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Throughout my working career I’ve been blessed to work for businesses who’s owners were great businessmen. Due to these men who had big dreams to be the best in their respective companies (mobile homes, printing, restaurants, aircraft contractors) I, along with my family, have done well financially and never to this day have we been in financial distress.
Last week my wife and I went to San Antonio to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary. Driving to San Antonio I called several of my musician friends to find out where they were performing. One, Johnny, who my wife and I love his music told me he was not playing at his old gig in downtown San Antonio and gave me the name and address of the club where he now performs. Luckily, the club was close to where my wife and I stay. During a musical break Johnny told me why he was let go at his former gig and how he loathe the club owners and well educated individuals. “James, these guys think they’re better than everybody else and don’t give a damn about others!” He ranted. I then told him, “Johnny, all the years we went to see you perform at Pat’s you seemed so happy. Now they they’ve let you go, you suddenly seem so angry with the owners. Don’t you appreciate all the years you made money there? And, if it wasn’t for club owners, who will hire you? Will it be people who are on welfare and food stamps? And if it wasn’t for folks who are well educated, who in turn make good money, go out to eat, have a few drinks and give you tips, which in turn keep the club owners in business, who’s going to butter your bread?” Johnny couldn’t give me an answered.
My friends, I’ve entertained at several restaurants for almost 30 years. I’ve known the owners since we were teens. Johnny Cisneros, a close friend and owner of Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards, started his restaurant with only a dream and a loan from his brother in law. Prior to being a restaurant owner Johnny worked for his brother in law who owned a bakery and tortilla factory packing tortillas. Johnny, a great cook, once told me that he always wanted to own a restaurant but didn’t have the money to open one. He asked his brother in law for a substantial loan and luckily got it. He then opened his restaurant, which soon grew very popular in the Riverside area of Fort Worth. After a few years Johnny trained his sons to run the kitchen. Some years later, John rented a former feed store in the Stock Yards and converted it to his now famous Los Vaqueros Restaurant across from Billy Bob’s Texas (the largest country club in the USA). Later, upon the insistence of one of his sons, Johnny bought a multilevel building in the same block he ran his business. Within time he remodeled the building and converted it into a very popular Mexican eatery packed with patrons almost weekly. My friends, due to this hard working businessman, I, along with cooks, waiters, bartenders, cashiers, and busboys for thirty years have reaped the fruits off the dreams of this successful businessman.
Recently, my pastor at my church started to rant about the Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. Father Tom told the congregation that he detests the business dealings of Mr. Jones and how he cheated a lot of homeowners to obtain their homes and property to build his stadium in Arlington. He went on to tell us that he found out that Mr. Jones has a lot of the Dallas Cowboys souvenirs (jerseys, caps, etc.) made in Third World countries where children are paid 29 cents an hour to make them. As I sat listening to Father Tom’s supposedly deplorable business dealings of Mr. Jones, I suddenly remembered that just last year when Super Bowl XLV between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers was held, it was the first time a Super Bowl was played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the third time it was held in the state of Texas. I honestly believe that bringing the Super Bowl to our area is nothing to sneeze at. That to me is the expert dealings of a business sports genius! In the week prior to the game, I would drive to downtown Fort Worth to my favorite bar restaurant and all of downtown Fort Worth was teaming with tourist from Green Bay and Pittsburg. All I assume renting rooms in Fort Worth hotels and motels which were full to capacity and spending money in all of the restaurants, clubs, and department stores. On the Saturday before Super Bowl Sunday, Los Vaqueros, where I entertain was full to capacity with tourists who were here to see the game and enjoying our Western Heritage in the world famous Stockyards. Folks, I, along with my musicians made out like bandits in tips thanks to businessmen like Mr. Jerry Jones, and Mr. Johnny Cisneros.
Days after Father Tom’s Sunday’s rant at mass I received an email from my cousin which showed how much people from around the world spend a week on groceries. One of the photos, which showed a family of six in a Third World country, caught my eye. The photo showed the meager staple food these poor people eat in a week, which costs them a whopping $1.23, which they can barely afford. It then dawned on me that if just one of these poor people kid’s worked making Dallas Cowboy souvenirs at 29 cents an hour for 8 hours a day for a week, it totals to $16.24 a week, which would adequately in my humble opinion feed the whole family for several weeks.
My friends as a young boy of 12, I set pins at a bowling alley for 10 cents a line for several years. I remember earning around 14 bucks a week and I’d give mom half of my earnings. Mom, back in the early 50s could buy a lot of groceries with 7 bucks. I don’t recall her ever telling me not to work because I was a boy. I also remember Hispanic families leaving for months with their kids to go pick cotton, fruits, or whatever to help sustain the family.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Father Tom’s family probably bought him clothes made out of cotton when he was a kid, which more than likely was picked by a young Hispanic 12-year-old kid working long in the hot sun in Texas!
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