I normally don’t watch Rock Center, but tonight they were covering the new immigration law in Alabama. I have to admit, I was hoping it would have been covered better. Karen Snow was the journalist covering the story and, for the most part, it was good. But she only covered one side and included a side that I thought was completely baseless and unrelated (a far stretch).
It began with her covering farmers and construction contractors and restaraunt owners which, understandably, would be the most affected by this new law. But as the story and Ms. Snow was interviewing a family who was here illegally somethings began to bother me. She stated that this family, which ran a bakery paid their taxes and they felt like the law was because the lawmakers where racist. Insert photos from 48 years ago of civil rights movement. And farmers are saying that this new law is killing their business and their livelyhoods. But here is my problem with that.
I live in Montgomery, the epicenter of the civil rights movement and capital of the state of Alabama, and I have not seen any of the local contractors, or restaraunts experiencing any backlash from the law. I don’t know about farmers. Also, when Snow stated the family paid their taxes, that did not make any sense. In order to pay taxes you have to have a social security number and to pay business taxes you have to have a Fed Tax ID. If they are indeed paying their taxes that would mean that this family is in fact LEGAL. So, did Snow let the real truth slip or did she make an ignorant statement?
Next, I live and bleed for this state and the small businesses that make it run. I will always support local businesses and farmers. BUT…..I do not agree with the farmers, contractors and restaraunt owners that employeed illegal workers, for several reasons. First, it is an accounting nightmare for CPA’s when tax time rolls around which is unfair to the CPA and their liscenses. Secondly, the fact that it became the culture to hire illegal workers because they could pay them less and not have taxes on them has led to the shortage of legal workers willing to work such demanding jobs. And never should have happened in the first place, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
And I don’t make that statment off cuff either. Most of my jobs coming up through high school and college and after were all manual labor. I worked for a window and door company that delivered to new constructed homes all year long. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. I would put in 10-12 hour days and sometimes work on weekends. I also worked as an electrician and put in long hard hours in all types of weather.
Lastly, just the sheer fact that Federal Law, FEDERAL LAW, states that it is UNLAWFUL to employee a person(s) that are not either citizens or have the proper documentation to work in the U.S. in the first place.
In closing, Alabama only trying to work to enforce a FEDERAL law that has not been enforced over the past 20 plus years. There are many COUNTRIES that have much, much more strick than that of the Alabama law.
That’s my thoughts on it. What about you?
God Bless
