Standing on the Edge

[native]

Re: buisness, for such a long time, when new housing was going strong, fewer people were doing home rennovations. That and the ridiculous illegal labor situation put me in a terrible situation financially (because I would not hire illegal). That is when I decided to become a home inspector. People are always buying and selling homes right ?

Well, then comes the slowdown in the housing market, with a start up buisness. So I was pretty much dead in the water for almost two years trying to make a living from both buisnesses.

So I have some terrible mixed feelings about all the bankers, brokers, contractors who have lost their jobs now and are struggling.

While I was struggling (and lost my wife in part due to the financial situation), no one seemed to be concerned that my buisness was being negativly affected by illegal labor. No one really understood what it was like to effectively be stripped of your livelyhood....and loose your family to boot.

So now all the folks who rationalized how much we needed the cheap labor which partially replaced me are losing their cushy jobs.....well, its hard for me to feel too much pity.

You would have to have been in my situation to appreciate how every rationalization for illegal labor made by people whose jobs were at that time secure angered me..

All I could think was that the only way they would possibly understand was if it would happen to them.

They may not be losing their jobs for quite the same reason, but their rationalizations helped put me, and any honest, native, skilled trades people on slippery financial ground for several years.

The little surge in buisness I am experiencing now in no way makes up for the lost buisness over the last 10 yrs.

And it cannot be compared to the salaries of the guys losing jobs now....