Seems that Georgia farmers are not able to get their crops in because the Georgia legislature passed an anti-immigrant bill, and they can't get anybody to come into the fields.
Unemployment in Georgia is around 10%. If the farmers really need workers, they could hire some of the unemployed. They'll have to raise their wage, of course--something above a dollar a day and abysmal conditions.
Not surprisingly, some folks in Georgia think conscripting labor from local prisons would be fine. Apparently, that form of government bailout, the kind that would benefit them, is all right.
States with less draconian laws on immigrant labor are quite likely to find that their produce competes better in the open market--ergo, their farmers are likely to make more money.
States like Georgia that want to stick it to brown people are quite likely to find that their produce rots in the field, and their farmers will be lucky to stay in business.
They passed a law against illegal immigration. I don’t approve of the measures the states are taking against illegal immigration, nor do I think coming here illegally is the crime of the century. but that’s not to say the problem does not exist, particularly for the border states. (Not sure how much Georgia has to worry about – I suspect it’s mostly to do with race baiting.)
This “guest worker” stuff is truly diabolical. We pay them the same lousy wage and then toss them back when we’re finished with them. Lovely.
Posted by: Hypatia | June 15, 2011 at 01:11 PM