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What would you do to a couple of rich guys who brought workers in from Mexico illegally to work in their state of the art manufacturing plant and paid them only $2.66 an hour? What if they brought them in on a travel visa, not a work visa, making it illegal for them to work in this country? What if they paid them by direct deposit into a bank in Mexico, as opposed to an American bank subject to American regulators? Do you:
A: Fine them into bankruptcy for violating U.S. immigration laws and ripping off hard-working laborers?
B: Fine them into bankruptcy while fully prosecuting them and using them as an example with a multimedia national PerpWalk?
C: Quietly let them off with a $6,100 civil penalty fine?
The reason this column exists is because you are not in a position of power to pick "A" or "B."
Eric Kurhi and Brandon Bailey reported in the San Jose Mercury News that Mexicans were bussed 1,300 miles into northern California to do welding and other jobs for Bloom Energy, a "green" company that has received a lot of praise for its fuel-cell technology. I presume it was for jobs U.S. citizens within a 1,300-mile radius of heavily liberal, wealthy Democratic Sunnyvale, California, refuse to do.
The men worked 51 hours a week and were not paid overtime. They were provided fabulous motel accommodations and 50 dollars cash each day for meals. Cash is, quite coincidentally, difficult to trace. If any of this appears to be accidental and certainly nothing like high-end human smuggling, consider the method of payment. The workers were not paid in U.S. dollars or in U.S. checks that might be easily traced. They were paid their handsome $2.66 per hour in pesos via transfers to a bank in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Bloom insists the illegal visas, the low pay, the bus, the bank transfers in Chihuahua, the cash for meals - every bit of it is just some terrible coincidence that could not possibly be planned, otherwise they'd be guilty of illegal immigrant smuggling. We certainly cannot believe that the wonderful people who happen to deposit millions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers to offset the real cost of the energy they sell would do anything untoward. After all, Bloom Energy is "green," well-connected to the Democratic Party and its crony capitalist connections stretch from Sunnyvale, California, to Delaware.
Delaware, Governor Jack Markell was so impressed with Bloom Energy's "green" marketing that he compelled his fellow Democrats, who control every branch of state government, to declare Bloom's natural gas fuel a "renewable energy." Considering natural gas has a tendency to dissipate, the state legislature in your state could use the logic of Delaware Democrats and declare oil to be renewable, too.
Please pay no attention to the campaign contributions made to Markell from one of Bloom's biggest investment firms. Please also disregard the Governor's payments to a PR firm and activities to create his "national brand."
While Fisker is often called the "Green Car Solyndra," the Bloom funding scheme could be the "Bloomdoggle." Funding their big boxes of chemical reaction energy production wouldn't be problem if traditional investment vehicles, tax breaks and infrastructure incentives were involved.
Instead, the state government in Delaware has simply commanded a single power company, Delmarva Power, to bill its customers a little extra and pass that money straight through to Bloom. No one else in the state pays. Only Delmarva Power customers, who have now become unwitting venture capitalists without dividends or stock to cash, whose monthly investment is not even shown on their monthly bill.
The Bloomdoggle is not as ham-handed as the "Sunnyvale Smuggle," and certainly not as obviously prosecutable, but it does make one wonder, "How do they get away with it?"
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© Copyright 2013 Rick Jensen, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.
Rick Jensen is Delaware's Award-Winning Conservative Talk Show Host on 1150AM WDEL and 93.7FM HD3, Streaming live on WDEL.Com from 1pm — 4pm EST. Contact Rick at rick@wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter@JensenVoiceover.
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February 25, 2013 @ 8:32 am
Until the criminals are prosecuted the criminal activities will continue.
February 25, 2013 @ 11:13 am
Cronyism. That how they get away with impunity.
February 25, 2013 @ 11:45 am
The politicians elected to punish the criminals have become the criminals. Justice is no longer blind, but wears politically correct specticles only, that makes American Justice resemble the warped mirrors of a carnival fun house.
February 25, 2013 @ 9:10 am
Where are the libs on this? Where are the ecoterrorists?
Where is La Raza?
Cue:::: CRICKETS!
February 25, 2013 @ 12:05 pm
Exactly CcFonten: Where is La Raza on this? 2.66 an hour? Not even close to minimum wage back in the early 80′s! Where is Obama’s great ‘Social Justice’? Where is the ‘pay your fair share’? Where is the Dem controlled ACLU on this? As you so aptly put it…Cue the Crickets.
Why? As many poster have again and again and again sited, it cronyism at it’s worst, and the dems protect their own. (They also eat their own when need be…but I digress.)
