Los Angeles (Riverside, Glendale, Pasadena: construction, minimum wage, to live in)

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by dusesean1986

They really harrass people. They stand there with hands in their pockets and talk to their amigos at home depot all day long until they are picked up by an employeer. Do you mean when they rush an employeers car looking for work? It's called desperation for wages. They are a menace to society.

Oh really--I guess that guy who tried to rip my damned door off a few months ago was just "standing there with hands in their pockets". And what's this I hear an illegal day laborer group is actually trying to get a MINIMUM WAGE OF $15 AN HOUR up in Ventura area? Was that my imagination as well?

Yeah, I HAVE been "rushed", especially if I had some sod, etc., in the back of my truck. Yeah, how gauche--pickup truck--I know all you guys in MB wouldn't be caught dead in one, let alone actually USE it to (gasp!) HAUL something.

[Amavel]

After reading through this thread, am I off by assuming that the cutoffs between classes are quite different in Southern California than in other areas of the country? For example, I've heard people reference combined income of about 50k and stating that they are "middle class and struggling". Well, it's quite obvious you can't live comfortably in Socal on that much, but how misleading is it to state that income of 50k is near "middle class".. if near at all?

If I were to distribute the SoCal income bracket among classes, this is my approximation:

< 50k - Lower class
50k-70k - Lower-middle class
70k-90k - Middle class
90k-125k - Upper-middle class
> 125k - Upper class

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by Amavel

After reading through this thread, am I off by assuming that the cutoffs between classes are quite different in Southern California than in other areas of the country? For example, I've heard people reference combined income of about 50k and stating that they are "middle class and struggling". Well, it's quite obvious you can't live comfortably in Socal on that much, but how misleading is it to state that income of 50k is near "middle class".. if near at all?

If I were to distribute the SoCal income bracket among classes, this is my approximation:

< 50k - Lower class
50k-70k - Lower-middle class
70k-90k - Middle class
90k-125k - Upper-middle class
> 125k - Upper class

I would barely call 80-100K "middle class" by LA standards considering it takes an income of nearly 120K to buy the average home in LA or OC.

[dusesean1986]

[quote=OCCASparky;238785]Oh really--I guess that guy who tried to rip my damned door off a few months ago was just "standing there with hands in their pockets". And what's this I hear an illegal day laborer group is actually trying to get a MINIMUM WAGE OF $15 AN HOUR up in Ventura area? Was that my imagination as well?
QUOTE]

It's called, "I want work amigo." I'd rip someone's door off to.

I know a guy who is illegal and hasn't gotten paid from his employer in the last couple months, but he continues to work for the guy. Your basis of thinking is an isolated incident, which is a poor claim.

Yeah in MB, we hate dirt, it gets our rich pants dirty, but no worries our mommies wash them for us.

Where do you live, considering you have such a detailed map of my city in your brain capacity.

[OCCASparky]

[quote=dusesean1986;239256]

Originally Posted by OCCASparky

Oh really--I guess that guy who tried to rip my damned door off a few months ago was just "standing there with hands in their pockets". And what's this I hear an illegal day laborer group is actually trying to get a MINIMUM WAGE OF $15 AN HOUR up in Ventura area? Was that my imagination as well?
QUOTE]

It's called, "I want work amigo." I'd rip someone's door off to.

I know a guy who is illegal and hasn't gotten paid from his employer in the last couple months, but he continues to work for the guy. Your basis of thinking is an isolated incident, which is a poor claim.

Yeah in MB, we hate dirt, it gets our rich pants dirty, but no worries our mommies wash them for us.

Where do you live, considering you have such a detailed map of my city in your brain capacity.

<laughs>...typical South Bay resident..."my city".

FWIW, until 3 months ago I lived in LA and OC--from as "ghetto" as Gardena and Inglewood to Hermosa and Huntington Beach. My job made it necessary to travel throughout the LA basin--I put 90K miles on my car in less than two years before I left.

YOUR city? I said it before, and I'll say it again--what an arrogrant pompous ass.

And I guess you'd justify ANYTHING an illegal does, cause you're such a bleeding heart liberal you'd give the shirt off your back, as long as they don't move in next door to you and drive your property values down, right?

[dusesean1986]

Arrogant, pompous ass-probably not a positive way of referring to those who you debate with...
My city-I'm a little unsure of how this is being cocky? Manhattan Beach is its own city within Los Angeles County. I'm a registered Republican, not a bleeding heart Liberal...I stick up for people legal or illegal.

[dusesean1986]

Well, Sparky, I'm going to end this. I will not speak to you again in any of the forums and threads. I'm holding a one man truce.

[looking4home]

Sparky, yes, you are correct about the "minimum wage" thing. My sister lives in south OC and she told me a few weeks ago about how all the illegal laborers in that area got together and decided to use their collective clout and informally "unionize" themselves by only accepting jobs at a certain wage. You gotta give them credit for doing that - they probably have been stiffed a lot, and really taken advantage of by snobby, nouveau riche OC types. Illegal or not, I could never treat anyone the way I've seen some of them treated by their so-called "employers".

But this may backfire on them, as many in So Cal "tolerate" their presence there just so they can use them as slave labor. If that goes, then what? I know many gringos, or at least legal laborers, who will gladly work for $15 an hr. And usually do a better job, too. Illegals are often very willing, but not often very skilled.

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by dusesean1986

Arrogant, pompous ass-probably not a positive way of referring to those who you debate with...
My city-I'm a little unsure of how this is being cocky? Manhattan Beach is its own city within Los Angeles County. I'm a registered Republican, not a bleeding heart Liberal...I stick up for people legal or illegal.

Neither is your condescending know-it-all attitude.

And as long as you make stupid comments, I'll point them out. Respond to them or not, that's your choice.

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by looking4home

Sparky, yes, you are correct about the "minimum wage" thing. My sister lives in south OC and she told me a few weeks ago about how all the illegal laborers in that area got together and decided to use their collective clout and informally "unionize" themselves by only accepting jobs at a certain wage. You gotta give them credit for doing that - they probably have been stiffed a lot, and really taken advantage of by snobby, nouveau riche OC types. Illegal or not, I could never treat anyone the way I've seen some of them treated by their so-called "employers".

But this may backfire on them, as many in So Cal "tolerate" their presence there just so they can use them as slave labor. If that goes, then what? I know many gringos, or at least legal laborers, who will gladly work for $15 an hr. And usually do a better job, too. Illegals are often very willing, but not often very skilled.

You know what we'll have then? A bunch of unemployable illegals leeching off the system and ANOTHER wave of illegals coming in willing to work for dirt.

IOW, they're compounding the problem. Now to be realistic, I know we have neither the political will nor the financial resources to deport 20 million people. If we could simply ascertain whether or not they are here with legitimate versus nefarious purposes in mind, then we'd narrow our focus to the ones who are here simply to suck off the teat of the state and wreak havoc.

To that end, it's a two-pronged effort on the state and federal levels. The federal government is charged with enforcing and securing the borders--fine. Let them do that. Keep new folks from coming in. No more anchor babies, etc. You drop a kid in the US--fine. They're a citizen, you're not, back to your country of origin you go.

The STATES, OTOH, have an obligation to shut off the flow of benefits to illegals--licenses, college tuition, all but the most essential medical services, schools, welfare, etc. This will cause those here to go home and come back THE LEGAL WAY, of which I'm all in favor.

There is a lot more to achieving those goals, of course, but you get the idea that it's a start.