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Georgia & illegals- self ownage

In a country running 9-10% unemployment something doesn't add up here. I guess those farmers need to raise their wages.... or perhaps stop unemployment compensation?
 
The problem is really that these farmers came to rely on illegal labor and when it was pulled out from under them quickly they didn't have time to react. I still think illegals are a net negative on the places they move to. They are predominantly uneducated and thus negative impact the taxes vs. spending like any other poor person does. The US needs more educated, high earning immigrants, not more "kind of speak English but not really" immigrants who's education can't even hold a candle to a a typical public high school grad.
 
Give it time.

I imagine some Americans might do the work if there was a normal system set up. The problem is it's been geared towards illegals for so long that it's probably not even on the radar of unemployed people. Second of all, if Americans still don't want to do it, the wages will go up until they do. Will people pay more at the supermarket? Sure. But Americans will have income too.

All you're really doing is mourning artificially low wages for people who are cutting in line of the immigration process.
 
Jhhnn said:
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/06/17/gas-farm-labor-crisis-playing-out-as-planned/

After enacting House Bill 87, a law designed to drive illegal immigrants out of Georgia, state officials appear shocked to discover that HB 87 is, well, driving a lot of illegal immigrants out of Georgia.

Thanks to the resulting labor shortage, Georgia farmers have been forced to leave millions of dollars’ worth of blueberries, onions, melons and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields.

It has also put state officials into something of a panic at the damage they’ve done to Georgia’s largest industry.

================
Poetic Justice.
Click to expand...

Couldn't happen to a better bunch of asshats
 
The other side of the story for perspective. Some interesting points brought up in the linked article below. Don't know how accurate some of the numbers are because, well, I don't really care to do the research.

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_stor...-turning-tide-on-immigration?instance=special

The agriculture industry has been allowed to depend on illegal workers for years because they will work for less than the lawful temporary foreign workers available through the existing federal guest worker program known as H2A. Let's be clear here: If no American - on probation or not - ever applies to harvest another onion or pick a pepper, farmers will always have access to as many legal imported workers as they need.

A recent survey of Georgia farmers requested by the governor revealed that only 5 percent had used the legal method to obtain farm help. They have been using the illegals because they could.

The agriculture industry receives billions of tax dollars in subsidies - and then howls that obeying American immigration law is "too costly." If we enforce the law we will end up with that famous $10 head of lettuce? Guess what? According to many economists and studies, including one from the respected Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, labor costs comprise only 6 percent of the price consumers pay for fresh produce. If farm wages were allowed to rise 40 percent, and if all the costs were passed on to consumers, the cost to the average household would be only about $8 a year. Much cheaper than the $2.4 billion annual expense Deal cites as Georgia's cost of subsidizing the illegals.
Click to expand...
 
MomentsofSanity said:
The other side of the story for perspective. Some interesting points brought up in the linked article below.

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_stor...-turning-tide-on-immigration?instance=special

Quote:
The agriculture industry has been allowed to depend on illegal workers for years because they will work for less than the lawful temporary foreign workers available through the existing federal guest worker program known as H2A. Let's be clear here: If no American - on probation or not - ever applies to harvest another onion or pick a pepper, farmers will always have access to as many legal imported workers as they need.

A recent survey of Georgia farmers requested by the governor revealed that only 5 percent had used the legal method to obtain farm help. They have been using the illegals because they could.

The agriculture industry receives billions of tax dollars in subsidies - and then howls that obeying American immigration law is "too costly." If we enforce the law we will end up with that famous $10 head of lettuce? Guess what? According to many economists and studies, including one from the respected Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, labor costs comprise only 6 percent of the price consumers pay for fresh produce. If farm wages were allowed to rise 40 percent, and if all the costs were passed on to consumers, the cost to the average household would be only about $8 a year. Much cheaper than the $2.4 billion annual expense Deal cites as Georgia's cost of subsidizing the illegals.
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Like I said, enough asshats to go all around

I know because I lived there and reported on all of this.

In fact Deal came from Gainesville where I lived before left Georgia.
 
The farmers are going to have to pay more and the Americans who need jobs are going to have to lower their expectations. This is a good thing, I fail to see how it is bad.
 
We should get rid of the federal guest worker program also... if the farmers were forced to pay more for farm labor or lose thousands of dollars in crops, they'd choose to accept a smaller bottom line. But won't the cost of fruits and vegetable go up? Sure. But that's because the true cost of producing the fruit and vegetables was never priced in, i.e., cost to society by illegal immigrants.
 
