"If you say, 'That Mexican took my job,' then you probably weren't worth a good goddamn to begin with." -- Larry Wachs 2005
Larry Wachs' job has been taken by Mexicans. Well they didn't exactly take it, but they got him fired from it. If you're one of my couple of readers from outside the Atlanta area the Regular Guys, featuring Larry Wachs (pronounced "wax") and Eric Von Haessler, was a top-rated morning show for men 18-34 and 25-54 on Atlanta's 96 Rock. They were fired after six successful years in 2004 after the word "fuck" was accidentally aired during a bit with a porn star following the FCC/Janet Jackson tit controversy. Now they're out again.
Larry has posted background and his response to events here. Basically, during the nationwide Hispanic boycotts of six months ago, the Regular Guys invited Viva 105.7's Mexican morning show hosts Yogi and Panda onto their show for a debate on the issue, and the two bears still harbored ill feelings about some of the Regular Guys' jokes as well as the occassional remarks they've made since. The end result has been lawsuits filed by Yogi and Panda against Clear Channel and Larry Wachs (I thought I read a criminal charge was in there somewhere, as well). This is all racially-based as Y&P say they must do it for "the honor of our nationality" or something like that.
More than one commenter on Rodney Ho's Atlanta Journal-Constitution radio blog made the excellent point that this is beyond another edgy morning show getting clubbed for pushing the envelope, this is a sign of the times in America. The English-speaking show is off the air because the Spanish-speaking show says so.
Back around 2003 or 2004 Tom Brokaw read a statistic on the NBC Nightly News that the Atlanta area had seen the largest percentage increase of Hispanics anywhere in the country in the past decade, including Los Angeles, New Mexico and Texas; about 800,000+ people as I recall. (Since the Atlanta population is around 4 million this is significant, and those are just the documented ones.)
When I visited a friend in Los Angeles in 1997 I was sure half of the city was Mexican (and it is!). Now, nine years later, Atlanta has areas where the signs are all-Spanish and it seems we've nearly closed the gap with L.A. for Hispanics. It brought it home when I stopped in a Peachtree Industrial McDonald's one morning and realized whether behind the counter or in the booths, I was the ONLY white guy in there! I've quietly tittered with amusement to hear my black co-workers (Atlanta, the town that coined the phrase "Chocolate City") complaining about Mexicans.
I also clearly recall a famous talk show caller, Wayne the Painter, telling Mike Rose on his old show that, "My uncle raised nine kids as a bricklayer. That isn't there anymore." Wayne said he closed his painting business because he couldn't compete with businesses that hired illegals and he refused to participate. The usual conservative talk host response at the time was to laugh, chortle and guffaw, and that's what Mike n' crew did. How about the old Sean Hannity 1995 lines, "These people are here to work. They've floated in on innertubes for an opportunity to work. They're not on welfare." I don't encounter many conservatives in the mood to hear that garbage now.
Of course, the Regular Guys, being big Bush-boosters themselves (and that's why I haven't listened to them much since their 2004 return), maybe they should have excercised more forethought and "personal responsibility." It's a real bellylaugh to read Eric Von Haessler's open letter to Rodney Ho bemoaning what an evil company Clear Channel is when he used to mock those who complained about, "THE CORPORATIONS?!" (Now you know what the rest of us knew a long time ago, Eric! When are you coming to a Cobb Democrats breakfast?)
But again, it's a sign of the times. When all of the signs are finally in Spanish and the national anthem is played by a mariachi band we'll realize, like the Regular Guys, we should have excercised more forethought and personal responsibility.
It paints a very frightening portrait of just how out of hand immigration has gotten. I finished it last night and couldn't sleep; I wanted to drive to the US/Mexican border and lend a hand building the new fence.
I live in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood as you well know, and I'm appalled at how the quality of life in the neighborhood has declined. Property values are being hammered into the ground because a dilapidated home with a sagging roof constitutes a huge improvement for a houseful of immigrants. Meanwhile, families who have meticulously maintained their homes for generations see their property values plummet.
