Sen. Rand Paul: Work-visa program could stop border welfare state

By Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes, Mon-Fri., 9a-12p on 92.3 KTAR | May 7, 2015 @ 2:58 pm

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said he didn't grow up dreaming of becoming president of the United States. But now that he's running, he has a priority list and border security and immigration reform are on it.

"I think something has to be done. If you aren't for doing any kind of immigration reform, you're for another 10 (million) or 11 million people coming in unaccounted for," the Republican from Kentucky told KTAR's Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes on Thursday.

Paraphrasing American economist Milton Friedman, Paul said, "you can't have open borders and a welfare state. We've kind of got both of right now -- we have a completely open border and we've got this enormous welfare state.

"So you've got to stop one of them, and so right now what we really need to do is secure the border. We need to know who comes in, who leaves, we need to make sure none of them are terrorists and then we have to control the border, that's part of it."

But Paul, who grew up in Texas, said he was in favor of a work-visa program.

"I'm in favor of people coming across to work. ... I had a farmer recently tell me … he has advertised for 30 years and never had one American apply for a job. So we do need migrant labor.

"There has to be some kind of compromise to come about on this."

Paul planned to speak at Arizona State University in the afternoon, addressing students and the general public.

http://ktar.com/103/1832116/Sen-Rand...-welfare-state

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"I'm in favor of people coming across to work. ... I had a farmer recently tell me … he has advertised for 30 years and never had one American apply for a job. So we do need migrant labor.

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Wow, this is a doctor, a so-called medical professional, a scientific person, who decides our nation needs migrant labor because 1 farmer told him he had advertised for 30 years and never had one American apply for a job. Really? Does anyone believe that? No, no one believes that. Obviously, farmers like politicians lie a lot to get what they want.

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Originally Posted by Judy

Wow, this is a doctor, a so-called medical professional, a scientific person, who decides our nation needs migrant labor because 1 farmer told him he had advertised for 30 years and never had one American apply for a job. Really? Does anyone believe that?

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It's an insidious vicious circle. Illegals will work for less than Americans are willing to accept, so when that farmer advertises for workers, he can do so, secure in the knowledge that Americans can't really afford to work for what he's offering.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade

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Originally Posted by vistalad

It's an insidious vicious circle. Illegals will work for less than Americans are willing to accept, so when that farmer advertises for workers, he can do so, secure in the knowledge that Americans can't really afford to work for what he's offering.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fair trade, not free trade

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What many of them actually do in agricultural for those who use legal foreign ag workers is hire a network that brings in the temporary ag workers and the farmers are required to advertise as proof they needed the labor, so they post the ads and just tell the Americans who call the job's been filled, so they never even take an application, and then tell the government, they advertised but no one applied. And in Texas, they probably advertise in Spanish so most Americans couldn't read it anyway.

Farmers, accustomed to cheap foreign labor and big government subsidies, are whining.

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Originally Posted by Newmexican

Farmers, accustomed to cheap foreign labor and big government subsidies, are whining.

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They are indeed, and it's the big farmers who whine, not the small farmers.