Not enough illegal immigrants to go around, or we do not pay workers enough ?

[uscitizen]

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us

———

CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. (AP) — Saying the nation's immigration system is broken, Pennsylvania's largest grower of fresh-to-market tomatoes announced he will no longer produce the crop because he can't find enough workers to harvest it.

Keith Eckel, 61, a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc., said this week he saw a dramatic decline last summer in the number of migrant workers who showed up to pick tomatoes at his 2,000-acre farm in northeastern Pennsylvania.

He said Congress' failure to approve comprehensive immigration reform had hindered his ability to hire enough workers to get his crop to the market. Most of Eckel's workers came from Mexico.

"There are a number of workers hesitant to travel, legal or illegal, because of the scrutiny they are now under," said Eckel, whose tomatoes have been shipped to supermarkets and restaurants throughout the eastern United States. "So there are less workers crossing state lines."

Eckel, who planted 2.2 million tomato plants last year, said he also will stop growing pumpkins and will plant half as much sweet corn as usual, resulting in a loss of nearly 175 jobs.


http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt.jsp?section=news&feed=ap&src=601&news_id=ap-d8vllgfg0&date=20080327

 

[evince]

Maybe just maybe there will be a real loook at these issues.

Maybe just maybe hype and hate will be left out of the discussion for a change.

 

[uscitizen]

Hype and hate left out ? I doubt it.

but it will likely be another reason for produce price increases this year. Having to pay a bit more for labor.

 

[evince]

People really get scared when their food prices start to go up. Maybe there will be a light at the end of this tunnel when people realize the true impact of completetly shutting down the border and scaring off all the migrant workers.

A realistic program to allow them in to do the seasonal work that will allow our food to stay at a reasonable price.

 

[Chapdog]

People really get scared when their food prices start to go up. Maybe there will be a light at the end of this tunnel when people realize the true impact of completetly shutting down the border and scaring off all the migrant workers.

A realistic program to allow them in to do the seasonal work that will allow our food to stay at a reasonable price.

wow i actually agree.

 

[uscitizen]

Or we could pay workers a better wage and pay what our food is really worth ?

 

[evince]

This is just one of the many repercussions of trying to insist that people who have beeen here for years must never be allowed to stay.

You would have to spend billions inforcing this and you end up harrassing the hell out of migrant workers who do not even intend to stay.

We have whipped up such a fury that people treat them like shit for just trying to live.

The enviroment has become so hostle to latin Americans they dont want to come even legally.

 

[evince]

Or we could pay workers a better wage and pay what our food is really worth ?

Im affraid too many would starve to death if we insisted on paying enough for Americans to take the jobs.

 

[Socrtease]

Ag will never pay american workers "enough". Have you ever looked at the posters that you get from Dept of Labor that tell workers what their rights are and what minimum wage is? It tells you that minimum wage applies to NONFARM jobs. American workers will never do the jobs that pay per crate or per bushel for the money that immigrants do. And farmers will never pay the equivilent of minimum wage for an hours worth of farm labor

 

[leaningright]

Im affraid too many would starve to death if we insisted on paying enough for Americans to take the jobs.

This is an absolutely legitimate position desh. I have often wondered what would happen to the lifestyles of the poorer in our society who already struggle to purchase food, clothing, etc. if all of a sudden the cheaper labor available by foreign workers (ie. illegal immigrants) was axed and if the cheap clothing provided by the Walmarts of the world was taken away. It wouldn't be good I think. But I have no solutions either. It is indeed a dilemma.

 

[uscitizen]

It is a dilemma. The reason I made the post.

The soloution will arrive in some years as our standard of living drops closer to that of the rest of the world. Not a good soloution but a soloution.

 

[leaningright]

It is a dilemma. The reason I made the post.

The soloution will arrive in some years as our standard of living drops closer to that of the rest of the world. Not a good soloution but a soloution.

This is the way I see it too. I don't think there is any alternative. I also don't think most Americans are in any prepared for it. Most people are ignorant of basic cooking of staples. My wife doesn't know how to take flour and make biscuits but she can pop the frozen kind into the toaster oven. I am sure she is not alone in this.

We have for too long as a nation lived above our means in a borrowed life of debt. I have been guilty of this in the past but have fortunately been able to climb above it before I turned 40. I see co-workers my age and older still struggling, living from paycheck to paycheck.

Yes, I really think our standard of living will drop........I also don't think we are really ready for it.

