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Cheap Tomatoes

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Soapweed

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Cheap Tomatoes

THIS HAS GOT TO BE PASSED ALONG TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OR WE WILL ALL GO DOWN THE DRAIN BECAUSE A FEW DON'T CARE.

This English teacher has phrased it the best I've seen yet.

Tomatoes and Cheap Labor

CHEAP TOMATOES?
This should make everyone think, be you Democrat, Republican or Independent

From a California school teacher - - -

"As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:

I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc., where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I'm not talking a glass of milk and roll -- but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.

I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75% or more DO have cell phones. The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America..

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students, here in the country less then 3 months, who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them "Putas"(whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, free day care etc., etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled to not only be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they LIKE their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the TRUE costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases. For me, I'll pay more for tomatoes.

Americans, We need to wake up.

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: It involves an American third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about"political correctness" that we don't have the will to do anything about it.

If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know.

CHEAP LABOR? Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about?

Business doesn't want to pay a decent wage.

Consumers don't want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don't want the jobs.

But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor."

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or 6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an "earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent.

He qualifies for food stamps.

He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care.

His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.

He requires bilingual teachers and books.

He qualifies for relief from high energy bills.

If they are, or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI. If qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicaid. All of this is at (our) taxpayer's expense.

He doesn't worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.

Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.

He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6..00/hour left after paying their bills and his.

Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT!

THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE SHOULD BE ADDRESSING TO THE CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS OF EITHER PARTY. 'AND WHEN THEY LIE TO US AND DON'T DO AS THEY SAY, WE SHOULD REPLACE THEM.
 
So why is the agricultural industry one of the ones screaming the loudest that they cannot do without their immigrant labor (legal or illegal- historically often preferring illegal because they could take more advantages of them) ...


California Harvests Delayed By Shortage Of Workers



Crops rot while growers seek workers, experts say.

By AFP / Leila Macor | Posted Friday, 22-Mar-2013


Here's a mess with no easy fix: American crops going unpicked (it's backbreaking work that locals won't touch) and poor migrants in need of work shying away from it for fear of being abused.

Creating a program for temporary farm workers from Mexico and other countries to work the land, sow seeds or reap harvests is one of the touchiest aspects of the immigration reform that Congress is working on.

Some 61 percent of growers in California report shortages of laborers, especially in labor-intensive crops like grapes and vegetables, according to Rayne Pegg of the California Farm Bureau Federation.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/03/california-harvests-delayed-by-shortage-of-workers



Lack of immigration reform threatens California farmers


Growers have difficulty fielding adequate crews to harvest crops; Washington has a shot this year at providing meaningful relief.

February 20, 2013|George Skelton | Capitol Journal


SACRAMENTO — Except for illegal immigrants, no group has more at stake in the national fight over immigration reform than California farmers.

"It doesn't pay to plant a product if you can't harvest it," notes Mark Teixeira of Santa Maria, who says he had to let 22 acres of vegetables rot last year because he couldn't find enough field hands to gather the crop. "That hurts."

As security has tightened along the California-Mexican border, the flow of illegal immigrant labor into the nation's most productive agriculture state has slowed significantly, farm interests say.

"It's very difficult to find crews compared to three or four years ago," reports Greg Wegis, a fifth-generation Kern County farmer who grows cherries, almonds, pistachios and tomatoes, among other crops.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/20/local/la-me-cap-immigration-20130221

Kind of like trying to find workers in the Bakken-- you have to pay good to get the help (and then still many of those are illegals)...Maybe in the long run they need to raise the price of tomatoes.... :wink:
 
OT, you needn't ask why tomato growers want emigrant labor, the title sayes it all, cheap tomatoes. You know those busses at the border that pickup green carders in the morning and return them in the evening.

Let's not confuse mutually beneficial guest worker arrangements with lawless invasion that Obama supports and the original post deals with. Obama would perpetrate exactly this confusion, but to say Obama is dishonest is to say water is wet.
 
