Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Help Wanted

FARM WORKERS NEEDED

Qualifications are the ability to complete an honest days work and show up for work every day. Must have SS card and photo ID or U.S. green card for employer to be able to fill out and keep on file the Federal government required, I-9. (Qualifications subject to change at the whim of the U.S. Government).

Benefits include hourly pay above the Federal minimum wage, housing and utilities provided, and depending on experience, guaranteed 40 hrs per week pay.



Tread Softly Mr. Bush.

Many farms depend on these workers because the U.S. government has made it much too easy for a portion of the labor force in rural areas to sit at home on their lazy asses and draw government assistance of one form or several. If they work it could possibly mess up their free ride.

There was a time when a man, and/or a woman, and oftentimes, their children, worked to provide a roof over their heads and food on the table. When did it become wrong to do this? The immigrants that provide much of the agricultural workforce seem to still have these work ethics while many of our government assisted U.S. citizens have no idea what a day's pay for an honest day's work is. They're job training seems to consist of how to get even more government aid.

I agree that we need to strengthen our borders and be more careful of who we allow into this Country, but it should also be made less expensive, and easier for immigrants, who's purpose is to work. I'm not sure how this might be accomplished but if all the suspected illegals are sent home, you might have to consider planting a garden behind the White House to grow your own cabbages because your staff won't be able to afford to buy them, if there are any to be had, at the grocery or farmer's market.

Oh, and one more little thought. Instead of sending more of our troops off to a foreign country that hates us with a passion, how about you keep them here to guard our borders where they'll at least be close to their families.

11 comments:

Andie Pandie said...

I feel so sorry for farmers. They are constantly getting the shaft and mistreated, IMO.

Anonymous said...

I just caught that story on the news yesterday.

After a quick calculation, it seems as though the number of illegal immigrants working their butts off in the U.S. is the equivalent to 34% of Canada's entire population. That's an awful lot of labour to be considering doing away with.

Mary Lou said...

Oh Brenda! You hit the nail on the head!! I have no problem with immigrants coming here and working. I just wish there was a way that the illegal ones could get a special work pass, and I would LOVE to see the free-loaders get cut off. or WORK for their hand out. There was a time in my life that I had a brand new baby and a missing husband, so no money, and I could have existed on welfare, but I was ABLE to work, so I did, three jobs at a time to be able to live and support DOnna. No WAY was I gonna take a hand-out.

We need to get back to teaching WORK ETHICS and MORALS!

Where DID we go wrong?

wanda said...

You know what really worries me about this? The more immigrants we bring in to fill the jobs that Americans won't do, the more Americans we have sitting on their asses living off somebody else's dime.
I'm all for giving someone a helping hand. But there has to be a limit. Because at some point it's no longer a helping hand it's enabling them to do nothing.
This is a serious issue that has got to be dealt with sooner or later. People have got to get off their duffs and start carrying their part of the load. I say put a five year limit on ANY kind of public assistance. After that they either make it on their own, or they can go to Mexico. Which by then should be nearly empty, since a good portion of their population is coming to America.
Cindra is correct. There is no easy answer for this one.

Brenda said...

Every worker on the farm hubby co-manages either has a green card or a SS card. We're certain the ones who have the green cards are legals, not so certain about the ones with SS cards because we hear they're easily bought. Every last one of them is treated like any other employee with Fed and State taxes and SS and MC taken out of their checks so they're paying taxes. Many of them probably don't file a tax return due to their fear of our government. If any of the ones on this farm were to file a return, they'd receive refunds, so they're actually paying more than their fair share. They contribute to the economy here by spending their money and paying sales tax. The difference in them and the other work force options we have here is that they'll work and get very little other than what they've worked for in return.

I think many of the reports about illegals are biased because there are many employers who can and do take advantage of their status and pay them in cash to avoid employer taxes and as cheap labor.

I only know this much from my experience in this area. I did the payroll for 11 farms at one time and also know some of the farm workers through my husband's job.

Phyllis said...

We are raising a lazy generation! Welfare started out as a good thing but has gone awry! So when they don't want to go to work they scream back problems or fibromyalgia and go on SSI!!
My Mexican friends are HARD workers and live modestly and are very clean and live a decent life.
I have a lazy ass neighbor that claims back problems so is on SSI, and he is only 35 years old and drinks beer all day and walks all around town. What is wrong with this picture?

Joe said...

We need to admit Canada and Mexico into the Union, heck why not the whole South america! I I forgot they don't pay enough taxes!

Anonymous said...

Like Mary Lou, as a single mom I worked two jobs to support us. I have to admit that at one time, I applied for public housing (God forbid). Did I get it? NO. The reason, I made about two dollars a week too much.

SSI should be ONLY for people who are really unable to work. It torques me to no end when I see people wearing diamond tiara's, driving a Lexus, and buying groceries with food stamps. I try to think "maybe" they're buying them for a relative who is unable to work. Do I believe this; sorry to say NO.

I admire the blind man who "works" at the court house behind his little snack stand. I admire people who live as my brother did with mental retardation, who work the best they can, when they can, doing whatever they can to clean up the bleachers after a ball game.

Whew, you don't want me to start on that.

David said...

Tough situation - first we need our borders closes especially down south - I don't trust the Mexican government to handle our security. And then you add tax dollar problems on top of that - yes we pay millions for illegal immigrants to go to our schools, our hospitals and for housing. There has to be a middle ground somewhere.

Brenda said...

But if they're working for an employer who pays them legally, they ARE paying taxes as well as local and state sales tax. Doesn't this mean they're paying just as much as anyone else who's barely making ends?

Anonymous said...

The farms around here are small enough that the farmers work them themselves, or have a neighbor come over and help out. The only migrant workers are further south in the orchards, so we haven't had much experience with them.