Republican Lawmaker Hires Jobless Constituent To Work In His Yard For $8 An Hour

[proud2BlibKansan]

Kathryn Treadway of Goldsboro, N.C., lost her job doing medical transcription work for a hospital early last year. The 35-year-old hasn't had an income since April 16, when an impasse between Republicans in the state legislature and Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue halted her unemployment benefits.

On Friday, she finally found a job -- doing yard work for a statehouse Republican who thought Treadway couldn't find work because she had a bad attitude.

Stephen LaRoque, the Republican who represents Treadway in the lower chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, said he'd pay her $8 an hour to deal with dirt and debris in his three-and-a-half acre yard in nearby Kinston.

"She said she wanted to do some work, and I got a whole lot of work to be done, and so she’s over here this morning doing some work," LaRoque told HuffPost on Friday. "I got her emptying pots right now. We planted pots that we had plants in, and getting the old plants out, dumping the dirt back into something so we can reuse it."

more . . . http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/republican-lawmaker-hires-constituent-yard-work_n_867954.html?ref=fb&src=sp

[HughBeaumont]

1. This whole story. . . makes you want to kick the screen. WHAT a fucking dick.

LaRoque replied that there were plenty of opportunities nearby.

"I'm sorry that you have been unable to find work," he wrote. "Since you live in Wayne County I would like to suggest that you look into job openings in our area. We have a new chicken processing plant in Kinston named Sanderson Farms and they currently have 191 openings available according to the web site link below."

Treadway said she'd already tried that.

"The last thing I need, sir, is another politician acting as if the problem is that I am not applying for jobs," she wrote. "When I applied at Sanderson Farms, they were so inundated with applicants that the (whom I was told to go through) literally wrote my name on a piece of paper with HUNDREDS of other names and disinterestedly told me they would 'call me if anything came open.'"

LaRoque didn't buy it.

"Most anyone can find a job if they can pass a drug test and are physically able to work," he wrote. "I have tried to find people to do yard work but it seems most are too good for manual labor. Based on the tone of your email it is not difficult to see why you can’t find a job."

"For your information sir, I can pass a drug test and am not opposed to manual labor," Treadway replied. "If your yard happens to be within 20 miles of Goldsboro, by all means I'll be over there with a rake and shovel first thing tomorrow morning."

"If you really meant that you would be willing to work in my yard, then plan to come tomorrow morning," LaRoque wrote. "I'll pay $8 per hour. Let me know if you are serious."

Rubbing salt in the open wound - The Compassion of the RepubliCONs. Fuckers.

[Scuba]

2. That's one.

[hobbit709]

6. wonder if HE would take a job at $8/hr.

HA!

[tblue37]

18. I make just over $37,000 per year, but whenever someone works for me--

whether they help me clean house, shovel snow, mow the lawn, or do anything else, I never pay less than $10/hr, even in the summer when my income drops to just $500-$600 a month? And I pay that to teenagers, too, if they help me with such things. (At an arthritic 60--almost 61 now--I have trouble doing a lot of those things without help.)

This douchebag could easily afford to pay a reasonable hourly wage!

[TheWraith]

32. Honestly, I've done worse work for that sort of money.

Last year I was grinding aluminum parts for 11 hours a day, for $8.50 an hour. And I was grateful for the work, even though it was a quarter what I charged for professional work before the economic meltdown, even though I would wake up every morning numb to my elbows from the vibrations of the power tools, and come home at night covered head to toe in grey powder.

[TBF]

41. My first job was working in the house of a "pickle farm" when I was 12 years old -

made 3 meals for at least a dozen folks (family and other staff), took care of 4 kids, housework, laundry, etc... The owners (parents) were on the property too - working in the field and the processing sheds. Pay was $1 per hour (early 1980's).

But that does not make it right. Eventually the state investigated their operations and made them pay back pay (minimum wage) to all the household help and also the migrant workers they were shafting. And make no mistake, this happens all over and capitalism is the thing encouraging/rewarding the behavior.

