Good Bye, Congressman Jim Kolbe

November 25, 2005 | Bob Haran

[EternalVigilance]

Thousands come across every night.

Do the math.

Travel the country a little. They're everywhere.

Nobody knows the true number. But it's ALOT more than 11 million.

[elcid1970]

If you call Graham's office to disagree, they want to know

Your full name (no initials!)

Your address & zip code

Your telephone number

Your email address

Don't his staffers have caller ID?

[Mase]

I am an example of your construction figures

You're in a high growth industry offering wages that are rising faster than inflation. Why all the gloom?

That you can't offer any facts to back up your assertions leads me to believe that your comments refelct more on your personal situation than on any fundamental problems with our economy.

[jmaroneps37]

Maybe the Mexican burglars wearing his clothes and eating his food as their special way to show their appreciation for all he has done for them finally got old Kolbe down.

[Lancey Howard]

I agree... Hallelujah!
It sounds like the Republican voters in Kolbe's district have a chance to elect a genuine conservative Republican. Lucky! I live in former Congressman Jim Greenwood's district and all we could manage here was to elect a Jim Greenwood II by the name of Mike Fitzpatrick. What an incredible disappointment that turned out to be.

[Toddsterpatriot]

I realized what I was debating with and figured it was not worth it.

With the facts on my side, it would be hard for an Oprah type like you to debate me. I was happy to educate you. Let me know when you want some more.

[sit-rep]

Unbelievable...

Okay, you guys win... The country is aboom because of your stats... Have a nice day. I'll go count my blessings that wages are rising...then maybe some major construction projects will hit the area and I go back to work for my employer who has twenty some other veteran tile layers layed off...

I do commercial and residential construction when I'm laid off in the union. I put food on the table and pay the bills like a good daddy of three and a stay at home mom... I don't give a rip what your backdrop says. All I know is Detroit blew the chances to put in some huge Casinos(3) and hotels(7) for our superbowl this year. they blew it...and the state blew it.

Now you'll most likely follow additional talking points and blame unions. Let me just give you a thumbnail sketch of my union job before you do...

You know the size of a bathroom in your typical 4Star hotel? We have to tile 4 of those a day or we are sitting at home. It is worth, and I'm talking an honest days work for an honest buck. One man, me and the other journeymen, must tile 4 bathrooms a day each, for our 28 bucks an hour. Now, if you worked with your back, you would appreciate my grievance here. The mexicans are doing this for a 1/4 of the wage around this country and they are not doing as much as we do...

One last thing and then I'll head out leaving you the win... When it comes time for these neighboring countries to start buying from us becasue now that their economy has grown, they have money now, since they all have the manufacturing abilities now, what is it they will buy from us tomorrow?

[Mase]

Now you'll most likely follow additional talking points and blame unions

From what I know about Michigan, I'd blame your politicians first and foremost.

The mexicans are doing this for a 1/4 of the wage around this country and they are not doing as much as we do...

Maybe you should move to Florida. I just had my house remodeled and the most difficult contractor to find was a tile installer. The good ones have more work than they can manage and they make lots of promises they can't keep because they're trying to juggle several jobs at once. We finally found a guy who knew what he was doing that only had one other job going at the time. He worked mornings at my house and afternoons at his other job. A three week job (his estimate) required six weeks to complete because he took on other jobs while doing mine.

My experience is the rule, not the exception. My tiler regularly complained he couldn't find or keep helpers. He pays them $20-$25 an hour. Don't even ask what he made. Illegals have had no impact on rates here. These guys are busy and making big money.

..they have money now, since they all have the manufacturing abilities now, what is it they will buy from us tomorrow?

All that gloom is making you irrational. We manufacture and export more now than at any other time in our history.

[GBA]

I wonder about Grahm myself, but I can't hold his age and marital status up as any sort of proof. Alas, I'm in my 40s and never been married, but I would love to be...with the right woman, of course. I may be a bit picky and don't get out as much as I should, but I am 100% heterosexual and do not find men attractive in any way.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Now, if you worked with your back, you would appreciate my grievance here. The mexicans are doing this for a 1/4 of the wage around this country and they are not doing as much as we do..."

