THE SCREWING OF AMERICA, VOL MXIX
Get Ready. You may think I've gone Left on You

The Tech Central piece regarding the ACORN people cheating their own workers I mentioned yesterday HERE needs further comment. Glenn Reynolds deserves a thank you for kicking me in the brain on this one.

I worked for one of the larger corporations in Southern California for about a year, ending in 2002. There were about 500 employees working in my area, most were under thirty five and at least half of those were Black and Hispanic females. Two to three mornings per week I'd join the mob at the "Roach Coach" for junk food and coffee and naturally we'd all shoot the shit about everything. In the course of a few months I got to know more than a few of the younger Black and Hispanic people and learned the following:

1. Almost all, meaning around thirty employees, worked a 29 hour week.

Why? Well, in California an employer doesn't have to cover part time employees with any benefits and the employees don't get covered by state disability or other employer contributing plans. And, AND the employee gets to work two to three other jobs in order to make decent money. Working three jobs builds self reliance.

I'm right wing. That doesn't mean I'm stupid and it doesn't mean I need a seeing eye ethics dog to get me through the moral thickets. I also realize that many people don't have the brains that God loaned to me. Many people don't have my coping skills. They don't know how to hustle every job with an opportunity for big dollars. They work two and three jobs to pull in a living wage. Many work two jobs and go to school. So much for the lazy "N" word and the "Siesta Mexicans". And wrong is wrong. This policy of hiring people on 29 hour weeks for the purpose of saving money on benefits is rampant in our country. It hides an "underground" economy. It produces a Medical Welfare Class of uninsured workers who would normally be covered. When these people get sick they have to go "on the county" (the general tax payer) when they shouldn't have to.

We, you and me, are paying the medical costs for these corporations and businesses. We are subsidizing these businesses that hire people at sub-standard wages. Those 30 or so people I used to speak with at the Roach Coach some mornings should have numbered twenty full timers who were covered with all benefits. Every corporation is doing it. Those that don't are at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to controlling costs. But all corporations should have to compete on the same playing field. No business should have an edge on "costs" by hiring people on 29 hour weeks. What this all boils down to is that what ACORN says they want isn't a bad thing. What ACORN practices in their own offices is another variation on what everybody is doing.

SCREWING AMERICA while the guys in Iraq fight for what's right.

Addendum in response to emails Not ONE 29 hour employee was white.