The Chicago Tribune reports on the shortage of “American” labor to do jobs that pay quite well, due to the physical nature of the jobs. I guess Bush’s “jobs Americans won’t do” quote rings true?

Cyndi Smallwood is looking for a few strong men for her landscaping company. Guys with no fear of a hot sun, who can shovel dirt all day long. She’ll pay as much as $34 an hour.

She can’t find them.

Maybe potential employees don’t know about her tiny Riverside firm. Maybe the problem is Southern California’s solid economy and low unemployment rate. Or maybe manual labor is something that many Americans couldn’t dream of doing.

“I’m baffled why more people do not apply,” Smallwood says.

President Bush is not. In his speech to the nation Monday night, he referred to “jobs Americans are not doing,” echoing a point he has been making for years. To fill these spurned jobs and keep the economy humming, Bush says, the U.S. needs a guest worker program.

We all know that manual labor ain’t fun. Read the whole article and you be the judge. Is it true that there are jobs that no one will take except immigrants?

Via / Chicago Tribune