yr. college education. The average pay for kitchen work is $11.00 an hour. Often for less than 40 hrs a week. You tell me how that is fair. IF he can get a job because the kitchen help, being illegal and all that entails, will work for much less.
Maybe the guy you interviewed paid on the books but I don’t think that is the standard. Find some 2009 graduates of AIA or Cordon Bleu and interview them about what is happening in the kitchens of GA. There are a ton of educated citizens working in the kitchens for substandard pay with no hope of ever making a decent living because of undocumented workers. The guy you interviewed didn’t say he had a hard time finding workers he said he didn’t want to pay them more. It also sounds like there are several cases of identity theft if they are paying into SS.
USMC
May 24th, 2011
11:09 am
Check out the Cactus Car Wash on Piedmont.
I noticed that they changed over their staff from ILLEGAL ALIENS back to Americans and Cactus is doing just fine.
I might add that Cactus has employed quite a few more Low income black AND white AMERICANS since they stopped employing ILLEGAL ALIENS.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
11:10 am
USMC — “I noticed that they changed over their staff from ILLEGAL ALIENS back to Americans and Cactus is doing just fine.”
Just out of curiosity, how do you know that they were employing illegosos? Or are you just guessing/presuming?
USMC
May 24th, 2011
11:13 am
These Teenagers could fill any of the jobs left vacant by the ILLEGAL ALIENS…
Just look at these Buffoons in the video:
TEENS TRASH DUNKIN’ DONUTS…
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/pack-of-teens-trash-dunkin-donuts-20110523-lgf
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
11:16 am
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
10:36 am
If you don’t understand that every job an illegal takes is one job not available to an American, then you will not be able to understand the answer.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
11:18 am
Are you for no regulations or not cons?
Failed ideology.
USMC
May 24th, 2011
11:19 am
“Just out of curiosity, how do you know that they were employing illegosos? Or are you just guessing/presuming?”–Joe Mama
Porque, yo hablo poquito espanol y yo pregunto mucho gente que trabajen a los Cactus Car Wash; verdad.
Ellos hablan SI!
Jefferson
May 24th, 2011
11:21 am
If the pay was better, you couldn’t hire an illegal — so pay better.
Nancy Barrow
May 24th, 2011
11:21 am
I feel for the restaurant owner and the employees. For clarification, is his concern that the non-immigrant pool of workers is too small to fill the void if his current workers are deported? Or does it have to do with the quality of other workers or their willingness to work for comparable wages?
thomas
May 24th, 2011
11:21 am
getalife
May 24th, 2011
11:18 am
You asking about regulations or laws?
If the worker is here without documentaion, then they (the worker) has committed a crime.
Whatever the opposite of a con is,
Are you for or against the enforcement of our laws?
Are you for anarchy?
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
11:22 am
Now that those higher paying jobs are no longer available there are people just standing in line to work those minimum wage jobs that illegal immigrants were willing to take. So, the obvious fix is to get rid of the illegal immigrants now that they are taking the jobs that others need and maybe there will be a place for them again once higher paying jobs come back.
mm
May 24th, 2011
11:22 am
Pathetic how the cons campaigned about jobs, jobs, jobs, and the only thing they have done in the red states and in the US House is destroy jobs.
It’s very telling that the red states pay in the least taxes and take in the most handouts from the federal government.
jm
May 24th, 2011
11:23 am
Um, Jay. RE 1967 / Israel. Reid and Obama apparently not on the same page, or Reid is playing politics again.
-
The most powerful Democrat in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), on Monday night publicly rejected President Barack Obama’s decision to use a recent speech to lay out aspects of a potential peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The place where negotiating will happen must be at the negotiating table – and nowhere else,” Reid declared in a speech to an annual gathering in Washington of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “Those negotiations … will not happen – and their terms will not be set – through speeches, or in the streets, or in the media.”
When the Senate leader added, “No one should set premature parameters about borders, about building, or about anything else,” the lights quickly came up on the vast audience and most in the crowd at the Washington Convention Center rose to their feet and applauded.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55560.html#ixzz1NHea96GV
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
11:24 am
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
11:02 am
Taxpayer: too many Republicans out there that have been brainwashed from years of shock jock AM talk radio blather while those very people filling others heads with the trash talk rely on illegals for everything from their meals to their manicures
You may be on to something — Didn’t Rush get his drugs from his (illegal) housekeeper?
You hit the nail on the head. The resturant owner owing millions had me stumped. But your insight resolves the problem. The resturant ownwer is a drug dealer.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
11:25 am
Netanyahu beginning his address to Congress now
Joe
May 24th, 2011
11:26 am
The simple choice would be to hire help that’s here legally. With Georgia’s unemployment rate at all time highs it shouldn’t be hard to find help to work in a restaurant. I understand Jay that from a liberals perspective that this is all about votes. Not about equality or helping the poor down trodden. It’s about making illegal’s legal so they can vote for democrats. Driving a wedge between sane Americans and insane Americans is what liberals, especially the ones in the media do. A sane person believes that people should come here legally and work hard and obey our laws. An insane person believes people can just come and go as they please without repercussion as long as they vote democrap.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
11:26 am
thomas,
Answer the question con.
USMC
May 24th, 2011
11:26 am
So let’s hire ILLEGAL ALIENS to write for the AJC; they will write for $10 per hour and waive the health Insurance… Sounds like it is good for the “bottom line”.
We are sorry to hear that Jay Boiokman is either too lazy to work for the AJC or won’t fill the job at $10 per hour WITHOUT health insurance, but Ann Cox Chambers, who initially gave the job to Jay, can’t make the bottom line at Jay’s current inflated rate and benefits…
deegee
May 24th, 2011
11:27 am
There may be plenty of Americans that need work but that doesn’t mean that they are physically capable of performing the job. My county government replaced all of their hispanic road maintenance crew with good ole boys. I watched one obese good ole boy sitting on a guard rail, weed whacker in hand having some obvious physical distress. Look at the fat slobs that park in handicapped spots so they don’t have to walk 50 yards into the WalMart.
cosby smith
May 24th, 2011
11:27 am
Illegal is against the law…what is missing is all the folks who march and cry regarding slavery, demand minimum wage but then cry that illegals should be allowed into the country so they can work as very low paid workers for certain industries. Either you are against slavery or you support it. Personally, if the law was enforced to begin with, new laws would not have to be passed. The one thing the constitution does provide taht the Federal government to do is to protect the boarders, which it has failed to do.
Russ
May 24th, 2011
11:28 am
What part of illegal doesn’t everyoine understand? I have no problem with anyone coming to the USA to better their life if they do it the right way. The bs of this restruant going under because he will lose his workers says that many people should have seen that there was a possobility that he was using undocumanted workers and that they should have stopped eating at their meals from him.
Emmanuel Hall
May 24th, 2011
11:28 am
Mr. B, you probably already know this, but I’m not sure your bartender friend does. The hateful immigaration bill the right wing Republican Georgia and other similar legislatures passed or are attempting to pass, has nothing to do with border safety, American security, fairness; the one and only reason for this bigotry is so the right wing in this country can hold on to power.
The Republicans know full well that if given the opportunity to become citizens and voters, the new Americans support would not go to them.
There is an ugly effort across this country by Republicans to stall and hinder any voters they fear will not vote for them. I hope the Democrats get this and will begin to act accordingly.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
11:29 am
Mighty @ 11.16, thanks for confirming that you couldn’t back up your BS.
jm
May 24th, 2011
11:29 am
Liberals are so ideologically inconsistent, that they make a caught fish on a boat deck look like a model of decisiveness. You guys (the liberals) are just a bunch of lilliputian John Kerrys….
thomas
May 24th, 2011
11:30 am
getalife
May 24th, 2011
11:26 am
Sorry not a con? Atleast not by the vague definition given by others on here.
What is your definition of a con?
I understand that a certain level of regulation is required to prevent abuses.
I know that doesn’t fit into your cookie cutter mold you have for everyone to fit in, but its reality.
Sohave you understood that this is not about regulation? It is about LAWS!
Why are you against the enforcement of laws? You do understand this is a law matter, not a regulation one?
Call the DNC and they will give you the revised talking points.
Devil's Advocate
May 24th, 2011
11:30 am
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
11:22 am
Now that those higher paying jobs are no longer available there are people just standing in line to work those minimum wage jobs that illegal immigrants were willing to take. So, the obvious fix is to get rid of the illegal immigrants now that they are taking the jobs that others need and maybe there will be a place for them again once higher paying jobs come back.
———————————————————————————————————-
O.o
Really? Maybe there will be a place for them again once higher paying jobs come back? So you’re part of the problem. You want the illegals here when it servers you best…
Dan
May 24th, 2011
11:30 am
Pretty sure if that was the CEO of a large publically traded corporation, Jay and other libs would be calling for his arrest for admitting he hires illegals.
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 24th, 2011
11:33 am
We’re all in this together.
You’re on your own.
One of these is a winning strategy. One is not.
Maybe if the cons pick the wrong one, they’ll go away.
jm
May 24th, 2011
11:34 am
Prediction: Obama is going to get crushed in 2012. Hard to know for sure. But a variety of items indicate this will be the case.
5/24 – ajc.com – Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide | Jay Bookman « GIRRC – Georgia Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition
May 24th, 2011
11:35 am
[...] 5/24 – ajc.com – Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide | Jay Bookman May 24, 2011 erikvoss Leave a comment Go to comments Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide | Jay Bookman. [...]
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
11:36 am
cry that illegals should be allowed into the country
shouldn’t you have at least one (1) example of someone here, anyone here, actually advocating for illegal entry into this country, when you post such a thing?
thomas
May 24th, 2011
11:36 am
St Simons – we’re on Island time
May 24th, 2011
11:33 am
You are aware that there are studies that show Republicans (cons) voluntarily give away more of their personal income to charity than their democrat counterparts?
So which one are you hoping the cons pick? The way they have been or that everyone is on their own?
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
11:40 am
USMC — “Porque, yo hablo poquito espanol y yo pregunto mucho gente que trabajen a los Cactus Car Wash; verdad.”
So you asked them and they told you?
One wonders why you didn’t patronize a different car wash. You know, maybe one with American employees.
AngryRedMarsWoman
May 24th, 2011
11:41 am
“he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.”
Economics 101 – he has a bad business model. What if he were serving stray cats and dogs and calling it chicken? Employing 10 year olds to wash dishes for fifty cents a day? Still sympathetic to his business model? In this country we choose to have certain regulations on business – sometimes because it really is good for society as a whole. You cannot pick the ones you follow and develop a business model based on breaking laws to make a profit. Next time you are out somewhere think about how much it costs to have a fire suppression system – and be thankful that the business owner chooses to adhere to the law (or the gov’t makes him do it) and maybe raise drink prices a little bit to cover that cost rather than knock some off the drinks and hope there isn’t a fire. Yes, I know there is a difference between hiring illegal aliens and fire safety, but laws are laws and we crawl down a rabbit hole when we let people disregard the laws they don’t like or those which they feel are too burdensome for their particular situation.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
11:42 am
They need a quota figure on how many illegals are given annual passes to work here so they can fill in on the jobs no everyday American in his/her right mind would consider doing. The employer would have to apply for the help – describe how many and why asnd they would have to pay the taxes on each dollar paid to the workers.
That way, you would know exactly who had workers and could more readily check the books if the taxes paid don’t seem realistic.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
11:42 am
Dan: “Pretty sure if that was the CEO of a large publically traded corporation, Jay and other libs would be calling for his arrest for admitting he hires illegals.”
And I’d be right with them.
That make me a “lib” ?
SPC
May 24th, 2011
11:43 am
If I recall, part of the Regan amnesty was a promise that the country wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Here we are again thanks to our political class of both parties.
LJ
May 24th, 2011
11:43 am
So sick of this. You want to live in American and have the American dream? Do it legally. Plain and simple. If I move to a foreign country then there are steps I will have to take to do so legally. It can be done. Stop being greedy and lazy and do it.
I’m a small business owner, too. What if I said I can’t afford to pay my taxes like this guy is saying he can’t afford to pay Americans? What would happen? It’s called a punishment, probably jail.
The people who are here illegally should be sent to their home country. Take a stand there and make it a better place. The people who hire illegally should be fined and penalized.
We all have to follow the laws, whether we agree or not. That’s the price we pay for voting.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
11:45 am
Dan: See I bet you’ve never given 5 minute’s time to reflecting on what a “lib” is. But I have.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
11:46 am
Thomas — “You are aware that there are studies that show Republicans (cons) voluntarily give away more of their personal income to charity than their democrat counterparts?”
I’d like to see a breakdown of exactly where that “charity” money goes. I don’t think that Republicans’ donations to PACs and political campaigns are quite the ‘charity’ that most people are thinking of.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
11:47 am
Republicans (cons) voluntarily give away more of their personal income to charity
this again?
GOPers are somewhat more likely to belong to churches that either require or strongly encourage massive club membership fees (aka, “titheing.”) In Uncle Sam’s eyes, of course, this charitable contribution has the same weight as some Godless Librul contributing directly to (say) Doctors without Borders.
If such things make you feel morally superior, fine. Forgive me if I’m not terribly impressed, myself.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
11:50 am
GLL, I know that 9:44 was in English, but perhaps you would be so kind as to decipher it for me? (grin)
Jerome at 9:47, well put. At least the confession in your last sentence. I’ll do you one better, cowboy. Come on down to the VAH with me and you can tell those vets there how to find employment, OK?
And J, this is one of the more stunningly dense “observations” I have ever read here – “…two bit, has been guitar player…” Turn off the talk radio, dude and share with me who you deem is one-bit, non-has-been guitar player!
LOLOL…
Mike
May 24th, 2011
11:51 am
The restaurant owner is a self-admitted liar. He says, he’s “always played it by the book.” Not true by his own admission as he knows his kitchen staff are illegal and it has been the law for decades that you have to prove citizenship or legal residence to work here. He has colluded in identity theft by his own admission, accepting fake social security numbers from his employees. Without people like him, deluding themselves that that they are “law-abiding” there would be no immigration problem. Were every restaurant complying with the law, the playing field would be level and Americans would have those jobs.
Canada knows. I was denied entry to Canada because I had no work permit allowing me to be there for a two-day job for the corporation I work for. Yet Canadian employees of the same company have no problem coming here for work-related tasks.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
11:52 am
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
11:47 am
never been to a church that requires membership fees sorry.
wouldn’t that hurt their non-profit status, if they required members to pay a fee? Is it the same for all members?
You got any type of research or proof to back that claim up, or you just broadcasting your opinion?
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
11:53 am
this is one of the more stunningly dense “observations” I have ever read here – “…two bit, has been guitar player…”
without looking it up, I suspect that “has-been” Carlos probably earns more per gig than most here do per month (and several, possibly, per year.)
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
11:53 am
Ya’ll can donate to the McCool Charity. I take checks!
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
11:54 am
So you’re part of the problem. You want the illegals here when it servers you best…
That is hardly what I said.
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 24th, 2011
11:55 am
thomas – yes, in ancient Rome, patronage was big.
but twisty, talky points won’t stop that freight train comin over the hill
Nan
May 24th, 2011
11:56 am
No sympathy whatsoever for the restaurant owner. Is he so stupid that he thinks his business is the only one that might have to raise wages? No — they all will, so it’s still going to be an equal playing field when it comes to labor costs. Granted, he may have to raise prices on the menu to compensate, but so will everyone else he’s competing with.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
11:57 am
St Simons – we’re on Island time
May 24th, 2011
11:33 am
“We’re all in this together.
You’re on your own.
One of these is a winning strategy. One is not.
Maybe if the cons pick the wrong one, they’ll go away.”
After that you seriously want to talk about talking points?
Wow hypocricy never amazes me.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
11:58 am
Ok, I’m a liberal but also a middle class worker. I say these laws are good but only if they go after the businesses and individuals who hire them – otherwise, you are just persecuting a group of people who really want to work and are willing to work their tails off.
While the price of produce and eating out will more than likely go up, so should wages in the lower spectrum.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
12:02 pm
So cons flipped flopped on regulations for business like they do on all their ideology.
Failed ideology like I said.
whig party.
Mike
May 24th, 2011
12:03 pm
Joe Mama, as k and you shall receive.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:05 pm
Off topic, but I think it’s something we can all get behind, regardless of political ideology–
the yankees suck (cash).
In the far North Bronx, near the Yonkers border, right fielder Stephan Alamies of the All Hallows High School varsity baseball team is batting against Mount Saint Michael. This is a home game for All Hallows–but they’re playing on their opponents’ field. They drove 45 minutes by bus to get here. Coach Edgardo Guttierez says the team used to play four blocks from school.
“Unfortunately, the Yankees built their parking lot on the field that we used to practice on,” he said.
The new Yankee Stadium is smaller than the old one. But when the team insisted in 2006 that it needed 2,000 extra parking spots, the New York City Industrial Development Agency issued 237 million dollars in tax exempt bonds for an expanded parking system–paving over the neighborhood’s only regulation baseball diamonds to do it.
The Yankees insisted from the beginning that they needed 9,000 parking spots, 2,000 more than before. They even made it a legal condition for not moving out of the Bronx.
[...]
But so few Yankee fans are parking at eleven garages and lots around the new stadium that the company managing them may soon default on $237 million in tax exempt bonds used to build them. In an effort to stave off collapse, the garages recently hiked prices to $35 a game. But as of last month, they were two thirds empty on game days.
According to public documents and two separate analyses, the Bronx Parking Development company owes the city $17 million in back rent and other payments. The city is paying $195 million to replace the parkland it gave to the Yankees. And New York State spent $70 million to build Parking Garage B. That’s where Derek Jeter and his fellow players park, along with VIP ticket holders. The garage is not open to the public, and allows those who use it to enter directly into the stadium.
Paulo977
May 24th, 2011
12:06 pm
Jay
“But they pay sales taxes, property taxes, unemployment taxes, and they’re paying a lot of money into Social Security that they’re never going to get back.”
This is something anti-illegal bigots don’tknow about,or do they?
Jefferson
May 24th, 2011
12:07 pm
Just like in the housing mess, the neocons blame the wrong people. Blame the employer and the lender, you can’t blame someone for trying to get ahead in the rat race, everything was fine until it gets into their pockets.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
12:08 pm
Mike — “Joe Mama, as k and you shall receive.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html”
Nope. I don’t think you read this before you posted it. There’s absolutely nowhere in there that breaks down where these supposed charitable donations are going.
Now, if someone could link to one of the actual *studies* themselves, wherein their terms are operationalized and they present definitions of what constitutes a “charity” for purposes of the study, I’d be real interested in that. But frankly, I strongly suspect that “charity,” for the purposes of these studies, equals ’something you can write off on your taxes,’ not necessarily something that actually helps those in need.
Gordon
May 24th, 2011
12:08 pm
I wonder how many businesses in California say the same thing about the burdensome environmental laws there. Of course, breaking the law in that case is bad because liberals support it. When we choose which laws we will obey, we defeat the whole purpose of laws. The real problem here is that the American standard of living is running far ahead of what is actually produced to support it. The legal labor that would replace the illegal labor is priced too high. But it must be priced that high to pay the taxes, drive the cars, and live in the homes that we all have come to expect.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:08 pm
From that realclearpolitics article: “A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.” ~Ralph Nader
Preach it Ralph. And keep on speaking truth to power. You have done more to help the working American family than all of these politicians put together…
Rightwing Troll
May 24th, 2011
12:09 pm
“To Santana- kiss my arse for blatantly suggesting the great American work ethic is gone. You folks like Amvet need to sign off your computers and go meet a veteran in a wheel chair or an autistic adult who simply wants to work.
Incredibly embarrasing and insulting.”
Too bad it’s true. I’ve spent 8 years running a business and I’ve had my share of skilled and semi skilled American workers through here.
It’s hard to get anything done with a cell phone stuck to your ear, even harder when both your thumbs are occupied by texting.
And when you average a 3 day workweek because of the pressures of your personal life… well, that makes it even more importatnt that you put the cell phone down and get some work done.
Mick
May 24th, 2011
12:11 pm
Who cares what george will says, what do you do in terms of charity?
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
12:11 pm
dB
Regardless to that article, I always say the Yankees suck!!!!
Don't Forget
May 24th, 2011
12:13 pm
Pretty good speech by Netanyahu so far. Wonder how the pundits will spin it so we can fight about it and call names?
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:14 pm
While the price of produce and eating out will more than likely go up, so should wages in the lower spectrum.
For the record, I’ve always been more than happy to pay more in order to ensure fair pay for fair work, whether it’s something produced here or overseas.
Ultimately the answer isn’t some Band-Aid legislative measure that applies some pressure on employers and some on employees but (duh) a healthy worldwide economy where people have decent standards of living paid for by honest work, wherever they live.
Anything we do, foreign policy-wise, that doesn’t advance this goal, is just making us all a lot more economically vulnerable in the long term. I don’t know why that’s so hard for so many to grasp.
(You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.)
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
12:15 pm
Netanyahu smacks down Obama to standing ovations 56 times by Democrats as well as Republicans.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
12:15 pm
HAHAHAHAHA!, Rightwing Troll. Sampling below of some of the lame excuses for why I didn’t come to work yesterday.
My old lady ran the car out of gas, my old man didn’t come home last night, I had to see my PO, I had to bail my old man/old lady out of jail, my kid got locked up; and the # 1 excuse for why I didn’t come to work yesterday – I had to go to the hospital for some testes.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:16 pm
never been to a church that requires membership fees sorry.
requires? of course not. Strongly suggests? Now that’s another story.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:17 pm
Yankee haters make me laugh!
Seriously guys, I have written for a LONG time that the business of baseball is capricious and perverse. From Single A ball all the way up to the great cathedrals of the game – Fenway, Wrigley and Yankee Stadium.
I have said that it is more than ironic that the National Pastime is arguably one of the greatest examples of communism in our land. Read in detail about the antitrust exemption therein and you’ll be hard pressed NOT to agree.
