Mar 15 2007
I Might Have Hired An Undocumented Worker
Update: Well, to get this post back on track let me now add the details about the man I hired to do the work who could easily be an undocumented worker. He was courteous beyond reproach. He worked diligently and did all he could to let us live around his efforts. He called when he was coming and when he was not coming. And sadly for his family, he had to deal with one of his granddaughters being tested and a spot found on her liver. The man was a proud good man, an asset to our community. He was doing right by us and his family.
If he was an undocumented worker, and I don’t know one way or the other, then I am all for him staying as long has he repays any back taxes he owes. And he and the other nearly 1 million who could be here legally and causing no harm at all are not the issue or a priority for this country. As I pointed out in my previous post the hard right has no more voice on this issue – thankfully. And the math shows why. With a population that is over 5 times our current prison population we will not be brow beating these people into submission. We don’t have the resources. And I for one will not sanction one law enforcement hour being wasted on the likes of the man I hired for a few small jobs when we have people like Bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed actively trying to murder us. We do not have infinite resources and I do not have infinite patience with diversions. Never again will this country be held hostage to hot heads who want to chase workers without documents instead of terrorists with bombs. Because it is a trade off – we cannot do both. If that means letting inept liberals win elections for a while – oh well, that may be the price we pay to not get diverted. But when the right and their plans to redeploy our forces to the border compete with Murtha to redeploy our forces to Okinawa – this country is on a full spectrum slide down the tubes. – end update
So folks understand how much of a diversion trying to use punishment and force to deal with the illegal immigrant problem will be on our nation’s resources I offer myself up as an example. I might have hired an undocumented worker – I honestly don’t know one way or the other. This example will come in two parts. First I will tell my side, and then I will tell folks – later – what I know about the man who worked in my house for a good part of a week.
We needed some small work done inside our house. The twins had us scrambling for the last 7 years (not to mention the teenager graduating from high school and the one graduating from college). My parents live near us and since they are in their mid 80’s we spend a lot of our free time helping them out. I am not complaining, just setting the context. So we looked around for someone we could trust. We tried last year to get the outside of the house painted and we contracted with a guy who was working in a neighbor’s house and was highly recommended. Good ‘ol boy – true blue American.
He was also on the verge of financial ruin and took my $800 dollar deposit with him after he spent time power washing a good portion of the paint of the top eaves of my house. I have never found this jerk, but we were not going to repeat our mistake. So we found this older man from someplace south of the border who came highly recommended. His accent was thick so there was no doubt he was an immigrant. He asked for us to buy the materials and he would only charge us when he was done to our satisfaction. We broke the work up into stages to see how he did. He was great. He was not bonded or insured (and he wasn’t doing anything I could not fix myself). He was highly recommended and he proved to be as good as his reputation.
So the American (who was hiring immigrants to do the work for him anyway) that was bonded and insured ripped me off $800 dollars and the immigrant (legal or not – I still don’t know) did great work for a great price. Now I have no time or way to check the man’s status – something the Bush plan would put in place. But to be honest I would use him again because, as with all things in life, once you find someone who you trust and value you stick with them. Now, how much time should the Federal government spend on me and the guy who installed a few ceiling fans in my house while al Qaeda agents and sympathizers try to kill thousands of Americans? Folks know my answers. Next installment I will tell you what I learned of this man who worked in my house for a few days.
AJ, I accept your apology. At least you are man enough to give one.
I was trying to be helpful. I understand the anger that comes with being ripped off. I was ripped off by a “bad” painting contractor on some kitchen cabinets. He would not respond to my certified letters for returning my money so I sued him in small claims court (which cost me $40.00 to file). He claimed to the court that he did not have any money and begged the court to rule against me. The court ruled in my favor. But you can’t force someone to pay you so I went back to court and the court put a lien on any assets he may have had. That doesn’t do you any good unless they try to sell those assets, which he did. He tried to sell his property and I was notified by the title company that I had to sign a release, which I refused to do, blocking his sale of a tract of land (an $80,000 deal). I was then again contacted by the title company wanting to know how much I would accept to clear the lien. My court award was for $2,500.00. So I calculated the $2,500 by 10% interest (compounded) for six years. That is what he had to pay me to release the lien. It wasn’t the money that gave me satisfaction, it was the fact that a) this clown had to pay me b) it cost him a lot more for trying to stiff me and c) because of the judgement, I managed to put him out of business. I also added the cost of the ad I took out in our local paper with the particulars of the small claims suit which I ran for one week every month.
As I said before, never hire someone who wants a deposit up front. Legit contractors all know that they have to absorb some of the expense of a job before the first draw (pay check). That is just part of doing business.
R05,
Thanks man.