[Occulus]

31. "Most anyone can find a job if they can pass a drug test and are physically able to work"

I'm almost physically ill. How can any of them be that out of touch?

[izquierdista]

3. Gross or net?

Something tells me that Ms. Treadway is going to be a self-employed contractor, responsible for deducting her own FICA taxes out of that $8.

[Viking 1]

4. She's got a job

I just hope some health insurance comes with it.

[kevinbgoode]

5. Clearly, it is LaRoque who needs to be tossed out of the government

and replaced by Treadway, who seems more thoughtful and in-touch with the reality out there in her community.

When LaRoque says: "Most anyone can find a job if they can pass a drug test and are physically able to work," he wrote. "I have tried to find people to do yard work but it seems most are too good for manual labor."

Why doesn't he learn how to do his own yard work, and let those who actually know how to represent other citizens a seat in the general assembly? Clearly he isn't there to represent the "people."

[Mojorabbit]

10. I pay a fellow 12 dollars an hour to do some yardwork

for me several times a month. Eight dollars is horribly low.

[boppers]

71. I'm paying a base of $25 an hour for yard work.

I book $30 an hour for my regular gig, $50 an hour for side gigs, and it's worth at least $25 an hour for somebody else to do that work (so I can do my work).

I don't think $8 an hour would be even *legal* in Oregon, as that's below minimum wage ($8.50 here).

[Mojorabbit]

74. Gosh, there is no way I could afford 25 an hour!

We mow our own grass but the finishing jobs that are needed are just beyond me and hubby is just getting too old to do it.

[boppers]

75. I look at it as saving me an hour worth of time, that I can bill to somebody else.

One hour of my income gets two hour's worth of work done... my work and theirs.

[Contrary1]

7. Guess he thinks he is too good to do his own yard work...

:puke: "I got her emptying pots right now..."

Well; isn't he special? On second thought, he's not. Just a typical repuke.

[surrealAmerican]

8. That sounds like the sort of job ...

... that could take about a week. I guess after that she will have saved up enough to tide her through for a few months until the next job.:sarcasm:

[Aerows]

9. Didn't you know?

People don't want "jobs" they want sanctified positions as servants and maids to rich people on their plantations.

That's what every single human being on planet earth, besides the holy 1% want to do.

Be a willing servant, and such. The Bible advocates it, so naturally, you should be a slave.

[louis-t]

11. Wow! $8! Now she can almost afford to starve to death!

[Obamanaut]

49. As opposed to living the good life, unemployed, at $0 per hour. nt

[coalition_unwilling]

12. Knowing how Repukes operate these days (and ever since the

days of Reagan), I will not be terribly surprised if LaRoque tries to stiff her when it comes time to pay her. I hope she is keeping a detailed timesheet.

Wonder if LaRoque has to make FICA contributions for her? And pay into the state unemployment fund?

[Very_Boring_Name]

13. I know I'll take heat for this... but she quit after an hour

And her reason was "I'm used to $22 an hour jobs, not manual labor". I think it was a nice gesture, giving her a job.

[TBF]

14. "I think it was a nice gesture, giving her a job".

I bet you do.

:eyes:

[Very_Boring_Name]

15. Why wasn't it?

She can't pull the "I've been out looking for a job every day, I'll take anything" card if she quits after an hour because manual labor is "beneath" her.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

16. She might have been too old to do yard work.

She might have arthritis.

She might get heatstroke.
That will send you to the hospital.

I got heat exhaustion one time playing racquetball in a so-call air conditioned facility.
Had to go to the ER and get a shot to stop my throwing up. I was in my early 30s at the time.

[Very_Boring_Name]

19. She knew what she was signing up for

[DiverDave]

70. Wow, you sound so

compassionate...how bout YOU work for 8 bucks?

I bet YOU quit after 15 minutes.
But I suspect you will work all day and go to your other 3 jobs, right?

[Very_Boring_Name]

73. Well gee, how about I don't accept jobs I don't want

instead of accepting the job and then bitching about what a bunch of meanies they were for hiring me.

