Two Immigrants & a Mic

We tend to jump around topics a bit while talking about tipping in America in this episode. To most Europeans and Australians, the American tipping norms are laughable if not downright a dishonest way to do business. We're conditioned to think that it's ok to "bribe" workers to provide us services that the business owner is naturally providing and profiting from; we're made to feel 'cheap' and unworthy of those services even after we've paid for it if we don't tip. Tipping in America is a scam, an arrangement if you will, between the government and the business, so that they can BOTH take advantage of the worker while making the 'customer' foot the bill. Here what we mean: when the government legislated around 1935 that it was ok to pay (tip earning) workers less than the minimum wage, and set a price for that lower-than-minimum wage, it was not to help the worker. It served two purposes. One, to allow the business owner to pay nothing to the worker (much like a slave owner), and two, to allow the government to collect taxes on those tips. And where did the tax come from? It came from that less-than-minimum wage that was "paid" to the worker. I first realized this in the 1980s, when as a Waiter, I would get 0 (zero) paychecks. Yes, an actual paycheck including a stub that said pay this dude zero...but it showed the taxes the government collected from the $2/hour I supposedly earned. The government got the $2, the business got free labor, and the customer was supposed to pay me if they felt like it. 

On a whim and nothing more, we started a Podcast and here we are! Our goal was to share with you the thought processes of immigrants and their (our) views on life in these United States. In this episode Jerry and Ed simply talk about why they thought it was a good idea to start a podcast. They tend to make fun of each other, learn from and about each other, and find out how much they may have in common (or not). Most likely they will annoy each other as time goes by, but it will all be for fun. Ed tries to take advantage of Jerry's accent and twist his words. If you ever hear that one of them is off the air, it's most likely that one killed the other. Don't panic! Just send help. 

Jerry's story continues! He tells us how many times he attempted to cross the border, and finally how he was able to make it and go under the radar for the next nearly two decades. His story includes his time in jail, his experience with immigration officers, and those who make a business of helping people illegally cross the border. 

Jerry describes how and why he chose to come to America illegally. He tried to cross the border a total of 3 three times until he was able to successfully blend in to American life. Jerry had the 'illegal' status for several years before he became a US citizen. He describes his journey with a sense of humor and his experience with employers, coyotes, and immigration officers.