Just Wondering wrote:
dpb wrote:
Just Wondering wrote:

CW wrote:

Would you be willing to pay $15.00 for an apple? How about $18.00 for a
pear? Those who claim that the problem is as simple as throwing out the
illegal either don't live in farm country or are not paying
attention. Ever
picked apples? I have. You won't find enough Americans to get the
crops in.
You couldn't pay most people enough to do the work. It is not
because of low
pay. A (Mexican) apple picker can easily make $20.00 an hour.
Mexican labor
is what keeps the fruit producers going.


So how did the farmers get their crops in, say, 40 years ago, before
there was the massive flood of illegals we have now?


Combination -- mostly the itinerants were still around, just there
weren't the other 10-20 M of so besides in the case of the seasonal
picking and so on. Earlier ('30s and so on), there were the Okies and
similar of Steinbeck fame...

The difference now is the US demographics are far different and
welfare programs mean the unemployed don't starve so they don't/won't
work at all in large numbers...

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If that's true, then the answer isn't turning a blind eye to illegal
aliens, it's changing welfare to workfare.

It's certainly true it's a part of it; not all. Nothing is so
simplistic. It doesn't help that we have labor laws that make it almost
impossible to hire teenagers for summer labor for farm work any more.

I don't argue the general idea of "work for pay", but realistically what
do you think the chances are of accomplishing that?

Again, I'm not saying I like the status quo, simply that there is a need
that the "send 'em back" crowd doesn't want to recognize. That there
should be legitimate ways is a given imo but as I've noted elsewhere,
neither political party wants a solution very much because it's too
convenient as a campaign weapon against the other and each have very
competing vested interests in how they wish to see it resolved in (they
think at least) their favor.

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