Cheap food.  Fruits, vegetables and milk readily available year round.  These are the benefits provided all American citizens by immigrants and temporary seasonal workers or migrant workers.

America was founded by immigrants who were willing to do the back-breaking work necessary to harvest the crops in the scorching heat.  Their labors, along with good soil and climate, made America the food production powerhouse that it is today.  One difference of the European influx of immigrants from the early years, and the influx of immigrants today, is that America was a young country needing and wanting to grow its populace.  Not so today.  Public services are being over-taxed, both literally and figuratively, and American citizens are up in arms over abuses.

While America’s European ancestors were willing to work the fields, their descendants, todays citizens, are not.  Crops are being left to ROT IN THE FIELDS as farmers can not get legal, documented workers to take field jobs despite offering wages that are 30-40% above minimum wage ranging from $8 to $20 per hour.

The United Farm Workers participates in an on-going campaign called “Take Our Jobs” to entice American workers to take the field jobs they so desperately need to fill. A recent study showed that of about 86,000 job inquiries the group got, only 11 workers took jobs.  With that response, wouldn’t it be fair to say that the immigrant agricultural workforce is not taking jobs away from Americans?

As they post at takeourjobs.org, “Farm workers are ready to welcome citizens and legal residents who wish to replace them in the field.”  Visit their website to fill out a job application with the following description:

** Job may include using hand tools such as knives, hoes, shovels, etc. Duties may include tilling the soil, transplanting, weeding, thinning, picking, cutting, sorting & packing of harvested produce. May set up & operate irrigation equip. Work is performed outside in all weather conditions (Summertime 90+ degree weather) & is physically demanding requiring workers to bend, stoop, lift & carry up to 50 lbs on a regular basis

 

So, blog commenters, how much are you willing to pay for a watermelon?  What would you like to pay for that gallon of milk?  What do you think of the fact that our nation’s unemployment rate is 8.2% (May 2012 US Department of Labor Report) but American jobs are being left unfilled?  What responsibility should the farmers have to document workers, versus the US government?  I welcome your comments on this multi-faceted issue.

For a posting of what “Take Our Jobs” has to say about the food being served in our Nation’s Capital link to:  https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/06/26/immigration-and-agriculture/

To hear Joan Life Coaching the wife whose husband of 22 years went frighteningly berserk after using BATH SALTS, and the young student who dropped out of Medical School, listen this Saturday and Sunday at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast and link to iTunes.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com