Monday, April 6, 2009

Who Is Going To Rebuild America? An Open Letter to the President.

Dear Mr. President,

I hate to break it to you and the rest of the country but the people we have living and working here today are not going to rebuild this country no matter how much money we throw at it.

We are too soft, we are too old, we do not have the desire, the determination or the will to participate in the shovel ready projects that will change the look and the landscape of this country. Oh, one can hear the whining now. This is too hard. I am too smart for this kind of work. I have more skills than using a pick and shovel.

Am I being too hard on my fellow Americans?

I have been watching a neighbor of mine having his roof redone in the hot Florida sun. A crew of 12 laborers work for about 12-14 hours each day to get the roof repaired and re shingled. Very hot, heavy, somewhat dangerous at times, (falling off a roof qualifies), they worked efficiently, evenly, and with pride, finished and moved on to the next roof. Not one local person was on any of the shifts, doing any of the work.

This country has always been built up with waves of immigrant labor. From the early settlers, to Ellis island and so on, outsiders, always looking for opportunity concluding rightly that extra effort, financial expertise, politics, band together, work as one to gain a piece of the American dream.

Who settled the west? Who built the railroad tracks across the hot scorching plains, the challenging mountains, from sea to shining sea?

Yep, immigrant labor. Don't worry someone will do it, just won't be us.

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