Stupid rednecks, get your lazy butts out in the fields and pick the produce so my groceries stay cheap. You wanted Americans doing these jobs, now get out there and do them.
 
bfdd said:
The farmers are going to have to pay more and the Americans who need jobs are going to have to lower their expectations. This is a good thing, I fail to see how it is bad.
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Here ya go, your big chance to sign up-

http://www.ufw.org/toj_play/TOJNEW_12_JAL.html

Just so you'll have an idea of what it entails-

http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/thank-you-stephen-colbert-1.1659601

If nothing else, it's amusing to watch Georgia conservatives, so eager to pander to their base, cut their noses off to spite their faces.

It's kinda like they have have no idea what they're doing, which really shouldn't surprise anybody but them...
 
nobodyknows said:
In a country running 9-10% unemployment something doesn't add up here. I guess those farmers need to raise their wages.... or perhaps stop unemployment compensation?
Click to expand...

And that's exactly what they should do. Everyone collecting UE in those locales that have farms that need workers can be drawn lottery style, report to the local collection point, have their attendence recorded, and then be bussed to the local farm where they can work for their UE. They don't want to do that? Super. Drop them from the UE program. Keep cycling through people until all farm slots are filled.

Where do I sign those on UE up?
 
The other part of that is, with farmers, they don't want to jump through all the legal mumbo jumbo. Lots easier for them to flip cash to people who will show up and actually work, no paperwork required.
 
chucky2 said:
Where do I sign those on UE up?
Click to expand...

Maybe you'll get the chance to sign yourself up someday. We can only hope. Meanwhile, people who went deep in debt to get an education, lots of 'em, get to find out just what it's worth in the modern offshored automated economy, huh?

Or we could just bring back slavery or indentured servitude, this time to Big Brother, huh?

What would y'all suppose a true market wage might be for that kind of work, anyway?
 
I guess this is going to be good for California farmers, since they grow a lot of stuff here. Higher prices on produce due to less supply from Georgia farmers, and cheaper costs due to extra labor coming from there.
 
Jhhnn said:
Maybe you'll get the chance to sign yourself up someday. We can only hope.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't have one problem with that if it comes down to it. Hope? I'd hope not, but, if so, then I'll be out working, whether that's picking up garbage on the side of the road, shit at the local dog park, whatever, I'll be doing something for the money at least. One would hope people sitting on their 99th week of UE would be feeling the same way, No?

Meanwhile, people who went deep in debt to get an education, lots of 'em, get to find out just what it's worth in the modern offshored automated economy, huh?
Click to expand...

OK? Don't go deep into debt to get an education? Or at least chose a field where you have to go into debt, you have a good chance of getting a job where you can actually support yourself? Shocker. I put myself through 2 years of night school while I worked (many many many weeks 70-80 hours a week at the job itself), and then again when I finished out at the 4 year. It can be done. Too many young kids just want to go to the 4 year, not do shit but party, take a F'ing nothing major, put no major effort in, not know one F'ing thing when they graduate, and then try and compete for a job where the employer - if they aren't looking for the lowest paid warm body with a 4 year paper - sees right through their fake interview attitude and sees the worthlessness within. Sorry, I don't feel sorry for those kids a bit.

Or we could just bring back slavery or indentured servitude, this time to Big Brother, huh?
Click to expand...

Or after a certain amount of weeks, like say 54, on UE, we can start getting something for our money rather than nothing. Look at it this way: It's a free exercise program for them! You're a fan of Big Gov right?!?! Nothing better than Gov imposed exercise program, as it'll help keep'em healthy for that Gov Health Care I'm sure you'll want them to be on. See? You got what you wanted! :thumbsup:

What would y'all suppose a true market wage might be for that kind of work, anyway?
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Beats me. If you add up all the illegal pay, plus all the social services they suck up, plus all the additional kids they pop out, who all will have more kids, and so on, thereby further exacerbating our growing population related problems, I'm sure employing our own native americans (the ones that are of course native at this time, and not the ones that we wiped out 150-200 years ago) would be far better.

But then, doing that would expect people to work, wouldn't let people go on a White Guilt/Bleeding Heart kick, and wouldn't help the "F 'The Man'" attitude, amirite?

Chuck
 
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