Senator John McCain Offering $50 an hour to pick lettuce!

Senator John McCain's Office ^ | April 14th 2006 | Senator John McCain

[RasterMaster]

Of course it's a stunt....that's all McLoon and his DUmocrat buddies are about...playing games with issues that affect us all.

[NRA2BFree]

The moderators are generally in a good mood on Fridays.

Note to self: Only fight with OBL FReepers on Fridays. LOL!

[TigersEye]

$50/hr x 40 hrs/week = $2000/week x 50 weeks = $100,000 a year. Yeah, I'll take that.

I'm in. I couldn't make half that as a carpenter in Alb. I'll allow two guesses why.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He said it to a labor union meeting about a week ago.

Right. They booed him.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Fred*s been around since 1997. :o)

So? :)

[P-40]

How can you and your family live on that wage?

That is a lot of money if your family is in Mexico. If they are here, you make up the difference in taxpayer funded welfare programs. It is a really good deal...for everyone but the taxpayer.

[TigersEye]

In part, that is why they are called migrant workers. They migrate from one growing area to another as crops come ripe. That is part of the reason Americans don't do this job much. Most aren't willing to leave a permanent home to do the picking. Illegals, who don't have a permanent home, are more willing to migrate.

I have no permanent home and I'd love to migrate to Yuma for four winter months from the mountains of northern CO and get paid $50 per hour. That would net me about $30,000 after taxes which is more than three times as much as I have ever made working year 'round here as a carpenter.

Of course that was about sixteen years ago before I left construction to do other things. But illegals started moving in about twelve years ago and now saturate the construction trades so wages aren't much higher.

I have to maintain a good set of tools worth about $5,000 (and a vehicle capable of carrying them) to be a carpenter/contractor. What do I need to bring to pick lettuce?

[P-40]

And then a whole new wave of illegals would come in to undercut the wages of those newly-legalized illegals

That is what happened last time and is what will happen this time. Either our politicians are just ill-informed...or really stupid...or dishonest.

[TigersEye]

TIME TO AUTOMATE.... NO MORE SLAVE LABOR, WE NEED THE NEXT COTTON GIN..... NOT A CIVIL WAR

I have heard that only 4.7% of illegal aliens are in the agriculture industry so McStain is lying in that respect too.

[P-40]

only 4.7% of illegal aliens are in the agriculture industry

That sounds about right. A little better than 20% work in private households.

[Jeff Gordon Fan]

I'l take it.. The government pays me 12.68 an hour to fix engineers computers when they break them.....Oh i can;t wait to get out of college and break those computers....

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Right. They booed him.

I heard the tape. Right before they booed him one guy stood up and yelled, "I'll take it! Where do I sign up?!"

[NC28203]

>>>I have heard that only 4.7% of illegal aliens are in the agriculture industry so McStain is lying in that respect too.

That may be true, but what percentage of agricultural workers in the fresh produce industry are illegals?

[bjcintennessee]

If ILLEGAL aliens are removed from society, employers would have to pay an American worker at least the minimum wage and the associated payroll/other taxes. Hence, the price of the same goods and services would go up.

And so employers will be shipping in a whole new line of "under the table" cheap labor workers. And 20 years from now, we'll be in the same situation we are today, except that 59% of America's population will be "Latino".

[TigersEye]

That leaves about 75% to account for.

[TigersEye]

That may be true, but what percentage of agricultural workers in the fresh produce industry are illegals?

What does that have to do with the smoke McCain was blowing up our skirts?

[Old_Mil]

I make $100/hr by sitting on my tail and just turning over real state.

Wow...Carlton Sheets is a registered member of Freerepublic. :)

[TigersEye]

If ILLEGAL aliens are removed from society, employers would have to pay an American worker at least the minimum wage and the associated payroll/other taxes. Hence, the price of the same goods and services would go up.

Given the choice, I prefer the jobs go to Americans first. No brainer.

No doubt. If the illegal aliens are naturalized won't they demand health care, retirement bennies, paid vacation, family leave and sick days? In fact they won't have to demand it the law would require it wouldn't it? And, like you said, employers will let them go and hire all new illegal foreign nationals who will be coming here in a ratio of 3-1, like last time amnesty was granted, because of what they see has just happened. Again.

[Don Joe]

U.S. Senator John McCain is offering $50.00 an hour to anyone willing to stay in Yuma for 1 year and pick lettuce.

It'll kill me -- literally -- but I'll do it! We need the money, and, once it does kill me, I won't have to listen to Senator Queegberries anymore, LOL!

(I am approaching 60, I have a bad heart and a seriously messed-up spine. Gee, that last part might qualify me for office! ROTFL!)