Republican Lawmaker Hires Jobless Constituent To Work In His Yard For $8 An Hour

Kathryn Treadway of Goldsboro, N.C., lost her job doing medical transcription work for a hospital early last year. The 35-year-old hasn't had an income since April 16, when an impasse between Republicans in the state legislature and Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue halted her unemployment benefits.

On Friday, she finally found a job -- doing yard work for a statehouse Republican who thought Treadway couldn't find work because she had a bad attitude.

Stephen LaRoque, the Republican who represents Treadway in the lower chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, said he'd pay her $8 an hour to deal with dirt and debris in his three-and-a-half acre yard in nearby Kinston.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/republican-lawmaker-hires-constituent-yard-work_n_867954.html

I guess that is what the GOP calls "Job Creation"!!

I am speechless

They have officially become the largest group of evil I have seen since a zombie movie.

I can only imagine the conversation this evokes behind closed doors.

THERE ARE NO WORDS.....Well there are, but I cant say them on an open forum. He degraded that woman.

If I were unemployed in his district, I would gather all the unemployed people I could, and go stand on his f*****g front lawn with pitchforks and shovels. Although, I dont know any landscaper that does yard work for 8 bucks an hour.

why didnt he just go to HOME DEPOT he could have paid half price!!!

I have negative feelings about both people in this story. As a lot of you know I live in NC and have been working to get EB restored for two months now. I have had some contact with Laroque and he is an a**hole and proudly so.
However, he would just say that he was trying to help her out.

I am a little upset that this unemployed woman let him beat her. He set her up, offered her a job, and she quit after an hour. To him, that proves that we are ALL lazy and that none of us really want to work. I guess she didn't need the money that bad. I DO need the money that bad. I would have done the work just to beat that b@***rd but I also could use the $8 an hour.

Kinston is about 4 hours from my home so I can't really show up at his house but I wish some other unemployed person would.

As far as landscapers not working for $8 and hour, no, they don't. I know a lot of landscapers and most pay around $9 an hour here for harder jobs. There is an ad here for a landscape job that pays $9 an hour and they want 5 years experience in block masonry. This is hard heavy work AND part time AND only a dollar more than Laroque wanted to pay her.
I know this is going to rub a lot of people here the wrong way but we ARE fighting a war against these people and we won't win like this.

Mrs Treadway, if you happen to be a member of this forum and read this I apologize and I hope you don't take this anymore personally than I have forced you to. However, at the same time I can't hide how I really feel about this situation.

The landscaper positions I have seen advertised in my area were for 10 - 15 an hour.

I agree that she shouldn't have given up that easily. I personally wouldn't of given him the satisfaction.

Yeah but that's $10 an hour in Massachusetts. That's probably even less when you take in the cost of living.

This whole situation angers me. I am sure she isn't used to doing this kind of work.
I am not used to applying for minimum wage jobs where I can't afford health care. I am not used to being terrified that something will happen and I can't go to a doctor. My knee completely gave way today and I feel in my house. I couldn't even get up, I had to sit there until the feeling came back and I could stand up again. I will probably NEVER be able to afford health insurance again, at least not for the near future, not until the healthcare law becomes fully active. I am not used to this.

We are all going to have to get used to things being different. It isn't right but it is the way things are right now.

That is my biggest fear, lendme - no health coverage. I don't consider myself old, but 'age' has a way of creeping up on you and things start to go wrong. I have a family doctor that I have used for years, just a local guy that knows everyone in town, has treated our children and is part of the community. I am fortunate that I can see him at a very low cost - but when it comes to tests, emergencies, blood work, etc., I am screwed.

I almost fell today too. I had washed my floor earlier and because it was so humid today it was still damp 2 hours later. I walked into my kitchen and slid across the floor. I was petrified, it kept flashing through my mind - what if I break something, what am I going to do?

Last weekend my unemployed neighbor fell down two steps and broke her ankle - the emergency room treated her, but told her she had to see a specialist to have it set. Right! With no health insurance no one will see her. She has to let it go and just get around with the special boot and crutches the ER gave her until it heals itself. Her ankle will never be the same. Like me, she isn't eligible for Medicaid because she doesn't have a disability or a child under 18.