 

[uscitizen]

This is the way I see it too. I don't think there is any alternative. I also don't think most Americans are in any prepared for it. Most people are ignorant of basic cooking of staples. My wife doesn't know how to take flour and make biscuits but she can pop the frozen kind into the toaster oven. I am sure she is not alone in this.

We have for too long as a nation lived above our means in a borrowed life of debt. I have been guilty of this in the past but have fortunately been able to climb above it before I turned 40. I see co-workers my age and older still struggling, living from paycheck to paycheck.

Yes, I really think our standard of living will drop........I also don't think we are really ready for it.

Yep, It will be really bad....
Even something like the great depression will be much worse now as a much higher percentage of our population live in urban areas with no way to produce food.

 

[Damocles]

This is the way I see it too. I don't think there is any alternative. I also don't think most Americans are in any prepared for it. Most people are ignorant of basic cooking of staples. My wife doesn't know how to take flour and make biscuits but she can pop the frozen kind into the toaster oven. I am sure she is not alone in this.

We have for too long as a nation lived above our means in a borrowed life of debt. I have been guilty of this in the past but have fortunately been able to climb above it before I turned 40. I see co-workers my age and older still struggling, living from paycheck to paycheck.

Yes, I really think our standard of living will drop........I also don't think we are really ready for it.

I've been preparing my family for it for some time. Teaching the kids how to make bread, growing some staples on my land... Not enough for us to live on, just to learn to do it myself so if I need it... Getting the goats, just in case. Getting off the grid using the sun to give my house power....

You know, preparing for the worst while working towards the best. It doesn't necessarily follow that we will not flow through this as well. Americans are far more resilient than people give us credit for. At least the ones I live among are.

 

[uscitizen]

I've been preparing my family for it for some time. Teaching the kids how to make bread, growing some staples on my land... Not enough for us to live on, just to learn to do it myself so if I need it... Getting the goats, just in case. Getting off the grid using the sun to give my house power....

You know, preparing for the worst while working towards the best. It doesn't necessarily follow that we will not flow through this as well. Americans are far more resilient than people give us credit for. At least the ones I live among are.

I have lived different places Damo and do not confuse people from co from people in NYC or Miami.

but even here in rural KY almost no one grows a garden now and when I was young most did grow a garden.

 

[leaningright]

I've been preparing my family for it for some time. Teaching the kids how to make bread, growing some staples on my land... Not enough for us to live on, just to learn to do it myself so if I need it... Getting the goats, just in case. Getting off the grid using the sun to give my house power....

You know, preparing for the worst while working towards the best. It doesn't necessarily follow that we will not flow through this as well. Americans are far more resilient than people give us credit for. At least the ones I live among are.

I can agree on the resiliance of our people to a point. I'm afraid many may not be so........I think back to my father's stories from the days of the depression. I also grew quite a bit of produce and canned a lot last year. I have always put up jellies and small stuff but I expanded on that last year. Canned fish and tomatoes, pickles, green beans and such. It's fun and interesting to me to learn how to do this. I learned a lot from my mom before she passed away and have utilized my aunt (she's 86) some since. I think I look for things to get better but am not sure how much worse they will get before they do get better.

 

[uscitizen]

We will eventually learn to be satisfied with less leaning. Perhaps a simpler and better life in the long run.

 

[Damocles]

I can agree on the resiliance of our people to a point. I'm afraid many may not be so........I think back to my father's stories from the days of the depression. I also grew quite a bit of produce and canned a lot last year. I have always put up jellies and small stuff but I expanded on that last year. Canned fish and tomatoes, pickles, green beans and such. It's fun and interesting to me to learn how to do this. I learned a lot from my mom before she passed away and have utilized my aunt (she's 86) some since. I think I look for things to get better but am not sure how much worse they will get before they do get better.

Many, many Americans have become rich preparing for the incapabilities of their neighbor. While some people are not resilient, there are more than enough people who not only are resilient but have the foresight to prepare. Some will become very rich expecting others to need what they can provide.

 

[uscitizen]

I fear some "weeding out" will happen if times get really bad.

martial law, etc will be in place.

 

[leaningright]

We will eventually learn to be satisfied with less leaning. Perhaps a simpler and better life in the long run.

Hey, I'm all about a simpler life. That's why I live 25 miles from a town with anything other than a convenience store and 50 miles from a town of any significant size. I really think my quality of life is great........and my wife does too. She thanks me all the time for getting her out of Nashville.