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  1. #1
    Senior Member zeezil's Avatar
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    AP offers yet more "crops rotting in the fields" p

    Michael Rubinkam/AP offers yet more "crops rotting in the fields" propaganda
    Michael Rubinkam of the Associated Press offers yet another in the long line of "crops rotting in the fields" articles: http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007117.html , which are propaganda designed to support an immigration amnesty and/or "guest" worker program. In the current case: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLcw ... wD8VK1T480 , it concerns the titular owner of Fred W. Eckel Sons Farms Inc. who says he's going to switch from tomatoes to mechanically-harvested corn because he can't find workers. For those not in the loop, Eckel is the top dog in the Pennsylvania fresh-to-market tomato industry.

    Other than a few details, it's the same as the other articles and the replies are the same: offer more money and make sure you're doing business within the laws, try to change the laws, mechanize, or go out of business. It also includes this charming comment from Eckel which seems almost like a throwback to a different century or a different country:

    "A lot of people think with immigration that we're talking about immigrants taking jobs from others. Let me tell you, there is no local labor that is going to go out and harvest those tomatoes in 90-degree temperatures except our immigrant labor... They come here to do a job that no one else will do in this country."
    Carl Shaffer, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau joined him at the press conference; Eckel isn't a participant in the H-2A program, since he finds it "too cumbersome".

    UPDATE: When Fred Eckel speaks, cheap labor supporters across the nation listen!

    One of the reasons might be this: http://www.pafarmnews.com/Articles/2008 ... eHouse.htm Last month George Bush tabbed him for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. (The seven-member board advises the on agricultural priorities and issues. USAID is an independent federal government agency that provides economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide.) There are over 100 stories about his issues on Google news, yet not a single one mentions that appointment. I'm going to guess that not a single one also takes anything at other than face value and looks into whether he's part of a propaganda push for "guests".

    Those who fail to look beyond the surface include sources such as RawStory (rawstory.com/news/mochila/Major_grower_ends_crop_lacking_work_03242008.html) , CNN ("Migrant worker shortage crushes tomato farm", money.cnn.com/2008/03/24/news/economy/Immigrant_Labor.ap/index.htm), and Tom Bevan at RealClearPolitics ("A Test Case for Immigration", time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/03/a_test_case_for_immigration.html).

    Another source is Nancy Petersen of the Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_pa ... gress.html .It includes various farm bureau reps engaging in scare-mongering and posturing (Congress needs to act, said Furey of the New Jersey Farm Bureau: "We need a national solution that is realistic, in tune with the economy and fair to the people."), and yet another fun comment from good ol' Hacendado Eckel:
    "No one will harvest tomatoes in 90 degree weather except immigrant labor."
    For comparison purposes, see this form letter the "Texans for Sensible Immigration Policy": http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/006322.html wanted their members to send to their representatives:
    I work in the construction business in Houston Texas. I am here to tell you that we cannot find enough American citizens willing to labor in the hot sun.
    http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/007567.html
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  2. #2
    Senior Member avenger's Avatar
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    I work in the construction business in Houston Texas. I am here to tell you that we cannot find enough American citizens willing to labor in the hot sun.
    I'm a white male American citizen from birth from several generations of native born citizens. I worked in the construction industry from the 1970's into 2005. I loved the job and working in the heat both outside and inside! I know that on some days the inside jobs were not air conditioned and reached well over 100 degrees, but I still enjoyed doing the work until the later years. I started out making very good money and it slowly became very poor wages for the skill level I obtained. I have noticed that since illegal aliens have taken over the construction industry in Texas, the quality of workmanship has suffered greatly.
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  3. #3
    Senior Member zeezil's Avatar
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    I can confirm avenger's claim. In North Carolina, much of the construction industry labor has been innudated by illegal aliens. New home quality is appalling, with inferior workmanship, poor quality materials, lines all out of plumb, badly fitted joints-runs-cuts and mega quanties of caulk utilized in an attemp to mask finishing defects.
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  4. #4
    Senior Member miguelina's Avatar
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    The problem isn't individual "guest" workers, it's that each "guest" worker does not come alone.

    Farmers don't want to use H-2A, because they don't want to subsidize the "guest worker" and his breeding family.

    One "guest worker" picks tomatoes and gets paid to pick tomatoes. The farmer doesn't want to pay for the "guest worker's" woman and 2-10 kids, the farmer wants US taxpayers to subsidize that. The price is way too high for US taxpayers, sorry farmer!

    I don't believe for ONE minute that a single illegal will come over as a "guest worker" and not try to have as many anchor babies as he can, to ensure he and his will always be able to freeload.

    Either rescind the automatic citizenship for illegal aliens' kids or NO guest worker program!
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  5. #5
    Senior Member ourcountrynottheirs's Avatar
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    If it was a choice between eating and picking tomatos, I'd pick tomatos. But they wouldn't be paying me 3 bucks an hour.
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  6. #6
    Senior Member Bowman's Avatar
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    I say if the farmers are stupid enough to plant the crops without having figured out a legal way to pick them, then let the crops rot!!
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