<CI** ^Jortlanb (Observer
O c to b e r 27, 2010
Page 15
New Prices
Effective
May l f 2010
B iü Jp N A ÍR E S IN GLASS HOUSES
¿ASTÍSAT l^ S T H E
it ' s
¿ E R R y^
B p o W ls ffc O lT /
OF ÜHOOCUMENTEP IWA'SRfti-JTS
iV s T H E
DEMOCRATS
FAULT/
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
„THE LIBERAL
media ' s FAULT/
„T H E
UNIONS
VAULT/
Minimum Service CHG
$45.00
A sm all distance/travel charge
m ay be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
L
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
'WHITMAN
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
LEAVING-
btO ST oH E
UKWRMEP
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
O ther Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool):
$40.00 Minimum
Who Cleans the Windows of Glass Houses?
Many ensnarled
by a ‘nanny-gate’
R aul A. R eyes
Et tu, Lou?
It turns out that Lou D obbs has em ployed
u n docum ented w orkers to toil on his estates
and tend to his fam ily's num erous horses. The
boy for the anti-im m igrant crow d said he w as
told the w orkers w ere legal im m igrants. W hat he
didn't say, as he did in A pril 2006, w as that
"em ployers w ho hire illegal aliens should face
felony charges."
P erhaps D obbs is getting tips from M eg
W hitm an.
T he form er e-B ay C E O has spent at least
$ 140 m il lion o fh e r ow n m oney trying to becom e
the next g overnor o f the G olden State. O n the
cam p aig n trail, she pledged to be "tough as
nails" on illegal im m igration. She has vow ed to
hold em ployers accountable w ith fines, in sp ec
tions, and ja il tim e. She has prom ised L atinos
"m ás trabajos" (m ore jo b s).
T hen her form er hou sek eep er surfaced in
public. W hitm an, it turns out, em p lo y ed an
undocum ented im m igrant in her hom e for nearly
a decade. R ather than accept personal resp o n
sibility, W hitm an blam ed the m edia, unions, her
opponent, and her ex-m aid for the situation.
Sadly, for one L atina, the result w as not m ás
trabajos, but no trabajo.
P o litic ia n s o f b o th p a rtie s re g u la rly b e
by
c o m e e n sn a re d in th e ir o w n " n a n n y -g a te s ."
N o w o n d e r, sin ce th e P ew C e n te r e stim a te d in
2 0 0 9 th a t 29 p e rc e n t o f th e n a tio n 's h o u s e
k e e p e rs are u n d o c u m e n te d . Z o e B aird lost
h e r c h a n c e to serv e as B ill C lin to n 's a tto rn e y
g e n e ra l b e c a u se o f h e r u n d o c u m e n te d help .
L in d a C h a v e z lo st h e r s h o t as G e o rg e W.
B u sh 's S e c re ta ry o f L a b o r o v e r h e r u n d o c u
m e n te d m aid .
Let's review the facts surro u n d in g W hitm an's
ho u sek eep er flap. N ican d ra D iaz-S antillan a d
m its she lied about h er im m igration status to the
agency that W hitm an used to hire her. In 2009,
after w orking for W hitm an fo r nine years, D iaz
co n fessed she w as illegal. She w as fired.
W hitm an claim ed not to have seen the "n o
m atch" letters regarding h er h o u sek eep er sent
by the Social S ecurity A dm inistration. W hen
D iaz pro d u ced one o f these letters, w hich in
cluded a handw ritten note by W hitm an's h u s
band saying, "N icky, look into this," the g u b er
natorial candidate said she didn't recall seeing it.
Still, that d oesn't absolve W hitm an o f her re
sponsibilities as an em p lo y er, esp ecially co n
sidering she is a can d id ate w ho touts h er savvy
business skills.
O n ce sh e le arn ed D ia z w as u n d o c u m e n te d ,
W h itm a n h ad a d u ty to n o tify im m ig ra tio n
a u th o ritie s . S he d id n 't d o th a t, d e sp ite h e r
re le n tle ss c a m p a ig n m e ssa g e o f h o ld in g e m
p lo y e rs re sp o n sib le fo r h irin g illeg al w o rk ers.
So e ith e r W h itm a n c o n s id e rs h e r s e lf a b o v e
th e law o r sh e w as k n o w in g ly b re a k in g it. I
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
w o u ld h a rd ly c a ll th is b e in g "to u g h as n a ils"
on illeg al im m ig ratio n .
W hitm an m aintains she didn't turn D iaz in
because she w as "a friend and a m em b er o f my
extended fam ily." R eally? W hen h er h o u se
k e e p e r a d m itte d sh e w as u n d o c u m e n te d ,
W hitm an axed her on the spot. G iven that
W hitm an has broken spending records in her
q u est to b eco m e C alifornia's next governor,
couldn't she have helped her housekeeper o u t.. .a
little? A co n su ltatio n \yith an im m igration atto r
ney m ig h t have co st $200. A pparently, D iaz's
plight w asn 't w orth the trouble to the Silicon
V alley billionaire.
F o r those w ho rail against "am nesty" for
illegal im m igrants, these co n tro v ersies expose
tre m e n d o u s h y p o c ris y . In th e D o b b s an d
W hitm an cases, w e see once again that im m ig ra
tion is a personal as w ell as a political problem ,
one that can only be so lv ed through co m p re
h e n siv e re fo rm , n o t " g e t-to u g h " rh e to ric .
W hitm an's "en fo rcem en t o n ly /n o am n esty " is a
bad p olicy for C alifo rn ia. A nd she offers no
solution to one o f the m ost con ten tio u s issues
o f the im m igration debate: w hat to do w ith the
m illions o f und o cu m en ted w orkers w ho are al
ready here?
A m azingly, W hitm an still do esn 't get it. E ven
after this co n tro v ersy arose, she has continued
to insist on holding em p lo y ers accountable. She
m ight as w ell add, ex cep t if it's her.
Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and columnist
in New York City.
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109-$139
Chair or Recliner:
z /,%
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services): $5.00
<
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949