These men, working for a pittance, at 51 hours a week are not to blame. To them, this is simply a way to provide for their familys. So I hold no ill will of those trapped into this scheme. I do hold however, the owners of this business. How could they not know? Are they able to run a business or not? How could you not know and hold a straight face? I mean come on!
….and yet, other than paying a fine, nothing will touch these liberal elites. And yet, congress (yes McCain, I’m referring to you especially) the boarders is safe and secure. Well sure it is…as long as you have business’ legally transferring ‘visitors’ into the country to work…it’s all fine and dandy right? From McCain’s speech in a Town Hall in Arizona two weeks ago now:
“they mow our lawns, they watch our children, they do the jobs that American’s won’t do due to the low wage prospect”. Hmmmmmm…sounds to me like McCains sentiments oddly match up with business’ like this who extort human effort for little pay and cover it up with ‘ooooppppps….did I do that?’ mentalities.
It’s enough to make me sick!
~M
February 25, 2013 @ 1:45 pm
Given that I wrote an op-ed/commentary column for more than 20 years, many of which were political, there are few things I dislike more than putting my ignorance on public display … but …
What is the reference to crickets?
Sigh.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:32 pm
thedove,
The reference to crickets means there is silence from the otherwise boistrous ones. If you listen carefully to hear sounds in the night, you’ll hear only crickets.
February 26, 2013 @ 4:27 am
I think this pretty much explains exactly where the liberals stand on this; they are the ones doing it, after all…
February 25, 2013 @ 9:20 am
Why isn’t the author reporting this to the proper authorities?
February 25, 2013 @ 9:21 am
The proper authorities in this administration wouldn’t do anything about it.
February 25, 2013 @ 9:32 am
Because the right people are involved
February 25, 2013 @ 9:41 am
Because under the Obama administration there are no “proper authorities”; there is only the Eric Holder Department of Injustice.
February 25, 2013 @ 9:57 am
Probably would do no good to report as it is one of Obamas favorites green energy reguardless of cost or effect
February 25, 2013 @ 10:11 am
stevor Wake up! The so-called “proper authorities ” are the ones’ involved in this and other “green energy frauds”
February 25, 2013 @ 10:16 am
Stevor, even a cursory read of this article reveals enough details for the reader to know that the violations have been reported and Obama’s Labor Dept. has dealt their version of punishment to the violator.
C was the punishment. The premise of the article is to question the level of punishment. The author asks if the punishment fit the crime and if A or B would have been more appropriate.
Having established that, can we now agree that this was not an appropriate punishment and that it should have been much more severe?
February 25, 2013 @ 11:08 am
STEVOR…. What an incredibly foolish question! Climb onto the stool and don your dunce cap.
February 25, 2013 @ 5:39 pm
Money, money, money. (bribes)
February 25, 2013 @ 9:24 pm
The “proper authorities” have been notified. Telling Obama’s and Holder’s justice department is like ratting out Castro to the Cuban authorities, or telling the authorities in Iran about Ahmadinejad’s misdeeds. The only difference is that in Cuba or Iran this reporter would have already disappeared, never to be seen again.
We in this country have another few months before that starts to happen here. So far, they just ridicule the reporter and threaten him with loss of his job.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:38 am
If they had to pay a a fine,it sounds like the proper authorities reviewed the illegalities of the situation and determined a small fine was appropriate. The Delaware gov either knows how the company opperates or should know what is going on and yet he rewards their criminal behavior because they supposedly support a green agenda. Very sad what our leaders have turned into. Also too bad that when we replace one elected criminal (think Chicago) we replace them with yet another.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:50 am
You can report this apparent crime to the authorities [Jim Messina] at the drive-thru window on the east-end of the WH, where $500K will get you direct access.
February 25, 2013 @ 9:27 am
Wen is the American public going to wake up! The marxist left continues it’s non-transparancy for good reason. They need to push through their agenda regardless of who it adversely affects(the citizenry) and in spite of illegal activity. Nothing will become of this because our marxist-in-chief is in charge. Higher energy costs has been the push of the libs for decades through a series of power grabs. Until they are soundly defeated by true constitutional conservatives(not the Boehners and mcconnells) will the futures of our children and grandchildren have hope. We will not be the bright star, but rather the same socialist state as the rest of the world. We have taken the greatest health care system in the world and turned it into a third world rationing system. Thanks a lot you anti-american democrats. Rot in hell!
February 25, 2013 @ 9:32 am
Just more Liberal Democrat redistribution of honest hard earned American wealth,,,this time on an international scale which is the “one world” socialist game plan to defund American wealth and power, led by a half Kenyan socialist social parasite of a President.
February 25, 2013 @ 11:18 am
You forgot to include LYING SCUM in your description of the parasite who would be King.
