Kim Says

Here’s a funny.

I was listening to the radio this morning coming into work; the local classic rock station 99.5 that also airs the NASCAR races. So this morning I hear a commercial for “All NASCAR fans” to start a new career in the Border Patrol making up to $70k within three years. It gave a website to check out…so I did. Now, I am not a NASCAR fan although I reside in the South and Talladega is just a quick 20 minutes up the Interstate. It is a big deal here, so I am aware. But this struck me as humorous. (See excerpts)

U.S. Border Patrol gets creative in recruitment

Agency turns to NASCAR, TV to dip into a shrinking pool of applicants

Associated Press updated 7:53 p.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 10, 2008

Too many applicants lack the clean criminal records and good credit history required for patrol duty along the border, where bribes are an ever-present temptation.

Nationally, only about 3 percent to 5 percent of applicants for law enforcement jobs meet the requirements, the Border Patrol finds an average of one qualified candidate for every 30 to 40 applicants — a rate as low as 2.5 percent.

A Border Patrol assistant chief patrol agent in Washington said a team of eight agents is canvassing about 13 Southern states to look for new hires.

“We’re going down into the Southeast where we haven’t traditionally had a lot of candidates. We are hitting minority groups and trying to make them more aware of who we are”. 

Please don’t take offense, this is just one woman’s view, but how in the hell do NASCAR fans qualify for this job? Have the recruiting people ever been to the infield of a NASCAR race? Need a BBQ King of the world? Yes!  Beer Pong champion? Definitely! I find this campaign hilarious. Besides, who would WANT the job of a border patrol agent? We already know that if you wear the uniform and attempt to stop a well-known mexican drug lord from crossing the border, you are the one that ends up in prison for 7 years! (look it up)

And then I ask my Congressmen, what happened to the fence? You keep saying you’re going to build it, you keep saying you voted for it, you keep saying it’s going to happen.

I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.