Brad S said:
OT, you needn't ask why tomato growers want emigrant labor, the title sayes it all, cheap tomatoes. You know those busses at the border that pickup green carders in the morning and return them in the evening.
Yep- maybe they should raise the wages- and they could get the help...

But the Bakken wants cheap workers too... Shouldn't they be able to get them? Problem up there is that even with the good wages they pay- they still can't find enough workers...

My daughter is the shift manager of a restaurant in Williston- and she said the majority of the help she has now can't speak English- need to schedule one English/Spanish speaker to each shift to interpret...
 
as for cost.. it boils down to can we produce cheaper then we can import...

I am amazed when I see cheap imported food.. especially meat and produce..

the answer isn't always cheap labor.. and like the shirt from china..

the question is would Americans pay more for domestic produce.. over imported produce..




ImageGen.ashx


Americans want fresh fruits and vegetables—year-round, not just at harvest time. U.S. farmers grow a lot of produce, but imports are meeting most of the increased demand, especially during off-season months such as April, thus capturing more of the total consumption. Mexico, Central America and South America send the most produce to U.S. regional distribution centers. Some fruits and vegetables have recently become very popular, whereas others remain stable: avocados are way up, persimmons are on the rise and tomatoes are, well, tomatoes.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/us-demand-for-fruits-and-vegetables-drives-up-imports/
 
Brad S said:
OT, you needn't ask why tomato growers want emigrant labor, the title sayes it all, cheap tomatoes. You know those busses at the border that pickup green carders in the morning and return them in the evening.

I had me a cheap termato one time and ended up costing almost all the farm--everything but that little piece across the crick.....
 
Thanks for sharing that, Soapweed. It is such a difficult problem, given the 'leader' our nation has, and his cohorts in the Senate, in particular and the fact they aren't going to change the way they run the country until forced to by we voters, IF we can overcome the illegal votes!

I will definitely be talking to my folks in government as well as voting for real conservatives this fall.

It does seem to me that those of us who have either 'mom and pop' farm/ranch businesses, or who have raised our own help, don't really understand the plight of those who have to hire help. And those who have dairies, pigs or poultry, feedlots, or other labor intensive agriculture businesses have a particularly tough time, given the problems outlined by that brave teacher/administrator. I can't imagine she has much job security, or even physical safety, for that matter.

When I read statements crying about low wages, I have to wonder how the jobs should be priced.......according to what the workers want/need, or according to the benefit to the business and the quality of the work by the employer? We NEVER see anything written about job performance, just the cost of living. I sure would hate to have my business depend on too many of the 'minimum wage workers' we see. Granted, there are probably many who are excellent and give more than their pay warrants, yet it is pretty obvious that those are not the majority!

People simply do not HAVE to work to make a fair living, according to what we read here, and what most of us can observe in especially larger communities, even in SD and other sparsely populated rural states, which used to have 'bragging rights' to having all hard working, good families, even if we didn't have much in the way of 'earthly goods'.

Seems like we should be able to come up with some sort of equitable, honest 'seasonal worker' system without keeping them as permanent citizens on welfare. I've been told that is what many families, particularly from Mexico want, so they can have the additional income from spending some time working in the USA to earn enough to keep their homes and families back in Mexico.

So, whose fault is it if business has to have low cost workers in order to produce the low cost food US citizens demand? I believe we do remain at about 10 to 12% of income as cost of food in the USA, one of the lowest costs for high quality foods in the world!

It just might be interesting to see what the return on investment is for some of the businesses accused of getting rich by paying low wages.

mrj
 
mrj said:
Thanks for sharing that, Soapweed. It is such a difficult problem, given the 'leader' our nation has, and his cohorts in the Senate, in particular and the fact they aren't going to change the way they run the country until forced to by we voters, IF we can overcome the illegal votes!

I will definitely be talking to my folks in government as well as voting for real conservatives this fall.

It does seem to me that those of us who have either 'mom and pop' farm/ranch businesses, or who have raised our own help, don't really understand the plight of those who have to hire help. And those who have dairies, pigs or poultry, feedlots, or other labor intensive agriculture businesses have a particularly tough time, given the problems outlined by that brave teacher/administrator. I can't imagine she has much job security, or even physical safety, for that matter.

