Hard times, little sympathy

Re “Vendor pushes a balky cart through a precarious world,” Column One, June 17

Yet another prominently displayed article detailing the struggles of an illegal immigrant.

I’m sure Amado Campos is a delightful person, but he is also someone who scoffed at federal laws by sneaking into the country.

Why do you glamorize these people? Could we have the same news space for legal citizens who struggle with hard times?

Pam Wright

Pasadena

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I read with great interest the article about the “daily trials of Amado Campos.”

He works hard, seven days a week, and his daily income has dropped from as much as $100-plus a day down to $70 a day.

What’s wrong with this picture? Let’s say he works 345 days a year, taking 20 days off. At $100 a day, that’s $34,500, and at $70 per day, it equals $24,150.

Isn’t this “undeclared,” or tax-free, income? This is an example of the huge untaxed underground economy we have in this great country.

For many years, I too worked many odd jobs; however, when my earnings reached the level requiring income tax to be paid, I filed tax returns and paid my fair share.

Philip Angerhofer

Pasadena