Right, let's talk about the "shadow economy" as if it's some new monster under the bed. It's existed since humans first traded a chicken for a haircut. The only difference is we're now blaming immigrants for it instead of, say, the tax code that makes hiring legal a nightmare.
Your neighbor's problem is a symptom, not a cause. The cause is a system that makes legal immigration slow, expensive, and bureaucratic. The fix isn't fewer immigrants — it's faster, cheaper, legal paths for them. That way, your neighbor's competition can't undercut him because everyone's playing by the same rules.
The real shadow economy is the one where we spend billions policing borders instead of modernizing immigration. That's like fixing a leaky pipe by blaming the water.
12:10 PM