And yes the Bronx Bombers may be the poster boys for this, but don’t kid yourselves. Multiply by thirty plus other American cities, to some great degree or another, and the truth begins to emerge.
A dirty business of billionaires and millionaires using the corporate takeover of America to keep on keeping on…
Mick
May 24th, 2011
12:17 pm
Bibi is your man? Move to israel and see if you like it….
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:17 pm
interesting read
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/05/20/on-the-death-of-osama-bin-laden%E2%80%94and-the-secret-life-of-the-elite-navy-seals-who-killed-him/
Adam
May 24th, 2011
12:18 pm
So I see the responses to my post by people who disagree were:
1) “You’re racist for pointing out racist elements!”
and 2) People who didn’t read the part of the article about how the people being targeted are actually paying taxes and into systems that they will never be able to use.
Well done, folks.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
12:18 pm
I had to go to the hospital for some testes.
Really? That’s a common excuse?
Midori
May 24th, 2011
12:20 pm
jm is so ideologically inconsistent, that it makes a caught fish on a boat deck look like a model of decisiveness. It is just a bunch of crap
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:21 pm
“never been to a church that requires membership fees sorry.”
thomas, do the Sammy Davis and convert.
Then go and check into joining a synagogue.
No game with the Hebes. You gotta pay to play.
Part of that Judeo-Christian thingie…
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:21 pm
Midori’s 12:20 – “not an actual rebuttal”
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:22 pm
AmVet @ 12.17, I certainly didn’t mean to imply that the Steinbrenner clan were the only guilty party in the Field of Schemes that plagues MLB (and let’s face it, virtually every other mass-marketed athletic endeavor.)
But there was something about the line in that story—“The city is paying $195 million to replace the parkland it gave to the Yankees.” – that really stuck in my craw. The Bronx kids STILL don’t have a friggin’ ballpark.
johnny elkins
May 24th, 2011
12:23 pm
Who did those jobs before foriegners who dont speak our language and are in our country ILLEGALY did them ?
I would like to apply at this establishment. I will work for what is given to ILLEGALS and when I am there on time every day giving 110 % who will this rat cry to then ?
Its not the money ! Americans WILL do these jobs !! Again, who did them before ? Its the power these rats hold on scared little cowards who fled their cess-pool existence so they can benefit from the sacrifice so many gave the ultimate for. Americans WILL do these jobs… but we wont do them being treated like second class criminals which is what these invaders are.
Bring it on business owners ! I will match work ethics with anyone and I will honor our customers and create return customers while speaking english and enjoying the benefits our culture has bestowed on us ! Will you let me do it without treating me like a slave and a second class citizen ? If you will where is the problem ? The problem is in your own ego and your un-patriotic greed !
The business owner in this piece is nothing but a rat who would rather pay an ILLEGAL what an American would work for just to placate his big-shot ego and his total lack of decency !
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 24th, 2011
12:23 pm
I’m sure the Truth is just a talky point to cons
Whigs, and not soon enough
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:23 pm
Really? That’s a common excuse?
Sure. The ruling class overlords take them away, you see…
andygrdzki
May 24th, 2011
12:24 pm
First, illegal’s are not refugees……
Current rate of unemployment in Mexico: The unemployment rate in Mexico was last reported at 4.61 percent in March of 2011. From 2000 until 2010, Mexico’s Unemployment Rate averaged 3.45 percent reaching an historical high of 5.93 percent in May of 2009 and a record low of 2.22 percent in November of 2002. Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/mexico/unemployment-rate
BeeJay
May 24th, 2011
12:24 pm
It was against the law then and it’s against the law now. The state is only enforcing the federal law that the feds will not enforce. The fact that all or most authorities have looked the other way for many years does not excuse illegal behavior, whether you are the person who isn’t supposed to be living here and benefitting from a citizen’s rights or the employer who decided to hire someone who he isn’t supposed to hire in the first place. I have no sympathy. Had you done it right the first time, you would not be in the fix you are in. So typical, to blame someone else. I don’t CARE if your precious employee knows anything about Mexico or not. His parents KNOW they are illegal, know HE is illegal, and yet chose to stay, breaking the law. Let’s hold THEM accountable, not the lawmakers who are simply enforcing existing law. We have really turned things around. For the interviewed restaurant owner, you’ll lose your entire kitchen staff because you shouldn’t have hired them in the first place; and you can replace them with legal citizens. For Mr. Bookman, go take your song and dance somewhere else.
Independent
May 24th, 2011
12:24 pm
There is an easy solution to the restaurant owner’s problem – hire Americans and double the prices on your food. If every restaurant has to do that, then every restaurant can double their prices. If you want to eat out, you will just pay double. But don’t worry about people eating at home, because the chickens, vegetables, and onions they would fix at home also would have doubled in price.
williebkind
May 24th, 2011
12:24 pm
Well, Jay you go back and tell that restaurant owner he now feels what we moonshiners felt. It was legal to make moonshine then it was illegal then it was legal and finally it was illegal again. With government getting in the way how can man provide for his family. Of course the illegal aliens were mostly from Irish decent but that was quickly bred out of them. I guess the man has learned not base a business on CHEAP labor.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
12:24 pm
I’d say that was an accurate assessment, Mighty.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
12:25 pm
It’s clear. Netanyahu rejects Obama’s Israeli Palistinian policy to cheering Democrats.
Independent
May 24th, 2011
12:25 pm
johnny elkins – there is a job waiting for you in Vidalia. Put up or shut up. Write back after your first month on the farm.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
12:25 pm
No, it’s not a common excuse. I should have said it was the most memorable excuse.
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:26 pm
So the NH primary is in March. These guys are going to be campaigning in NH and SC for 9 months?….
deegee
May 24th, 2011
12:27 pm
The guy was trying to use the plural form of tests. He thought that testes was plural for tests.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
12:28 pm
ty webb: I’m sorry you were under the impression that I agree with everything Obama does because I often disagree with the conservative handling of many issues, including immigration. It’s not so binary.
There are responsible ways and irresponsible ways of dealing with illegal immigration, and a bill that targets legal immigrants or business owners who were previously acting within both state and federal laws is NOT responsible.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:28 pm
And it blows for those kids, stands.
Even though I’m a lifelong NYY fan, if I were King, I guarantee you those kids would have that place back.
So I hate it with a capital H, but you know the old, sacred adage in this country – money talks and you know what walks.
And a whole boatload of us are walking…
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:29 pm
Since the Daniels saga is over, here’s a Huntsman update for those looking for a good conservative, but moderate, Republican.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/05/24/in_nh_huntsman_separated_himself_from_romney_109972.html
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
12:29 pm
I had to go to the hospital for some testes.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:33 pm
He thought that testes was plural for tests.
Ironically, when you think with your testes, you’re generally bound to fail.
Ivan
May 24th, 2011
12:34 pm
Wasn’t the left ranting not too long ago how businesses aren’t held accountable for hiring illegals? They’re the ones getting fat profits off cheap labor, right? That it’s the illegals that are the victims here?
Sounds like the guy running this restaurant can’t even cheat the system right. Someone from the left give him a call.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
12:35 pm
deegee: – I had to go to the hospital for some testes.
you had to go to the hospital for some testes!! did they fall off or did you never have any? Just asking…..
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:35 pm
What a shocker!
American militarists cheering on Israeli militarists.
Who would have believed it…
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:36 pm
AmVet 12:35 – keep in mind, AIPAC is heavily Dem
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:37 pm
If Rudy G runs, its going to be very annoying. The guy can’t and won’t win, so he’s just wasting everyone’s time.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
12:38 pm
Stands — “Ironically, when you think with your testes, you’re generally bound to fail.”
Or else wake up with a raging hangover and an intense feeling of regret. And someone in bed next to you whom you didn’t intend to be there.
RB from Gwinnett
May 24th, 2011
12:39 pm
This problem won’t go away until we stop propping up the “less fortunate” who refuse to do the work these illegals are doing and expect them to show up for work 5 days/week. The part of this story Jay either heard and didn’t print or the man didn’t tell him is he’s choosing that illegal kid over the “less fortuate” because he shows up for work and does a good job and if he had to rely on the “less fortuate”, his business would suffer. They aren’t worth the hassle and he’d rather take his chances getting caught with the illegals. Tell me if I’m wrong Jay. Did he tell you that?
The worthless “less fortunate” class brought to you by crying jag liberals who have never met a person responsible for their own actions!!!
Paul
May 24th, 2011
12:39 pm
SoCom
“I had to go to the hospital for some testes.”
Well, at least now there’s a retort when someone says “grow a pair” or ‘man up.’
‘xcuse me, I gotta go to the lab for some tsetses.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
12:41 pm
jm, huntsman stands no chance.
I predicted Pawlenty by default months ago, and that remains my prediction.
Independent
May 24th, 2011
12:43 pm
I had some testes once – in Wyoming. They call them Rocky Mountain Oysters.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
12:43 pm
Paul
I can just see that now. Frankentesticles.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:43 pm
Wasn’t the left ranting not too long ago how businesses aren’t held accountable for hiring illegals?
and then a (mildly) left-leaning columnist decided to listen to what a businessman had to say about this accountability, and reported what he’d heard. Crazy stuff, huh?
buck@gon
May 24th, 2011
12:43 pm
Jay,
It’s not just three subjects here. It’s four: illegal immigration, businesses, the state law, the federal government.
First, if the federal government would take seriously border enforcement, the rest of these issues, including the path to citizenship would be academic issues, not real ones.
You’re right in that we have businesses that want and perhaps need Mexican workers to do certain jobs at low cost. What we have also is a certain left-wing liberal political party that wants to coral as many nascent, legal voters as it can. We have another right-sided party that wants to offend as few Mexicans as it can.
Without a strong President who provides leadership on this issue (such a person, by definition would be the anti-Obama), I see no solution. We can not continue a lax border enforcement along with a national effort to legalize illegals with an act of Congress. Such amnesty is simply unacceptable to every country in the world. It is analogous exactly to the Palestinian right of return. Let’s call it instead the right of Mexicans to just live here.
Like Israel, we either have sovereignty or we don’t.
It is unfortunate that businesses and workers are being caught in the middle of all this, but neither federal government, nor illegal immigrants themselves are being straight with us. To accept as legal, someone whose first act in coming here was to break the law is simply crazy and entirely unAmerican.
Independent
May 24th, 2011
12:44 pm
I went to the lab for some tsetses once, too, but the flies had all escaped.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:45 pm
“AIPAC is heavily Dem”
And why would that matter to me?
I indicted militarism, and like countless other topics, the difference between the Tweedledeers and the Tweedledummers is microscopic.
One of the great tragedies of today is that so many Americans refuse to see and acknowledge this essential non-difference…
jm
May 24th, 2011
12:46 pm
Jay 12:41 – “huntsman stands no chance” -probably true, but maybe not. We’ll see…. you never know. I honestly don’t know who I’d bet on as the “favorite” between Huntsman, Romney, or Pawlenty. They all have strengths, and they all have weaknesses (nobody’s perfect).
Candidates can end up rocketing out of these small state primaries to gain their own momentum.
LOL
May 24th, 2011
12:47 pm
Sorry, but I fail to see this guy’s point. If he had not ILLEGALLY HIRED his kitchen staff to begin with he would not be in his current predicament. I guess the only way he can remain open is to avoid paying payroll taxes on his kitchen staff while paying them sub-standard wgaes as well. There are ways to keep these people working, apply for work permits. Nobody is against immigration, this is a country of immigrants; but is it so hard to ask that you come to this country LEGALLY, after all we are also a nation of LAWS. This restaraunt owner needs to do what it takes to make his people legal, or hire somebody else. Of course if he hires a LEGAL immigarnt or a US CITIZEN he has to pay taxes on that employee as well.
joe suggs
May 24th, 2011
12:49 pm
Illegals work these minimum wage jobs because they have to. Make them citizens and they will be on welfare,foodstamps,medicaid,publc housing etc.They came here illegally.It is not the United States problem to support or offer jobs to them .
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
12:52 pm
Well if the illegals are forced to leave then this restaurant owner would be forced to do what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came- hire Americans. If Georgia still has unemployment just under 10% then it seems to me that he’s got a ready pool of Georgians that he can hire. People always say these jobs won’t get done without illegals doing them. My question is if that’s true then who used to do all the restaurant jobs, construction jobs, and hospitality jobs before the illegals came? That’s right- blue collar white and black Americans who’ve seen their wages- particularly in construction- pushed downward through competition with illegal labor.
When I was 16 I worked in a restaurant washing dishes and my co workers were all black and white teenagers or black and white men and women in their early 20s working at a restaurant while they either went through college or working there after college while looking for a job in their chosen field. Americans will still work those jobs. Agricultural jobs such as picking crops are about the only jobs I’ve seen that Americans don’t want and even then I could be very wrong on that point.
And btw I’ve no problem with immigration. Let them come. But have an American first job policy- there is no reason for us to have 10% unemployment among Georgians while employers hire illegals at lower wages. And in regards to the illegals just document all of them, make them pay a surcharge on their paychecks to offset their costs to our social services systems, judicial system, education system, and health care system to offset their enormous costs. And deport the ones that are criminals.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
12:52 pm
buck@gon: It is unfortunate that businesses and workers are being caught in the middle of all this, but…
Hang on a minute. I thought you guys were against anything and everything that could even remotely or academically or emotionally affect businesses. What gives?
Yahtzee
May 24th, 2011
12:53 pm
LOL,
you are exactly right…i feel no sympathy for this restaraunt owner, he knowingly broke the law hiring illegal immigrants and now is upset that these laws will be enforced
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:54 pm
About the folks who feel compelled to capitalize the word “illegal”–what kind of mental condition is behind that weird tic?
deegee
May 24th, 2011
12:54 pm
It is ironic that the same folks that want unions busted, regulations relaxed, and corporate taxes lowered all in the name of helping business are adamantly against allowing business owners to hire the best person for the job.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
12:54 pm
Thulsa: what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came
Yep, 20 years ago is when it ALL STARTED.
St Simons - we're on Island time
May 24th, 2011
12:55 pm
The Whigs Experience Buyer’s Remorse
“The buzz all over the radio world today is the newly published, highly accurate Arbitron ratings on radio station listenership. Rush Limbaugh’s ratings have fallen sharply in recent months. Limbaugh’s audience has dropped by 33 percent since October. And he’s not the only one–Sean Hannity’s ratings have also slipped by 28 percent.”
Ahhh, heheh, the Olds showed up with their hoverounds and poorly spelled signs. Now they’ve learned the joke, or the con if you will, was on them.
My 1 yr old, 15 years from now – “Daddy, what was a Republican?”
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
12:55 pm
20 years ago before illegals came
ha ha ha ha.
you so funny. Me love you long time.
scrappy
May 24th, 2011
12:57 pm
buck@gon –
1 – Current administration has done lots to secure the borders including more hiring and national guards. Perhaps you should research this fact first instead of listening to GOP talking heads.
2- Come off it – you really think that Democrats want to give amnesty to 12millon people just because they think they will all vote for Democrats? If you looked a little harder you might see that Mexicans value structures more closly relate to that of the GOP. (ok, I admit to stereotype a bit there, but generally it is true)
3 – Yes, it is all Obamas fault. We never had this problem before… yeah, right.
4 – Poor business, they are just caught in the middle… another yeah, right for ya…
Now for my thoughts – the problem is not going away, nor is it feasible to round up and deport 12 million people. The only logically solution is to provide some type of path toward citizenship.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
12:58 pm
joe suggs,
Many of them are already on food stamps. There are several grocery stores in Marietta for example that you can go to where every single person in the checkout line is paying for their groceries with georgia food stamps. And notta one can speak English. They’ve learned already how to game our social services systems. And on payroll taxes? Anyone who knows about the textile mills, poultry plants, etc will tell you that they all claim crazy #s of dependents like 10 or 15 in order to avoid paying any federal taxes. They are paying fica taxes of course but as far as overall tax contributions they are not paying their fair share- not even close. These are the only 2 issues I have with illegals. Let them come but do not let them rip off our tax or social svcs systems. We’ve got enough fraud going on without them contributing even more fraud.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:00 pm
Adam and stands for decibels,
It didn’t all start right at 20 years ago. But the bottom line is that in the last 2-3 decades that illegal immigration has significantly ramped up. Do you deny this obvious fact of life?
Kamchak
May 24th, 2011
1:02 pm
…what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came…
There’s your sign.
Oi.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
Mr. Doom — “what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came”
You can’t possibly be for real.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
Jay: “I predicted Pawlenty by default months ago, and that remains my prediction.”
Really? You don’t think Mitt has a prayer?
What about the idea of an emergency last-minute entry by a Rick Perry or Jeff Christie that’s been floated in view of the dismal GOP field?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
LOL
“. If he had not ILLEGALLY HIRED his kitchen staff to begin with”
Do you know something that contradicts what Jay wrote? What did the restaurant owner do that violated the law?
(I’ll save you some time. He did not violate the law).
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
Sorry if I am thinking this through as I write:
So if he paid his “regular wages” to “Legal” staff, what would happen? Are there just not enough good legal staff who can work for his wages?
I guess this is the problem at its core. You can under-pay an illegal and they can’t/won’t complain. Why can’t he pay legal staff the same? He claims he’d have to pay more and raise his prices.
So, He’d have to raise prices if he went “legit”. Now mulitply that by how many “illegals” are working now. And you then pretty much have everyone paying more for everything. (perhaps I exagerrate?)
Will everyone paying higher prices mean we go into another downturn in the economy?
Ooops. . . .did I just imply that this law could cause havoc on the economy?
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
1:04 pm
Jay, the GOP in GA is just plain hateful. A big bunch of bullying haters. They hate on immigrants, on gay people, on poor people, and especially poor people who’re not descendants of the poor people of northern Europe!
Mike
May 24th, 2011
1:05 pm
Joe Mama, you are simply trying to evade the issue by seeking to redefine what charitable giving is. Donations to political PACS are not deductible and are not charities.
If you want the breakdown, I suggest you do your own research, but I suspect the bulk of the giving is through churches, which are more efficient at aiding the needy. I know I had to laugh when I saw Obama & Biden’s disclosures of their giving from the year before announcing presidential bids. On an income less than one third of Biden’s Out gave him 10-1. Makes you wonder why Obama wants to phase out the charitable contribution deduction and take that money for the government to give to his favorite charity – unions who give it to democrats.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:08 pm
LOL
And upwards of fifteen bucks an hour is ’substandard wages’?!!?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:08 pm
poison pen,
You may have been right all along about this story being completely made up. A restaurant owner who had to borrow “millions of dollars”. It doesn’t cost “millions of dollars” to open one restaurant. Something smells kinda fishy. Maybe it was a fish restaurant he opened.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:09 pm
Themistocles “Really? You don’t think Mitt has a prayer?”
Jay had a Mitt column a couple weeks ago. Mitt can’t win because Obamacare mirrors Romneycare, and Mitt was defending Romneycare.
In Summary: Mitt was telling the truth about what it means to support people through healthcare, but it doesn’t sell to the far right, so he’ll lose.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:09 pm
Mr. Doom — “There are several grocery stores in Marietta for example that you can go to where every single person in the checkout line is paying for their groceries with georgia food stamps.”
Nothing illegal about that.
“And notta one can speak English.”
And you’d know that how, exactly? Did you ask them? I know you speak enough Spanish to get along.
“And on payroll taxes? Anyone who knows about the textile mills, poultry plants, etc will tell you that they all claim crazy #s of dependents like 10 or 15 in order to avoid paying any federal taxes.”
IIRC, employers are supposed to undertake verification action with requests for high numbers of exemptions; employers who fail to do so can be on the hook for the withholdings *themselves.* I don’t think there are many businesses who care to front their employees any money for their own personal withholdings amounts.
If you doubt what I’m saying, then try putting in a request to change your own deductions to 10-15 dependents and see what happens. Be sure to report back here to us on that.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:10 pm
Hi Goldie!
ATF
May 24th, 2011
1:10 pm
It would be interesting to see what Kyle Wingfield would do with interviewing the same man on the same story.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
1:12 pm
Who said he had one restaurant, Thulsa?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:13 pm
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:03 pm
Mr. Doom — “what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came”
You can’t possibly be for real.
Joe Mama, when I was 16 back in 1984 I got my first job washing dishes. Certainly there was illegal immigration then but my point is that illegal immigration really seemed to start in the 80s but has ramped up even more in the past 2 decades. Don’t know how old you are but assuming you are in your mid 40s like myself or older you probably remember growing up and seeing most of the jobs that illegals work today having been occupied by blue collar Americans 20-30 years ago. I certainly remember when construction workers were all white or some white some black crews. And as I said I remember restaurant workers were primarily American. My how things have changed.
getalife
May 24th, 2011
1:14 pm
This video in this link shows exactly how w governed for eight long years.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/A-J-Pierzynski-chases-foul-ball-meets-George-W?urn=mlb-wp7540
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
1:14 pm
Obama wants to phase out the charitable contribution deduction and take that money for the government to give to his favorite charity – unions who give it to democrats
Is this before or after he takes away yer guns?
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:14 pm
Paul: “(I’ll save you some time. He did not violate the law).”
Then what did his staff put on the I-9? (The Federal Form all employees must fill out when hired)
The I-9 is used for Federal purposes of verifying work eligibility.
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
1:15 pm
“I’m sorry you were under the impression that I agree with everything Obama does because I often disagree with the conservative handling of many issues, including immigration. It’s not so binary.
There are responsible ways and irresponsible ways of dealing with illegal immigration, and a bill that targets legal immigrants or business owners who were previously acting within both state and federal laws is NOT responsible.”
Adam,
I just find it funny that you call republican southern states “racist” for adopting laws aimed at reducing the number of illegals(”those people”), yet you don’t call president obama racist for policies and practices that do the same(increasing deportation, increasing border patrol agents). Why the inconsistency?
Jay
May 24th, 2011
1:16 pm
Georgia and federal law prevents the granting of food stamps to those unable to prove their citizenship or legal status.
