Construction Project - The Illegals

Rather than go through the aggravation of moving - again - I decided to build a bedroom and bath upstairs in our "garden home."

We had downsized from a larger home with a pool more than 10 years ago, when we thought our kids were independent and we didn't need to maintain a large home.

Long story -- and huge mistake?

Although I had done the contracting myself when I built our last house, I hired a contractor to build this addition. Since Hurricane Katrina, it is nearly impossible for an individual to get the subs required to do such a project in a timely manner.

As always, I find myself interested in the people who are doing this very hard work.

The frame carpenters are probably undocumented workers from Mexico (Don't ask, don't tell.) I say that because a majority of the actual workers who do the framing, roofing, etc. are Hispanic, but there are also people from Peru, Nicauragua and who knows where else.

Certainly, the issue of illegal immigration is a major one, particularly in this political season. However, it seems so complicated and I don't see anything clear cut about any of it.

In Louisiana, we have had masses of people on welfare for generations. The problem has been so enormous for so long that there are not enough state employees to investigate the welfare rolls or the system. Millions of able-bodied people here have lived off the state their whole lives and they actually believe they are entitled to do so, as if they had inherited the right from their ancestors.

Hurricane Katrina threw a major wrench into this culture of career welfare recipients but many probably managed to get in the system in another part of the state or in another state. - Again, too much to investigate and not enough resources to look at the individual cases.

[Even before Katrina, there were far too many welfare recipients working full-time, often in good-paying construction jobs, but getting paid under the table. That seems to be a common practice here.]

As volunteers were coming from around the world to help with recovery efforts following Katrina, many of the "victims" wanted to continue with the old life - that of being chronically dependent - rather than jumping in and helping. There was certainly plenty of work for anyone who wanted to work, including paid jobs. But these are the same people who would not consider working for minimum wage.

As a man once told me, "The government should take care of us. Working should be an option." He was a black man, proud of his status as a career welfare recipient.

But the people who have done the most to rebuild New Orleans and the people who do most of the building here are the illegals. NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT. NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT AS WELL OR AS QUICKLY.

The illegals are willing to work 12-14 hours a day, seven days a week for less money than Americans. They are seen on Saturday morning at the Post Office sending Money Orders to their families. On Sunday they go to Wal-Mart to buy their supplies for the week. Groups of 8 to 12 men, more or less, often share a single room and sleep on the floor. They don't need much more, I guess, because they are working most of the time. Usually, at least one knows some cursory English and communicates with contractors and others. Most of their families are in the home country.

I sympathize with them. - Not long ago, one of these groups of hard-working illegals was gunned down in the room they shared in Baton Rouge. Robbery was probably the motive. Maybe it was a Friday night and they had cash because they hadn't yet bought the Money Orders.

Some American workers feel cheated by the illegals because they can't compete with the low wages the illegals are willing to work for. They also have difficulty competing with the work ethic.

In general, I don't believe in discrimination. However, there is one exception: I do think there should be discrimination against the LAZY.

One more plus for the Mexicans is that they act like professionals, they are very respectful, they don't ask to use the bathroom, and they don't spit on my patio every time they walk out the door.