The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo
The view from Corazon del Pueblo

The hereafter re me

My photo
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Musician, photographer, videographer, reporter, ex-officio teacher, now attempting to be a world traveler

Friday, June 17, 2011

I guess laws have their consequences....

So they passed a harsh and rigid anti-immigration law.... how's that working out for y'all?

From Peach Pundit (read the whole story)
Neither the Governor’s office nor the Agriculture Commissioner chose to speculate on whether the newly signed immigration reform bill was responsible for the sudden labor shortages, with the Governor’s office noting that it was already illegal to hire those in this country illegally before HB 87 was signed, and that a federal guest worker program exists so that farmers can legally hire foreign workers.
There are curious observations to note about the shortages with respect to basic laws of economics. Notably, a state with a 9.9% unemployment rate has crops rotting in the late spring sun for lack of available workers to pick them. Part of the problem is the location of the unemployed, as Dalton currently has the state’s highest unemployment rate, and the commute from Dalton to Baxley or Tifton wouldn’t exactly be cost effective at blueberry picking rates.
Yet, with the unemployment rate relatively high state wide, the reduction in supply of immigrant labor may be anecdotally proving that at least some labor supplied by undocumented workers is being done because the local supply of labor will not do the work at the prevailing wage.
 Ain't goin' too well for Alabama, either.

1 comment:

friseal said...

Reading the comments in the Alabama article is pretty depressing. Alabama can fall into a hole.