Payroll taxes are collected regardless of the number of dependents, and most of the jobs in question don’t pay enough to generate an income tax liability of any significance.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:16 pm
Joe Mama: “try putting in a request to change your own deductions to 10-15 dependents and see what happens. Be sure to report back here to us on that.”
I did 10, and I got a higher paycheck.
This works well for those paychecks where I get a bonus and want to keep the bonus in my bank instead of paying the huge increase in taxes that day.
I just have to remember to put the deductions back down to reality.
It’s easier to bump up the elections than to claim “EXEMPT” because there is less hassle.
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
1:17 pm
So, who’s going to apply for all those restaurant, landscaping and hotel jobs that will become available once the GOP haters have their way??? I think that’s what this restaurant owner’s fear is about: not being able to find the workers he’ll need to keep his business afloat.
I know personally that the guy who helps me sometimes with my yard work says he can’t find enough so-called “legal” workers to help him with his business right now… not enough people even answer his help wanted ads he puts in the paper right now!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:17 pm
Mr. Doom — “what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came”
versus
“Certainly there was illegal immigration then”
Thank you for your clarification. See? It’s not hard to be honest. And people will respect you for it.
“but my point is that illegal immigration really seemed to start in the 80s but has ramped up even more in the past 2 decades.”
You mean you only started to *notice* it then. Illegal immigration’s been going on for as long as we’ve been a country. And there’s always some ethnicity or nationality of immigrants that gets slagged on; my people took their turn over a century ago and now Hispanics are taking their turn.
My wife grew up in agricultural areas of California (her pop worked as an accountant and paymaster for one of the big farming outfits out there), and buddy, there’s been illegoso labor out there for frickin’ EVER.
“Don’t know how old you are but assuming you are in your mid 40s like myself or older you probably remember growing up and seeing most of the jobs that illegals work today having been occupied by blue collar Americans 20-30 years ago.”
I don’t think what you describe is the fault of the illegosos. I think it’s the fault of employers who are more and more willing to *hire* illegosos.
“I certainly remember when construction workers were all white or some white some black crews. And as I said I remember restaurant workers were primarily American. My how things have changed.”
Again, I think you should look to the employers who have become more willing to break the law and hire illegosos in the first place — like the restaurant guy that Jay spoke to.
Yahtzee
May 24th, 2011
1:17 pm
if i spot someone breaking the law, who can i call?
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
1:18 pm
Doom: Anyone who knows about the textile mills, poultry plants, etc will tell you that they all claim crazy #s of dependents like 10 or 15 in order to avoid paying any federal taxes
That would bring up a red flag. You can claim that many, however when you go to file you will have to provide SSN#’s for each person you’ve claimed. If you can not, you can bet you will be in the “audit” category. An illegal worker, hopefully would not be that dumb. Why make problems if you don’t have to? And yes, they do file.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:19 pm
Have Republicans Lost Their Minds
http://www.slate.com/id/2295128/
Pretty funny…and sad.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:19 pm
Thulsa Doom — “what they used to do 20 years ago before illegals came”
I think this phrase was just poorly worded. And perhaps also shows that you may only be speaking of Georgia. Because “illegals” are, and have been, in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida for A LOT LONGER than you think. . . Oh wait. . . many of those had Hispanics before they were actually States!
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
1:20 pm
Doom: I certainly remember when construction workers were all white….
Ah yes…the good ole days……….I bet you miss those huh?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
1:21 pm
Georgia and federal law prevents the granting of food stamps to those unable to prove their citizenship or legal status.
Which wingnuts NEVER EVER seem to understand.
They deny that simple fact almost as much as the ol’ “people on welfare don’t work.”
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
1:21 pm
“…the bulk of the giving is through churches, which are more efficient at aiding the needy.”
I’d love to see some facts to support that claim, Mike. Do you have any?
But I suspect that getting real figures regarding it would be easier through the mafia…
All I could find was this: “the Mormon Church spends less than $10 per year per member on direct charity. ($1 billion for 5,000,000 members over 20 years, at about $6 billion in tithes a year, NOT counting other funds which they keep separate)”
That is less than 1%.
Time to review that 1894 law regarding these requirements that exempt them from business taxes, wouldn’t you say?
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:22 pm
Georgia and federal law prevents the granting of food stamps to those unable to prove their citizenship or legal status.
Oh the facts, they burn. They burns us, My Precious.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:24 pm
Jay,
I just looked up the cost of starting a restaurant from the ground up and it was 200k. Now obviously it can cost much more or less- google it yourself. But for the guy to say he went millions of dollars in debt? Come on now. How many restaurants did he open? 20? I’m not buying it.
Many of us know people who’ve opened restaurants and bars and the cost even for a few restaurants is not millions of dollars. And just about everyone who knows a restaurateur knows that most of them if they have multiple restaurants its usually 2-3 restaurants. If you open too many of them you spread yourself thin obviously and your restaurants can end up cannibalizing sales.
On top of that the restaurant failure rate is very high- if I remember correctly I think the odds of a particular restaurant succeeding after 1 year is something like 50%, after 10 years its something like 10%, etc. I don’t remember the exact numbers but its an extraordinarily high failure rate.
I find it difficult to believe a bank would loan millions of dollars for multiple restaurants given the historically high failure rates. And this in the middle of a tough 3 year economic climate? Something bout this story aint right.
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:25 pm
Which wingnuts NEVER EVER seem to understand.
Like the fact they can’t vote either?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:25 pm
Logical Dude
“Paul: “(I’ll save you some time. He did not violate the law).”
Then what did his staff put on the I-9? (The Federal Form all employees must fill out when hired)
The I-9 is used for Federal purposes of verifying work eligibility”
I take it you’re answering for LOL?
So your position is, in reference to LOL’s assertion regarding the owner “If he had not ILLEGALLY HIRED his kitchen staff” – that the owner committed a crime because someone falsified documentation?
“The I-9 is used for Federal purposes of verifying work eligibility.”
Jay made that point some pages back.
It’s all very logical.
So, how is it the restaurant owner illegally hired staff?
james
May 24th, 2011
1:25 pm
i’ve been eating at my local mexican restaurant for about 3 yrs. and have become friends with mgt. and the staff. they have a revolving door of illegals from the same city in mexico. culturally, i enjoy the experience and get to practice my espanol. i’m pro-illegal.
Guy Fawkes 2011
May 24th, 2011
1:25 pm
The REAL issue should be the FACT that businesses are PAID to export the economy, and the FED keeps printing more and more money each year. The value of our dollar weakens by the day, The Fed is getting kicked out of different countries after trying to buy out whole industries with our money without ever repaying this country back (and that amount is tacked onto what we owe), and the People suffer because middlemen are leeching more and more money through various laws that protect this activity while outlawing direct sales in some industries. Our “social service” economy of bloated CPS departments are now being used to “enforce” unwritten rules that medical providers force upon us, such as forcing parents with medical mistakes on hand to sign off liability or face the forced take-away of the children. Our insurance industries are REQUIRING us to pay for their profits – first with car insurance, now with ObamaCare. Home Insurance companies grade your house and one negative report stemming from a house you USED to live in, AFTER you’ve moved out, can ding your record and send your insurance rates skyrocketing.
America, it’s time to STAND UP AGAINST the Corporatist classes and take your country BACK.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
1:26 pm
“So, who’s going to apply for all those restaurant, landscaping and hotel jobs that will become available once the GOP haters have their way?”
Unemployed Americans. Right after he jacks up his wages to market value.
Thus ends another episode of simple answers to simple questions.
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
1:26 pm
” Conspiracy thinking is flourishing on the right like no time since the McCarthy era. The GOP rank and file is in desperate need of a cold shower, a slap in the face, a wake-up call. But instead of telling the base to get a grip on reality, the party’s leaders are chasing after the delusional mob.”
McCool @ 1:19 — great column in Slate. And to answer the headline question: YES they have!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:27 pm
Logical — “I did 10, and I got a higher paycheck. This works well for those paychecks where I get a bonus and want to keep the bonus in my bank instead of paying the huge increase in taxes that day.
I just have to remember to put the deductions back down to reality.”
You should be aware of this, then, sir:
http://www.irs.gov/irb/2007-35_IRB/ar10.html
The IRS can and will look into withholding exemptions that it deems excessive, and if you/your employer can’t furnish justification (and I’m betting that ’so you don’t jack my bonus’ isn’t good enough a reason), the IRS can order your employer to “lock-in” your withholdings and not permit you to make any changes. If your employer lets you change them when you’re supposed to be locked in, then the IRS can collect the missed amount from your employer.
I bet your employer wouldn’t like that.
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
1:27 pm
Mexican food, I think, is my favorite of all foods these days.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
1:28 pm
Well, Thulsa, I know the restaurants, and if you knew them too, you would not believe the estimate is out of line.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
1:28 pm
From Finn’s link:
The other, the Republicans, has moved to a mental Shangri-La, where unwanted problems (climate change, the need to pay the costs of running the government) can be wished away, prejudice trumps fact (Obama might just be Kenyan-born or a Muslim), expertise is evidence of error, and reality itself comes to be regarded as some kind of elitist plot.
Classic!
getalife
May 24th, 2011
1:29 pm
James,
Tried most of them on Buford Highway.
Now I got the munchies
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
1:29 pm
“great column in Slate.”
There’s your sign . . .
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:30 pm
Goldie — “Mexican food, I think, is my favorite of all foods these days.”
Don’t miss the Mexican ice cream parlors. The ice cream is incredibly rich and flavorful, and the paletas (popsicles) have big chunks of real fruit sticking out of them. I like the ones with strawberries or mangoes.
If you see a Hispanic guy pushing an ice cream/popsicle cart this summer, stop and pay Senor Paletero (loosely ‘Mr. Popsicle Guy’) a visit. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:30 pm
Wordpress error: “You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.”
Darn it, I was just gonna post that I was posting more than usual and did NOT get this error. . .
Alas, I guess I”m posting too quickly!
Jay, This column feels like a heavily edited extract of the conversation.
It leaves us several questions:
What current wages is he paying?
Has he hired ANY documented workers? If so, what percentage of his staff?
Are documented workers paid the same as undocumented workers?
How do his staff fill out the I-9 forms?
How would HE solve the problem of illegal immigration?
What else was left out of the conversation?
I agree with much of what he says, and would definitely grant amnesty to anyone who was a minor when their parents brought them to this country. (they didn’t have a choice in the matter) But as an employer, if he’s not paying wages that keep up with the economy, then he is part of the problem. (you know, worker exploitation)
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
1:31 pm
Oh, the poor whiteys — life is so bad to be white:
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/110524_racism.htm
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
1:31 pm
Logical Dude: “Jay had a Mitt column a couple weeks ago. Mitt can’t win because Obamacare mirrors Romneycare, and Mitt was defending Romneycare. In Summary: Mitt was telling the truth about what it means to support people through healthcare, but it doesn’t sell to the far right, so he’ll lose.”
Yeah I remember the column. I tend to agree his chances are slim. However, the fact remains that Tim Pawlenty is probably an even weaker candidate that John McCain. So I’d tend to agree with Matt Dowd that we’re likely to see a surprise entry or two to mix things up in the weeks to come. I seriously doubt the GOP brass will stand by without trying to take action given just how extraordinarily bad this field is. I mean, having a somewhat ho hum field of candidates is one thing, but not this bunch of duds.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
1:32 pm
Finn,
There really is just too many facts they never understand to count…..
Gator Joe
May 24th, 2011
1:33 pm
This law, like the others in states like Arizona, is a security blanket for some insecure, small- minded, bigots, most of whom are white. The biggest “crime” of these immigrants is not being white or English-speaking. These people [bigots] are delusional if they believe this law, and others like it, will stem the tide which has always been a part of this nation’s history
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
1:34 pm
“Tim Pawlenty is probably an even weaker candidate that John McCain”
I read Wingfield’s column today and I really don’t think Pawlenty is really all that smart….
…..let’s go to Iowa and tell the folks there we are doing away with ethanol subsidies, then go to New York and tell the Wall Street guys, no more bailouts, and to end it all off — let’s go to Florida and tell the old people no more Medicare….
I mean really?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:34 pm
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:22 pm
Georgia and federal law prevents the granting of food stamps to those unable to prove their citizenship or legal status.
Oh the facts, they burn. They burns us, My Precious.
Finn McCool,
Yes. And there is no fraud in the food stamp program just as there is no fraud in medicare, medicaid, there is no employment fraud either with illegals providing fraudulent SS cards, fraudulent birth certificates, etc. No identity fraud either. Either you’re working on your comedy routine or you live in that lib fantasy land where you also have chocolate unicorns. Which is it Finn?
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:34 pm
Mr. Doom — “Yes. And there is no fraud in the food stamp program just as there is no fraud in medicare, medicaid, there is no employment fraud either with illegals providing fraudulent SS cards, fraudulent birth certificates, etc. No identity fraud either. Either you’re working on your comedy routine or you live in that lib fantasy land where you also have chocolate unicorns. Which is it Finn?”
You’re the one alleging that the people you saw were defrauding the Federal government and getting food stamps, so I think the onus is on you to prove that any of the people you saw actually came by those benefits fraudulently.
Merely being Hispanic and using food stamps does not constitute fraud, Mr. Doom.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
1:34 pm
Thulsa: Do you deny this obvious fact of life?
Yes, I do. (See link for why you’re wrong)
ty webb: I just find it funny that you call republican southern states “racist” for adopting laws aimed at reducing the number of illegals(”those people”), yet you don’t call president obama racist for policies and practices that do the same(increasing deportation, increasing border patrol agents). Why the inconsistency?
First of all, you are missing my point if you thinkt he entire thing was about racism. It’s about THOSE people, gays and women and so on too, anyone who is somehow undesireable, be it because of racism, religious views, and other differences. The viewpoint of LEGISLATORS in these states is what I am focused on. Many pf which probably don’t have the views of their constituency, and probably follow the Paul Ryan viewpoint of “leadership is changing everyone else’s mind.”
Secondly, it’s not inconsistent. Border patrols, first of all, are intended to not let people in illegally, which is fine as long as it’s not through killing or maiming. The target of this bill is to make something illegal that wasn’t illegal before. There’s no “we’re just enforcing the federal law” here. And it unfairly affects businesses who are above board, and anyone currently aiming for citizenship that is just in the endless queue. And so on and so on. The bill doesn’t address the actual problem.
Finally, it’s also not inconsistent because, as I said, I’m sorry you think I agree with everything Obama does just because I disagree with many conservative policies.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
1:36 pm
getalife, loved that clip.
And that observation that ducking thrown shoes may have helped W’s dexterity!
Finn, and why, though predictable, I have still never found a better song for the extremists out there on the far, far right wing. (Which is to say the GOP “base”!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMXNySE–68
getalife
May 24th, 2011
1:36 pm
AmVet,
It landed right in front of him and he sat there in la, la land.
Typical gop action.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:37 pm
Paul “Jay made that point some pages back”
Ah, didn’t have time to read all pages today.
I guess he “looked the other way” when the I-9’s were filled out. So, I guess this means he didn’t “Illegally hire” the people, they just “illegally filled out paperwork”?
Sorry if I”m getting lost in the particular wordings.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
1:37 pm
It may have been easy to miss in my long post, but I’ll post again, just to be sure you guys get it:
Thulsa, and all those who think illegal immigration has been “ramping up”:
Illegal Immigration has dropped 67% since 2000
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
1:40 pm
Nice words Mr. Pitts:
Thing is, bigots do not usually stand up and say, “I am a bigot.” They hide this from themselves, much less from you or me. Indeed, Mel Gibson, last heard telling his girlfriend she would be raped by a pack of effing N-words, just said in an interview that he is not a racist.
In assessing bigotry, then, one learns to judge actions over words. And the actions of many Americans have screamed their discomfort with the idea that a black man is now the man. A computer abstract of his birth certificate, a perfectly ordinary document that satisfies passport requirements of the U.S. State Department does not satisfy Donald Trump? Give me a break.
Some have suggested that Obama’s opponents — like George W. Bush’s — are simply out to delegitimize his presidency. Wrong. They are actually out to delegitimize him.
I mean, we just saw: the president of the United States required to show his papers, like some brother caught driving too nice a car in too nice a neighborhood after dark. Presidenting while black, I suppose.
Nor does even that suffice to prove his bona fides, as diehards now challenge the validity of the new document and Trump turns his attention to supposed irregularities in Obama’s academic transcripts.
It never stops.
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/05/presidenting_while_black_leona.html
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
1:40 pm
“Thus ends another episode of simple answers to simple questions.”
Dave R — you forgot to end with “from a very simple mind.”
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
1:40 pm
Also, wassup with these bizarre attempts by the desperately ignorant to portray the host as a liar?
Mama ain’t gonna like some of you kids…
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
1:41 pm
“Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book. But if this law goes into effect, I’m telling you I’m not going to follow it. I’m just not. Because I can’t.”
Back in the day, a lot of my family members made, sold, and hauled, non-tax paid alcohol as a means of survival. They knew that if or when they got caught, they were going to get a stay at the end of McDonough Boulevard or up in Chillicothe, OH. That was part of the deal and it was accepted.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:42 pm
AmVet
The only cite I could find for that assertion on LDS Church and charity was a debating Christianity and Religion blog. It was posted without a source. One followup noted LDS tithe and on top of that they donate to welfare fund and other funds.
Seems LDS have their own welfare system. People need help, it’s available. That phrase had a lot of questionable implications, such as ‘direct’ charity. What’s that? and how’s it different from indirect? How did the writer know how much of the donations go to helping others? Like that welfare system? Plus the numbers were based on dollars per member. While looking around the web I found this:
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/October/23/illegal-immigrants-health-explainer.aspx
Seems the LDS Church has a program whereby they go into these impoverished areas, find a locally run charity that’s working well, then gives them a bunch of bucks to help them expand their programs.
Seems pretty admirable to me.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
1:43 pm
Bosch: “…..let’s go to Iowa and tell the folks there we are doing away with ethanol subsidies, then go to New York and tell the Wall Street guys, no more bailouts, and to end it all off — let’s go to Florida and tell the old people no more Medicare…. ”
I think the GOP needs to run Harry Houdini next year, given all the straight-jackets they’ve woven for themselves. Then again, like an incredibly arrogant and brazen gang boss who after a while starts to forget that his luck has limits after all, the GOP’s been able for 2 years now to defy the laws of political gravity. Whether it’s immigration or unemployment or opposing financial reform, they’ve been able to stick their thumbs in the eyes of significant parts of the public and not only have not had to pay a price, but have even gotten stronger. But with the November election sweep, their arrogance might have finally grown beyond its limits. And Medicare might be just what marks the unraveling.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:43 pm
Jay: Who said he had one restaurant, Thulsa?
Oooh! Oooh! I know! You spoke with Ted Turner! Ted’s Montana Grill! All them Montana immigrants! They must be stopped and sent back to Montana!
(not intended to be a factual statement)
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
Adam,
You need some help with your critical thinking skills sir. Illegal immigration dropped in the 2nd half of the decade due to better enforcement but dropped significantly in the last 3 years due to economic recession. This is what’s called a short term trend Adam. The longer term trend over the last 2-3 decades as I pointed out is that of increased immigration. Does your mind understand the difference between short term trends and long term trends.
But alas this brings us to a major accomplishment of Obama. He has single handedly reduced immigration by making the U.S. economy so bad that they’re not pouring over the border anymore to get jobs because the jobs no longer exist. Where all them jobs at Adam? Where dey at?
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
of course to Thulsa, anyone with hispanic ancestry is an “eeleegul”
Get us some pics and maybe some video, Thulsa. Otherwise, you are just painting an entire race as being “illegal” and “fraudulent”
Jay
May 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
I’ve dealt with some of these earlier in comments, Logical, but let me do it all at once:
What current wages is he paying?
He told me he was paying his kitchen staff $8-15 an hour.
Has he hired ANY documented workers? If so, what percentage of his staff?
He doesn’t know who on his staff is legal and who is not. He is required to get documents from all his workers proving that they are legal, and he has done so, but he knows that a good number of them are probably fraudulent documents. He doesn’t know which are real and which are not. Anti-discrimination laws forbid him from firing those whom he suspects might be illegal, because that would end up with even legal Hispanic-Americans getting fired.
Are documented workers paid the same as undocumented workers? For the same job? Yes. Although again, in most cases he doesn’t know for sure who is or isn’t. All of his workforce is “documented,” meaning they have documents. Whether those documents are valid …? Apparently, there’s a thriving false ID industry in the Buford Highway corridor.
How do his staff fill out the I-9 forms? They fill them out like anybody does, by writing in SSI numbers and everything else. If they know Carlos Gonzalez is legal and has a valid SSI number, they become Carlos Gonzalez and use his number. If a father has a young son born in this country, he will name the son after himself and acquire a valid number and card. Or they just make up names and SSI numbers, knowing that it will take a while for the feds to discover the mismatch and when the feds do, they can just move onto the next employer and false ID.
How would HE solve the problem of illegal immigration? He advocates a path to citizenship. A couple of his top people, he said, were amnestied under Reagan and have become productive citizens with bright futures.
What else was left out of the conversation? I’ll answer any questions I can. I can’t fit the transcript of an hour conversation into a 20-inch column.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
AmVet
Sorry, wrong link from a wrong tab.
Here it is, “The Gift of Mobility.’
“Eight years ago, Mayerlinth Reyes was holding her infant son at the side of a road when she was struck by a speeding car. Her son sustained massive brain damage, and both of Mayerlinth’s legs had to be amputated. Following her recovery, she received heavy, ill-fitting wooden prosthetics. But last year she heard about Innovación Ortopédica, a prosthetic clinic and partner with Latter Day Saint Charities, where she had the opportunity to receive new prosthetics and a new lease on life.”
http://lds.org/haiti-relief/relief/dr-gift-of-mobility.htm
The video’s pretty incredible.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
1:45 pm
getalife, funny.
