The housing market here did not boom as big as some other areas so prices around here didn't skyrocket. I bought my house (some of ya'll might shit in a second) in '04, half acre lot, lots of trees, 1500 sqft, 3bd 2bth 2car, built in '78 for $94500. Similar houses in my neighborhood are for sell (actually selling too) asking price around 110k-115k. There are still mortgage companies advertising loans they won't stop sending me crap for refinance/home equity loans.
Within about 2 miles of my house I know of 2 new subdivisions going in, the first has a few houses already built and moved into and they are working on more. The second they are still out there playing in the dirt. On the other side of town, about 10 miles, there is a HUGE multi-million dollar subdivision golf course going in. I would guess it's is approx 1 square mile in area. Again more houses currently being built.
It's similar here in NWA, though prices are higher. I can't remember who it was, but some financial analyst in the last few weeks listed the NWA metro area as one of the recession proof locations in the country. Don't agree with us being recession proof, but we haven't had the housing and construction slow downs happening elsewhere in the nation.
...You speculate with your last comment. Offer proof and then validate your post. Moreover, these are just construction companies, what about Foster Farms, Kraft foods, Wal-Mart . . . you think they do this? Poultry and cattle industry would be nowhere without Illegal Immigrants. If you want to turn the tide, get your congressmen to crack down on the big companies.
If you have an illegal work force it is safe to assume you are not reporting their employment to anyone, correct? If you are not reporting their employment then you not collecting and matching the payroll taxes for those employees.
So...
You are required to withhold all the taxes from his pay. You are also required to match the SS and Medicare Tax (FICA). SS is 6.2% and Medicare is 1.45%. You also have to pay unemployment taxes but they are limited to about $400 a year per employee. Also in there is workers comp insurance, I do not know the rates but it is still another expense incurred.
If you have more than a few employees you will need to pay someone to keep track of all this finance BS. Another cost associated to labor.
It comes down to the fact that you (illegal labor) have a lower operating cost for labor than the other guy. Lower cost means you can bid a job at a lower price. What Are Payroll Taxes?
I know I've posted this before but here it goes again, a solution to the above mentioned tax problem. Americans For Fair Taxation:
Holly sh1t!!! $100k for a house??? Hell I might just roll on down there and buy 10 in a row. Man how awsome would it be if houses in LA existed in that price range. You guys seriously have a leg up on us. Sure large metro areas might pay more, but it cerainly not proportionate with prices of homes.
__________________ Always outnumbered, never outgunned.
So? the state of Hawaii does not embody the recession occurring with the rest of the nation. What's next? You going to tell me that Puerto Rico is doing fine too? As a citizen in the 7th largest economy in the world, let me tell you with no doubt that California is in a recession. If California is in a recession, so is the rest of the country overall...............
Gamma I am talking about employment rates. Recessions happen all the time in an economy. Right after a peak?............that's a recession. Economy climbs again...........we are out of the recession.
As far as the unemployment rate, yes it's been climbing recently, but a lot of that has to do with the global economy and how other countries are starting to emerge from what is typically viewed as being "3rd world."
Now also figure that we have a massive influx of illegal immigrants coming into the US every year, then the unemployment rate needs to be adjusted to account for it (lowered).
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Now I'm just laid bad - G35Princess
R.I.P. MBC
^^^No, it happened before. But the way Kennedy and his administration handled the Cuban Missile Crisis is legendary. He came up big on that.
Agreed.
I think the Cuban Missile Crisis is definitely the high point of JFK's Presidency. Other than that he didn't accomplish a whole lot, but he had so much potential.
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Now I'm just laid bad - G35Princess
R.I.P. MBC
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Plus it's anger that makes you me good Marine/Trooper. Trust me on this. 
