Dear Sirs,
I just finished reading part three of the Turf Renovation article. I thought it was great, but I didn't get parts one and two. In fact, it seems like I only receive your magazine every three months or so. What gives? I think the magazine is excellent and very helpful in my business.

Sincerly,
Ed Martin
The Grass Groomers
Dallas, TX

The magazine was, once upon a time, free of charge. Unfortunately our paper, printing, and postage is not. So a while back we started charging a subscription. We are currently offering a one year subscription for only $10.95. Now that's a bargin! Back issues are available if you want parts one and two à and yes we charge for those too! $2.25 apiece.

Dear Sirs,
PG&L is the best trade journal I receive. In fact, it's the only one I read cover to cover. Enclosed is my subscription check. Notice it's for $15.00, not your special offer of $9.95. Your magazine is worth more than ten bucks to me. I'm sure you appreciate praise, but most of us enjoy the compliment in the pocket book better. Keep up the good work.

I'm speechless! I'm also leaving to go out and spend the extra money. Thanks.

Dear Editor,
A recent editorial in the San Diego Union (4/4/88), "The Immigration Amnesty must be Extended", by Carol Halistrom cites the case of Juan who establishes a small landscape and yard maintenance business in San Diego in 1980. Juan was working his employees without workman's compensation. An employee was injured and filed against Juan. Juan is afraid that if he comes forward for amnesty, this incident will be known and he will be deported.
Those of us who operate our business on the up and up know this may be the least of Juan's worries. If Juan comes forward, he will probably become known to the IRS who will collect 8 years of back taxes. He will also probably be forced to operate his business legitimately, which means he won't be able to work cheap, which means he will have to compete fairly with landscapers who are legitimately in business. California law requires anyone who contracts to do landscape work to be licensed by the Contractor's State License Board if the total price of the job (including labor and materials) is $300 or more. Juan will have to learn english, go through a journeyman program and pass an examination to get this license in order to comply with this law. In addition, running a small business in America is complicated and expensive. There are management decisions to make, paperwork to do and laws to know and comply with (such as the recent law on employee eligibility verification.) Quarterly taxes, licenses, liability and workman's compensation insurance, vehicle insurance, contracts, labor laws, health and safety laws, pesticide laws (by the way, Juan, California also requires you to have a pesticide applicator license to spray those rose bushes,) and so on.
Finally, with Juan's new overhead and the need to charge his customer's a lot more to survive in business, he is going to find himself in competition with newly arrived illegals (and a lot of Americans) who go into business for themselves, work cheap for cash under the table, do not pay taxes and, of course, have no workman's compensation for their employees.
Perhaps, for Juan, deportation might be a blessing.

Kurt L. Olney
Landscape Progressions
Encinitas, CA

Or perhaps amnesty may bring Juan into the legal fold. He does not need a contractor's license to operate a maintenance business, but he would have to pay workman's compensation, withholding taxes and other taxes. But there are ways for small businessmen to handle these legalities without becoming lawyers. Bookkeeping services can handle payroll deductions and taxes. A good insurance agent will setup your worker compensation program. And services that require licensing (such as pesticide application) can be handled by licensed contractors. So a complete re-education for Juan is not necessary, but he will have to charge competitive prices to cover his new overhead.