A week ago Saturday, my kiddo and I went to the Braves/Phillies game. He bought the tix and we were in section 405, in the first row. That’s the uppermost deck not too far from being directly behind home plate.
In the eight, Dan Uggla hits a screamer directly up at us. I stretched up as far as I could and got my right hand on it, but it went through my fingers and landed in the lap of a guy two rows behind me.
If I had held on, it would have been a one handed web gem.
But I think I shook up the Phil’s pitcher. On the very next pitch, Uggla took him deep and the Bravos won 3 -2.
Good times at the ball yard…
ty webb
May 24th, 2011
1:47 pm
Adam,
whatever your reason, stick to it. You’re rather good at calling people “racist”.
Culinary School Parent
May 24th, 2011
1:47 pm
Hey all you bosses talking about phones and texting. Grow some. Back when I worked an hourly wage there was a rule about phone calls. You weren’t allowed to get any at work… Certainly it could be a condition of employment. If a manager or owner is managing their workers I can’t imagine the worker would be using a phone all the time when it is against policy. More likely this is yet another excuse to justify hiring desperate low wage workers.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
1:47 pm
“This law, like the others in states like Arizona, is a security blanket for some insecure, small- minded, bigots, most of whom are white. The biggest “crime” of these immigrants is not being white or English-speaking.”
Neither are intended to be factual statements.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
Paul, thanks.
I’m not necessarily implicating any church for “gaming” that 1894 law, and I’m originally from the state next door, but as they say in Missouri, “Show me.”
It’s easy to make the claim, MUCH more difficult to make a compelling case…
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
What is it with you consevanuts and your obsession with fraud? If you only knew how small a problem it really is.
during college I worked for Barnes and Noble and every day I saw people stealing books – some would even open their backpacks and shove them in – and it made me mad. One day I followed a guy outside and asked for the books back and he handed them back.
The store shrink oficer was po’d – he said “The problem is soooo small there is no reason to put yourself in that kind of situation. It’s going to happen – just let it go and move on.
Several months later one of our employees chased a guy out of the store and got his face smashed in. I told him “Dude, you just gotta let it go.”
Kamchak
May 24th, 2011
1:49 pm
Also, wassup with these bizarre attempts by the desperately ignorant to portray the host as a liar?
And yet they have no qualms about repeating the same tired story about standing in line at the grocery store behind a huge fat black woman talking on her cell phone while her 4-6 kids are hovering around wearing their top-of-the-line Nike shoes and she’s got cases of beer and cartons of cigarettes that she’s paying for with food stamps.
Then they follow her out to the parking lot where she gets into a brand new Lexus/Cadillac/BMW/Mercedes…..
getalife
May 24th, 2011
1:49 pm
AmVet,
I caught a line drive that came right at me and almost broke my hand.
You get on tv when you catch one.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
1:49 pm
Parent — “Grow some.”
I believe it has been established on this thread that one must instead go to a doctor for those.
james
May 24th, 2011
1:50 pm
i love my asian dry cleaner and my hungarian maid. America, truly is a beautiful melting pot. i’d recommend my favorite mexican restaurant, but i’d hate for thulsa to unleash the federales on them.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:50 pm
Jay
May 24th, 2011
1:28 pm
Well, Thulsa, I know the restaurants, and if you knew them too, you would not believe the estimate is out of line.
Jay,
Fair enough. I can probably guess which restaurant group it is. There’s only a handful of them that I can think of where this could possibly be a true statement. Still find this difficult to believe though- especially given that the particular restaurant groups that I have in mind probably have or have had in years past excellent cash flow and earnings to begin with and wouldn’t seem to need millions of dollars in loans.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
1:51 pm
Hi Jay,
Thanks for posting that since I didn’t get a change to read the entire thread today. It’s a good summary!
From the column, I expected that he absolutely knew who was or wasn’t illegal. (My assumption on that one, not explicit in the column)
He’s NOT part of the problem since he pays decent wages to his staff.
But. . . (and I’m hoping here). . . I don’t think the law will hurt him in the long run, since he should be able to replace his staff with legal workers fairly readily. It would definitely hurt him if suddenly he lost all of his illegals at once in a raid or similar type of circumstance.. (or whoever he suspects are illegals)
Paul
May 24th, 2011
1:52 pm
AmVet
It was interesting to try to run it down. One thing I came away with was they do a huge amount of charity work for people who aren’t members of their faith. People are in need, they help.
There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
1:53 pm
You need some help with your critical thinking skills sir
there’s your sign. In other words, “I got nothing — so I may as well make you look like dumb just for fun”.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
1:54 pm
James,
On the contrary. I feel quite comfortable at Mexican restaurants and I speak their language. Do you?
mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack the Liar Obama - BEND OVER, Here comes the CHANGE!
May 24th, 2011
1:57 pm
Raise your damn prices to pay leagals MORE. NO brainer.
Irwin M. Fletcher
May 24th, 2011
2:00 pm
Thulsa Doom – “who used to do all the restaurant jobs, construction jobs, and hospitality jobs before the illegals came?”
No one. You couldn’t eat out or stay in a hotel, and everyone lived in caves. Thank God for the illegal immigrant, do you really want to go back to growing your own food, sleeping outdoors when you have to take a trip and having to defend your cave from roaming wildlife?
I think not!
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
2:02 pm
Kamchak,
Gordon
May 24th, 2011
2:03 pm
I don’t see why it is so difficult to track down who is illegal and who isn’t when the worker supplies SSI information. Businesses should be (maybe they are) forced to turn in information when an employee leaves their employment. That way, if the same number were being used in multiple locations that are not near each other or if the same number were being used in more than 5 jobs within the same area, there is obviously fraud involved. Why does it take weeks to verify SSI information? It should be almost instantaneous.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:03 pm
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:44 pm
of course to Thulsa, anyone with hispanic ancestry is an “eeleegul”
Get us some pics and maybe some video, Thulsa. Otherwise, you are just painting an entire race as being “illegal” and “fraudulent”
Finn McCool,
Nope. I just use some common sense. When you have boatloads of people that can’t speak a lick of English it is a fair, reasonable assumption that some of them are illegal. I never said the entire race was “illegal” or “fraudulent”. You did.
And you yourself should step back for a moment and quit being as judgmental as you accuse others of being. I’ve lived in Central America. I was a foreign exchange student after high school living in Guatemala and I’ve traveled extensively in the region, Costa Rica, northern and southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras. That is why I speak Spanish and I actually have very warm feelings towards Hispanics contrary to your judgements.
And in case you missed it I stated early on that I was pro immigration. I believe that we should allow a path to citizenship, especially for children who came here in their early years and know nothing of Mexico for example. I also believe that we should have a pro American policy first in terms of employment, that all illegals except criminals should be documented, and that they should pay a tax or surcharge to offset their costs to our society. That’s all.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:05 pm
Thulsa: Does your mind understand the difference between short term trends and long term trends.
Of course. And it also understands the difference between facts/reality and the spin/misdirection that you just did.
But alas this brings us to a major accomplishment of Obama. He has single handedly reduced immigration by making the U.S. economy so bad that they’re not pouring over the border anymore to get jobs because the jobs no longer exist.
Right. Again, the economy, which tanked before Obama was in office, is still all Obama’s fault. Thank you again for reminding me why you are disqualified from rational discussion.
Where all them jobs at Adam? Where dey at?
Ask the people you guys elected into office on November 2010, who ran on that very issue. Not a single jobs bill yet.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
2:06 pm
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
What is it with you consevanuts and your obsession with fraud? If you only knew how small a problem it really is.
The last politician I heard talking about fraud was Onama. He was convinced that he would peronaly be able to save billions of dollars in fraud thereby making Obamacare free. So far, the billions he was going to save have become trillions more that we are going to pay. But those of you on the left are still sucking the same contaminated BS.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:07 pm
DebbieDoRight @ 11:53: Indeed…
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:07 pm
Irwin M. Fletcher
May 24th, 2011
2:00 pm
Thulsa Doom – “who used to do all the restaurant jobs, construction jobs, and hospitality jobs before the illegals came?”
No one. You couldn’t eat out or stay in a hotel, and everyone lived in caves. Thank God for the illegal immigrant, do you really want to go back to growing your own food, sleeping outdoors when you have to take a trip and having to defend your cave from roaming wildlife?
Irwin,
Really Irwin? I must have imagined all those white and black construction workers when I was growing up. All those white and black teenagers and young adults that I grew up with and worked side by side with in my teen years are also a figment of my imagination. They never existed. And all the food that Americans ate that was picked before say 1980- well that food all walked its way into the grocery stores- there were no Americans that ever worked in the fields in years past. That was a figment of everyone’s imagination.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
2:08 pm
Thank you again for reminding me why you are disqualified from rational discussion.
That’s good. May I use that Adam?
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:08 pm
Just keep nibbling around the edges on this issue, and continue to ignore the disease while simply treating the symptoms.
This all relates to government INACTION at the Federal level, which allows the private sector to act in the case of that inaction, which then causes the states to react to the private sector.
The disease is the Federal government.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
Mr. Doom — “On the contrary. I feel quite comfortable at Mexican restaurants and I speak their language. Do you?”
I’m comfortable at Japanese and Korean restaurants despite the fact that I only speak about a dozen words of GI Nihonjin and about another dozen words of GI Hangul.
I’m comfortable at Brazilian places despite the fact that Portuguese sounds like slurred Spanish to me and I don’t speak a word of it.
And I’m cool with Mexican, Salvadoran or any place where Spanish is the primary language; my wife’s got us covered.
I don’t feel that I need to be conversant with the language in order to enjoy a culture or that culture’s food. They don’t make you order in Italian when you go to Carrabba’s and you don’t have to speak Spanish at the Taco Veloz drive-through.
But they do tend to say “mahalo” at fast food places in Hawaii.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:09 pm
Thulsa: it is a fair, reasonable assumption that some of them are illegal.
Ok, why is this a fair and reasonable assumption? I’m curious. Explain it to me.
????
May 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
when you say give america back to the right owners the AMERICANS are you sure the “americans” are the right owners !!!!???? Look back into history and c whom the real owners are and it’s NOT THE AMERICANS…. BEFORE You COMMENT GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT !!!!! I own a construction bussines I’ve hired black people who complain of being unemployed and the ones (not all) that I have hired won’t comeback because they are lazy… I’ve hired white people un-employed for 2 years and he didn’t wanna get his shoes dirty… I hired “legal” they don’t wanna work … Soo who is going to build your next house??? When 80% of unemployed people would reather get unemployment than work….. Think about it… Most not (all) people un-employed would reather be unemployed and live off the “owners” of america than work….
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
Bosch: I encourage you to read my post <a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/05/23/the-year-the-world-changed-and-no-one-noticed/?cp=all#comment-610083"
And you may use any of that you wish. I am daily adding to the list things I keep hearing but forgot.
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
So what’re the GOP haters gonna do if the Mexicans decide to take back all their land in Texas that was stolen from them at the Alamo? Now there’s some “illegal immigration” for ya — all those white Europeans coming over here with their “manifest destiny” given to them by God herself!
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
“So far, the billions he was going to save have become trillions more that we are going to pay.”
MIghty,
Wow, your butt must be sore from pulling out something so big.
Tundra Dude
May 24th, 2011
2:10 pm
JB wrote, in part:
and he said that higher wages, and the higher prices he would have to charge as a result, would “break the model” and make his business unprofitable.
I find it difficult to believe the profit margin is solely dependent on low-wage employees.
He says the employees pay taxes. (I suspect) it’s common in these high-turnover businesses for taxes to be withheld, but not paid in. The owner just pockets the $$.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:11 pm
Let me try that again…
Bosch: I encourage you to read my post
And you may use any of that you wish. I am daily adding to the list things I keep hearing but forgot.
james
May 24th, 2011
2:12 pm
i think the defeat of the “dream” act by the right is a indication they don’t want immigrants here period.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
2:13 pm
I see, Dave R.
So you believe we need a more aggressive, larger and more intrusive federal government to solve this problem.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:13 pm
Ok the link didn’t work EXACTLY the way I wanted, but I’ll take it :p
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
2:14 pm
Mr. Doom — “Nope. I just use some common sense. When you have boatloads of people that can’t speak a lick of English it is a fair, reasonable assumption that some of them are illegal.”
That may be, but I believe you asserted that the people you saw *were* illegals. I’d like to know how you *knew* that.
Otherwise, it might be a polite gesture on your part to admit that you only *presumed* that they were illegals.
One more thing; unless you *asked* them if they could speak English, I think it’s an unfair presumption on your part that they *couldn’t* speak English. My great-grandfather spoke nine languages when he immigrated here, but he still preferred Polish at home and among friends, relatives and associates from the old country. He had no problem with English; he just preferred to speak Polski when among his homeys.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:14 pm
“Ask the people you guys elected into office on November 2010, who ran on that very issue. Not a single jobs bill yet.”
Someone is operating under a misconception that government can actually create long-term, sustainable jobs. Since the failed stimulus has shown that only short-term, debt-producing jobs can be created by government, why would you want to repeat that failure?
They’re 5 months into their majority in the House. I’m still willing to give them time to address the real problem with job creation: their own laws and regulations.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:15 pm
Finn McCool
May 24th, 2011
1:48 pm
What is it with you consevanuts and your obsession with fraud? If you only knew how small a problem it really is.
Seriously Finn? Really? One of our most expensive gubment programs is Medicare. There are numerous studies that commonly cite 20% minimally of every dollar spent on Medicare goes to waste, fraud, and abuse. Still think fraud is not a problem? Sure. Yeah. Whatever you say.
Medicare Fraud: A $60 Billion Crime
A.G. Holder Tells 60 Minutes More Oversight Is Needed; Scammer Explains How Easy It Is To Steal Millions
In fact, Medicare fraud – estimated now to total about $60 billion a year – has become one of, if not the most profitable, crimes in America.
This story may raise your blood pressure, along with some troubling questions about our government’s ability to manage a medical bureaucracy.
StopMedicareFraud.gov
If you want to find Medicare fraud, the first place you should look is South Florida, where 60 Minutes and correspondent Steve Kroft were told it has pushed aside cocaine as the major criminal enterprise.
It’s a quiet crime – there are no sirens or gunfire. The only victims are the American taxpayers, and they don’t even know they are being ripped off.
FBI Special Agent Brian Waterman, who 60 Minutes rode with for several days, told us the only visible evidence of the crimes are the thousands of tiny clinics and pharmacies that dot the low-rent strip malls.
You don’t even know they’re there because there’s never anyone inside. No doctors, no nurses and no patients.
Logical Dude
May 24th, 2011
2:16 pm
Gordon: Why does it take weeks to verify SSI information?
This is what E-Verify Does. It’s a government thing, so it sometimes takes time. If you’ve dealt with how the government works, you know that molasses is speedy compared to it.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
2:17 pm
Adam,
I got it — thanks — I too would be wealthy if I had a dollar for everytime I heard those phrases.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:17 pm
“So you believe we need a more aggressive, larger and more intrusive federal government to solve this problem.”
No, Jay. We just need to re-task the government we have, and let them enforce the laws we have.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
2:18 pm
“Someone is operating under a misconception that government can actually create long-term, sustainable jobs.”
Only when a Democrat is in the White House — then it’s all their fault if they don’t. Did you not get that memo?
a reader
May 24th, 2011
2:20 pm
i hate it – but we have to start somewhere sometime. this is one time i am glad to see GA GOP actually do something.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:20 pm
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
2:14 pm
Joe Mama,
Sorry but I didn’t take time to take a survey. And as far as there being Spanish only speakers who are fully American I am quite aware of that. I know quite a few Cuban Americans from when I lived in Miami who were Spanish only speakers. You’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.
Joe, If you don’t believe that there are a good number of illegals in Georgia and in metro Atlanta then quite frankly I don’t know what to tell you. You’ve got your head in the sand. Likewise if you see a good number of Spanish only speakers that are young- its a reasonable assumption that some of them are here illegally. And you don’t need a survey to conclude what is obvious given the numbers of estimated illegals in Atlanta alone.
And when you respond Joe please keep it to 1 or 2 simple points. I’m not going to get into essay long discussions with one person.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
2:21 pm
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
12:21 pm
Sorry so late getting back…
but from most polls i have found it seems that Jews in a large majority follow democrats which would ruin the article of giving only to their church, which was the premise of my post.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:21 pm
“So what’re the GOP haters gonna do if the Mexicans decide to take back all their land in Texas that was stolen from them at the Alamo?”
Newsflash, Goldie. We took that land in a war. That means it’s ours. If they wish to try to take it back by force, I think there are a whole bunch of people who aren’t even in the military who could beat back that invasion.
Failing that, our military would slaughter them.
Bring it on.
Tundra Dude
May 24th, 2011
2:22 pm
Independent wrote, in part:
But don’t worry about people eating at home, because the chickens, vegetables, and onions they would fix at home also would have doubled in price
Wrong, by a mile! The wages paid to the pickers of veggies are a tiny fraction of the end price.
Example; cucumbers,… retail for 59 cents each. The picker is paid less the 3 pennies per. More info
at U of Iowa article, “How much is that Tomato?”
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:23 pm
“Did you not get that memo?”
I’ve never been good at blindly following instructions, Bosch.
As you may have surmised.
Jack
May 24th, 2011
2:24 pm
Bookman needs to start a restaurant. Try borrowing a million dollars beforehand.
Skeeter from Calhoun
May 24th, 2011
2:25 pm
jes like I axe for a overweight colored couple to fix my collards,butter beans and ribs,
I expect a Mexcan to fix my fageetas and reefer beans.
And i prefer a new illegal in that an americanized Mexcan is probably brainwashed by the feds and is askeart of fat and such.
Thank you and God bless.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:25 pm
thomas, true dat. Just making an observation about mandated religious giving.
Also, I’m still waiting to see if anyone can come up with some actual numbers relevant to this discussion regarding church charity…
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:27 pm
Thulsa 1:24 – that argument of yours is poorly reasoned in my opinion. Lots of people own 20 or more restaurants….
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
2:29 pm
Failing that, our military would slaughter them.
Call up the illegal immigrant battalions to handle it.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:31 pm
Dave R: Someone is operating under a misconception that government can actually create long-term, sustainable jobs. Since the failed stimulus has shown that only short-term, debt-producing jobs can be created by government, why would you want to repeat that failure?
Still, if that is so, why run on it, win, and then completely ignore the issue like it never happened and your real “mandate” was abortion laws? Very annoying.
They’re 5 months into their majority in the House. I’m still willing to give them time to address the real problem with job creation: their own laws and regulations.
That is an excellent point. I am not sure they are completely up to the task of fixing everything they could though. Aside from potentially being unable to grasp an actual solution, I also don’t think they want to even try. I’m sensing a lot of power hungry nonsense over there on both sides and not a whole lot of legislation for the good of the people.
Steve
May 24th, 2011
2:31 pm
Jay @ 1:44
That contradicts the whole article. If he pays all his employee’s the same whether they are legal or not why would the new law drive him out of business?
I call BS on the owner. He knows he is paying some of his people under the table.
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
2:31 pm
If Georgia developers had not made us number one in bank failures that guy might have been able to get a better deal on that million dollar loan and then he could have afforded to pay the $50/hour salary needed to hire a good worker that is here legally.
Irwin M. Fletcher
May 24th, 2011
2:32 pm
Thulsa Doom – “there were no Americans that ever worked in the fields in years past. That was a figment of everyone’s imagination.
”
It must have been, because all I’ve heard since the creation of HB 87 is how America won’t be able to function any longer without the irreplaceable skills of the undocumented worker.
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:32 pm
Steve 2:31 – or he has a good suspicion of who is and is not legal. Like the guy named Tim McFadden that looks like he’s from Guadalajara.
I don’t know what the laws say, but I’d guess if he has a reasonable suspicion the guy isn’t legal, while he can’t fire him, he could report it to INS. (maybe SoCo’s around to enlighten us more)
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:32 pm
Adam,
Where is the Republican House’s jobs bill? Adam your question seems to indicate that the govt creates jobs. It does not. The only thing the govt should do is get the hell out of the way and let the private sector do what it does which is create jobs- much better so than govt can anyway.
Goldie
May 24th, 2011
2:32 pm
“Newsflash, Goldie. We took that land in a war. That means it’s ours.”
Dave R — I’m glad to see you admit that we “took that land”… ideas and circumstances are just simple occurrences in your war-mongering world, yes?
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:34 pm
Thulsa @ 2:32: You asked me “Where are the jobs” and now you get all uppity when I say Republicans aren’t addressing the problem either. My assumption is not that government creates jobs, and if I believe that all government has to do is get out of the way then where are the Republican job bills that focus on “getting out of the way”? Even the ones that reduce regulations or repeal laws actually have inclusions for more government regulation on something.
LeeH1
May 24th, 2011
2:34 pm
Let’s see: the restaurant owner can keep his costs down in competition with the people who obey the law, because he pays his illegal staff below wage costs. If everyone had to obey the law, he would lose his advantage over the legal restaurant owners.
This scofflaw bum should be thrown out of town. Makes me wonder what other laws, sanitation rules and other food regulations he is avoiding in order to hike his personal profits.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:35 pm
Skeeter, I served with Redneck Convert, I knew Redneck Convert. Redneck Convert was a friend of mine. Skeeter, you’re no Redneck Convert.
Jack, this may help you…
http://tinyurl.com/43u7agg
Jay
May 24th, 2011
2:35 pm
Not in his mind, it doesn’t.
He believes that to get people of comparable quality, he would have to raise wages considerably, and as he put it, that would break his business model and make his business unprofitable. He does not believe he has the pricing power needed to simply raise prices.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:38 pm
Irwin,
Americans could and would work if they had to take a low paying job while looking for a better paying job in their chosen field. But why should they with what we have set up? If you can make the same amount of money or almost the same sitting on your duff collecting unemployment rather than swallowing your pride and taking an $8/hr job in a restaurant then the inevitable result is what we have. Near 10% unemployment and the idea- partly true- that Americans won’t work these jobs. Take away their unemployment after 99 weeks or much sooner and they will.