[Obamanaut]

38. 35 doesn't seem that old to me, and according to the OP, that is her

age "...The 35-year-old..."

The term 'yard work' implies manual labor. If she was physically unable to do the labor, she should not have agreed to it.

[Cerridwen]

20. It wasn't "beneath" her; your selective editing and editorializing aside.

[saras]

22. Why wasn't it? $8/hour, manual labor, no benefits - can you pay YOUR bills on it?

[Very_Boring_Name]

25. Then she shouldn't have said she was willing to accept it

He told her it paid $8 an hour, she said she was happy to take it.

[Obamanaut]

36. $8/hour comes closer to paying bills than $0/hour when not working. nt

[riderinthestorm]

61. Except that $8/hr job may well cost you several thousand or hundreds of thousands of $$ if medical

complications came up because you weren't used to doing manual labor.

Sometimes people have to weigh the damage factor when taking on a job, and sometimes you don't know exactly what toll a manual labor job is going to extract on one's body until you get into it.

"Yard work" is a pretty big umbrella - that can mean painting the patio furniture or pulling the weeds from the front garden, or it can mean heavy duty work like building fence, digging out well established bushes, transplanting trees, or manually back-filling the trench you made laying an electric line.

I've paid the same amount to my guys who work for me ($12/hr) and they've done all of the above at my farm. They don't bitch when it's a heavy job for the day because they are acclimated to it, young and tough (and I'm working alongside them). Plus they also know that the heavy-lifting days are few and mixed with more normal "yard work" days like riding the tractor mower. I also carry workmen's comp and offer health insurance to my employees. I suspect Mr. LaRoque did none of that for the woman in the OP. He probably set her on a heavy duty outdoor task to maximize his "slave" and her time since he wouldn't find anyone to do it at $8/hr and he was going to capitalize on her efforts while he could exploit her.

[Obamanaut]

65. If what you say is true, these were the wrong words to use (her words,

according to the HuffPo link in the Op)

"..."For your information sir, I can pass a drug test and am not opposed to manual labor," Treadway replied. "If your yard happens to be within 20 miles of Goldsboro, by all means I'll be over there with a rake and shovel first thing tomorrow morning..."




If you can't outrun the bull, don't slap him on the butt - or, mess with the bull, get the horn - or - you buys your ticket, you takes your ride.

edited to add: Don't let your alligator mouth overrun your hummingbird ass.

[blondeatlast]

60. +1. nt

[Cerridwen]

17. "...the crap he wanted me to do was something two men would do,"

I presume she means two, physically fit men. I could be wrong.

Perhaps you'd like to include the rest of her quote:

"It was just too much. I'm not used to doing manual labor, and the crap he wanted me to do was something two men would do," she said after leaving. "I’m used to making $22 an hour. I'm not gonna sit there for $8 and hour and come home having a stroke."

Some labor requires one to be physically fit; male or female. Apparently, after much non-labor intensive work, she was not in any physical condition to do heavy labor.

[Obamanaut]

35. If we use the words you quoted, it doesn't look like a very hard job

"...I'm not gonna sit there for $8 and hour..."

[Cerridwen]

51. It's a phrase of speech. But, of course, you either already know

that or you're reaching real hard on this one.

Or, I guess it's possible you really don't have that kind of knowledge about words and phrases.

"I'm not gonna stand for that."

"I won't sit here and take that from you."

Fairly common phrases.

[Obamanaut]

58. You mean like someone saying "I'm gonna hit the sack" and then go to

bed and not hit anything. Or "I'm gonna take a leak" but instead leave one.

Not reaching for anything. Here's a 35 year old who says she will do anything, but in reality doesn't mean it. The same 35 year old who one poster suggested is too old for yard work - I'm nearly twice that and work in the yard all day many days.

Or the woman saying something to the effect that the work was actually the work of two men. In that case, one does what one can as the single person.

Brings to mind a job I got many years ago. I was one of the first "Kelly Guys" (I think the name was later changed to Kelly Services, from Kelly Girls) in Jacdsonville, FL., early in my military career. I was called to a job at one of the malls, taking grandfather clocks out of a semi trailer and setting them up for sale inside the mall common area.

