THREE LITTLE PIGS
Once there was a mother pig who had three little pigs. She did not have enough to keep them, so she sent them out to seek their fortunes. The first little pig had not gone far when he met a man with a bundle of straw. The Little pig said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house." This the man did, and soon the little pig had built a house with it. Just after the house was built, along came a wolf. He knocked at the door of the little pig's house and called, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!" But the little pig answered, "No, no! Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" Then the wolf said, "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" So he huffed and he puffed until he blew the house in, and ate up that little pig.
The second little pig had not gone far when he met a man carrying a bundle of sticks on his shoulders. The little pig said to him, "Please, man, give me those sticks to build me a house." This the man did, and soon the little pig had built a house with them. Just after the house was built, along came the wolf. He knocked at the door of the little pig's house and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!" But the little pig answered, "No, no! Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" Then the wolf said, "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!" So he huffed and he puffed and he blew the house in, and ate up that little pig.
The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks. The little pig said to him, "Please, man, give me those bricks to build me a house." This the man did, and soon the little pig had built a house with them. Just after the house was built, along came the wolf. He knocked at the door of the little pig's house and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in!" But the little pig answered, "No, no! Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" Then the wolf said, "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in! So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he puffed and he huffed, and he huffed and he puffed, but he couldn't blow this third little pig's house down. When he found that with all his huffing and puffing he could not blow this little pig's house down. And the rest is history but wolf apparently makes good eats .
Now why the fairy tale? Because I live firmly in reality and in reality the housing market needs two things to make it work: Families who earn sufficient income to afford said housing. Two: People not pigs to build said housing.
On the heels of the Supreme Court ruling on SB 1070 in Arizona the repercussions are not yet fully realized. The entire law is hideous. Yes my company name Visa Verde is Spanish as without my Mexican/Latino workforce - yes some "illegal" - I would not have been able to do any of it. Their status in this country to me is not about documentation its about legitimization and when you put in a hard days work you should be remanded and respected for it. I paid my crews living wages and market wages This is the entry way into democracy and to participation in this country's due and fair process. We ignore the values of those in the invisible jobs until we realize they are not so invisible when not in said jobs. From building our homes to picking our foods we should remember who founded this country - Immigrants.
Below is an article from the Arizona Republic discussing what SB 1070 means to their economy. Its not just in Kansas anymore Toto.
fetter housing industry
by Catherine Reagor - Jun. 29, 2012 03:04 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Many in Arizona's homebuilding industry have been concerned about Senate Bill 1070 since it passed two years ago. Thousands of undocumented immigrants picked up stakes and left the state then, and many of those people worked in the construction industry.
The Supreme Court's ruling on Monday struck down three of the key parts of the law but validated the part that allows a law-enforcement officer to try to determine the immigration status of people stopped or arrested, if there's reasonable suspicion they are in the country illegally.
In 2010, the housing market had crashed, the nation was dealing with the effects of the recession and homebuilding in metro Phoenix had slowed to its lowest level in decades. But metro Phoenix's housing market is recovering. Homebuilding is picking back up, and more construction workers are needed. New-home permits are on track to reach 14,000 this year, double last year's pace. And many homebuilders are optimistic that demand for their houses will continue to steadily grow next year.
Michael IlesCremieux, vice president of land acquisitions at Scottsdale-based Meritage Homes Corp., said homebuilders have been talking about a potential labor shortage because of SB 1070 since 2010 and are beginning to see it. He said it would be unfortunate for the state's economy if demand for new homes continues to climb but builders can't keep up because of labor shortages.
Two to three jobs are created for every new house built, according to industry estimates. For more than 50 years, homebuilding has been one of Arizona's biggest economic drivers.
Most homebuilders hire subcontractors to build their houses. Both builders and subcontractors have long maintained they check workers' immigration papers. But they know papers can be faked, and some contractors might not be as vigilant as others.
Andy Warren, president of Scottsdale-based Maracay Homes, believes Arizona's homebuilding industry will have the workers needed to keep up with growing buyer demand. He said people from other parts of the U.S. will learn of job openings here and move for the work.
Also, when the building industry slowed, many of former construction workers stayed in Arizona and found other work. Ask employees at any Home Depot, and many will tell you they worked for subcontractors or had their own subcontracting business four or five years ago.
Whether what remains of SB 1070 keeps some needed construction workers out of Arizona won't be known for months. If new-home buyers have to wait a year after signing a contract before they can move in, that could be a sure sign.
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