Culinary School Parent
May 24th, 2011
2:38 pm
OK so he is paying his Kitchen staff the average amount that a kitchen worker in GA can expect to make, legal or illegal. Kitchen work is not “a job no one else wants.” All the workers in the kitchen are paid as if they are legal. Where is his logic that he suddenly won’t have anybody to fill those jobs specially when you take into account all the restaurants that have closed? Those workers unemployed and more graduating don’t expect to make more than the average. Restaurants are notorious for working someone 30 hrs a week or less so they don’t have to pay overtime, bet most of his workers are part time, so, no overtime and no insurance worries. I don’t see where he has a leg to stand on, he says he pays standard wages for documented workers and theoretically his are. How does he figure he won’t be able to pay the same in the kitchen, he’s paying the going wage.
So, what about those jobs no one wants. The Agriculture Industry better get busy requesting work visas.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
2:38 pm
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:25 pm
Don’t know about stats for churchs. Seems kinda hard since there are so many small churches in small towns that do so very much for the people of their community. Much of it is not calculated, such as free daycare or items from a donation food pantry.
There are many churches out there who have a goal to make money for themselves. Those are usually easy to spot.
There are as many if not many more who are truely there to serve the community and its needs.
It was another poster who claimed they were required to give money to the church, I was only defending that accusation.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
2:40 pm
Jay
May 24th, 2011
2:35 pm
Didn’t he have a bad business model then? One that apparently relied on those who are breaking the law to be his servants, I mean his staff.
Why are we playing wooe is me to a guy with an apparent flawed business model?
I thought you were for immigration laws that made it harder for business owners to take advantage of illegal labor?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
ay
May 24th, 2011
2:35 pm
Not in his mind, it doesn’t.
He believes that to get people of comparable quality, he would have to raise wages considerably, and as he put it, that would break his business model and make his business unprofitable. He does not believe he has the pricing power needed to simply raise prices.
Jay,
So can we now expect a column on those greedy, capitalistic business men pigs abusing the system by paying low sweatshop wages to illegals while refusing to pay good wages to honest Americans? This restaurant owner sure sounds like one of those unscrupulous business men that we often read about. Surely you called him out on this?
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
Mr. Doom — “Sorry but I didn’t take time to take a survey.”
Okay, so you admit that you don’t know for a fact that the people you saw were illegosos. I wish you’d been more forthright about that from the outset.
“And as far as there being Spanish only speakers who are fully American I am quite aware of that. I know quite a few Cuban Americans from when I lived in Miami who were Spanish only speakers. You’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.”
Which, all the more, calls your groundless claim of ‘they were illegals because they didn’t speak English’ into question. If you *knew* all these things already, then I’d think you’d recognize how ludicrous your earlier claim was.
“Joe, If you don’t believe that there are a good number of illegals in Georgia and in metro Atlanta then quite frankly I don’t know what to tell you. You’ve got your head in the sand.”
I have made no assertion to the contrary, your dishonest mischaracterization notwithstanding. YOU asserted that YOU saw illegals who couldn’t speak English using food stamps. Now it has become clear that you have no idea whether they were illegosos or not, or even whether or not they could speak English. So all we’re left with is that you saw some Spanish-speaking folks using their food stamp EBT at a supermarket somewhere, and you presume all sorts of lawbreakin’ based on that.
Call a cop if you’re so upset about it. But stop mischaracterizing what others are saying. That’s dishonest on your part.
“Likewise if you see a good number of Spanish only speakers that are young- its a reasonable assumption that some of them are here illegally.”
Well, you didn’t claim an *assumption.* You said that you *saw* illegals who couldn’t speak English using food stamp benefits. Now it comes out that you don’t know if any of them were illegosos and you don’t know who among them could and couldn’t speak English.
Admit it, Mr. Doom. We can discuss the matter of illegosos being here and what to do about it, but I think you should admit that you made up your earlier charge, or that you (at the very least) embellished your story. You admitted to doing as much on another thread yesterday.
“And you don’t need a survey to conclude what is obvious given the numbers of estimated illegals in Atlanta alone.”
Irrelevant to the charge that YOU made — which was that you saw illegals who couldn’t speak English using food stamp benefits somewhere.
“And when you respond Joe please keep it to 1 or 2 simple points. I’m not going to get into essay long discussions with one person.”
How about this; you attend to your own posting behavior and I’ll attend to mine. Deal?
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
“there were no Americans that ever worked in the fields in years past. That was a figment of everyone’s imagination.
You need to sit down and talk to any number of people who live in my neck of the woods.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
Every politcian claims that he or she will save millions, billions, trillions or some other amount. If we will just elect them, they will give us a life time of free goodies that will be totally paid for by savings from some fraudulent government program. IT NEVER HAPPENS! Either the politician is a liar, incompetent or both.
Hear about the latest fraud? GAO reported today, Obama gave billions in stimulous money to companies that owed hundreds of millions in back taxes. This money was supposed to be used to help companies hire workers! Well, no. It was used to pay their back taxes! Got that! The government gave money to their friends to pay back the government taxes. Never, has a government been as corrupt.
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:43 pm
Jay 2:35 – then what is happening is he’s paying them gray market wages because his employees know he’ll look the other way. if these people were given legit work visas or citizenship, they’d demand higher wages too.
Round and round we go….
Kamchak
May 24th, 2011
2:45 pm
He believes that to get people of comparable quality, he would have to raise wages considerably, and as he put it, that would break his business model and make his business unprofitable.
He “believes.”
But he doesn’t know until he tries.
Can’t say I have a whole lot of sympathy for a business owner that relies on illegal labor for a business model
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
2:45 pm
“He does not believe he has the pricing power needed to simply raise prices.”
And he may be right. I’m only one person, but when I heard Arbie’s and Wendy’s were raising prices…they went off my dining list. I wonder how many more people did the same?
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
2:46 pm
“I’m glad to see you admit that we “took that land”… ideas and circumstances are just simple occurrences in your war-mongering world, yes?”
Took? No. Won? Yes.
That’s what happens in wars, dearie.
And as usual, you operate under a misconception that I like, encourage or wish to engage in wars. I am the complete antithesis of your false assumption, Goldie. I have been consistently against Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya since the very beginnings of those conflicts. However, I do not try to rewrite history to suit my deranged notions of what actually happened, as you do.
Texas and Mexico fought. Texas won. Texas joined the U.S. If you don’t like that reality, that is your problem, not mine.
Mexico is free to try to take Texas back any time they want to. A few hundred Texans (I’m sure) are waiting for them to try, and the results will not be the same as at the Alamo this time, Goldie.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:46 pm
thomas, not sure if this will surprise you or not, since I’m a (Fill in a convenient stereotype here).
On this very forum, I have defended the church as the last refuge for the poorest of the poor and a shelter for the defenseless in time of war.
The good they have done throughout human history is inestimable.
Followed closely by the bad!
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:46 pm
Jay, I’m sorry, this is the biggest counter-argument to the restaurant owner’s story.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-04-04-mcdonalds-hiring.htm
McDonald’s held a similar event in its Western region last year. More than 60,000 people applied for 13,000 jobs.
-Jay, this guy is feeding you bunk, that he may believe, but it is bunk. There is anything but a labor shortage in this country.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:47 pm
Hear about the latest fraud? GAO reported today, Obama gave billions in stimulous money to companies that owed hundreds of millions in back taxes. This money was supposed to be used to help companies hire workers! Well, no. It was used to pay their back taxes! Got that! The government gave money to their friends to pay back the government taxes. Never, has a government been as corrupt.
I like how when a company does something unscrupulous with government funds, it’s the government’s fault for giving them the money. I wonder if you’d have the same view if a company receives most of its money from consumers and then does something unscrupulous with it? All the consumers’ fault for buying something from them? I suppose in the “free market rules all” mindset that sort of makes sense…
Jay
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
No Thulsa, I didn’t argue with him. I thought it was interesting to hear his perspective, and once I heard it to share it. I fear that if he’s being honest — and he does seem to know his industry — what’s going to happen is that companies that have kept these workers on the books and with some degree of legal protection will push them deeper underground, creating the very sweatshop conditions you mention.
They’re not going away, not most of them, because no matter what we do to them, it’s better than it would be in Mexico. I’m reminded of the old bollweevil song in that regard.
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
Kamchak 2:45 – ugh. I agree.
In the same strange world of oddities. Rush agrees with Jay about lambasting Cain on the “right of return” issue that he didn’t know about.
You know when Rush and Jay are on the same page, the world really must be about to end. Maybe the preacher was just off by a few days.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
Why is it a fair and reasonable assumption that if you see a bunch of people in Georgia who speak Spanish, look Hispanic, and pay with food stamps that they, or some of them, must be illegal? What is fair and reasonable about making that assumption?
Class?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
Joe Mama,
Sorry Joe but I gave you your chance. I told you that if you want to converse with me to keep it to 1 or 2 points. Instead you want to write another essay with a critique on every little thing. I just don’t have time for you today. If you want you can repost with 1 or 2 points but otherwise I consider your post to be non- responsive.
jm
May 24th, 2011
2:51 pm
Kamchack 2:45 – although of note. The big boys at the banks do this kind of “line crossing” all the time. But that doesn’t make it right. And all those new financial regs and regulators are there to try to stop it.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
2:51 pm
Can’t say I have a whole lot of sympathy for a business owner that relies on illegal labor for a business model
I’d have to agree with that.
There is anything but a labor shortage in this country.
I agree with that, too. If there is a shortage, it’s a shortage at the price they want to pay. They want to bypass the free market which many of them claim to believe in wholke-heartedly. They believe in it, mainly when it’s to their advantage. If it works against them, not so much.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:52 pm
jm’s post at 2:46 pm
I would be curious to see Jay’s response to the post at 2:46 about 60,000 people applying for 13,000 McDonald’s jobs. As of now I think he’s just saying Ouch.
TaxPayer
May 24th, 2011
2:53 pm
Great Opportunity for Couple
1000 Square Feet
Seats 28
Rent $1500 / mo.
Grease Trap (100 Gal.)
Fully Equipped
Great Neighborhood Recognition
Hours: MON-SAT 10 AM – 8 PM
SUN 3 PM – 9 PM
Good Delivery Business
Sales increasing Monthly
Average Monthly Sales $8556.
All I knows is that when I do some very basic number crunching, I wouldn’t want to be in the restaurant business and trying to do anything more than subsist.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
2:55 pm
Mr. Doom — “Sorry Joe but I gave you your chance.”
Well, I and at least one other poster have been giving *you* *your* chance. Please explain how you knew that those folks were:
a) illegosos
b) unable to speak English
I’d love to hear either your explanation or your retraction, Mr. Doom.
“I told you that if you want to converse with me to keep it to 1 or 2 points.”
I am keeping it to a single point — that point being that you quite possibly lied when you made that claim about seeing illegals who couldn’t speak English using food stamps. I’d like to see either your clarification or your retraction, please sir.
“Instead you want to write another essay with a critique on every little thing.”
No, I’m writing a post in which I hold your feet to the fire on your earlier misstatement. You claimed that you saw illegosos who couldn’t speak English using food stamp EBT to purchase groceries. Now it comes out that you don’t know if they were illegal or if they could speak English.
“I just don’t have time for you today.”
Translation: ‘I got busted making a tall tale and I don’t want to admit it.’
“If you want you can repost with 1 or 2 points but otherwise I consider your post to be non- responsive.”
Here are your two points. Please explain how you knew that those folks were:
a) illegosos
b) unable to speak English
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 24th, 2011
2:56 pm
Right wing of today = beastliness
A barbaric yawp that inspires no poets.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
2:56 pm
Adam
May 24th, 2011
2:48 pm
Why is it a fair and reasonable assumption that if you see a bunch of people in Georgia who speak Spanish, look Hispanic, and pay with food stamps that they, or some of them, must be illegal? What is fair and reasonable about making that assumption?- Adam
Its called common sense Adam. Especially given that by numerous estimates Georgia has a substantial illegal alien population. And if you’re 20 something years old, living in Atlanta, and you can’t understand a word of the English that the cashier is speaking to you then its a fair bet you didn’t grow up in Atlanta or in U.S. schools which as you can imagine teach English. Is there something especially difficult that you, like Joe mama, have trouble comprehending about this?
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:56 pm
“You need to sit down and talk to any number of people who live in my neck of the woods.”
And mine too.
I graduated from HS in 1972. While awaiting going to boot camp on my Delayed Enlisted Program, I spent the summer in Denver, Colorado. I lived with my cousin who got me a job along side him laying sod for new houses. Backbreaking, very dirty work from before sunup to past sundown.
Not surprisingly, a great deal of the laborers were Latinos. Legal or not, I have no earthly idea. But having not just fallen off of a turnip truck, I suspected some (most?) of these guys were illegosos.
All I know is that they threw an occasional outstanding party at some big old house in Denver. And I learned some very valuable lessons from those guys. One being they DO NOT screw around when it comes to asskickingly hot food!
Man, did those boys laugh at this gringo!
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
May 24th, 2011
2:58 pm
Well, all this guy’s got to do is raise his menu prices by 200 or 300%. People that don’t eat at places like Ryans don’t mind shelling out 200 or 300 bucks for a meal. Same goes for paying for groceries. Just raise the prices and hire legal labor.
Besides, there’s lots of good rednecks that would take those restaurant jobs. Of course, we’d need to get paid 30 bucks an hour and get plenty of breaks and lots of sick days off for when we’ve had a little too much booze the night before. I got no pity for this restaurant owner. He’s breaking the law and to prison he will go when he gets caught. And we’ll catch him. We’re real big on Law and Order.
Like I always say, have pickup, will haul. Just give us rednecks a little gas money and we can run a regular shuttle to the jails to pick up the illegals and dump them across the border. Men, women, kids—I don’t care how old they are. They’re breaking the law and they need to be tossed.
That’s my opinion and it’s very true. Have a good p.m. everybody.
TruthBe
May 24th, 2011
2:59 pm
First of all where is the concern for the legal immigrants that did it right and obeyed the immigration laws? Employers can still hire low paying wage earners that have legal right to work papers under House Bill 87. The Restaurant Owner is breaking the law and is one of the main reason that we have these illegal immigration problems in American. Of course Mexico and much of the other Latino Countries are at fault for treating their own Citizens so badly. Obama and the Corrupt Democrats dont give a darn about these people they just want their votes if they make them legal period. Obama equals what have you done for me today. Politicans only care about themselves and what we the people can do for them including illegal immigrants for cheap labor to care for them.
thomas
May 24th, 2011
3:00 pm
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
2:46 pm
no doubt to that.
Seems everything with a history of good also has a history of bad.
My opinion it is usually the fault of individuals, not of the organization.
Although the organizations have at times been responsible for its coverup or out right abuses.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:04 pm
TruthBe
The two people I know personally, who are most adamant in their objection to illegal immigration are both legal immigrants.
TruthBe
May 24th, 2011
3:04 pm
Hillbilly Deluxe, Good! I agree with them. Thank You
Jay
May 24th, 2011
3:05 pm
I don’t have a personal response, Thulsa. But I imagine that the restaurant owner might point out that the skill set and work ethic needed to operate in a fast-paced high-end restaurant differ significantly from those required to fill a box of fries and stuff it in a bag.
But then, I can’t speak for him, since I didn’t ask him that question.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:05 pm
Joe Mama
We don’t have “cinder blocks” in our world. And I wouldn’t drink a Co-Cola if you paid me. The stuff is great for cutting grease off a windshield but if it gets on the paint, it’ll eat it right off. A man’d be a fool to put that in his gut.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
3:06 pm
How does one tell a mere Hillbilly from a Hillbilly Deluxe?
Simple. The Hillbilly Deluxe has *two* cars up on cinderblocks in his yard. And prob’ly a Coke machine out on the porch.
reebok
May 24th, 2011
3:07 pm
Business owners are not going to obey the new immigration laws because to do so will make their businesses unsustainable. There is a higher law, and that includes providing for yourself and your family. The whole “let’s pretend to get tough on illegals” is pure politics anyway, pandering to the base.
Dave R.
May 24th, 2011
3:10 pm
“Business owners are not going to obey the new immigration laws because to do so will make their businesses unsustainable. There is a higher law, and that includes providing for yourself and your family.”
Oh, I see, reebok. We can now pick and choose those laws we disagree with, simply because it affects our family?
Do you know the term for that, reebok?
It’s called anarchy.
Even I, most likely the premier small-government advocate on this blog, do not believe in anarchy.
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:13 pm
Jay 3:05 – and I would argue that he is still arbitraging the legal/illegal labor market.
If his argument is: I can’t hire this quality of labor in the market at the same price, then in theory, when these people become legal, they will ask for more as well.
The reality is, he can hire just as good quality labor in the legal market at the same price and he’s just feeding you his opinion which is not in any way correlated with reality.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:14 pm
And if you’re 20 something years old, living in Atlanta, and you can’t understand a word of the English that the cashier is speaking to you then its a fair bet you didn’t grow up in Atlanta or in U.S. schools which as you can imagine teach English.
That doesn’t always signify that someone’s here illegally. I’ve run into many US citizens, from different parts of the world, who move here and don’t speak a word of English, yet they enter the US with a bona fide US passport.
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
Caylee Anthony is at the top of Google’s news stories (presumably based on a news search algorithm).
Really? That’s the best we can do?
@@
May 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
Netanyahu is so hot…that’s H-O-T…HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!
I had to go to the hospital for some testes!!??!!
Damn metrosexuals!!!!
and they’re paying a lot of money into Social Security that they’re never going to get back.
Aren’t we all.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
3:15 pm
jm, there’s probably some truth to that. That’s why I advocate some form of amnesty, to rationalize all this.
USMC
May 24th, 2011
3:16 pm
This buffoon of a President really lacks the kind of intelligence it takes to lead the Free world:
Obama signs Westminister Abbey guestbook, dates it May 24, 2008?
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/05/president_obama_has_no_idea_wh.html
Unbelievable!
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:17 pm
SoCo! Question for you. If you’re an employer and you suspect someone is engaging in identity fraud to get a job, presumably you can’t fire that person. But are you required, as an employer, to report it?
Ex: A guy with a name like Vladimir Putin that looks like he’s possibly from Central America and speaks Spanish instead of Russian. Oh, and he’s looking for a cooking job but his mailing address is something like Northwest Buckhead with million-dollar mansions.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:18 pm
But I imagine that the restaurant owner might point out that the skill set and work ethic needed to operate in a fast-paced high-end restaurant differ significantly from those required to fill a box of fries and stuff it in a bag.
In that case, the owner might sound a tad bit elitist.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:18 pm
Joe Mama,
Ya know what Joe? I’ve never seen a bear poop in the woods. Don’t know anyone personally who has ever witnessed such an event either. But call it intuition, common sense, or whatever but I’m certain it happens. Do you dispute that this event also happens and on a regular, ongoing basis?
Back to your question though. Whenever I was in the grocery store and I saw several people around us who couldn’t speak a lick of English how do I know how many, if any of them are illegal? Answer- I don’t for absolute certainty without taking a poll but I would be very surprised if I was wrong. Why? Its an educated guess based upon hard data and just plain common sense given that we have a significant illegal alien population in Atlanta. Now can I tell you exactly how many of them are illegal? Nope. Just a guess that at least some of them and possibly a majority of them are.
But one reason you can make that as a reasonable assertion is that I’ve seen lots of illegal alien parents whose kids in grade school, in their teens, and early 20s speak perfectly good English. Have you not noticed this? If not then you sure don’t get out much. Its a reasonable judgement that many of these kids are either Americans or entered this country at a very early age. That is called a reasonable assumption.
The people that are in their 20s, 30s, that can’t speak a lick of English? I’ll ask you this. How is it that they can grow up as U.S. citizens in U.S. schools where English is taught and in their 20s or 30s still not speak any English at all? How is that Joe? I really, really want to see your common sense answer on this. I can guarantee you that if I grew up in Spain to English speaking American parents that I would be speaking either fluent Spanish or at the very least conversational Spanish.
In my estimation if you’re 20 or 30 years old and you can’t speak a lick of English than there is a pretty good chance you may be here illegally. Either that or you are an incredibly lazy arse person who never took the time or initiative to learn the language of the country you were freaking born in. Which is it Joe? Get back to me on this one, single point genius. And keep it to this one point or your answer will be considered non-responsive.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:20 pm
jm
I don’t know of a “requirement” to report it, but ICE has a tip line that anyone can call if they suspect anything in relation to that going on. It doesn’t have to be the owner/manager calling either. Either that, or one can always contact the local authorities for identity theft issues.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:20 pm
Doom: Americans could and would work if they had to take a low paying job while looking for a better paying job in their chosen field. But why should they with what we have set up? If you can make the same amount of money or almost the same sitting on your duff collecting unemployment rather than swallowing your pride and taking an $8/hr job in a restaurant then the inevitable result is what we have. Near 10% unemployment and the idea- partly true- that Americans won’t work these jobs. Take away their unemployment after 99 weeks or much sooner and they will.
Lies. In Georgia the most you can get in unemployment is $330/week. Even if you were laid off and made $50K a year, that’s the most you can get. How are you “making the same amount of money or almost the same” by taking an $8/hour job.
Also, on your application, if you put down that your previous job was as “Executive Assistant” and your previous pay was $50K per hour, how many resteraunts and bars are going to hire you, honestly? They’re going to think that once you find a job in your field, that you’re going to up and quit first chance you get. And they’d probably be right!
Doom, (to take a quote from you, paraphrased), perhaps you don’t understand simple mathematics, however there are courses at KSU and Atlanta Tech that can help you.
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:20 pm
Jay 3:15 – I’d go for permanent work visas (pus fine) over “path to citizenship”. I just think its grossly unfair to the people who’ve dealt with the torturous process to get here. Not to mention it legitimizes going the illegal route.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:20 pm
that should be $50K/year.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:21 pm
@@
Damn metrosexuals!!!!
