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Old 06-18-2010, 12:36 AM  
SykkBoy
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Join Date: Feb 2001
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If we ship all of the illegals back to where they came from....

What effect would this have on all of our produce in the United States?
How much would the price of lettuce, oranges, avocados, tomatoes, etc. go up?

Let's face it, when people talk about illegals, they are 99% of the time talking about Mexicans...they aren't talking about Russian illegals, Ethiopian illegals or even Haitian illegals...and the Mexicans harvest most of this country's produce.

So, let's say we get rid of these mexicans and hire "real Americans"....woudl they work for what these guys do? No way in hell. So, let's say that makes labor go up 2 or 3 times (probably even more, since now the employers would have to pay benefits, fight unions, etc.) Would you be willing to pay 2 to 3 times the price for all of your produce if it means getting rid of the illegals?

Remember, it's not just the illegals that are breaking the laws, but also those who employ them. These employers get these people to work for waaaay under federal minimum wage. They don't have to pay benefits, they don't take out taxes (so THEY are the ones not really paying into the system either). They can also work them for as many hours as they want because let's face it, illegals aren't going to say anything to fuck up their income.

Should those who employ the illegals be forced out of business (either by fines, jail time or forced to employ their workers legally and driving up costs) and if so, does that mean it won't be a problem when there is a lack of produce in stores?

I see a lot of people saying "ship them back" but what about these other areas? What can be done to fix a situation like lettuce now costing $5 a head rather than $1 (which will cause a ripple effect of higher prices in restaurants, school lunches costing more, etc.)?

Maybe this will return us back to a time when we all had to have our own gardens....no more relying on commercial farmers and being self sufficient...but you might have to have more kids because you can't drive to the nearest plant nursery and grab a couple Hispanics carrying shovels ;-)
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