Dieter H. Ammann

Being an employer today is more difficult then ever. I remember when I started my first business in 1981, we would simply interview the prospective employee and perhaps gave them a  qualifying test and if we liked them and they passed the test, they were hired. If it was a responsible position we would get and check their references.  Now twenty some years later the process is incredible compounded.  As a country we allowed so many people to sneak across our borders and the government makes it our responsibility as an employer to insure their qualification of eligibility to work in this country. Isn’t this backwards, I always thought that as a citizen and an employer it was the governments responsibility to protect us, thats why we pay all those taxes and fees.

Now if we hire a person that is in this country illegally we get fined. It makes it very difficult as a small business. For years I have always heard that small business is the backbone of this country, more people work for small businesses then large businesses, so why not protect this national treasure, the small business?

I just received the most recent E-Verify Connection newsletter with a new link to an Employers handbook, here’s the link: Handbook for Employers, Guidance for Completing the Form I-9. This is what we have to deal with, look at page 2 where it talks about the Guidance for completing form I-9 and then immediately indicates that the form is available in English and Spanish. That’s just wrong! Every time I hear the president and now Congress talk about a path to legalization for the millions of illegals in this country, they always mention that part of the path is speaking English.  Then why does the government publish anything in any other language then English?

As a former immigrant myself who had to wait 8 years to obtain a legal Visa, my family and I made every effort to learn English so we could adapt to our new country.  We, as many others came to the United States seeking a better life, so why not adapt and become Americans and that starts with learning the language. I rest my case!