Just don’t play the video again. Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaassssssssseeee!!!!!!!!!!
(IW&SH)
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:22 pm
Good column, Jay, and the perspective I’ve been preaching all along. The fall out has just started. There are those who say that with the Georgia law, they’ll take the Helen Thomas advice and go back where they came from. No, they won’t. They’ll go to a more hospitable state here in the good old USA, especially those who came here as children and know no other country. Those states will be the ones to benefit as their hospitality and agricultural sectors profit from the lower wages and Georgia goes into eclipse since no convention is going to come to where the cost of catering to it is higher than some other place with just as much, if not more, to offer. Georgia’s peaches and onions are going to be uncompetitive on the market, provided they can be gotten to that market. And chicken? Carpet? Just wait…be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. And the pressure will be such that we’ll see a roll back of this insanity. Of course, by then tens of thousands of lives will be uprooted and the nice docile brown folks will not be in any mood to be kissing up to the not so nice black and white ones…
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:22 pm
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:14 pm
And if you’re 20 something years old, living in Atlanta, and you can’t understand a word of the English that the cashier is speaking to you then its a fair bet you didn’t grow up in Atlanta or in U.S. schools which as you can imagine teach English.
That doesn’t always signify that someone’s here illegally. I’ve run into many US citizens, from different parts of the world, who move here and don’t speak a word of English, yet they enter the US with a bona fide US passport.
SoCo,
That’s true and so have I. But generally speaking if you are in a heavily Hispanic neighborhood grocery store and nobody in the store can speak a word of English then common sense factor has to kick in. Are they all here on passports as tourists? Um. No. I seriously doubt it. I’m not talking about the exceptions to the rule. I’m talking generally speaking.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:23 pm
Oh, and he’s looking for a cooking job but his mailing address is something like Northwest Buckhead with million-dollar mansions.
Undercover Boss – CBS on Sundays
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:23 pm
DDR 3:23 –
great show.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
3:25 pm
Thulsa: Is there something especially difficult that you, like Joe mama, have trouble comprehending about this?
Actually you answered just the way I would expect someone who makes broad EMOTIONAL assumptions and then later attempts to back them up with logical arguments would.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
3:25 pm
Mr. Doom — “Get back to me on this one, single point genius.”
Can you not keep more than a single point in your head at a time, Doom?
“And keep it to this one point or your answer will be considered non-responsive.”
For someone who craps and moans about posts at you being too long, you certainly are a windbag today, cowboy.
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:26 pm
DDR
Been there & done that with the unemployment. Took me 6 months to get one job offer, and I was only making $40k in retail and was looking for anything. I took the first offer which was $7.50/hr.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:27 pm
Thulsa
Speak English, eh? Why not let’s institute the Reconstruction education program in the South with those pesky French. Make it illegal to speak the language on the street. Close all press in the language. Close all entertainment establishments (theatre, cabaret, etc) using the language. Then, if the little b*ggers still insist, beat it out of them…
Yeah, ici on parle anglais…seulement anglais…
And yeah, they went “back where they came from…” France got the creme de la creme and from them gave the world the literary school of negritude…
Been there, seen it and bought the t-shirt. It’s not pretty…
Mississippi Red
May 24th, 2011
3:27 pm
Which is it Joe? Get back to me on this one, single point genius. And keep it to this one point or your answer will be considered non-responsive.
In other words, “I have A.D.D., dyslexia, gout and stomach cramps (Diarrhea), and can’t do two things at once. If I try, i crap all over myself.”
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:28 pm
Undercover Boss – CBS on Sundays
I’ve never watched that show, so I don’t know the ins and outs of it but if your new helper at work showed up with a camera crew, wouldn’t you be a tad bit suspicious?
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:28 pm
yea i LOVE that show!! Most of the bosses can’t even do the jobs of any of their employees!
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:29 pm
Debbiedoright at 3:30pm,
I see you’re still having reading comprehension as well as math issues.
Lies. In Georgia the most you can get in unemployment is $330/week. Even if you were laid off and made $50K a year, that’s the most you can get. How are you “making the same amount of money or almost the same” by taking an $8/hour job. – Debbiedo
Debbie please reread the post since your comprehension skills are failing. I’ve known several people who drew unemployment and on average were drawing $250-$300 per week- not much. The point of what I said if you were able to read and comprehend is that that they would rather take that unemployment than work say an $8/hr job at $320 a week before taxes to get roughly the same money. They are disincentivized to work. When I wrote they would be making the same or almost the same I was comparing the unemployment benefits with working an $8/hr job.
Debbiedoright= READING COMPREHENSION FAIL.
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
” guy with a name like Vladimir Putin that looks like he’s possibly from Central America and speaks Spanish instead of Russian”
Gotta be careful with the criteria though. After all, Peru had a president whose name was Alberto Fujimori, who was quite noticeably Oriental in appearance, but I should imagine he spoke Spanish pretty well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Fujimori
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:31 pm
Doom
I’ve come across green card holders who have been here since Reagan granted amnesty that don’t speak English. They’re not generally the younger ones, but I’ve had a few, both citizens and foreigners, who tried to play dumb like they didn’t speak English. Most of the time, it’s a defense mechanism against “outsiders” or authority figures. Other times, it’s fear that makes them do that. I understand what you’re saying, but I wouldn’t use that as a litmus test for legal/illegal status.
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:31 pm
DDR 3:28 – yes, I guess that part is entertaining. But on the bright side, they gain a new appreciation for the work done by their employees as well as thinking at the ground level about how to improve their company.
The guys that sign up for this thing are already probably pretty good people. But I think its a terrific show for people (and management) to watch.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
3:32 pm
Never seen Undercover Boss, but I loved Undercover Brother!
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2002_Undercover_Brother/2002_undercover_brother_001.jpg
“A man’d be a fool to put that in his gut.”
Right on! And I thought I was all alone on this “How the hell did these sickeningly sweet, with the nasty, astringent after-taste soft drinks become popular?” planet!
Woo Hoo!
Not trying to be nosy here, but Joe Mama has made me a tad curious. What exactly IS the difference?
Fred
May 24th, 2011
3:32 pm
Jay
May 24th, 2011
3:05 pm
I don’t have a personal response, Thulsa. But I imagine that the restaurant owner might point out that the skill set and work ethic needed to operate in a fast-paced high-end restaurant differ significantly from those required to fill a box of fries and stuff it in a bag.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Actually Jay, it’s not much different. And the pay’s not much different either. There just isn’t money for cooks, whether they are “illegal” or legal. Cooking has always been and always WILL BE a low paid job that takes hard work.
The way it works for your buddies place is that there is ONE high paid guy who is the “chef.” He makes up the recipes. Everyone else just follows them by rote. Don’t kid yourself. The problem isn’t the “skill set” it’s the amount people want to pay for food.
People won’t eat at a place that charges 10 bucks for breakfast, but it costs as much to make breakfast as it does lunch. More actually because 75% of breakfast has to be made to order.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:33 pm
Doggone
Fujimora speaks the native language fluently…. Quechua!
USMC
May 24th, 2011
3:33 pm
“How do his staff fill out the I-9 forms? They fill them out like anybody does, by writing in SSI numbers and everything else. If they know Carlos Gonzalez is legal and has a valid SSI number, they become Carlos Gonzalez and use his number. If a father has a young son born in this country, he will name the son after himself and acquire a valid number and card. Or they just make up names and SSI numbers, knowing that it will take a while for the feds to discover the mismatch and when the feds do, they can just move onto the next employer and false ID.”–JAY BOOKMAN
That is called FRAUD, JAY and you endorse it!
“He advocates a path to citizenship.”–JAY BOOKMAN
There is a PATHWAY to citizenship; just follow the LAW like everyone else.
My girlfriend just became a citizen two months ago; SHE DID IT THE LEGAL WAY!
Yes, she had to “jump through hoops” but EVERY country should and does require people to FOLLOW THE LAW.
Quit treating Mexicans and Hispanics as “LOWER FORMS OF LIFE”.
They are as or more intelligent than you and me. NARCISSISM and a sense of entitlement have created this idea “I WANT IT NOW; MY WAY”
Jay Bookman, you are on the CORRUPT side of this issue!
(seems like a pattern with you)
Fred
May 24th, 2011
3:33 pm
Thulsa @ 3:18. I don’t know what the basis of the argument is, but you make a very valid point in your 3:18.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
Josef Nix,
Not saying no one should speak Spanish. Heck I enjoy speaking Spanish as do you since its a 2nd language to both of us. I like practicing it with Spanish speakers. I’m simply saying that in general its hard to believe that if you have a whole group of people that can’t speak a single word of English that its a reasonable assumption that some of them are probably here illegally. That’s all.
But some of the hyper sensitive politically correct folks on here somehow think that that is an unreasonable assumption here in Atlanta where we have a sizeable illegal population. Next they are going to say that there are no illegal aliens at all along Buford Highway.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
SoCo: Been there & done that with the unemployment. Took me 6 months to get one job offer, and I was only making $40k in retail and was looking for anything.
I feel ya. My sis-in-law went back into the workplace after being out for 4 years (we used to flip houses — me part time, her full time); and when she went back she couldnt’ find anything comparable to what she used to make before she left, she ended up teaching at KSU to get by. She ended up LIKING teaching too! She still does it part time. Go figure…..
Doom: When I wrote they would be making the same or almost the same I was comparing the unemployment benefits with working an $8/hr job.
Yeah….sure you were, winky, winky wink!
Debbiedoright= READING COMPREHENSION FAIL.
Doom = How’s the diarrhea? I recommend Pepto.
jm: The guys that sign up for this thing are already probably pretty good people. But I think its a terrific show for people (and management) to watch.
Yeah and they’re usually great people to begin with anyway. You know what show they should have? A show where the guys who ran their companies into the ground (like that guy from Enron or the guy from Home Depot or Fiornia), they have to go back to Business School and wear “Dunce” hats and kick me signs! I’d watch!
Southern Comfort
May 24th, 2011
3:36 pm
Doggone
Peru and Brazil has a rather large “Asian” native born population. Makes it hard to try to guess nationalities before seeing documentation.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:36 pm
Fred,
All I did was make a statement that in some areas of town we even have illegals buying groceries using Georgia food stamps and I based that assertion on my observation in a couple of grocery stores that none of the people could speak or understand any English whatsoever. Its my simple contention that some of them are probably illegal aliens and now everyone is raising hell about how judgemental a comment that was. Good grief. Its as if some of them don’t believe we have any illegals here- in spite of the fact that Jay’s article today is on illegal workers in the restaurant industry here in ATL. The irony of it all.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
3:37 pm
For those of you that pine for the good old days of the 1980s, please remember that the baby boomers were entering the workforce en masse in the 1980s. There was plenty of young, strong, cheap labor back then. What happened, you ask? The baby boomers finished their educations, started their families a little later than their parents, and they had fewer children. Add to the mix a couple of economic bubbles in the 90s and the 00s and you have a demand for immigrant labor. The US did not create a path for unskilled and semi-skilled immigrants to come to the US and legally work permanent positions. The visas for unskilled/semi-skilled are for temporary workers.
Now the baby boomers are retiring, their children are educated and uninterested in taking unskilled jobs and their grandchildren are too spoiled to do the work. But that doesn’t stop the baby boomers from screaming “AMNESTY!” whenever someone makes a reasonable proposal to solve the problem of illegal immigration.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:39 pm
Waffle House cooks make pretty good money. They have a different business model than the industry norm, though.
AmVet
There is no difference really. My screen name is just a play on words. It’s a hat-tip to my Hillbilly roots (which I take great pride in, which probably comes as a shock to nobody) and the Deluxe part is just a play on words, using the title of a song, that I really don’t even like. I’ve always thought it sounded a tad uppity anyway, maybe I’ll just change it to Hillbilly. (Unless I can come up with something as inspired as Brocephus. I think that belongs in the Blogname Hall of Fame).
Fred
May 24th, 2011
3:39 pm
I’m just curious. There’s what? 12 million illegals at the upper end of the estimate scale in the US? We have a population of 312 as of the last estimate I read. That’s what, 3.8%? SO if we ship every last one of them out of here things are suddenly gonna get better?
I don’t believe it.
Brosephus
May 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
(Unless I can come up with something as inspired as Brocephus. I think that belongs in the Blogname Hall of Fame).
Credit RW for that one. He led me to the path, and I merely stepped into the shoes.
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
3:42 pm
Joesef nix
Boycotts never seem to work. People like to talk about them, but like economic sanctions, they just don’t work The below is an example of the boycott of Arizona. Copy from Arizona Chamber of Commerce. Yhis years numbers aren’t in yet, but I’ll wager there won’t be any impact this year either.
Opponents of Arizona’s anti-illegal alien law huffed and puffed and threatened to use the power of a boycott to put the state out of business.
Back to the drawing board, boys, because your boycott is a flop. Bookings of Arizona hotels across the state are actually up since the controversial law was passed.
Well, that was a waste of a good sheet, wasn’t it?
Fox News reports the details:
“Fundamentally, the boycotts have been unsuccessful,” said Barry Broome, president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.
The data from hotel industry research firm STR showed that for the state of Arizona, hotel occupancy was up 5.7 percent in May and up 8.3 percent in June compared with the same time a year ago.
In Phoenix, occupancy was up 10.6 percent in June; in Scottsdale, it was up 10.7 percent for the same period. Revenue also was up, with Arizona hotels raking in $148 million last month — up more than 11 percent from a year ago.
Broome said the state also has been able to attract new businesses to locate in Arizona despite bad publicity. He said his group plans to announce 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs thanks to investment from California, where Arizona boycotts are in place in several major cities, over the next few months.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:42 pm
Thulsa
Actually Spanish is not my second language…nor is it my first…and believe it or not, there are a lot of those pesky French still around whose families have been here since the early 1700s who still don’t speak English very well…and English is taught as a second language in the Choctaw schools and I’ve know Choctaw who “won’t” (not necessarily “don’t”) speak a word of English…
You are taking a very narrow minded view and as one who appreciates “foreign” languages, bear in mind that for millions, it is not “foreign” but has been spoken here in North America since day one…
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:43 pm
USMC
“Jay Bookman, you are on the CORRUPT side of this issue!”
Well, there is the issue of tens of millions of available Democrat votes if they can keep selling the “we’re helping hispanics and you owe us for your path to citizenship”, and the audience buys it….
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:44 pm
Never seen Undercover Boss, but I loved Undercover Brother!
Right On!! I liked the part of Sister Girl……she was my favorite!
GT
May 24th, 2011
3:46 pm
Man you might as well told them who the restaurant was you describe it so well. One of the reason it is so popular is people are having fun and don’t have time for all this hate business.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:46 pm
Doom = How’s the diarrhea? I recommend Pepto. – Debbiedoright
Debbiedo,
Is that all you got? I’m disappointed. I expected more and better ammo from you. You can do better deb.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:47 pm
Mighty Righty
I wasn’t speaking of boycotts…hell, when the NAACP was calling to ban the Cross of St Andrew and boycotting where it was flown at their New Orleans Convention, the Mississippi Coast Casinos had one of their best weeks on record as busloads bucked the boycott long enough to come spend their money across the street from Beauvoir! Made it kinda hard to take them seriously…
Brosephus
May 24th, 2011
3:48 pm
Ok, who got a post yanked? Count was 660, but when I refreshed it was 659…
jm
May 24th, 2011
3:48 pm
DDR
“like that guy from Enron” well, one of ‘ems dead. The other’s son committed suicide. And then Fastow is due to be released someday soon.
I hear you, but I’ve got a better idea. Manual labor for the rest of their life. With an annual “public shaming” event (no tomato throwing, just putting them on public display in downtown Houston or NY once a year). They’ll get plenty of boos.
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
Hillbilly: Undercover Boss – CBS on Sundays
I’ve never watched that show, so I don’t know the ins and outs of it but if your new helper at work showed up with a camera crew, wouldn’t you be a tad bit suspicious?
In this world of “Reality TV?” I doubt it!
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
Credit RW for that one. He led me to the path, and I merely stepped into the shoes.
But you had to have the feet to fill them.
Right On!! I liked the part of Sister Girl……she was my favorite!
Didn’t that have Dave Chappelle as Conspiracy Brother?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:50 pm
josef nix,
Sorry I was thinking Spanish was your 2nd. I don’t believe I’m taking a very narrow view. I know lots of people- green card holders, Cubans, Iranian friends, etc. who are more comfortable in their native language. No problem there. What I said was in the framework of generally speaking. And no matter what anybody says if you are in a store where there are many Hispanics in their 20s and 30s who can’t speak a word of English to the English speaking cashiers I’m simply stating that its a reasonable assumption that some of them are illegal aliens. That is not an unreasonable assumption. That’s all.
stands for decibels
May 24th, 2011
3:52 pm
I’ve always thought it sounded a tad uppity anyway
Put me down as one who never, ever thought such a thing.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
3:52 pm
Doom — “I’m simply saying that in general its hard to believe that if you have a whole group of people that can’t speak a single word of English that its a reasonable assumption that some of them are probably here illegally. That’s all.”
You are assuming that none of them CAN speak a word of English without any evidence to support that. I know from personal experience that some groups of people, when among close friends, family members and associates, *prefer* to speak a language that’s part of their shared cultural heritage. And that has NO bearing whatsoever on whether or not any of those people CAN speak English or not.
If you think that people speaking funny languages among themselves is evidence of possible illegoso activity, then you’d have pooped your pants at my grandfather’s wake 15 years ago. I heard four distinct languages OTHER than English being spoken. I heard Polish, Hungarian, Ukrainian and what sounded to me like some weird dialect of German (it could have been Yiddish, but I don’t know because I wasn’t introduced to the people who were speaking it).
Doom — “All I did was make a statement that in some areas of town we even have illegals buying groceries using Georgia food stamps and I based that assertion on my observation in a couple of grocery stores that none of the people could speak or understand any English whatsoever. Its my simple contention that some of them are probably illegal aliens and now everyone is raising hell about how judgemental a comment that was.”
GOALPOST MOVEMENT ALERT
No, you cited a *specific* instance and then asserted that the people in question *were* illegosos and *could not* speak English. At least three posters (including myself) have been asking how you knew that, and you’ve finally admitted that you didn’t *know* either of those things in the case you cited.
Nobody is questioning that it CAN happen and that it DOES. What we are questioning is whether or not YOU actually saw it in the specific case that YOU cited.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
3:53 pm
…maybe I’ll just change it to Hillbilly.
It’s your call, of course, but I think the Deluxe gives you a certain je ne sais quoi!
(Unless I can come up with something as inspired as Brocephus. I think that belongs in the Blogname Hall of Fame).
Hear, hear! The man is a veritable, modern day Renaissance dude!
I too have been thinking of retiring my nom de blogue for some time, but inertia sets in and I haven’t found that kickass moniker yet, so…
Brosephus
May 24th, 2011
3:54 pm
HD
As dB said, I see nothing uppity about su nombre.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:56 pm
Thulsa
Speaking now as a teacher…one of the situations we have to deal with is that of the fact that when the socio-economic infrastructure has developed to the point that one can go through the day with no need for the majority language, then one has to come to new terms in dealing with the education of the children from the minority language community…unlike the Yankee occupiers and the French, you can’t just beat it out of the,,,
DebbieDoRight
May 24th, 2011
3:56 pm
Didn’t that have Dave Chappelle as Conspiracy Brother?
Yep sure did and Denise Richards as White Girl!! That was a funny movie! And the part about the mayonnaise!! I must’ve laughed myself into coughing fits when I saw that!
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
3:58 pm
I like both Brosephus’ and Hillbilly Deluxe’s screen names…no need to second guess their perspectives!
Thulsa
I hope you did not misunderstand what I was saying when I said you were taking a narrow view…I wasn’t saying you were narrow minded, but that the view was limited…
Brosephus
May 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
Man, is RW ever gonna get a big(ger!) head if he reads this!
I’ll make sure he sees this page.. (if I can remember to tell him)
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
Credit RW for that one. He led me to the path, and I merely stepped into the shoes.
Bro, there is an old Buddhist saying, “When the student is ready, the master appears.”
Man, is RW ever gonna get a big(ger!) head if he reads this!
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
No, you cited a *specific* instance and then asserted that the people in question *were* illegosos and *could not* speak English. At least three posters (including myself) have been asking how you knew that, and you’ve finally admitted that you didn’t *know* either of those things in the case you cited.- Joe mama
Joe,
Yes. And I do believe that some of those people were most certainly illegals. Can you prove that they weren’t. Um. Nope. You weren’t there sir. Its kinda like that idea that bears poop in the woods Joe. I’ve never personally witnessed it and don’t know anyone who has. But I will state with reasonable certainty that it does happen. Just as I will state with reasonable certainty that in Atlanta, GA. that if you are in a grocery store where no one can speak English that some of those people are probably here illegally. Next you’re probably going to also deny that there are illegals working in the restaurant industry here in ATL despite the topic of Jay’s blog today.
Paul
May 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
SoCom
“I’ve come across green card holders who have been here since Reagan granted amnesty that don’t speak English”
One of the favorite things I heard was from a guy who lived in Germany before the drawdown, said he was in town and three young GIs came out of one of the stores and one of’em said “Damn! We’ve been in this country for 40 years, you think they’d learn how to speak English!”
Hillbilly
If you’re going to change your screen name, would you consider “Hillybilly”? Try as I might, most of the time I have to take out that extra ‘y’ that keeps making its way in.
Brocephus
RW, huh? You’re lucky he didn’t talk you into ‘Bucephalus.’
You gotta watch that guy (
).
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:02 pm
SoCo
Oooooh, DDR DIDN’T just bring up Dave Chapelle and consipiracy, did she?
DDR
No dig intended your way, it’s just a joke between me and SoCo at St. Elsewhere!
And BTW, three more days and the sorry, low-down, good for nothing gets to live up to the name for a few days. Thank you tax-payers of Georgia!
