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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
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Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
August 21, 2009
24 Menachem-Av 5769
Cheating the Least Among Us
By
Suzanne Fields
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. Colonial Williamsburg is proud of its
tradesmen. You can see the carpenters walking out of the history books and
down the cobblestone streets, ready to talk to visitors about how they
hammered Williamsburg together, log by log, shingle by shingle, as if still
in the 18th century.
These tradesmen built new homes, smokehouses, dairies, barns.
They built additions and repaired old structures. Some were skilled
carpenters and bricklayers, others were just learning, but together they
raised rafters and roof beams, set door frames, laid floors with timber cut
from nearby trees.
The colonial wages were paid to the original Williamsburg
tradesmen in Spanish-milled dollars and doubloons (worth about $16). Money
was minted in Mexico and called "pillar dollars" because of its image of two
pillars flanking two globes reflecting the colonial version of a global
economy.
But all that was a long time ago. Today, the picture for
laborers who aren't in 18th century costume tells a different story. Many
arrive from Mexico without money of any kind. Immigrants from Mexico,
Central and South America are often the last hired and the most abused and
exploited. Their daily pay is the equivalent to what a "pillar dollar" would
be worth today.
In a boom economy, the rich like Bernie Madoff exploit
the rich. Hurt hardest in the current recession are the illegal immigrants,
mostly from Mexico, who are sometimes paid with checks that bounce. Their
employers figure they won't complain because they're illegal and are afraid
of being sent home. With many Americans and workers with green cards joining
the ranks of the unemployed, such victims don't garner a lot of sympathy,
but the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot uncovered a nest of nasty contractors taking
cruel advantage during the recession of those at the bottom of the economic
ladder penny-ante Bernie Madoffs trading in human labor.
No matter what you think about illegal immigration, a scam is a
scam. It lowers the morale of workers and the state of workmanship. "At the
end of the day, any human being who works is entitled to pay, regardless
whether they're documented or not," says Myra Creed, chairwoman of the
Hispanic Advisory Committee in Newport News, Va.
Who can argue with that? In Washington and the suburbs, day
workers line up for work on street corners, waiting for contractors to
collect them for delivery to a day's work. It's a legitimate custom, and the
employers are easy to identify. But in these parts of Virginia, hungry
immigrants hear about jobs through informal networks spread by word of
mouth. The vulnerable become even more vulnerable. Workers who threaten to
report employers for cheating them say they're threatened with exposure,
reported as illegal as though their status were unknown to the employers who
hired them.
Typical is Edgar Cardenos, an illegal immigrant from Nicaragua
who has been in this country for eight years. His wife is pregnant with
their second daughter, who will, of course, be an American citizen by virtue
of birth. He heard about an Outback Steakhouse in the neighborhood that was
paying $15 to build an addition to the building. He hurried to the parking
lot of the restaurant, saw a crew of men putting up dry wall, spackling
seams, creating a new ceiling and installing exterior siding. He was told he
could join them at $15 an hour. He put in two weeks' work and received a
check for one week. The contractor promised the rest later. The first check
bounced, the next one never arrived. The initial contractor said he hired a
subcontractor and paid off at his end. He was two steps away from the crime.
The subcontractor disappeared. Such employers are twice guilty first for
hiring illegals and then for cheating them of their pay.
This isn't a high-bucks Ponzi scheme, but low life cheating of
human labor. Wendy Inge, director of the Virginia Department of Labor and
Industry, told the Virginian-Pilot that when a worker complains, no one
investigates his immigration status. Nevertheless, cheated laborers are
afraid to complain lest they be sent home.
Cardenos has now applied for an income tax ID, though zero times
zero, as any child learning his multiplication tables can tell you, is still
zero. Cardenos does the kind of low-wage work that even in these tough times
others don't want to do. He now works at two painting jobs, putting in 16
hours a day.
"It's very difficult to (work) where you don't get paid," says
Cardenos. "I have a family to take care of."
Life is not fair we all know that. Bernie Madoff is living
the prison life, leaving his wife to survive on $6 million. But the
recession is "unfairer" to some than to others.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment on JWR contributor Suzanne Fields' column by clicking here.
Suzanne Fields Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate, Suzanne Fields
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