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I know this. I worked as a carpenter from '77 to '93. First in Denver (3 yrs) and then in the small mountain town I now live in. I had back and neck problems and got out for a while to pursue other things. In '94 there were no illegals here at all. I came back from Abq,NM in '95 and there were a fair number of illegals in construction here. Now most jobs in construction, food service and motels are held by illegals. They occupy dwellings at 2-3Xs the legal code. Their wages go a long way doing that.

Wages are the same or lower than they were twenty years ago. Housing costs are more than 200% higher due to the retirement/tourist aspects of town. I couldn't live in this town on $15 or even $20 per hour.

My pain problems are manageable now but I can't surmount the ecomic problem. Many of my friends in the trades have left. Citizens do not get a break on zoning codes even if they wanted to bunk up with two other families.

Another friend has become a contractor and works by himself or with one employee. When he advertised his business the only calls he got were from people looking to place illegals. He gets his work word of mouth and makes ends meet but even as a contractor he can only charge $25 p.hr. for his own labor. I was making $15 on-the-books in '86. A hired carpenter should be making at least $35 now. The national average was $45 in the mid-eighties.

Being a small mountain town wages here have always been about 20% lower than in Denver but I doubt a carpenter there makes much more than $20 today. I don't really know. I do know that in '93 a contractor hired me for a few days work at $15. I was getting ready to go to Abq. to go to attend an herbal medicine school and this contractor mentioned that he had a big project there. I told him that was great because I would like to pick up some work while I was there. He said "Can't do it. I can't pay you as much there because the illegals there keep wages down." You can bet I didn't want that since I was working well below the average in CO already.

I guess Bush is right; carpentry is a job I won't do. Not for 50% less than it ought to pay. Maybe I should drop my namby pamby principles and go hire twenty illegals to work for me and sit back and pocket what ought to go for their withholdings. Not that the developers are paying enough to cover that. There is nothing out there to stop me.