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Obama does it again. He talked over the Queens anthem and offered a toast to the Queen and did not drink. The man is an embarassment.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Thulsa
Now why would you assume Spanish is my “second” language?
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
Josef nix,
I understand what you’re saying. In my line of work I’ve dealt with numerous people that have green cards, numerous legal and illegal immigrants. Contrary to what some people may think I actually have run into many people that are here on legal visas, HB-1s, green cards, Cuban Americans who speak no English, etc. I’m as aware as anybody that not everybody is illegal just because they don’t speak English. But I think people need to also have some scale, scope, and perspective and get away from the super high sensitivities regarding illegal aliens. And by that I’m obviously not referring to yourself of course.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
I thought Yankee English was Josef’s second language.
Maybe on those days the blog gives me heartburn, I could be “Hillbilly Reflux”.
Joe Cool~"PRESIDENT Obama" Tells Birthers,"Thanks For Playing BI+CHES"
May 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Am I late with this?
Hispanic GOP group urges Porsche to build HQ outside Georgia:
A Hispanic Republican group opposed to Georgia’s new immigration enforcement law is asking Porsche to reconsider building its new North American headquarters in the state. Somos Republicans — an Arizona-based organization aimed at increasing the number of Latinos voting for Republican candidates — made the request in an open letter it issued Friday concerning Georgia’s House Bill 87.
“Critics of HB 87 are already organizing boycotts, a development which should concern [Porsche], which as a Georgia-based company would likely experience a reduction in sales from such a boycott,” the letter says.
Republicans will eat their own.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Mr. Doom — “Yes. And I do believe that some of those people were most certainly illegals. Can you prove that they weren’t. Um. Nope. You weren’t there sir.”
It’s not on me to *disprove* what you *can’t* prove, Doom. It’s kind of like being in court.
“Its kinda like that idea that bears poop in the woods Joe. I’ve never personally witnessed it and don’t know anyone who has. But I will state with reasonable certainty that it does happen.”
No one is arguing that point, Doom. Nobody here is saying that it doesn’t happen. What’s being argued is whether or not *you* saw it happen in the case that you cited. And after a whole bunch of round-the-mulberry-bush sniping, you’ve admitted that you didn’t know it. That’s all.
“Just as I will state with reasonable certainty that in Atlanta, GA. that if you are in a grocery store where no one can speak English that some of those people are probably here illegally.”
Where no one *can* speak English, or just where they don’t happen to *be* speaking it? You seem to presume that people who prefer to speak another language among themselves aren’t able to speak English. Do you not see the logical error in that, Doom?
“Next you’re probably going to also deny that there are illegals working in the restaurant industry here in ATL despite the topic of Jay’s blog today.”
That’s pretty ludicrous, given what I’d posted before you even showed up. Perhaps you should back up and read my earlier posts, Mr. Doom.
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
4:06 pm
Ah yes, the lovely Denise Richards.
Aka Black Man’s Kryptonite!
Classic stuff…
Adam
May 24th, 2011
4:07 pm
Can you prove that they weren’t. Um. Nope.
Being unable to prove that a group of people that none of us ever encountered, EXCEPT FOR YOU, proves NOTHING.
This is a logical fallacy. Can anyone name which one?
Class?
Anyone?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:08 pm
if you are in a store where there are many Hispanics in their 20s and 30s who can’t speak a word of English to the English speaking cashiers I’m simply stating that its a reasonable assumption that some of them are illegal aliens.
If you are a narrow minded bigot, but for the rest of us, not so much.
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:08 pm
Jonix:I hope you did not misunderstand what I was saying when I said you were taking a narrow view…I wasn’t saying you were narrow minded, but that the view was limited…
Actually it’s NOT limited. Anytime I lived in a Country I attempted to learn the language. Remember the whole “melting pot” thing? If you won’t learn the language, you are at best a hostile resident. Go the hell back to where you came from.
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
Joe Cool @ 4:05: The funny thing is that most Hispanics I know are more in line with Republican views than Democrat views. If the idiots would quit persecuting them, the Republicans could add MILLIONS to their voting rolls.,……..
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
We’ve all been pretty patient, or as patient as this lot can be, so are they EVER going to fix the damn shifting posts?
Joe Cool~"PRESIDENT Obama" Tells Birthers,"Thanks For Playing BI+CHES"
May 24th, 2011
4:11 pm
“The funny thing is that most Hispanics I know are more in line with Republican views than Democrat views”
Sad part is the views dont equate to reality or the narative. Yet, the cons always get worked up about why the black community votes Democrat majority of the time.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
Fred — “The funny thing is that most Hispanics I know are more in line with Republican views than Democrat views. If the idiots would quit persecuting them, the Republicans could add MILLIONS to their voting rolls.”
My Hispanic wife has pointed this out to me many, many times. She’s absolutely baffled at how the Republicans have played this issue.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
Thulsa
No problem. The other night when I posted to those of the “speak English” school of thought, how many have ever tried to learn another language, you were the one who responded and we were able to go off on an interesting and informative ride in which I said I would listent to YOU.
Suffice it to say, when it comes to mixing Spanish speaking up with the immigration issue…I have my own issues there…as do several million of our fellow citizens, and most especially the tejanos, New Mexico espanoles and the Puerto Ricans…that was why I said what I did about taking a narrow view…
I might could go with your contention in, say Atlanta, but never in San Antonio, San Juan, or Santa Fe…
Joe Cool~"PRESIDENT Obama" Tells Birthers,"Thanks For Playing BI+CHES"
May 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
“My Hispanic wife has pointed this out to me many, many times. She’s absolutely baffled at how the Republicans have played this issue.”
Translation=THEY DONT WANT THEM (well at least the base doesnt).
USMC
May 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
“Actually it’s NOT limited. Anytime I lived in a Country I attempted to learn the language. Remember the whole “melting pot” thing? If you won’t learn the language, you are at best a hostile resident. Go the hell back to where you came from.” Fred
These are the WISEST words spoken ALL DAY!
Remember the “UGLY AMERICAN” from the 70’s?
He goes to a foreign country and won’t learn the language, try the food, or learn the culture…
(Hey Where’s McDonalds???)
The Illegal Aliens from south of the border are the first group to come to the U.S. and NOT assimilate; that’s a problem.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
Where no one *can* speak English, or just where they don’t happen to *be* speaking it? You seem to presume that people who prefer to speak another language among themselves aren’t able to speak English. Do you not see the logical error in that, Doom?- Joe mama
Joe mama,
No. You are presuming that that’s what I am presuming. Do you see the logical error in that Joe? If you will go back and re read you will see that I was talking about people who couldn’t understand any of the English that the English speaking cashier was saying to them. It wasn’t a matter of wanting to speak Spanish amongst themselves which I understand perfectly well. It was a matter of people who couldn’t speak or understand a word of English that is being spoken to them. And it is of my opinion that if you have a number of people none of which can understand any of the English that the cashier is speaking to them that its a reasonable bet that some of them are here illegally.
Why a common sense observation like this bothers you so much is a mystery? Perhaps you are trying to read some racism or xenophobia in there somewhere and you’re just itching for a gotcha moment? I dunno. You can talk till you’re blue in the face joe or type until your fingers fall off. You’re not going to change my mind about what is to me a very reasonable assumption given the overall situation.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
Hillbilly
“I thought Yankee English was Josef’s second language”
It’s my fourth!
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
Joe Cool~”PRESIDENT Obama” Tells Birthers,”Thanks For Playing BI+CHES”
May 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
Am I late with this?
Hispanic GOP group urges Porsche to build HQ outside Georgia:
A Hispanic Republican group opposed to Georgia’s new immigration enforcement law is asking Porsche to reconsider building its new North American headquarters in the state. Somos Republicans — an Arizona-based organization aimed at increasing the number of Latinos voting for Republican candidates — made the request in an open letter it issued Friday concerning Georgia’s House Bill 87.
I guess you didn’t hear the latest. Porsche said they were going ahead with the project.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
I might could go with your contention in, say Atlanta, but never in San Antonio, San Juan, or Santa Fe…- Josef Nix
Exactly, when I lived in Cali I operated under the assumption that anyone speaking Spanish in San Diego was a legal Hispanic American- same when I lived in Miami and conversed with Cuban Americans. Here in Atlanta my assumptions are a little bit different than from say a Santa Fe or San Antonio, San Diego, Miami, etc. Somehow people aren’t understanding that though.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
So, I suppose that if I go to Chinatown in San Francisco and I observe people speaking Chinese then I am to assume that they are illegal immigrants? Is that correct, Thulsa?
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:17 pm
FRED
And who made English that “language of the country.” We make a point of speaking French whenever we’re down home…it’s a political statement…
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
Joe Mama: I understand bro. I have many Hispanic friends, illegal and legal. They AREN’T the “problem” we have in this Country.
I really hate to say this, but the Republicans are making the Mexicans the equivalent of what the National Socialists in Germany made the Jews in Germany in the late 1920’s. It started out small but look what it led to. We can’t let that happen. I WON’T let that happen.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
USMC
“The Illegal Aliens from south of the border are the first group to come to the U.S. and NOT assimilate; that’s a problem.”
Oh, I don’t know….the Yankees coming down here have a longer history… and, yes, I AM serious…
jm
May 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
These kinds of people make me almost cry…..
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/bill-gates-and-total-invest-in-sadoways-liquid-metal-battery/
The dirtbags that keep asking for subsidies, and the government retards that screw things up make me want to cry, but for the opposite reason (than the reason behind the article).
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
“You’re not going to change my mind about what is to me a very reasonable assumption given the overall situation.”
Thing is, bigots do not usually stand up and say, “I am a bigot.” They hide this from themselves, much less from you or me. — Leonard Pitts
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:20 pm
deegee
May 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
So, I suppose that if I go to Chinatown in San Francisco and I observe people speaking Chinese then I am to assume that they are illegal immigrants? Is that correct, Thulsa?
Nope. You’re completely missing the whole point, scope and context of what we’re talking about.
md
May 24th, 2011
4:20 pm
“He believes that to get people of comparable quality, he would have to raise wages considerably, and as he put it, that would break his business model and make his business unprofitable. He does not believe he has the pricing power needed to simply raise prices.”
Tough doo doo……..
Let him play by the rules like many others are doing…………….just because his model sucks, that doesn’t give him carte blanch to cheat………….
and:
“Look, I’m not a criminal. I don’t go around breaking the law, because for one thing I have way too much to lose. I do everything by the book. But if this law goes into effect, I’m telling you I’m not going to follow it. I’m just not. Because I can’t.”
then:
“See that guy right there,” he said, nodding his head toward a nearby waiter. “He’s been in this country since he was five, when his parents brought him here. He graduated from high school here, and he probably speaks better English than I do. He doesn’t know a damn thing about Mexico. And they want to send him back? Back to what? Have you seen what’s going on in Mexico these days?”
Two contradictory statements………he knows he’s hired illegal workers, so the first sentence is a bald faced lie………….
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:21 pm
USMC: The Illegal Aliens from south of the border are the first group to come to the U.S. and NOT assimilate; that’s a problem.
No they aren’t dog. The Asians have been here for 100’s of years and won’t learn the language. Take your ass down to Chambodia (Buford Highway) and read teh store signs.
Just damn.
Steve
May 24th, 2011
4:21 pm
Sounds like his workers are stealing SSN’s to pay taxes…Jay also takes his side with doing any financial analysis…just the guys word.
What a joke of a column.
Brosephus
May 24th, 2011
4:22 pm
You’re lucky he didn’t talk you into ‘Bucephalus.’
That would have taken a lot more convincing…
josef
Conspiracy!!
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
4:22 pm
With the $14,000,000,000.00 giveaway handed out to them, Porsche “promises” (HA!) to add 100 jobs to the Atlanta economy.
The “free market” wins once again and we the people lose…
deegee
May 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
How am I missing the point, Thulsa? Are you saying that illegal immigration among Asians doesn’t exist?
Mighy Righty
May 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
I don’t worry about the language thing. There are neighborhoods in L.A. and Miami where english is not spoken. In L.A. they speak Mexican, in Miami Spanish. There is a significant difference. Both languages are spoken by U.S. citizens.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:18 pm
“You’re not going to change my mind about what is to me a very reasonable assumption given the overall situation.”
Thing is, bigots do not usually stand up and say, “I am a bigot.” They hide this from themselves, much less from you or me. — Leonard Pitts
Bosch,
So if you think some of the people around you are illegal aliens than you are automatically a bigot? If so then there are a helluva lot of bigots that don’t even know they’re bigots. And if someone takes away from Jay’s article today the idea that there are a lot of illegals in the restaurant industry then I guess that makes them a – you guessed it- a bigot! Who can argue logic like that?
Message from Matti
May 24th, 2011
4:23 pm
jo nix @ 4:18,
Excellent point. I have noticed this as well.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
JOE
Interesting point on “be” speaking…when we were “shopping” for a place to bring up the kids, Floyd County got its first “green light” when we were visiting, stopped at Burger King and at the next table there was a Cherokee grandma speaking the language with the grandbabies…they spoke it back to here, but used mostly English among themselves…as Unmentionable said, “that is what I’ve always wanted to hear, the native language on native land doing daily things…”
getalife
May 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
Josef,
Do you watch Treme on HBO?
Good music.
I can’t understand these drunk Cajuns trying to speak English
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:24 pm
deegee,
As I understand it 11% of all illegal aliens are from China.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:25 pm
Make that Asia not China.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:25 pm
getalife
Yes! And Swamp People…that subtitling gets on our nerves here though! WE understand everything they’re saying, thank you anyway…why not subtitle the moderator’s English..eh”
But, glad you’re here…I think you more than anybody else understands what I’m saying about what it takes to hold onto your language, from the French perspective…
md
May 24th, 2011
4:26 pm
“That’s why I advocate some form of amnesty, to rationalize all this.”
And a second amnesty will compound the problem when it comes time for the third, fourth, and fifth…..
The first one already set the precedent………and the numbers bear it out…….it’s an exponential equation unless we first fix the borders……………
deegee
May 24th, 2011
4:26 pm
So, Thulsa why would you assume that hispanics speaking Spanish are illegal immigrants but I’m missing the point by asking you whether you assume that Asians speaking their native language are not illegal immigrants?
Joe Cool~"PRESIDENT Obama" Tells Birthers,"Thanks For Playing BI+CHES"
May 24th, 2011
4:27 pm
“Are you saying that illegal immigration among Asians doesn’t exist?”
So true. Remember those 513 immigrants they were trying to sneak into the US a week ago:
Inside the tractor-trailers, they found 513 people from El Salvador, Ecuador, China, Japan, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
None FROM Mexico.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:27 pm
Mr. Doom — “If you will go back and re read you will see that I was talking about people who couldn’t understand any of the English that the English speaking cashier was saying to them.”
Yeah, the first time I saw you say that here was 5-10 minutes ago. Do you suppose you could show me where you posted that prior to oh, 3 PM today on this thread? You could have saved us all a lot of posting.
Otherwise, I’m thinking that you might be backpedaling at this point.
“It wasn’t a matter of wanting to speak Spanish amongst themselves which I understand perfectly well. It was a matter of people who couldn’t speak or understand a word of English that is being spoken to them.”
I don’t believe you explained that at all before now.
“And it is of my opinion that if you have a number of people none of which can understand any of the English that the cashier is speaking to them that its a reasonable bet that some of them are here illegally.”
But still only a bet nonetheless, as was pointed out to you earlier. A person could easily be here legally (as a tourist or even an immigrant) and not be able to speak English. A lot of people on your side of the aisle seem to conflate skin color and accent with legal status in the USA. I have a coworker with a blonde, blue-eyed English-born wife, while my Hispanic wife (who speaks English with no accent) was born in southern California.
Guess which one gets pulled for secondary screening? The blonde with an accent or the brunette without one?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:27 pm
“So if you think some of the people around you are illegal aliens than you are automatically a bigot?”
If you look at a HIspanic person that you do not know, and the automatically assume they are here illegally based on nothing but your own prejudices, then yes, I think you are definitely a bigot.
” If so then there are a helluva lot of bigots that don’t even know they’re bigots”
Yes, I would certainly agree with you there. I think for many individuals, bigotry and racism are subconscious and subtle.
pogo
May 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
Let’s face it, when it all comes down to it, this is all about greed. Business and farmer’s wants their labor for cheap (and make no mistake, illegal immigrant labor is cheap only because IT IS illegal immigrant labor) to make more profits and consumers want what they want at the cheapest price possible. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are without jobs because either they are unwilling to do the work or they are unwilling to work for the slave labor wages that the immigrants are being paid. And the inherent costs to the taxpayers for having our “slave labor” force here to deliver higher profits for business and farmers and for cheaper costs to consumers is destroying us all because this labor doe’s not pay into the BIG spending programs (Medicare, Medicaid and SSN) because they are undocumented. But they have access to Medicare, Medicaid and Foodstamps without ever having paid one cent into them. At this point, I don’t think that even the illegal immigrants in this country want to become citizens because they know that they will have to pay all of the taxes that are associated with becoming a citizen if they do. In fact, I know they don’t. They want the social benefits without paying the taxes. We are screwed.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
Bosch,
But of course someone who took the time to learn Spanish and lived and traveled extensively through Central America has just got to be bigot? Right Bosch?
Bosch- No te das cuenta de lo estupido que su comentario fue?
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
“But of course someone who took the time to learn Spanish and lived and traveled extensively through Central America has just got to be bigot? ”
As I said, if you automatically assume someone is here illegally based on nothing but your own prejudices, then yes, I would definitely consider youa bigot.
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:29 pm
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:17 pm
FRED
And who made English that “language of the country.” We make a point of speaking French whenever we’re down home…it’s a political statement…
I knew there was a reason I didn’t trust you and that you stabbed me in the back once. F the french. The most duplicitous and useless culture on the face of the Earth. I CAN speak french, but I won’t. I will NEVER turn my back on a french person. I won’t even dignify them by using an capital F when I type french or france. If only we could have helped Europe during WWI and WWII and let the Germans keep france. But then not even the Germans really wanted france. Had they decided to exterminate the french instead of the Jews the whole world would have been better off.
Message from Matti
May 24th, 2011
4:29 pm
getalife,
I love Treme! And um, I turn on closed captioning.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:30 pm
FRED
We’ve been there…
But which French are you talkin’ about Willis? The ones in Canada? The ones in the South? The ones in Haiti…? I’m not overly fond of the ones from Europe myself…though I’ve known a lot of Belgians and Swiss I was rather fond of…and the folks from Provence aren’t a bad lot…
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:32 pm
Bosch,
Entonces todos somos probablemente un monton de fanaticos.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:32 pm
And Doom, I speak and write some Spanish too — your bigotry sounds alot more stupid than my comment….
getalife
May 24th, 2011
4:32 pm
Matti,
I like Boardwalk Empire.
There are some good shows on HBO and Showtime.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:33 pm
Doom — “But of course someone who took the time to learn Spanish and lived and traveled extensively through Central America has just got to be bigot? Right Bosch?”
This is what makes your insistence on our acceptance of your leapt-to conclusions all the more perplexing to us.
deegee
May 24th, 2011
4:33 pm
Thulsa, don’t give up your day job.
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
Crap. Been drawn in to pig wrestling again dammit.
Pig Wrestling: In order to wrestle a pig, you have to get down in the crap and get crappy. And the pig likes it.
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:34 pm
“This is what makes your insistence on our acceptance of your leapt-to conclusions all the more perplexing to us.”
Yeap.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:37 pm
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:28 pm
“But of course someone who took the time to learn Spanish and lived and traveled extensively through Central America has just got to be bigot? ”
As I said, if you automatically assume someone is here illegally based on nothing but your own prejudices, then yes, I would definitely consider youa bigot.
Sorry Bosch but I think there is a disagreement on what is a reasonable assumption and a racist belief. For example if 100 white or black people go to El Azteca for example on Roswell Rd how many of those white or black people unconsciously believe that several of the employees are probably illegal aliens? Are they all bigots because they may consciously or unconsciously believe several of those employees are here illegally? Likewise if you go down Buford highway and you see a ton of Hispanic faces are you likewise a bigot if you consciously or unconsciously think some of them are going to be illegal aliens? Or is it a reasonable assumption given that Atlanta has a sizeable illegal alien population?
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
4:38 pm
pogo makes a good point, that we all know about.
If those home builders and contractors and landscapers and Burger King used legal immigrants or American citizens, things would likely cost more.
But to me this is like saying that obeying the laws is gonna cost more. Or paying ANYTHING in federal income taxes is gonna cost more.
BFD!
This is the very mentality that promotes the wholesale shipment overseas of not just jobs, but entire industries.
American business used to operate under the model of “enlightened self-interest”. No more.
For example, Henry Ford was having a hard time selling his automobiles. And what did he do? He raised the wages of his workers!!!
His reasoning was that they could now afford those cars they were making.
And it worked.
Can you imagine these Titans of Malfeasance and Criminal Negligence doing this today???
They seem to be driven by self-interest only…
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
Doom — “Sorry Bosch but I think there is a disagreement on what is a reasonable assumption and a racist belief. For example if 100 white or black people go to El Azteca for example on Roswell Rd how many of those white or black people unconsciously believe that several of the employees are probably illegal aliens? Are they all bigots because they may consciously or unconsciously believe several of those employees are here illegally? Likewise if you go down Buford highway and you see a ton of Hispanic faces are you likewise a bigot if you consciously or unconsciously think some of them are going to be illegal aliens? Or is it a reasonable assumption given that Atlanta has a sizeable illegal alien population?”
I think you’re missing the macro and micro difference, Doom.
Nobody here is saying that there’s no possibility of any of those people being illegosos. What we’re objecting to is your claim that, without apparent evidence or proof, your insistence that some SPECIFIC Hispanic people *were* illegosos, just based on your observations that you posted.
I think you’re mixing macro and micro up here.
Hillbilly Deluxe
May 24th, 2011
4:42 pm
Yes! And Swamp People…that subtitling gets on our nerves here though!