This whole mess stinks! Not only do we have to worry about keeping a roof over our heads, but we have to pray that we stay healthy enough to find and keep a job when we have no means to take care of ourselves. One little accident will ruin our lives forever.

Nothing will ever be the same for us and I am scared to death about our future.

Yeah, I agree with what you are saying. I played soccer my whole life. I was a really hard player. Since I played on the left side of the field I was always tackled from the left as I turned into the right hand side to attack. I never backed away from a defender and they basically had to foul me and knock me over to stop me. This happened hundreds of times. In the last 10 years my left knee has started hurting more than it used to. I soak it and then the pain stops. I still run everyday almost and play as often as I can. I also play sometimes with the kid's I coach. Lately my knee has been giving away sometimes. This is what happened today. I just turned 37 and I am terrified that I won't be able to play the game anymore or something might happen and I won't be able to walk anymore with no insurance to treat me.

I didn't mean to hijack the post. Sorry for my personal issues.

DesperateInRI wrote:

This whole mess stinks! Not only do we have to worry about keeping a roof over our heads, but we have to pray that we stay healthy enough to find and keep a job when we have no means to take care of ourselves. One little accident will ruin our lives forever.

Nothing will ever be the same for us and I am scared to death about our future.

I have been praying that my health holds out, too. Have a long family history of sudden, unexpected strokes. The doctor says it's called "Malignant Hypertension" and I worry about it nearly every day. It causes sudden organ damage and sometimes loss of vision. Can't afford prescriptions, and that wouldn't necessarily help anyway, as my BP is not high all of the time, it rises suddenly, only when I'm stressed...not as if being unemployed and living in constant fear of the future wouldn't cause stress! I'm so focused on that, I haven't even thought about broken bones and such. It really does stink to have to even think about those things with the added worry of finances.

You're right, it's a terrible way to exist, and constantly worrying about just surviving from day to day is taking far more than a financial toll on the unemployed. Through all of this, I've had Shingles, digestive trouble, what I think to be panic attacks, and insomnia along with it. I know I am not alone and I pray for all of us.

I worked steadily all of my life and never called out sick unless I literally couldn't get out of bed. Now, after developing several health issues, I fear that when I do find a job the health problems won't go away and will be difficult to contend with. I do not want to start a new job and be thought of as not being reliable, but I just don't know what the future holds and it is terrifying. I've never been so scared about so many things in my entire life. It's a relief to be able to post on this forum, as everyone here truly understands the fear, sadness, and tremendous stress which comes with just trying to survive.

No, nothing will ever be the same for us and it really is frightening.

That was my diagnosis right before I lost my health coverage - malignant hypertension. It is very scary to know you have this condition, but don't have the meds to keep it under control. I had several prescriptions for it, of course all brand name, expensive meds. I haven't taken them in over 3 years.

DesperateInRI wrote:That was my diagnosis right before I lost my health coverage - malignant hypertension. It is very scary to know you have this condition, but don't have the meds to keep it under control. I had several prescriptions for it, of course all brand name, expensive meds. I haven't taken them in over 3 years.

That's something, that you had the same diagnosis. I never even heard of it before my doctor told me about it. Even with relatives having sudden strokes with no history of serious hypertension, I still never heard it called that. I've been researching the condition, trying to find natural remedies I can take. Nothing really helps much.

It really is scary. I try so hard to be upbeat and to stay calm. Today was not a good day for that. I applied at 12 different locations today, from cleaning to working in a Puppy Day Care...all led nowhere. That really sent me into a depressed mood. Had a really good feeling about an interview last week, but heard nothing this entire week. Now I'm wide awake and can't seem to calm my nerves. Hoping tomorrow is a brighter day. Hoping for that so often lately.

Sick & Tired wrote:THERE ARE NO WORDS.....Well there are, but I cant say them on an open forum. He degraded that woman.

I really think he set this poor woman up to fail, in order to make an example of her. I truely hope it backfires on him, and that his constituents see him for what he really is and kick him out when he's up for re-election.

What a jerk. I live in nc and I will vote against him on this one.

