Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Alternatives to dumping illegal nanny Date: Mon, 26 Oct 92 14:37:03 EST Message-ID: \SE D;LIFE;WAY OF LIFE;WORKSTYLE \SS (WS) \HD Alternatives to dumping illegal nanny \BY Paula Bern \CR SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE Dear Readers: Do you remember the young couple who hired an illegal Mexican immigrant as a nanny? She was fearful of being picked up by immigration authorities seeking her green card so she never took the infant out for an airing. This concerned the parents so they asked my opinion. I said, "Send the nanny back to Mexico promptly and hire a local sitter who isn't afraid to show her face." And, boy oh, boy, you reacted! Read on: Dear Dr. Bern: Your answer was rude! You should have said, "Good, trustworthy people to take care of a young child are hard to find. If this nanny deserves your trust, you should try to help her become a legal alien. Check with a lawyer or the Immigration Service. I, myself, am an American citizen by choice. But please, don't try to guess where I am from! - Luis Gedo, Conifer, Col. Dear Dr. Bern: Apparently those two medical residents really need a full-time sitter for their baby, so why can't they sponsor the lady who is working for them? If she was a terrible nanny, I think they would have fired her immediately, so she must do a heck of a job in her 15-hour day! I don't remember you suggesting "sponsorship" of this alien for citizenship, the most logical and humane solution for the young couple. Your response made me sick and reminded me of the fact that human beings are really messed up. No wonder I like animals so much better! - S.L.A., Washington, D.C Dear Mr. Gedo and S.L.A: You both came up with an excellent solution that probably is preferable to shipping the nanny back across the border. If sponsorship is viable, that's the direction the young doctors should take. As for your observation, S.L.A., that "human beings are really messed up," just check into the number of animal psychiatrists around the country. Their numbers are growing by leaps and bounds as our four-legged friends try to become as messed up as we are! * * * Q: What is your opinion of an antiques dealer who appraises a 200-year-old brass object from your great-grandmother, offers you a whopping sum of money for it and then reneges on the offer when you return to his shop to finalize the deal? Between the time that this dealer first saw the heirloom and the day that I returned to sell it to him, I had it professionally buffed and lacquered so that it gleamed like new. It looks magnificent! But he no longer wants to buy it. He says I ruined its value. Isn't that insanity? - Spic and Span A: I hate to disappoint you, but in the world of antiques, it's just logic! If the shop owner is a "purist," as your dealer apparently is, he would want the treasure to look exactly as it did before you had it reconditioned. As one expert said to me, "It took two centuries for your antique to age to this particular look. So why would you want to destroy it?" As there are no hard and fast rules about buffing an old object and keeping its integrity, however, my authority says you might want to check with another antique appraiser. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM