Farm owners, workers worry about immigration law's impact on crops

Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | 6/3/11 | Craig Schneider

[ruralvoter]

One hundred degrees worth of heat beats down upon the blackberry field, but Ismael Rodriguez plucks berry after berry with the speed of a veteran fruit picker.

Not far away, however, berries are shriveling on the vine on this South Georgia farm.

The farm owners say they don't have enough workers during this peak harvest season, namely Hispanic pickers such as Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a migrant worker. He is also an illegal immigrant. And, like many of his fellow pickers, he fears a new state law aimed at illegal immigration. Many migrants skipped Georgia this season as they follow the ripening of crops across the country.

Supporters of the law say that shows it is already working. They want the law to clear the state of illegal immigrants, who they say are taking advantage of Georgia's schools, hospitals and workplaces, draining public funds as they take jobs that could help the unemployed.

[The Working Man]

I agree with you, Mechanize!

I also must admit that the more you mechanize or automate a process the less you need a human body for. And that of course means fewer people working and earning an income.

So where do those unemployed go for even a minimal amount of money to live on. Why the Government of course. And the Government gets its money through taxes from the people who own the businesses or are fortunate enough to have a job in those businesses.

And so it goes... In many ways Government having entered into the social contract starting with Social Security and Welfare has started an avalanche that will end up destroying or burying anyone or anything in its path.

And no, I don’t have an answer either... Just do what you can to prepare for when TSHTF.

[maine yankee]

To the farm owners;

If you have a business model that requires you break the law (hire illegals), then you have a faulty business model.

[Vigilanteman]

I have family members that actually made a good middle-class living in the 1960’s and 1970’s doing roofing, until the roofing companies discovered they could pay illegals under the table to do the same work for 1/5 the wage.

1/5th the wages was only part of their success story. They got their workers signed up for Section 8 housing and other government bennies to make up for the other 4/5ths.

[momtothree]

I agree. For too long, the reason that we “need” cheaper food thus need illegals has been faulty. I got into a disagreement once with a person that I know that spouted this whole process. I (glibly and sarcastically) said then you support slavery as well? The person looked dumbfounded. I then said that slaves could work in the fields and our food costs would go down dramatically. (I don’t think this... it was just an argument). The person simply walked away. To me, a person who spouts one philosophy and then is indignant when you take the initial philosophy a few steps further... lost the initial argument.

[9YearLurker]

Nothing!

[Loyal Sedition]

In this case the “Human bodies” in question belong to illegals who should never have gotten into our country.

So deport them, and remove them from the equation!
This will keep them off the social security roles, keep them out of our emergency rooms, prevent their illicit voting, and their kids out of our schools.

The saving in socialized services alone will cover the expense of the mechanization.

Heck, we might not even have to “Choose” English anymore!

[ZULU]

If these farms can’t operate WITHIN the law they should go out of business - period.