Brent P wrote:
In article , Elmo wrote:

Low wages paid to ag workers are one way to subsidize low food prices.
Think what food would cost if the people who produce, prepare, and serve
it actually got paid living wages.

Low wages prevent the use of automation. Only those crops where
automation has not yet been developed and/or growers simply refuse to
use it because of the cheap labor supply depend on illegal alien
workers. There wouldn't be any increase in price unless the producers
threw a fit and stopped growing the crops. The market price is what is.

Not according to basic economics. If automation was less expensive for
the crops labor is now being used for, the farmers would be using it
already, instead of illegal aliens. When you raise all producers
costs, the supply curve shifts, resulting in a higher market price.
And no matter how much automation you have, there are still many tasks,
like inspection/grading, that have to be done by humans.

Now, does that mean it would result in prices so high people could no
longer afford food? No, but it most certainly would have the effect
of increasing price.




In addition, maybe you haven't noticed, but illegal aliens aren't just
picking crops any more. They have invaded and driven down wages in a wide
variety of jobs. They drive down the wages by flooding the supply of
labor and then people declare 'americans won't do these jobs'. They don't
do them because they don't pay what they used to pay.