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I had an experience yesterday which seems to be symbolic of the situation we face. Yesterday I had my roof replaced, and the entire crew of five or six were Hispanic. The ONLY one who could speak English - and not very well - was the lead man.

Nonetheless, they worked hard, seemed organized, and put in a 14-hour day, working from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm, finishing just before dark. As far as I can tell, they did a good job - the roof looks fine.

The job will cost about $16,000, but I will bet that the workers get less than a fourth of that, nor did the company pay for a Honey Bucket for the workers.

Probably another fourth will go to materials and the rental of a dumpster.

That leaves $6,000-$8,000 (or more) for the estimator (who was at the house for less than an hour), the project manager (who never came to the site), office staff, ownership, and general overhead. Thus we can see what a bonanza this cheap labor is for the companies.

Meanwhile (I live in the Seattle area, north of the city), the region is teeming with the homeless, many of them addicts, and most of them native-born whites. Among the native born, there is a crisis of confidence, a demoralization, a loss of spirit and purpose. How this all came about, I don't know, but I think the author has hit on some of it.