It took me a third day of roofing my parents house ( half of the structure . . circa 1850, the other half 1770?) to make the change to jeans instead of shorts and kneepads. While I'm sure there are many bloggers that have 'roofed' in there lifetimes, how many real roofers have a blog about roofing, like runners, politicos, pet people, music folk etc. I'm guessing few to none, since they probably come home so tired and don't give a hoot about what the rest of the world is up to. 
One of the keys to Francis Drake's success as an explorer and navigator was the employment of fit twenty-something's for his crew. Along with a musical quartet and paintings to survey foreign coasts, he also figured out how to avoid scurvy. My brother who is a contractor everyday anyway, still subs out his roof requirements. He see's the perfect roofer as anyone from age 19-29 and weighs about 160 lbs. and able to carry half his weight ( those shingle bundles weigh 80 lbs. btw). As a blogger roofing, you do appreciate how 'libertarian' your small group is twenty feet above the ground. In this case very voluntary.
My dad is a sixty seven year old former Navy Seabee who stumbles around on gritty tar paper with thick soled black shoes untied because he doesn't want to spend more than materials on a roof replacement. I'm the same way and so is my brother, we tie our sneakers however. We all can do basic plumbing, electrical and carpentry work. My problem with roofing is not the sticky grime of asphalt shingles, sharp drip edges or even the eighty pound bag of shingles. Right shoulder is a bit stiff on Monday. My problem is that I can't avoid an irrational anxiety near the corner of the roof that's twenty + feet up. If there's another roof below I'll skitter around as squirrel like as possible for these almost forty year old legs. But if I'm near the corner or my dad and brother are, it comes back to haunt me when I dream and seems even worse than it is in reality on some guttural level.
Meanwhile back on the one side of the roof I can only concentrate on my self being as secure as possible. I assume a manual labor role and just move shingles around, move ladders and adjust picks. It is only when I'm on the one side that there is a problem and seemingly only when my subconscious gets a hold of it. I can grit my teeth like the dentist's chair and just do it. At one point during a stop I explained this to my brother. He mentioned all the impractical realities of anxiety and said I'll help my dad more by just getting down off the roof when it was ambulance time instead going over after him or something. You basically have to accept the other individuals' decision to participate and his fate for what it is or could become. But the irrational stuff can't be so easily forgot or resisted, it just happens. The other side is the same pitch and physical circumstances with little or no anxiety, just knowing the other roof below is succor enough.
We still grab a belt when necessary and a division of labor naturally emerges. In this case we are only there in terms of family and all that. When the relationships are economic or political we still have choices and certain rules emerge as a result of previous human behaviors, needs and relationships. It seems like so much irrational and emotional considerations percolate into everyday life. Nothing is as simple as just putting a roof on an old house whose other half predated the American Revolution. Those colonists fought for survival and a better world each day with sweat and blood. Perhaps it was drenched in Liberty or simply self interest . . .
It's hard to imagine why people who let immigrants build their credit laden McMansions have such a problem with people willing to risk their literal necks for their benefit. I'm guessing that almost 99 % of the population has not put a roof on a house. It seems like good pay for a real risk which should be economically rewarded. These are not 'American' jobs. They are for those willing to take the risk, not an entitled feature of everyday lives. If immigrants were not entitled to education, healthcare, a room or even food without economic transaction, what problem would there be with their voluntary associations within said current place of existence ?
That was my question of the day for the guys, why is immigration illegal ? Their only conclusion was because of lawyers and police. I'd throw in collectivists, xenophobes and statists. Assuming that many roofing companies in the South employ 'illegal immigrants', what business is it of yours that a certain contractor can't find willing American labor ? Newt's and Toffler's Third Wave dynamic has everyone pushing knowledge for a living. Combine that in with money backed by nothing but it's good name and are you really worried about the prospering Mexican in your backyard doing your lazy state worker friend's roof ?
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