This is so sad and utterly ridiculous. I wish the larger news outlets would give this story some cover. The attitude he displayed in his correspondence to her clearly demonstrates why a lot of legislators (mostly Republican) are so out of touch with reality. They think all unemployed people are on drugs, lazy, etc. It's insane! We simply want to work and have insurance and provide for our families. I can't believe this happens in America. I am stunned.

Stephen LaRoque, also claims that he is a small business man as his day job. His background is banking, he worked for Nations Bank, which was a primary banking institutio­n in the South that was absorbed by Bank of America. He now has a company http://www­.ncbusines­sloans.com­/index.htm­l which partners with USDA (the new subprime loan) loan program. He's a loan officer/co­mmercial broker for USDA.

And look at this little gem of bill he co-sponsor­ed "Commercia­l Real Estate Broker Lien Act: http://www­.ncga.stat­e.nc.us/Se­ssions/201­1/Bills/Ho­use/PDF/H1­74v0.pdf . Where, if passed, he's able to put a lien on property for unpaid broker commission­s.

Regarding his House of Representa­tives duties - he gets paid a minimum of $17,048/yr­ly and an expense allowance of six hundred sixty- six dollars $666.00/mo (ironic isn't it) to show up at a job when he feels like it.

He doesn't know the meaning of honest days work.

I know it sounds jerky and arrogant of this guy, and maybe it is, but this person can turn it around. she can put on her resume that she worked for him and it would look good. I don't think landscapers who do this for a living would appreciate being looked down on for doing this kind of work.

This could be a positve. Its a test really to see if she would be willing to work or use it against the rest of the unemployed that he offered someone who lost their job a job, and they refused it.

And it would make him look good too that he was kind and offered someone who was down and out a helping hand.

Isn't $8 an hour in NC like 10-12$ in NY?

I don't know how far $10 goes in NY but you couldn't live on it here unless you had absolutely nothing, lived many people to one house, or also had public assistance. It is pretty standard for part time work these days. Landscaper workers usually make between $9 and $11 an hour on the high end.

I saw an ad on craigslist yesterday where someone wanted to hire a person for $9 an hour with 5 years experience in block masonry. Building a retaining wall is hard work and I doubt I would do it for that unless it was my company and I had bid that low for the job.

$10 doesn't go that far in NY you need $12 to $15 an hour just to exist, never mind things like cell phones, cars etc. And the only people who would do brick work for $9 are maybe people who are new to the field. You should respond to the ad and tell him you'll do it for $20 an hour even if you don't do that kind of work or never was trained.

Yeah, I know how to build a retaining wall but have never done it. I wouldn't carry that many bricks for $9 an hour. The problem is that this is a subcontractor hiring. They are charging $40 an hour to the end user and want to pay someone $9 to do the job.

If I worked 40 hours at $8 an hour and had the absolute minimum in federal taxes taken out, could pay my rent and utilities my car payment possibly my insurance and have about $80 left to eat on. For an entire month that is. I couldn't afford health insurance or to do anything or gas for my car.

You also have to understand that I live in a house with three other people and have very small bills. The average person couldn't make it on that here.

Right the but the days of the kind of wage you may have been used to in the past are over for now. So $8-$11 bux an hour is going to be the norm. Wouldn't turn down a job for $8 an hour, I'd take it work for a couple of months then start looking again. Thats just me though.

I would take a job for $8 an hour now. In fact, I am actively looking for and applying at $8 an hour jobs. However, I am less likely to work a job building a retaining wall for $9 an hour when I can work at the supermarket for $8. I will give up a dollar to have a job that's 100 times easier.

My last job required me to work with landscapers because they bought supplies from us. A lot of times these two bit operations would come buy in their SUV or pathfinders to buy things like bags of gravel that weigh 50 or 60 pounds each. After loading up quite a few of those you I get kind of tired. I was paid $15 an hour to do it. I wouldn't go back to my old company and do that job again for $8 which is what they are hiring for now. Especially not when I am qualified for other things. I like working outside and would rather do that than stock a grocery store but if I am going to kill myself I want it to for more than the stocking job.