Kentucky tobacco farmers keep close eye on immigration debate

Wilmington Star/Associated Press ^ | 6-1-06 | Bruce Schreiner

[D-Chivas]

This is what happens when the American public wants cheap smokes, cheap meat, cheap daycare, cheap lawn service, cheap roofing...

[reagandemo]

"How many healthy men and women in KY and surrounding areas are living on welfare or charity of some variety? If they didn't get their living by sponging off the working people of the state they might rather pick tobacco for a reasonable wage than go without shelter, frozen pizzas, beer, smokes, iPods, and cable TV."

from a former Tobacco Farmer. Yes you cannot get the locals to work for a fair wage. They would rather sit on the porch and drink or take oxycontin. However, why is this guy still raising tobacco? The government bought out my allotment and they is no price supports or guarantees. To raise tobacco in these days and time is playing the lottery. Where just 2 years ago tobacco fields were many it's hard to find them today unless you go to Indonesia.

[epow]

They would rather sit on the porch and drink or take oxycontin

Kind of what I thought the situation would be. There's a lot of that kind around here too, living in government subsidized housing projects and popping out a kid per year on government health care funding. The only difference around here is that I think they prefer the locally cooked crystal meth to oxycontin.

[reagandemo]

My Mother-In-Law used to have a lady (I use that term loosely) who rented a farmhouse down the road from her. The lady need to increase her check so she has her nephew come and spend the night with her 12 year old daughter. Yep 9 months later her check was increased.

[epow]

Yep 9 months later her check was increased.

Yep, and that 12 year old is learning how to work the system by her mother's example, and will repeat it many times over with her own brood.

Aint seeing Umurikun welfare programs in action a wonderful thing to behold?

[reagandemo]

Sad that kid does not have a chance or her baby either. Kind makes the jokes about Kentucky and family trees not forking kind of true.

[VOA]

You'd think the anti-smoking lobby would also be anti-illegal immigration
after reading this article!