My dad who has been in the tile business almost 50 years now at 74 years of age lays that much tile in a day (him and his sidekick) for a hell of a lot less that 28 bucks an hour. But of course he isn't nor ever wants to be in a union.

But, he is fairly well of and has been for some time, mainly because he never wasted much money and figured out how to live comfortably without being in debt up to his eyeballs.

[sit-rep]

That's his fault. You tellin me that I am supposed to price your typical Jacuzzi deck tub, with a three or four step deck, about 2-300 square feet of floor space, across the bath is a steam room...you get the picture... I'm supposed to bid this at around 15 0r 20 bucks an hour? When the builder or home owner can sell it for 30 grand?

If your old man did as good as you say, he probably has a little money in the bank, or, his 72 year old situation, has him out there working and the only way to get the jobs is to bid them dirt cheap... which totally screws the market.

I can get a good price for my work. But folks are so greedy, that they want to hire cheaper and cheaper labor, so instead of making 100,000 on the building of that big house, they can make 200,000. As they make more and more, my wages are supposed to be less and less... instead of slowly following the margins selling market. makes a whole lotta sense pal... And rest assured, even though guys like your dad are still doing it "for a lot less" than 28 bucks an hour, the owner of the company or house, is not selling their end short.

I'd like to see him do 4 bathrooms a day...

[B4Ranch]

"We manufacture and export more now than at any other time in our history."

We manufacture and export more plastic, not steel, ......

[Mad Dawgg]

"I'd like to see him do 4 bathrooms a day..."

He's done much more we once did an entire hospital cafeteria, floor, walls in the kitchen and counter top set in 12 hours including trim, Grouted one day later after it all set in good. Three of us. The cafeteria seats 150 people.

He is good, the State of Ohio had him restore the original Mozaics in the Great Seal of Ohio in the floor of the First Capital building in Chillicothe Ohio years back. It was a big retoration project done by the historical society the job wasn't bid out because it was done by historians and such they picked dad from a very short list of tile mechanics. He wasn't even aware he was up for the job they just called him and said what it paid ( which was serious money) and that he would be working with a professional restoration specialist who basicaly watched him work and help him consult sketches and photos to make sure the seal was as close to original as they could get.

[vox_freedom]

Perhaps we could get back on topic, that being Rep. Kolbe's voluntary departure from Congress while facing a likely challenge from someone more suited to the District he represents.
Good riddance, Rep. Kolbe!

[sit-rep]

and said what it paid ( which was serious money) and that he would be

If this is true, then he is making more than than you say he is today...he might show on the books that he pays himself 15 bucks an hour, but he also reaps the benefits of the profits his company made. But if he is out there with his talent, doing work for only wages, then something is wrong with this picture.

[Toddsterpatriot]

From what I know about Michigan, I'd blame your politicians first and foremost.

State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings

Series Catalog:

Series ID : SMS2600000000000001

Seasonally Adjusted
Data Type : All Employees, In Thousands
State : Michigan
Area : Statewide
Supersector : Total Nonfarm
Industry : Total Nonfarm
Benchmark Year : 2004

Data:

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Ann
1995	4219.3	4237.5	4252.1	4255.6	4262.3	4273.3	4269.2	4283.8	4302.7	4300.2	4301.1	4329.3
1996	4325.0	4336.0	4322.9	4328.0	4345.3	4360.9	4352.4	4376.4	4380.8	4391.9	4403.6	4406.5
1997	4417.3	4418.9	4434.7	4432.9	4444.6	4435.6	4448.8	4454.4	4467.9	4471.0	4469.6	4480.8
1998	4508.2	4506.0	4498.4	4515.4	4517.0	4510.8	4440.7	4505.0	4512.4	4529.3	4535.9	4542.4
1999	4533.1	4547.6	4550.8	4569.4	4571.9	4574.9	4594.4	4590.2	4594.7	4604.8	4614.9	4631.6
2000	4656.0	4660.7	4668.8	4684.7	4683.2	4687.5	4682.0	4674.2	4671.6	4676.1	4674.2	4664.2
2001	4596.7	4604.3	4597.8	4588.4	4576.3	4576.8	4555.5	4550.4	4529.8	4505.6	4495.6	4489.3
2002	4476.6	4483.3	4480.7	4473.7	4477.0	4481.7	4483.8	4487.3	4481.8	4473.7	4470.0	4459.1
2003	4442.7	4430.0	4415.0	4404.7	4417.7	4416.8	4373.3	4392.8	4402.4	4411.0	4403.6	4401.9
2004	4396.2	4394.8	4393.8	4408.7	4399.7	4387.6	4373.0	4399.2	4399.0	4398.2	4390.1	4386.8
2005	4376.2	4387.1	4368.1	4380.2	4369.0	4363.9	4342.2	4352.7	4362.5	4348.4(p)

p : Preliminary

 

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Yeah, Michigan only created 129,100 jobs (3%) since Jan 1995. The entire country created 17,983,000 (14.4%) since Jan 1995. There might be a worse state for jobs than Michigan, but I doubt it.

[Mad Dawgg]

If this is true, then he is making more than than you say he is today...he might show on the books that he pays himself 15 bucks an hour...

See the Ohio Seal Job wasn't a negotiation on work and such they called with a price and he took it because it was impossible to estimate before how much time and material was needed he had to go in and test the tiles still on the floor to see if the needed removed and cleaned, and hen start the process of preparing the sub-floor and such. the tile he was redoing was over 100 years old so it was delicate work. As far as pay per hour, our main Mechanic works at under 12 bucks and hour Dad has worked for years at low wages he just figured out a long time ago that its not how much you make but what you do with it that counts.

We have a waiting list of people who want us to do their work. None of us in the business makes a lot of cash from it because we don't have to and we don't want to give a bunch of money to the government in payroll taxes. My Dad loves the work and the business and does it for enjoyment rather than big profits. We have four building contractors in the area who we work with all with good work records we do all their work.

A new contractor moved into the area last year using foreign labor he is about out of business already. He is in the middle of two lawsuits for non performance and shoddy work.

We live a much different lifestyle than most folks. We never buy new cars or expensive houses, we find deals and either fix them up or hire it done.

[Theodore R.]

I had not heard that Kolbe is retiring, but I believe that he would have been renominated and reelected had he chosen to run in 2006. AZ voters tend to stick with House incumbents no matter what -- just like most voters in other states do. I wonder if Kolbe will run a "stand-in" to represent his brand of liberal Republicanism?

[sit-rep]

my man...your top mechanic is making $480 a week before taxes? I can fully understand why you have a waiting list of contractors wanting your services. And it does not bother you guys that the people you are doing the work for are making 3 to 10 times as much off your work than you did? we are not talking about some shlep on an assembly line somewhere, we are talking about a heavily skilled trade here. I am shocked that a man is comfortable doing the work that he does and brings home 300 bucks and change a week... Sure, you may not need it, but why the hell give it to someone else??

[JohnnyZ]

All I know is Detroit blew the chances

Certain areas of the country, or industries, or states, are struggling, and Michigan is right up at the top. I have plenty of family there and several have difficulty staying employed in solvent companies or finding enough (plumbing, etc) work.

But it's largely a Michigan thing. Other parts of the country -- the Sun Belt, for example -- are booming, big time. Home values are rising, construction everywhere, population growing, etc etc. Lots of jobs in car manufacturing, finance, biotech, and everything else under the sun. Michigan is just tethered to the incompetent Big Three, a union culture, and economically hostile government.

That's not NAFTA's fault.

If you can, move South and set up shop. Economic opportunity abounds in places that aren't always looking backward.

And please, we both know Detroit is a hole. Expect that city to do anything economically and you'll be waiting a loooooong time.