Mine, too. I’ve never spent a day in the bayou country, although I did work briefly with some Cajuns from LaFayette, and I understand every word they say. All you have to do is listen.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:42 pm
Well Bosch,
I guess you’re the sole arbiter of who is a bigot and who isn’t. Interesting that you’re even more judgmental of me than I was in believing that some of the people who can’t speak English to the cashier may have been here illegally. Must feel good to know in your moral superiority and smugness that you can just deem who is and isn’t a bigot based upon a general observation that is debateable in and of itself as to whether or not its a bigoted observation.
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:42 pm
What’s the difference in what “french” you are talking about Jonix? The ones in Canada managed to only victory the french have had in about 500 years when they conquered 1/3 of Canada. As for the rest of them? If they (include yourself if you wish) consider themselves french then move the hell back to france. YOU are American. You aren’t Cherokee, you aren’t french. I don’t do that hyphenated crap. If you AREN’T American, then get the hell out. It’s quite simple.
QUIT trying to divide our Country. It was founded on the strongest and the smartest of people from all over the World. It worked for a while until people started dividing again. I don’t do the division thing and despise those who do. Remember “melting pot”
Oh and DON’T EVEN throw in the Cherokee thing. WHat happened to the folks who lived on that land BEFORE the Cherokees got there? The ones referred to sometimes as “Those who came before.”
The trail of tears was sad. It was a travesty. But at least the Cherokees weren’t wiped out.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:43 pm
Fred — “The trail of tears was sad. It was a travesty. But at least the Cherokees weren’t wiped out.”
My wife had thought, before she moved here, that all the remaining Cherokee were in Oklahoma. She didn’t realize that some of them had seen which way the wind was blowing, so they headed for the hills and escaped the forcible resettlement.
And that’s a pretty cool thing, when you think about it.
md
May 24th, 2011
4:46 pm
“For example, Henry Ford was having a hard time selling his automobiles. And what did he do? He raised the wages of his workers!!!”
Well….Walmart is using the same basic premise…..lower the prices so the workers can afford the crap………
It’s a fine line…….raise those prices, and the folks that rely on the Walmarts of the world will only be able to buy less………it’s been mentioned many times before….there will always be poor.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:46 pm
Okay, just doing my EOI duties here, but making the assumption here in Atlanta has certain aspects which while not exactly PC, nonetheless are necessary. At my school site we have to keep it in the back of our minds at all times in order to know how to handle certain sensitive issues in dealing with the children’s parents…while we certainly do not keep a record of who we “suspect” and who we don’t, we have “our ways” and, whenever one of those sensitive cases come up, we know how to determine “definitely not” and “probably so.”
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:47 pm
Joe Mama,
My belief that some of those people that can’t speak a word of English to the cashier is a common belief that probably many of us would casually accept but just won’t admit. How many people on here before today probably have the belief that there are a good number of illegal aliens in the construction or restaurant industries? Probably a good many of people on this board believe that there are a significant number of illegal aliens in these industries? Can they prove it? Probably not but a lot of people may in fact believe that. Does that make them bigots for thinking that? If you went out and asked 100 white or black people if there are a good number of illegal aliens working in the construction or restaurant industries how many of them would say yes? Be honest about it. A lot of people would think that and I suspect you probably know that. Does that make them bigoted if they think that?
Paul
May 24th, 2011
4:47 pm
afternoon, josef
“It’s my fourth!”
Care to go for a fifth? (I like how the stewardess translates back)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa1rjCZxtxo&feature=related
Or a sixth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzrtS7YPeD8
Jay
May 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
Bosch, Doom, let’s move on.
Fresh sheets upstairs.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:48 pm
FRED
Don’t get your skivvies in such a wad! Who’s being divisive…? Where did I ever say I WASN’T American…I’ll just thank you not to try and tell me what I have to do to be an American…you’ve hooked up with Imam Torquemada Parse-On Brownlow on that Yankee Sharia thingie…
Bosch
May 24th, 2011
4:50 pm
Doom,
Now you are changing the goal posts with the words “some” and “several.
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
4:50 pm
Doom — “How many people on here before today probably have the belief that there are a good number of illegal aliens in the construction or restaurant industries? Probably a good many of people on this board believe that there are a significant number of illegal aliens in these industries? Can they prove it? Probably not but a lot of people may in fact believe that. Does that make them bigots for thinking that?”
I don’t think it’s bigoted to assume that there are *some,* no.
I do think it’s bigoted to say ‘yo, these peeps right here are illegosos’ based on no more than you claimed, yes.
Do you see the difference?
TruthBe
May 24th, 2011
4:50 pm
First of all where is the concern for the legal immigrants that did it right and obeyed the immigration laws? Employers can still hire low paying wage earners that have legal right to work papers under House Bill 87. The Restaurant Owner is breaking the law and is one of the main reason that we have these illegal immigration problems in American. Of course Mexico and much of the other Latino Countries are at fault for treating their own Citizens so badly. Obama and the Corrupt Democrats dont give a darn about these people they just want their votes if they make them legal period. Obama equals what have you done for me today. Politicans only care about themselves and what we the people can do for them including illegal immigrants for cheap labor to care for them
AmVet
May 24th, 2011
4:51 pm
“Well….Walmart is using the same basic premise…..lower the prices so the workers can afford the crap………”
Disagree, driving the market DOWN with cheap crap and lousy value is not the same as helping it UP with quality products, better values and higher wages to afford them.
Paul, the Airplane skit is classic, but I only made it through 20 seconds on the Valley Girl clip.
Kam will say we’re better than that, but I say waterboard ‘em!
Fred
May 24th, 2011
4:52 pm
Joe Mama @ 4:13:
Yeah it is. There is no way to “reconcile” what was done to the Cherokee’s, and the rest of the Indians, (sorry, I won’t call people who crossed the Bering Straits a thousand years ago “Native Americans”). nor is there a way to reconcile slavery and the injustice done to the blacks here in this Country. We need to move on. It didn’t happen to any of us. WE know better. Or at least I used to think until this whole Illegal Alien fire flamed up…………
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
4:53 pm
Bosch,
Changing the goal posts with some or several? Whatever dude. If you want to parse and nitpick words be my guest. Otherwise just go back to your tried and true practice of calling people that really don’t know bigots.
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
4:58 pm
PAUL
YAY…fresh sheets upstairs… to thoise in the know, works like a charm every time, doesn’t it? But, I’ll go up there and see whazzup.
Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide | Jay Bookman | My Wordpress Blog
May 24th, 2011
5:01 pm
[...] here: Where illegal immigration, business and the law collide | Jay Bookman This entry was posted in Internet and tagged around-breaking, book, breaking-the-law, one-thing, [...]
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
5:02 pm
I do think it’s bigoted to say ‘yo, these peeps right here are illegosos’ based on no more than you claimed, yes.
Do you see the difference?- Joe
Nope. I really don’t. If I see a number of people that can’t speak a word of English to the cashier than my reasonable assumption is that some of them are probably illegals. Doesn’t mean I hate them or am bigoted against them or prejudiced against them or whatever- especially since I stated in my first or 2nd post today that I was pro immigration. I’ve had a lot of interaction with the Hispanic community over the years since I can speak Spanish and its just been my observation in knowing a good number of them that the ones that can’t speak a lick of English in their 20s and 30s in many times have tended to be illegals. If you have experience speaking with them and interacting with them you you tend to notice things like this. Its nothing more than observation and observed behavior. I’ve had a pretty good amount of interaction with them in my life in case you haven’t noticed. Let me know when you are tired of beating this dead horse. I’m about done with it.
Brittanicus
May 24th, 2011
5:02 pm
ARE WE REALLY THAT STUPID?
Strange that those Georgia farmers are not saying that when an illegal worker falls sick; he transports him/her to the emergency room? This could be the same crisis that would hit Utah, if the Guest Worker program materialized in the Mormon State? That means his liability to the sick/injured Guest Worker is void and becomes the financial burden of the US taxpayer whilst the hospital passes on the fee. Then we have the children of the agricultural workers who taxpayers are forced by the judiciary to support their education. Then under the 14th amendment a female when a baby is born becomes an instant citizen collecting cash payments, food stamps low income housing and free natal care. All this cost is assumed from your taxes and is in the hundreds of billions a year. Outside of farm workers are the economic illegal aliens who come here to have their babies, and place an unimaginable strain on our schooling system. But this is just part of the layers upon layers of foreigners, who are indirectly stealing tax payer’s money.
Another great fraudulent game is illegal nationals, paying nothing into the tax system, but collecting up to $5,600 dollars per household. More than one in four immigrant households received the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2009—nearly twice the 13.2 percent rate of households headed by Native Americans. And since immigrant households are larger (primarily because of higher fertility rate), their EITC payments are larger than those received by citizens and naturalized citizen households. “The Earned Income Tax Credit and Illegal Immigration: A Study in Fraud, Abuse, and Liberal Activism”, by financial analyst and economist Edwin Rubenstein. This is not a myth, but fact about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the largest anti-poverty program in the United States, which is the “most illegal-immigrant friendly,” explains Edwin Rubenstein, author of the new report.”
In 2007, more than 23 million households received more than $47 billion in the EITC payments.” He Rubenstein said “between one-quarter to one-third of all EITC claims are ‘improperly paid’ according to the General Accounting Office. The EITC – like most of the tax code, operates on the honor system. The U.S. Congress allows and supports one of the most fraudulent taxpayer misuse schemes ever conceived within the Federal Government. It’s time the administration eradicated this program, allowing millions of aliens who to entered American soil, while draining billions out of the United States Treasury. Tax relief” goes to people who never paid a cent in taxes, and may have already defrauded the government of huge sums each year. Bring this abuse to the attention of your Federal, State politicians about this fraud which illegal aliens are stealing from you. Expenditures of more than $55 billion per year, is a combination of EITC spending that is associated with traditional welfare programs.
I watched a meeting of the Cato Institute on C-Span, which slurred Bloggers like me, saying that illegal workers were an economical benefit to America? Frank Sherry should be asked about Earned Income tax credit and try to deny it? No person, celebrity or anyone else has a right to complain, as we have more legal immigration than any other part of the world, that includes seven secret amnesties since the 1986 (ICRA.) As for illegal aliens, that if the aroused TEA PARTY has anything to do with it, no Amnesty will ever be passed. All we are doing now is importing more poverty for taxpayers to contend with?
The border remains open for more criminals to cross over, as areas around lakes in Texas, places along the Rio Grande, where there are examination foot traffic bridges that still is unsecured. Hundreds of miles are still simple barbed wire fences fallen into disrepair and keeps no marauder of our sovereign land? If Congress intended to stop these invaders, they would not only have made it a–FELONY– to enter; same as Mexico, but would have constructed the double-fence as enacted in the 2006 Secure Fence Act. It would have restricted the endless criminals, as it would have been adorned with razor wire. EVEN THE SINGLE LINE FENCE IS NOT COMPLETED FOR THE SEVEN HUNDRED MILES. ITS ALL ONE BIG SICK JOKE BY BOTH PARTIES, ON THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS?
The Liberal wing of Democrats are trying to drive a wedge between Hispanics and the General population, But the plain fact is that there are millions of legalized and multi-generations of Hispanic citizens, who wish to disassociate themselves from South of the border. Equally abhorrent are overstays recognized to be 40 percent of the illegal occupation. If Mexico and other countries has a way of tracking arrivals through ports of entry, by plane, ship or even over the Canadian border, why is this not implemented by Homeland Security and ICE? Hispanic and honest legalized immigrants are cordially welcome to join the TEA PARTY.
It’s more important than ever to join the PEOPLES party, the TEA PARTY. The Tea Party is for all legal Americans, naturalized citizens and those holding green cards. Offend or please! Americans must dissolve the power mongers influence and open border nuts in Washington. The monolithic Tea Party will vote them out in the next election, or we will continue the US path of financial disintegration. This un-American movement will not be tolerated, and should never be ratified without a national referendum. Our country is a nation of laws, especially when it comes to integration of other countries. Currently the Democrats desire to force on—ALL—the American peoples a new Amnesty, cloaked in Immigration Reform. Indirectly the Dream Act would have the same purpose, allowing these Students to sponsor family members. Chain Migration is already accelerating and costing Americans billions of dollars a year. Sanctuary states are another enigma, which is about sheltering foreign nationals which is California’s and Nevada’s cross to bare.
America has plunged into a 14.5 Trillion dollar deficit and is seemingly on the edge of a devastating future, unless we start not only combating illegal immigration that we can no longer subsidize or we become a peons of China and other countries that own our debt. We have little we can do about the illegal immigration until the US government honors its commitment to defend our borders. Congress must implement E-Verify as a mandated business policing problem. And every individual who is arrested must be fingerprinted according to the”Secure Communities” program and forwarded to ICE.
It’s regrettable we don’t follow the same laws as countries in Europe, which is using a “Points-System” for legal immigration. Offering entry visas to the extremely skilled people with profession knowledge in their specialized occupation, as they will not end up in the welfare offices? Many of these people live under primitive circumstances, so saving their wages; sending according to a banking report 46 billion dollars out of America. Every day, the US grows inferior because our senators and congressmen, and corporations, are aiding and abetting, encouraging illegal alien migration into our country. A recent statistic by Visa banking card confirmed wire transfers to Mexico last year reached $40 billion, to South America 25 billion and the Orient 15 Billion dollars in wire transfers.
The 1986 Amnesty cost taxpayers 76 billion dollars. A new immigration reorganization package will outlay an astronomical figure, which comes out your pockets. Even scarier is supporting the illegal alien household that has already settled here? Some say 12 million, but most non-profit sovereignty groups say it’s over 20 million and counting? Can we afford subsidizing the farming community anymore, as they pay nothing in benefits and small living wage? No health care and we pay their children’s schooling. Temporary Guest Worker programs are rampant with deceit, as all special visas for hires. It unquestionably makes no logical sense when 15 million Americans cannot find a job? We just cannot be the emergency room care or education privileges for the rest of humankind, anymore. Another major issue is foreigners voting in only-for-citizens election. This is no longer an isolated issue and States nationwide, need to enact stringent rules that includes showing picture ID to prove they are legally able to vote? Join the Tea Party and also ply your representatives in Washington, State or even local level for answers?
Contact them at Senate—202-224–3121/ House—202-225–3121.
NO Copyright. Copy & Paste. Distribute Freely
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
5:05 pm
Gone upstaris.
md
May 24th, 2011
5:13 pm
“Disagree, driving the market DOWN with cheap crap and lousy value is not the same as helping it UP with quality products, better values and higher wages to afford them.”
And as I said, there will always be “poor” due to numerous and various reasons……raising those costs will only hurt them…………..
josef nix
May 24th, 2011
5:16 pm
As much fun as this one is, upstairs is a riot!
Joe Mama
May 24th, 2011
5:23 pm
Doom — “Nope. I really don’t. If I see a number of people that can’t speak a word of English to the cashier than my reasonable assumption is that some of them are probably illegals.”
It would have made a lot of difference if you’d actually said that ‘apparently couldn’t understand the cashier’s English’ a few hours ago. That’s what makes me think that you fabricated the whole thing.
“Doesn’t mean I hate them or am bigoted against them or prejudiced against them or whatever- especially since I stated in my first or 2nd post today that I was pro immigration.”
I could state that I’m the Czar of all the Russias, but that wouldn’t make it true.
“I’ve had a lot of interaction with the Hispanic community over the years since I can speak Spanish and its just been my observation in knowing a good number of them that the ones that can’t speak a lick of English in their 20s and 30s in many times have tended to be illegals. If you have experience speaking with them and interacting with them you you tend to notice things like this. Its nothing more than observation and observed behavior. I’ve had a pretty good amount of interaction with them in my life in case you haven’t noticed.”
Your ‘reasonable racism’ concept is about as worthy of contempt as the ‘compassionate conservatism’ concept, IMO.
“Let me know when you are tired of beating this dead horse. I’m about done with it.”
There’s nothing making you respond to me, Cowboy.
Adam
May 24th, 2011
5:32 pm
Thulsa: Changing the goal posts with some or several? Whatever dude.
Do you see the difference?- Joe
Nope. I really don’t. If I see a number of people that can’t speak a word of English to the cashier than my reasonable assumption is that some of them are probably illegals
DISQUALIFIED from rational discussion, just like I keep saying.
Culinary School Parent
May 24th, 2011
6:00 pm
And I’m telling you as the mother of a 100% American chef that he is paying about all you can expect to get as a kitchen worker in the South. That includes many of the high end restaurants. Chefs are out of work that have the skill set and work ethic needed. There is absolutely no reason he would have to make drastic price increases.
Midori
May 24th, 2011
6:08 pm
are you guys watching those tornadoes touch down in Oklahoma?
Not Blind
May 24th, 2011
6:10 pm
What the dumb jerk restaurant owner has be doing by hiring illegals has been against the law long before HB87. He is part of the reason we have such a problem and he is the guy that needs to go to prison for breaking our laws. Wanna bet he also LOVES people that pay cash ?????????? How many other laws does he ignore?
RW-(the original)
May 24th, 2011
6:16 pm
This sure reads like Jay B was interviewing himself, but I guess I should mosey on upstairs.
Paulo977
May 24th, 2011
6:19 pm
joe suggs
“Illegals work these minimum wage jobs because they have to. Make them citizens and they will be on welfare,foodstamps,medicaid,publc housing etc.” !!!!!!!!!!!
Paulo977
May 24th, 2011
6:23 pm
How did joesuggs conclude that citizenship for illegals would land them into destitution?
Paulo977
May 24th, 2011
6:23 pm
Midori
Tornado touch down….
OMG , can only HOPE IT WONT BE TOO BAD1
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
6:27 pm
Joe Mama- Aaaaaah. So now I fabricated the whole thing. And you can prove that right sport?
“reasonable racism” concept- Aaaaaah. I knew I could count on the race card eventually coming out.
You could state that you’re the czar of Russia and it wouldn’t be true? Yep. You could also state that you are reasonable and rational and that wouldn’t be true either. Ditto for Adam.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2011
6:28 pm
Adam,
Your post is inane and of no consequence. Please try again.
Jay
May 24th, 2011
6:49 pm
Repent?
Pourquoi?
BADA BING
May 25th, 2011
12:22 am
If you can’t run a business by following the law, do you deserve to be in business? What about prostitution? Is it OK to pay for sex under this man’s reasoning? After all, some of these girls are just trying to make a better life for themselves. Sound familiar? (the standard immigration BS line).Let people sell drugs, hell, why not make everything legal? The prices will go down and we will all have fun.
Joe Mama
May 25th, 2011
9:15 am
Mr. Doom — “Joe Mama- Aaaaaah. So now I fabricated the whole thing.”
Didn’t say that, but it’s par for the course, you misrepresenting what others are saying. I quite clearly said that the way you approach this “makes me think that you fabricated the whole thing.” To borrow a phrase from you, work on your reading comprehension.
“And you can prove that right sport?”
Said the guy who can ‘just tell’ that people are illegals based on no more than how they look, what language they’re speaking and how they pay for their groceries at the store.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You’ve got a lot of nerve asking people to prove things they never said when you refuse to prove things you actually DID say.
“reasonable racism” concept- Aaaaaah. I knew I could count on the race card eventually coming out. ”
You are just too ridiculous. YOU were playing the race card ALL AFTERNOON.
You can’t possibly be racist because you speak Spanish.
You can’t possibly be racist because you’ve spent time in Central America.
You can’t possibly be racist because you saw this thing happen
You can’t possibly be racist because “reasonable people” agree with you.
You can’t possibly be racist because you have an excuse and justification for the racist things you say.
Puh LEEZE.
“You could state that you’re the czar of Russia and it wouldn’t be true? Yep. You could also state that you are reasonable and rational and that wouldn’t be true either. Ditto for Adam.”
You should talk, Mr. I Can Tell Who’s Illegal Just By Looking.
Francia Lindon
May 25th, 2011
9:56 am
HB87 was modeled after the Arizona Law. What is interesting about the Arizona law is that it was apparently largely written by a quasi-secret organization called the American Legislative Exchange Council. This organization has drafted hundreds of bills for the benefit of its ultra conservative members. One of its co-founders is Paul Weyrich. Weyrch is also a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation and Moral Majority. He is on video saying, “I don’t want everybody to vote. … Our leverage in elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.” But unless you’re a vetted like minded legislator and a member of the ALEC, you aren’t permitted to view the website, view legislative drafts, know who its members are or, most importantly, know its source of funding. So my questions are simple, how does adopting legislation from an unknown source outside Georgia subvert the basic concept of an open legislative process and who’s interests are being served?
For more information on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) go to: http://www.washingtonspectator.org/message.cfm?msg=0notsubs1&CGI_script_name=/articles/20110515alecinaction.cfm&PageName=%2Farticles%2F20110515alecinaction%2Ecfm
buck@gon
May 25th, 2011
11:12 am
Scrappy yesterday,
The problem isn’t gonig away, true; but neither are the illegals still crossing the border. One week ago, agents found 500 people being smuggled in two trucks! The government has hired new agents and finished some new fences, but trust me, the border is NOT secure. The government itself reports that crossings are down 58 percent. That’s not secure! AND reports have shown that federal agents are being told to avoid making arrests wherever possible to eschew having to add to the statistics. This is the tail wagging to dog.
One week ago, agents found 500 people being smuggled in two trucks!
Until the government can prove itself trustworthy, neither I nor the vast majority of Americans will agree with any supposed “path to ward of the state”….. um excuse me… “…to citizenship” that is.
I agree that we do need a path, as you say. What you also say, that nothing more can be done, we all know to be just not true.
Tyler Kent
May 25th, 2011
3:26 pm
Hey, restaurant owner, listen up: The federal government made it a criminal offense to hire illegal aliens way back in 1986. You obviously knowingly violated that law long before Georgia decided to enforce its own version of it. It is illegal to hire illegal aliens. Got it? You committed a crime knowingly. That’s your fault, and all of the consequences of that act are your fault, not the fault of the elected representatives of Georgia or the people who elected them.