The other guy and I were the third team of two to arrive. The clock guy said the first two looked at the load and left. The second two unloaded four clocks and left. He asked nicely if we stayed, would we stay long enough to put everything back on the truck. We did, and got a nice tip (well, nice for the early 1960s)

My point is, some (perhaps many) people don't *really* want to work, not really. They say they do, but when push comes to shove, they didn't really mean it.

[Cerridwen]

68. "...who says she will do anything, but in reality doesn't mean it."

When she said she'd do anything, do you think that included anything illegal? Do you think if he'd asked her to rob a bank she should have followed through? Do you think, let's get really silly here, if he'd wanted her to do a high-wire act she should have done that? Perform open-heart surgery? Build a fence, a house, a hobby horse? Do you honestly think when someone says they'd do any work they include those things which they cannot do either because they lack the knowledge or skill or physical capability to do so?

Are you truly that literal or just being so to make the point that "some (perhaps many) people don't *really* want to work, not really"?

I disagree with your sentence above and I'll direct you to the writing of Justice Louis Brandeis for some examples of my thoughts on people and work.

People don't like to be exploited. People want fair value for their work, labor, service, product. To imply that people are "too lazy" because they refuse to be exploited or that they are "lazy" or "stupid" because they refuse to part with $500 of product for pennies on the dollar, or that if they truly wanted to get out of poverty they'd "work themselves into a stroke," or that someone is "lazy" because they're unable to fling around 100lb. bags of manure is a "uniquely American" way of thinking about people and their worth.

[Obamanaut]

76. Regarding your last paragraph. There have been posts suggesting

medical providers should be required to treat people. These medical providers have spent years and piles of money to learn their trade, and your last paragraph says people don't like to be exploited - but some think it's fine to exploit them by requiring them to provide care.

Isn't that a contradiction?

As to not really meaning 'anything' when saying 'anything' - don't say it if you don't mean it. It is possible to suggest one can do anything within their capabilities, skill set, physical limitations. It is possible for one to say he/she doesn't know how to do certain things that may be asked of them but they are willing to learn.

But "I'll do anything" is fairly wide open.

Personally, there are many things I won't even try.

[Cerridwen]

77. Wow. When you move the goal posts you switch to a completely

different field and game.

First, a reasonable person, understands 'anything' as being within certain boundaries. Few people, outside of a court of law, speak in literal specifics. Metaphor, axioms, catch phrases, buzzwords, analogies, and so on are common tools in conversation.

I've also found that many reasonable people become most unreasonable when they've been the target of a 'bait and switch.' When it comes to republicans, yeah, I'll err on the side of thinking this was just such an occasion.

Now, as to the doctors being exploited...hold on...it's going to take me a minute to run to that other field and I'm out of shape right now.

Okay. Whew! Catching my breath.

I presume you're talking about nationalized health care when you speak of medical providers being required to treat people? Many of the people supporting nationalized health care are also advocating that we have taxpayer funded medical training or some such type of training for service arrangement. There are some of those arrangements already in place in order to get doctors into rural and less serviced areas. I believe there is (or was) something much the same for military doctors. If that wasn't what you were talking about, then I can't tell you if that's a contradiction or not because I don't know what it is you're saying.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cerridwen]

24. Maybe he could do the guy's yardwork?

There's a link at the article he could use to contact the guy.

[Very_Boring_Name]

26. Yawn. Get some new material

She emailed him saying she was desperately seeking work, he offered her a job. Sorry, I'm not going to bash the guy for it.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Very_Boring_Name]

37. You don't know anything about me. Why the hostility?

I've been on welfare. I've been on EI. There have been times where I would have killed for an $8 an hour job. I honestly don't understand the argument against this. Politicians aren't allowed to hire constituents to do yard work? Why? Help me to understand.

[TBF]

39. Why is this so difficult for you to understand?

Capitalism encourages owners to pay as little as possible for labor, thereby making slaves out of most of us. Why on earth would you support such a system unless you are in the top 1% of owners?