February 25, 2013 @ 9:37 am
Stevor, grow up. Do you not know the Feds already this?
February 25, 2013 @ 10:16 am
I just feel bad for the few guys like Darrell Issa who actually DO investigate and track crapola of this kind; because there is such an avalanche of miss-deeds it must be next to impossible to keep track of!
February 25, 2013 @ 2:54 pm
For that reason alone, the Obama administration should be removed from office. As they say when you cut off the head of the snake, it dies. When Obama is impeached, all this corruption will go with him. But as long as he is left in office, we will see more and more of this attack on the U.S. taxpayers in favor of criminal aliens.
February 25, 2013 @ 10:26 am
Wise up, people, this is not going to get better. We now live smack dab in the middle of a country where the people who make the laws do not have to obey the laws because no one holds them accountable. Those of us, and the dwindling members of the press, who still speak truth, are outraged and appalled by what we see happening. The liberal hacks and our lemming-like countrymen and women will never wake up because they are totally ignorant, fawningly enthralled or in the pocket of this administration. The won’t see the truth because they do not want to see the truth. And when the country goes to hell in a handcart, most of them still won’t wake up, they’ll just march into the abyss with radiant, government-adoring smiles on their blank faces.
We are not the country we were. We are racing toward being a majority of citizens who are nothing like the kind of people who built this nation – not as smart, not as strong, not as hardworking, not as dedicated, not as self-sacrificing and definitely not living with an eye toward making this country greater for future generations. When you sell your vote for a meal ticket or a pat on the head, you get the country you deserve. Trouble is, the rest of us get that country, too.
February 25, 2013 @ 10:45 am
When Chairmen Mao in the 1950s said he’d bury us, what do you suppose he meant? To me the answer was simple, use our societal weaknesses to weaken and destroy us. I believe we’ve been studied like a colony of bugs, and then been attacked by internal forces of compassion and stupidity using environmentalism’s “Save all the World’s species from adapting and Save the world from the evils of carbon dioxide.” Behind every noble law and action of the last 60 years lurks the specter of the success of Mao’s strategy — though it is actually the ancient strategy of General Son Tzu.
February 25, 2013 @ 11:03 am
There is one other option. Have the senior management “evaluated” by a clinical psychiatrist, who diagnoses them with the antisocial personality disorder (sociopath), and petitions a federal court to commit them to a mental institution.
Yes, I know, it is a bigger stretch than A through C above. However, it still is another plausible option. We Irish like to be thorough about everything, including areas that we know little or nothing about. One never knows if we are arguing with a passion or just pulling your leg.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:00 pm
How’s that for boldly ignoring the law with the administration’s blessing? I guess one can do anything, if you say it’s in the interest of saving the planet. Well, except for owning a firearm, of course.
February 25, 2013 @ 2:37 pm
We are in deeper than most would think. Not only is the Prez a marxist, guided by the “Gospel according to Saul Alinski” but his political nurturing is the function of Chicago democrat thuggery. Both represent the commandment to steal as much as you can from as many as you can, keep some for yourself, give some to your friends, and use the rest to destroy your enemies. It’s really not that complicated.
In hoc signo vinces
February 25, 2013 @ 5:38 pm
We are in VERY deep.
February 25, 2013 @ 5:36 pm
Wonder if the big power companies in our other two Left West Coast states are doing the same thing? You never know what their rate increases are for.
Those liberal,mostly,Southern(Confederate)Dems hated Lincoln for freeing their black slaves so now they have the illegal Mexicans to take their place – plain and simple. If the Hispanics were smart, they would see through it and quit letting themselves be used and abused.
Can’t figure out why Blacks and Hispanics keep voting for these liberals into office. They do not have their best interests at heart, only their own – using the poor to accomplish their own liberal, Socialist agenda on us all.
February 25, 2013 @ 5:52 pm
Ah, yes, wumingren, obvious once it’s pointed out to the dimwitted. When I was much younger, say 70, I probably wouldn’t have needed help, but I’m not so sharp any more. Thank you for filling in that gap.
Unrelated, but if anyone has not yet read George Will’s column today, it’s nearly a must read. Should be read at every Town Hall meeting in the country for the next few months.
February 25, 2013 @ 6:01 pm
Middleground, It was Premier Nikita Kruschev of the USSR in the talk with V.P. Nixon in (1959)? That said “we will bury you”. Not chairman Mao. Both Communists, bad leaders, dictators over their populaces.
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February 26, 2013 @ 9:46 am
National enactment of e-verify and jail time for business owners and managers who violate this law will stop it in it’s tracks.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:31 am
Good article. I also notice that General Colin Powell is an “Independent Board Member” on the Board of Directors for Bloom Energy. Interesting.