Vox

One Ringy Dingy

I was privy to a conference call with John Shadegg last night. I don't know if any of you have been in on this, though I assume you have. It seems to have been a random dial off of a GOP phone list, a computer tells you that you can join in to the call and either just listen or ask a question. I was intrigued so I stayed on the line to hear what he had to say - and of course I had to get my two cents in.

First, I have to say that I generally despise any sort of solicitation call - even from a party I support. However, I was thoroughly impressed with the technology and it would have been easy enough to hang up had I chosen not to participate.

Second, I was impressed not only with his willingness to answer the questions, but with the tone and presentation of those answers. He seemed to know his stuff - and when he didn't know the answer right off, he admitted it and promised to get back to the constituent. I am always impressed with someone who will say "I don't know" rather than try to fake it. He has a gift when it comes to speaking, and wasn't reduced to ah-ing and um-ing while he made his points.

Third, my question concerned the guest worker program, something he has openly supported. He knew I was against it and still took the question.

I made the point (which I have many times) that it is incongruous to be paying out so much in unemployment claims, to fork over so much in welfare, to hear over and over how the economy has put so many people out of work...and then claim we have some need to import workers across the border to fill jobs that would otherwise remain unfilled. I asked if it might make sense to include a provision that would require any state participating in a guest worker program to forgo unemployment benefits.

He said he constantly hears from certain industries that they can't stay in business without the illegal labor pool because no one else will do the work (well, why would they if we pay them to sit at home?) He specifically mentioned construction where he has been told 40% of their labor pool is illegal. I have friends in the construction field who have seen the work dry up in this state, and are having trouble finding employment, I can tell you that there is a legal labor pool waiting for those jobs.

I mentioned that my company paid out over $95,000 in unemployment premiums in 2007 (that may have been 2006 numbers) and our labor pool is largely unskilled, exactly the type of worker a guest worker program would import. He said he hadn't heard numbers like that before and asked me to forward them to his office, and I think he may have been sincere in his curiosity.

However, I previously sent letters with all of that info to all of Arizona's representatives at the federal level and my representatives at the state level, to which I received form letters in reply - most of which seemed to have only the most tenuous connection to what I wrote. I realize they were handled by staffers who are probably burned out on the whole immigration thing, but that is their job. The least they could have done was read the letter to determine not just what it concerned ("immigration? check, send out the immigration form letter stating our position") but what part of the issue I specifically addressed - and what side I was on.

All in all, the call was a good experience and I recommend participating if you get the chance. It was interesting to hear what other people felt compelled to ask - and nice to hear him answer directly.

Posted by Vox at May 13, 2008 06:20 PM | politics