Shami says whites unwilling to take on jobs in factories

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Shami says whites unwilling to take on jobs in factories
12:00 AM CST on Saturday, February 13, 2010
By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News
gjeffers@dallasnews.com
Democratic candidate for governor Farouk Shami said Friday that white people are not willing to work in factories and as a result, Hispanic labor is essential to the Texas economy.
Shami, a Houston hair care magnate, made the statements during a taping of Inside Texas Politics, which airs at 9 a.m. Sunday on WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
"A majority of the people are going to be Hispanic and African-American," he said. "You don't find white people who are willing to work in factories. And our history proves lots of time when ... the white people come to work in a factory they either want to be supervisors or they want to be paid more than the average person. And unfortunately they exit."
Later, Shami told another interviewer – seeking his reactions on comments made by Republican candidate Debra Medina – that a conspiracy of government involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks was possible.
In between campaign stops in Dallas, the front-runner in the race, former Houston Mayor Bill White, denounced Shami's assessment of white workers.
"I don't know what Mr. Shami was talking about," White said. "Texas is too good for stereotypes. Everybody is made in the image of God."
Becky Moeller, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, also said Shami was wrong.
"That is the most preposterous statement I've ever heard come out of a person's mouth," she said. "I don't know where he's getting his information. It's not supported by facts."
Moeller said that white Texans work in manufacturing jobs, as do residents of all ethnic backgrounds.
Throughout the campaign, Shami has been prone to making controversial statements. And his campaign has often dwelled on the issue of race. He's accused White of taking jobs from black Houstonians and giving them to his friends, as well as making sure potholes in Mexican-American and black neighborhoods were not fixed.
Shami has even criticized White for touting his birthplace, San Antonio, suggesting that doing so was a thinly veiled slap at Shami's Palestinian roots.
Shami's comments Friday about the tendencies of white workers were prompted by a question asking the Democrat to clarify a statement he made at Monday's debate with White.
During the forum, Shami responded to a question about illegal immigration by saying: "A day without Mexicans is a day without sunshine."
"Wherever you go, I mean, you find, you know, Hispanic people really are essential to our economy and services," he said. "We cannot do without that."
Shami, who taped the interview at Houston station KHOU, was asked by a reporter there about Medina's remarks, in which she failed to dismiss a fringe theory that the Bush administration played a role in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Medina has since said she believes Muslim terrorists were responsible.
"Would we ever find the truth about 9/11? That's a very dangerous subject to get into," Shami said. "You know, so it's hard to make judgment. I'm not saying yes or no, because I don't know the truth."
The reporter, Doug Miller, pressed Shami on what he believed about 9/11, and like Medina, Shami left open the possibility of a government conspiracy.
"If it was a strategy to put the country under a threat to really get the people together, I mean, in politics, I don't trust politics, unfortunately," Shami said. "That's why I think politics should be run like a business, up front and transparent."
He added: "The possibilities are there, the jury is out to decide, time will tell." And he raised the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
"We still don't know who killed John F. Kennedy, who's behind it," Shami said.

[Rim05]

delete

[Rim05]

Like I have said, let the fools keep talking so everyone can see them for what/who they are.

[Commander Bunny]

Horse Hockey!!

As a Chef w/ certication, I now find Myself applying for Min. wage kitchen jobs, dishes, prep, whatever, but before I split the SF bay area I did have the unfortunate experience to work in "manufacturing"..

I was the only US Citizen working with 11 of the most vile, racist illegal Women, most were in Their late 30's-40's...and They made My job soo miserable They basically drove Me away from returning to that job.

For the record, I was making min. wage, and They were making around $12/hr-cash, and whenever One was pregnant, they'd chuckle, and look at Me, and say in Spanish, looks like HIS taxes are paying for another one of Our Ninos....(I understood every insult They threw at Me, and reported every one of Them to My employer, to no avail, of course.)

CB.

[Patriotic Army Mom]

That's a crock of crap!