Crops rotting in Ga. without immigrant workers

[cjericho]

Pretty good AP story on the subject:

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/georgia-puts-probationers-to-984075.html

Good story that describes the rough conditions for these non-skilled workers.
Here in San Antonio, they use prisoners all the time to pick up trash on medians and other areas prior to them being mowed. We need to make law-breakers pay a price for their deeds and trash/crops represent positive work alternatives.
It ain't slavery as long as they are credited for time. The probationers shouldn't have a say in what type of work is asked of them.

Quite a difference in having prisoners do state work and requiring them to work for someone's business. I wonder how the people who actually work those jobs feel when they find out their jobs are actually punishment for some people.

Not to mention the added cost for security (law enforcement) to make sure no one escapes when they should be picking crops.

I'm all for prison labor, but there's usually a reason these people are behind bars. I'd rather they stay there.

there's not really going to be that much of an added cost for someone watching them. someone's watching them in the jail is instead watching them in a field. it may be a little more because more officers probably are needed when inmates leave the jail.

 

[slappy4428]

It's always the immigrants' fault.

You know what really aggravazes me? It's them immigants.
They wants all the benefits of living in Springfield, but they ain't even bother to learn themselves the language....

 

[printdust]

The devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal
He was in a bind 'cos he was way behind: he was willin' to make a deal.
When he came across this young Mexican sweatin' on a day that was hot.
And the devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said: "Boy let me tell you what:
"I bet you didn't know it, but Americans are 'croppers too.
"And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you.
"Now you do pretty good work, boy, but give the devil his due:
"I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, 'cos I think he's better than you."
The boy said: "My name's Pedro and it might be a sin,
"But I'll take your bet, your gonna regret, 'cos I'm the best that's ever been."

 

[Blitz]

Yeah, cjericho, we sure could reform "incarceration" and, after grandfathering in all the current detainees, adopt new standards and procedures that make it where if you are arrested and detained for any length of time, you will work in the community.
They could sweep all that loose gravel you see in intersections, pick up trash, and tons of other communal stuff and we could just as easily do privatized stuff wherein the landowners still pay a fee, to a charity or to the city/county itself as a means of building those coffers.

 

[qtlaw]

Blitz, unless you're Native American, your ancestors came here as immigrants. So I guess we should send them and you back unless you have papers going back generations. Or do you conveniently ignore the claim that being born here makes you legal?

That was when life was simpler. In the here and now we still welcome immigrants, we simply ask them for proper documentation and procedure. Its a safety thing and it helps our democracy run better if can document everybody.
Lets not compare apples with oranges.
Why would you welcome illegals into the country without asking them for a cotton-pickin' thing, lone star? That would welcome anarchy.

Please. This is the same thing that was being said during "Yellow Peril" in the early 1900s and then the Japanese Internment.

Its not a safety thing. Its a scapegoat thing. The immigrants do not drain social services, they are net providers. Immigrants are net providers in terms of tax revenue as well. In addition to the consistent scapegoating, the other consistency is that they will continue to be demonized.

 

[dixiehack]

Pedro sharpen up your ***
And whip out your green card
Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia
And Nathan Deal has no heart
And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold
But if lose, the sheriff puts you in the hole

 

[waterytart]

What do I text to vote for Pedro?

 

[Blitz]

Pedro's found a book on magic, in a garbage can.
He's goin' out ... to the dirty boulevard.
He wants to fly-yih... (fly, fly, fly away ...)

Pedro can live the American Dream as long as he comes here legally.
Damn! What's not to understand about that?

 

[joe]

Pedro's found a book on magic, in a garbage can.
He's goin' out ... to the dirty boulevard.
He wants to fly-yih... (fly, fly, fly away ...)

Damn. A Lou Reed "New York" album reference. That might be a first for SJ. Well done, Blitz, well done.

Joe

 

[Blitz]

Great album.
Was talking with a New Yorker turned Mississippian a few weeks ago about the Halloween Parade. He said it's a bucket-list sort of thing that you wouldn't regret.

And listen, please don't put me into the group that hates immigrants or hates any other nationality coming here. I've been close to around the world and I love everyone.
We need to do immigration the right way here and punish not only the illegals but those who help bring them here illegally or who employ them knowing full well they are illegal.

 

[qtlaw]

Heard that one too, "some of my best friends are [black, Jewish, gay, etc.]"

 

[Blitz]

You've made 3 comments and none of them offers a solution or action of any kind to help solve the problem.
All you say is that I don't have any gay friends.
Got anything more hard-hitting? Lemme guess ...

 

[imjustagirl]

Heh heh heh, Blitz said "hard."

 

[qtlaw]

You've made 3 comments and none of them offers a solution or action of any kind to help solve the problem.
All you say is that I don't have any gay friends.
Got anything more hard-hitting? Lemme guess ...

So wait, by definition you are saying there is a problem. No I do not agree. Please describe where "the problem" is.

Are illegal immigrants causing our economic problems? Why we are not educating our kids? My view is no. It's because we would rather spend $200 per month on coffee rather than taxes for education .

If there is a "solution" needed its about resetting our priorities, more $$ to buy UD made goods, mote for education, less on sports watching, etc.

 

[YankeeFan]

Are illegal immigrants causing our economic problems? Why we are not educating our kids? My view is no. It's because we would rather spend $200 per month on coffee rather than taxes for education.

Hey, that's not a problem. It's a business opportunity.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

HB 87 has some legal hurdles to overcome, according to this article, but the legal issues may not be sorted out for years. I suspect the state's farmers can't wait that long for answers.

http://www.ajc.com/news/states-in-limbo-on-996789.html

 

[Blitz]

I applaud Georgia for at least trying, as did Arizona a couple of years ago, to force illegals to try a little harder to conform to laws and customs of the place they are trying to come and start a new life in, instead of just coming and making up their own laws.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

These guys are lucky. I don't know if it's just a New York law, or if the law has been changed, but farmers didn't always have to play their workers minimum wage. Back in the 90s they could get away with paying their help three or four dollars an hour because of certain exemptions.

The national minimum wage is related to interstate commerce.

 

[EStreetJoe]

This is a backhanded way to fulfill the intent of our founding fathers in that everyone should work on a farm.

 

[Azrael]

Why, oh why, do these people come here?

http://www.workingimmigrants.com/2006/04/the_tyson_foods_illegal_immigr.html

http://www.vdare.com/misc/tyson_complaint.htm

http://www.myatltv.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=188344

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,191889,00.html

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3271/illegal_immigrants_uncle_sam_wants_you/

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/06/16/immigration_bill_offers_a_military_path_to_us_dream/