How Should Agriculture Deal With Immigration?

[sw363535]

believe me the law for H2A workers is not intended for the broad use it has..... It is a law for the migrant california need.  Like most of our modern day laws..... a special interest gift.

We have just created issues that require survival tactics.  And the labor department is more interested in expanding this law than actually addressing the problems of Labor.  Just as the teachers unions will never tackle the problems of poor preforming schools.

The education system continues to insist that a degree means clean hands, work supervising,,,, and everyone is entitled to a degree.  It is a $$$$ scam against our kids... who are buying status they can't earn, with dollars borrowed and often are being driven into the welfare system because far to often they don't recognize either scam.

[BA Deere]

I mean protectionism as in protecting our domestic source of labor...why do you hire foreigners?  I`m sure it all comes down to more pigs butchered, more widgets cranked out, more cows milked per dollar spent on labor as opposed to hiring the domestic Bevis & Buttheads, right?  So how do foreigners do it?...well they are used to a lower standard of living than Americans, in Mexico they`re used to $2/hr and 4 families living in a house, here they will make $10 or $17/hr doing jobs that Bevis & Butthead would want at least +$20/hr for.

I am saying that nepotism is a good thing.  Now of course you can`t fire your kids from being your children, but you can make unnecessary work and probably pay them "too much" simply because you want your little sweethearts to learn the work ethic and stay out of the tattoo parlors.  But in my analogy what is missing is that the US government subsidizes those working below the living wage.  If a worker can`t afford their healthcare because of low wages then the government picks up the tab, if they aren`t paid enough, the government has "earned income credits"

http://fileyourtaxesnow.com/2017-earned-income-tax-credit-eitc/ 

2017 Earned Income Credit Table

Number of Qualifying	Children for	EITC
	One	Two	Three or More	None
2017 Earned Income Amount	$10,000	$14,040	$14,040	$6,670
Maximum Amount of Credit	$3,400	$5,616	$6,318	$510
Threshold Phaseout Amount	$18,340	$18,340	$18,340	$8,340
Completed Phaseout Amount	$39,617	$45,007	$48,340	$15,010
Married EITC Threshold	$23,930	$23,930	$23,930	$13,930
Completed Phaseout Amount Filing Joint	$45,207	$50,597	$53,930	$20,600

[sw363535]

I give up

[BA Deere]

SW, I`m not picking on you. I have no idea if you are in some ag business that hires workers or what.   It sounds like you`re paying good and following the rules and that`s commendable.   What I`m saying is you`re functioning the best you can in a broken system.   I have heard particularly large dairymen that say "I can`t find American workers, they show up late and are gone before the end of the day.  I hire Mexicans and they work like fools, they`re here on time and here all day and work cheaper than Americans.   I can`t keep up with their immigration status ...all I know is they work hard and cheap and we should give them amnesty so I don`t have to worry about it, just expand and haul in the $$$$"...That is messed up! 

[k-289]

BA  -  Check  out  the  article  on  N P R  about  the town  of  Garden City Kansas  on  labor  and  diversity  &  I'll  let  you  folks  decide  about  employment, school functionality, -  '''  extremely interesting ''' ---

Just  wondering  how  many  AG  professors are  considering  Garden  as  a  retirement  spot ?