[Very_Boring_Name]

44. I'm asking why it's considered particularly agregious that a politician hired her

Would there be any outrage if she responded to an ad in the paper asking for someone to do yard work? Or if she got a job at mcdonalds paying a similar wage? She emailed him saying that she's been frantically searching for a job for almost a year, is unable to get by on her husband's income alone, and is willing to take anything. He told her he is looking to hire somebody to do yardwork, and that if she wanted she could come in the next day. Regardless of whether or not capitalism is broken, I simply don't see the outrage in this. If she didn't like the wage, she didn't have to accept the job.

[TBF]

62. Who said it was, and don't change the subject. Why should anyone

be grateful for a job paying $8/hr when CEO's are making 1000x that. This is a nonsense discussion. Again, enjoy your stay.

[Very_Boring_Name]

63. The replies in this thread say it was. The anger is *clearly* directed at him for hiring her

i.e posts calling him a dick.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. +1

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. How do you know that?

[Very_Boring_Name]

33. it says it in the article

[NNN0LHI]

40. No heat from me but let me explain something

Manual labor is not for everyone. Its just not. Day I hired into Ford I was one of 200 people that hired in that day in 1973.

Keep in mind that was a top paying job with extremely good benefits. Want to know how many people out of those 200 new hires actually worked long enough to collect a pension? One other guy and myself. Two of us.

About half didn't made it through the first shift on the job and walked out. Lot more didn't come back the next day. Yes it was that bad. The heat and noise was unbearable. I almost hit the door myself.

One fellow about the same age as me who came up from the south just to get a job at "Fords." That is what he called Ford. Tall lanky good looking kid about 18 years old. He died walking to the break area for our first break on the first day of work. Plant nurse came out and said he was probably dead before he hit the ground. And that young man had a complete physical with me at the plant just a few hours earlier. EKG and everything.

As I said, manual labor is not for everyone. But I do wish that people would appreciate more the people who are capable of doing it.

Take care.

Don

[Very_Boring_Name]

45. I agree 100%

But I don't see why people are outraged that he OFFERED her the job.

[NNN0LHI]

47. To finish this story, had a woman hire in a few years after me doing the exact same job as I did

She was just another sweat head working on the line right along side of me. She is now the plant manager of the Chicago Ford Stamping Plant where we worked. And you know something else? She probably makes a couple of million dollars a year now. And she deserves it. I never much cared for her personally but I sure do respect her. She was a damn hard worker the day she walked in that plant.

Strange how things work out isn't it?

Don

[eilen]

59. Because it is a big r-wing talking point

"They should bus everyone on welfare to the beginning of Rt.31 and have them pick up garbage till they get to Cicero, then the next day drop them off in Cicero and they can pick up the trash to Baldwinsville."

Fox-watcher in my ED (tells me how level-headed and middle of the road Bill O'Reilly is).

[Mojorabbit]

78. I don't look at it as a job

It seems to me he offered her some work which is a whole nother thing.

[sammytko]

53. Lots of people quit after a few months at the local Toyota plant

I took a tour and there is no way I could handle the noise.

[NNN0LHI]

66. Assembly plant or a stamping plant?

Big difference. Assembly plants are like a library atmosphere compared to a stamping plant.

Don

[octothorpe]

80. I had a discussion with someone about this recently

It was with a girl who has spent most of her life in the world of academia. She's smart and I'm pretty sure she's good at what she does. Anyway, she was annoyed that the laborers from a project she was on were making $16/hr to "play in the dirt". They were doing hard work, digging and stuff. On the other hand, she would brag about how she used to make a ridiculous amount of money at some job where she really didn't do anything but smile and look pretty. Her attitude annoyed me, I'd like to see her try to do some manual labor. She gives me shit too because of my job. Which I find odd, since it's kind of a mix skilled work and some manual labor work(which I prefer, as I hate sitting at a desk constantly). I dunno, it seems a lot of people from that world have a distorted view of things.