When I read statements crying about low wages, I have to wonder how the jobs should be priced.......according to what the workers want/need, or according to the benefit to the business and the quality of the work by the employer? We NEVER see anything written about job performance, just the cost of living. I sure would hate to have my business depend on too many of the 'minimum wage workers' we see. Granted, there are probably many who are excellent and give more than their pay warrants, yet it is pretty obvious that those are not the majority!

People simply do not HAVE to work to make a fair living, according to what we read here, and what most of us can observe in especially larger communities, even in SD and other sparsely populated rural states, which used to have 'bragging rights' to having all hard working, good families, even if we didn't have much in the way of 'earthly goods'.

Seems like we should be able to come up with some sort of equitable, honest 'seasonal worker' system without keeping them as permanent citizens on welfare. I've been told that is what many families, particularly from Mexico want, so they can have the additional income from spending some time working in the USA to earn enough to keep their homes and families back in Mexico.

So, whose fault is it if business has to have low cost workers in order to produce the low cost food US citizens demand? I believe we do remain at about 10 to 12% of income as cost of food in the USA, one of the lowest costs for high quality foods in the world!

It just might be interesting to see what the return on investment is for some of the businesses accused of getting rich by paying low wages.

mrj

when I first retired from the military, I thought about getting licensed for electrical work .. and did alot of numbers..

an illegal is about 21% less costly then a citizen.. and often can be covered by insurance as casual labor..

where as,.. an employee would be covered at an additional cost..

for the most part I would be working to pay the taxes and insurance..

return on each employee would range from $10 to $25 and hour.. paying then starting at $12.75.. the illegal would make more and cost less when it came to the bottom line..

I didn't like the idea of hiring illegals,.. or worrying hiring competent workers.. about so instead I worked a full time job, and did some part time work on top of that..

as each state is different..and each job is different,. the cost would vary.



one thing I did learn over the years is that the illegals know they cost less,.. and will screw you right in the middle of a job if you do not give them a raise.. they are not greedy, but they are consistent.. :?
I am sure glad that wasn't my problem.. but I made good money when their crews walked off..
 
I read this in the local paper,.. and figured it fit here...

this is what is wrong with catch and release.. and this guy is not even one of the scumbags I complain the most about....

Motor Vehicle Stop Leads to Warrant Arrest

STONE HARBOR - Sgt. Greg Jackson observed a Chevy SIN stopped in the marked bike lane of Second Ave. unloading lumber into a dumpster Aug. 26 2014 at approximately 8:07 a.m.

Bicycles were observed leaving the bike lane into traffic to avoid the vehicle. After repeated instructions to move the vehicle the driver, now known as Abel Hernandez-Antolin, 33, of Millville, indicated to the officer that he would move once he was finished unloading the lumber. This prompted Sgt. Jackson to conduct a motor vehicle stop which soon revealed that the driver was unlicensed and currently suspended to drive in New Jersey.

He was also found to have a NAC hit (National Crime Information Center) out of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department

for failing to appear for a fourth degree crime of exhibiting false documents.

It was also discovered that he had one criminal warrant out of Bridgeton for receiving stolen property, $350 bail,

one traffic warrant out of the Bridgeton Municipal Court for unlicensed driver, $550 bail,

and one traffic warrant from the WSP for seat belts and being a suspended driver, $750 bail.




Hernandez-Antolin was arrested, his vehicle impounded, he was processed, and turned over to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department for transport back to Cumberland County.
He was additionally charged with motor vehicle violations in Stone Harbor; unlicensed and driving while suspended.

why not just deport him?
 
Something that everyone forgets is that the major use of "tomato Pickers"
is in the states of California and Texas. In California almost everyone is on govt assistance so there is no need to work for a living. It pays more than a job therfore it leaves the work to the Mexicans who will make more than in their country. Soon when they are on welfare too no one will work.
 

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