All the store signage is in Spanish...people drive horrendously because they can't read the English traffic signs...children attend public school but their parents cannot or will not speak English to them at home.
God, I could go on and on. I heard the greatest point on the radio the other day. An pro-immigration spokesperson (an attorney) spoke against "The Fence" claiming it will keep out people who are willing to do the jobs Americans won't do. Same old song and dance...
A caller wondered if the attorney would change their tune if all of a sudden, a million lawyers crossed the border illegally. It's apparently okay for illegals to take jobs from Americas under-educated, low-skilled workers, just as long as the prestigious positions remain relegated to the Elite.
Great post.
For instance my pal Bill does maintenance for an office building downtown. He said when he started, the guys who repel down the sides of buildings washing windows were making $40,000 a year. He said within a year's time those jobs were completely taken over by Mexicans who did it for $7.50 an hour! And people with plush office jobs don't understand that if the window washer is suddenly working for 1/4 the money, they can't be far behind!
Actually I like Pat Buchannan, from what little I know of him. I read about him in Time and have never understood the widespread hatred for him. I think he's pro-Union, too.
Although today I saw the upside of some of this Mexican influx. There was this girl at Burger King...wow! She could give Eva Longoria a run for her money, for sure. She was probably also only about 17, but...okay I should shut up now.
Look, I'm not Mr. Diversity...but I find it appalling that both sides (business-loving GOP, people-loving Dems) are essentially stating that "We welcome a permanent minority underclass." They seem to make no pretense that they expect the illegals doing the shit work to progress beyond it. "Welcome...as long as you know your place."
How many millions of people can we blindly allow into our nation under such circumstances before a full-fledged rebellion breaks out?
Buchanan gives a refresher on the history of Texas and points out that, much as a hatred of the West is ingrained in many Middle Eastern children, a hatred of Americans is taught to Mexican children at a young age. Why? Because we stole Mexico from them and they haven't forgotten. Many Latino leaders have come right out and said that they are in the midst of a bloodless coup; they are retaking Texas for Mother Mexico without firing a shot.
Meanwhile, a 700-mile fence has been approved but no funding made available. Yet almost a quarter of the births in California are to illegal aliens, and there's never a lack of funding to pay for that.
When...not if...this nation dies a year, ten or 50 from now, it will be from suicide, plain and simple.
How times have changed.
Exactly right. Back in 2001-2003 I was applying for ANY job I could get because I couldn't GET any job! So I would apply for office cleaning, landscaping, just trying to get a return phone call! Which never came, and I realized it was because my name wasn't Felipe Sanchez.
At this same time I was taking in lots of morning shows and talk radio, and I recall Mike Rose (a sometime reader of this blog and former AM host around here) saying he didn't mind all the Mexicans because "I like my yard to look nice." And the aforementioned Mr. Wachs made his "you must not be worth a good goddamn" remark when he was crowing about getting several rooms in his house painted for something like $90 by a Mexican. No white guy would do it for that price, he explained. Of course they wouldn't! And they shouldn't! We don't want our standard of living to be a dozen people in one two-room apartment! And as you say, people think it's fine as long as their getting their leaves raked, and I think they find the Mexican's apparently helplesness "cute." They feel regal to have semi-literate "servants" and don't seem to grasp that fees for doctors, lawyers and computer programmers are around the corner.
Here's the Bush angle, courtesy of my mom. Now, face it, Bush started this "guest worker" crap (and that's when his popularity began to tank). He also gives speeches in Spanish sometimes and won Texas partly by courting the Mexican vote. His brother, Jeb, is married to a Mexican. So my mom thinks they're letting the Mexicans in and starting this amnesty stuff so there'll be a lot of Mexicans thrilled when they can vote a "first Mexican family" into the White House whenever Jeb runs. I wouldn't doubt it!
I agree that these people work like no other but they are here illegally and taking jobs away from people...heck it is even happening legally. Art, are you in fear of your job being shifted to Bangalor, India?
Just got back from a trip to Kentucky and I can tell you that every freakin' place up there is hiring. The missus (and the smart one of the two of us) said that maybe we should tell some of our "guest workers" so they'll move up there.