[Rex]

21. My only hope is for his speedy free fall into depression and debt

to end up standing out on a street corner begging for work with the illegals. She did the right thing, it was done to humiliate her and punish her for his own ego.

[WillyT]

28. K & R !!!

:kick:

[renegade000]

30. Neo-feudalism here we come!

When a very few have everything, you just got to hope your local lord is kind and generous...

[Brickbat]

42. $8/hour for yard work is fuck all.

[madokie]

43. WOW, just wow

How did this pos get elected in the first place is beyond my comprehension.
:hi:
I hope you have a great weekend p2BK

[olegramps]

46. This is exactly what the Republicans hope will be your kid's future.

They are downright evil bastards. They call themselves Christians, but they are nothing more than what Jesus warned are wolves in sheep clothing that will devour you. I swear that some of these sanctimonious bastards must have crawled out of the depths of hell.

[Nye Bevan]

48. I've done worse jobs than that, at lower pay

so I guess I am not as outraged as most in this thread. If you perform well at an $8 per hour job, you will not be earning only $8 per hour for very long. Hint: quitting after an hour does not look good on your resume.

[Ikonoklast]

50. Why would someone put yard work on their resume?

One other thing, a sharp HR person will ask you why you stayed at a job that underpaid you, and you knew you were being underpaid...it points to complacency, something many employers are wary of.

Unless you say that it was for the experience in your field until a better opportunity opened up. you said the wrong thing.

[lumberjack_jeff]

56. Yard work isn't a bad way to network.

The people who can afford yard help know where better opportunities exist.

"I'm not used to manual labor" doesn't win any sympathy from me.

[NNN0LHI]

67. I did yard work when I was laid off during the 80's

Didn't hurt me but I was a lot younger and in a lot better shape back then. Can barely take care of my own yard now.

And you are right about networking. Had someone offer me a union apprentice tree trimmer job from a guy I met while doing the yard work. Paid pretty decent after I became a Journeyman tree trimmer. Good benefits too.

Don

[octothorpe]

81. Well, if an HR person asks that then you could just give a truthful response...

I needed to pay my bills until I found a better opportunity... Perhaps even something along the lines of "I needed to pay to help further my education."

[sammytko]

52. Never do yard work by the hour, do it by the job

He should have let her scope out the job and quote a price. She might have lasted longer or said NO upfront and asked if he had other work that made use of her skills.

My old neighbor lady wanted to pay people 5 dollars an hr to work on her yard. No one would take her up on it, beacause it would take you maybe 1.5 hrs to cut her grass - 7 bucks? - No way!

[onethatcares]

54. do you think he had a workers comp policy in force?

Or at least made the employers contribution to FICA?

the asshat is lucky she didnt' cut herself and sue his dumb ass.

[lumberjack_jeff]

55. That bastard. Doesn't he know he's supposed to hire illegal immigrants? n/t

[riderinthestorm]

57. Reminds me of the "Compassionate Lawyer" joke (sic)

Just insert "politician" wherever you see "lawyer" and you could use it for Mr. Stephen LaRogue...



One afternoon, a wealthy lawyer was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw two pathetic-looking men by the side of the road, eating grass. He ordered his driver to stop and got out to investigate. He asked the men, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have no money for food," the first man replied.

"Then you must come with me to my house," insisted the lawyer.

"But, sir, I got a wife and three kids here," said the man.

"Bring them along!" replied the lawyer.

The second man exclaimed, "I got a wife and six kids!"

"Bring them as well!", the lawyer proclaimed as he headed back to his limo.

They all climbed into the car, and once underway, one of the men expresses, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "I'm most happy to do it. You'll love my place. The grass is almost a foot tall."

[xchrom]

64. +1 - there are few people up stream who could learn from this

If they so busy explaining to every one else where their imagined bootstraps are.

$8. An hour - BAH!

[Forkboy]

69. "there are few people up stream who could learn from this"

I don't think they'll be learning much of anything any time soon.

[undeterred]

72. Wow! Job Creation! Give that guy another tax break!!

:sarcasm:

[Very_Boring_Name]

79. How dare he hire someone who asked for a job!

The nerve!