[christie]

I once worked for an employer in TN who made a practice of hiring employees who had "questionable documentation". While the documents they presented for I9 requirements had one name, they went by another and every year, the Department of Social Security would send a list of employees whose provided social security numbers did not match official records.

We were required to post the list and ask the employees to contact SS to resolve the issue. For the two years I was there, the list was the same and the employees listed were also the same.

These employees did have social security and medicare taxes withdrawn from their pay, but all of them had completed W-4's in a manner that no federal tax was withheld. TN doesn't have a state income tax, so there was no contribution to the state except in the sales tax they paid on purchases.

Of course, the employer paid matching SS and medicare taxes along with FUTA and SUTA.

I left employment there based on some other questionable activities that I could not be a party to once I became aware of them.

Of course, there are many employers who do have unofficial employees who are paid off the books or as 1099-MISC independent contractor. There are no employment taxes (SS, Medicare, SUTA or FUTA) paid nor are these folks eligible for any benefits.

Several years later, at a different employer, I was able to assist one of our employees in gaining his citizenship. The expense, things he had to learn, the process was so overwhelming even to me. Some of the things he had to learn to "pass the test" were questions that I had to look up - things that I am not even sure were covered in my many years of education.

It took him a good 5 years to obtain his citizenship and I was honored that he asked me to attend the ceremony. I watched as 51 people from 26 different countries took the oath of citizenship and it struck me as to how much they wanted to be a part of the country that we so often bitch and moan about - that they went through the ordeal to have some of the very rights we do have and take for granted. It was humbling, to say the least.

I still have a ring that he gave me as a thank you present that he purchased on his first trip back to visit his family (what was left of it) in Iraq. There are times when I am digging in my jewelry box that I come across it and think about Khalid and what becoming a citizen meant to him.

A slight derail to the topic at hand, I know, but I felt important to mention that while I understand non documented persons are just trying to feed their families and survive as the rest of us do, this issue does add to the overall economic issues.

Its not about racism, but more that I feel it needs to be easier, less costly for a person to become documented. I feel we need to make it more difficult for employers to "pay under the table" so that it solves both issues - the worker who works for meager pennies and the employer who surely uses this power he has over the worker to his advantage.

More to the topic at hand, the industry in which I work has historically shown economic trends 3-6 months before other industries. Q1, we have shown a 11% increase in sales, many "new business", which based on our 57 year history, indicates that we should see an upswing in the economy in the next 3-6 months. I watched the ebb and flow of our business last year and the 3-6 month theory held pretty well. It makes me hopeful.