American Dream: Battling through tough times
Three years ago, SteveWest, a master carpenter who grew up in Pennsylvania, was busy running a crew of six or seven tradesmen building home additions, renovating kitchens and bathrooms. Today, many, if not most of the large jobs have dried up and he finds himself biddling for smaller jobs and competing with illegal aliens. "I remember how hard it was on my dad in the Seventies. But it seems tougher now." Joey Ivansco / jivansco@ajc.com
