EckerNet.Com

Well it’s October, which brings with it all the lovely fall type events. The leaves start to turn colors and fall off the trees. The temperatures start to drop and people start digging out the coats. And farmers start to bitch about how they might not get their crops in from the field.

Yup it’s time for the yearly spectacle, where despite there being 20 to 38 million illegal aliens in the country, farmers claim there aren’t enough to get their crops in. Nevermind that if they really wanted those crops in they could either pay a decent wage and get immediate help from legal residents, or else plan ahead and thereby import temporary workers from Central America, via pre-existing programs (H-2A). And might I add, that due to the fact that the percentage of the total cost of produce that represents labor is so incredibly small, chances are good consumers would hardly notice even the more costly changes.

Or alternately, said farmers could invest in technology that would not only get the crops out but potentially do it faster and cheaper. However, the incentive for that disappears when you can hire illegal aliens for sub-minimum-wage any time you want. And as a result so disappears the incentive for American companies to invest in further developing said technology since there are no profits in it.

What a situation we face, and what does our clueless fearless leader have to say when face with such a dilemma?

The president has blamed Congress for failing to come up with acceptable new immigration laws.

Equally possibly is that it is partially President Bush’s fault for continuing to foster an environment where farmers honestly believe that they can wait until the last minute to figure out how to get their crops out, because they know that if they yell and scream loud enough the federal government will allow them to use virtually free (and illegal) labor to get the crops out. Whether they do it officially, or simply look the other way, is the only unanswered question.

No, President Bush, the buck stops with you. You need to let America’s farmers know the gravy train has stopped. It’s time for them to do business in an honest, legal and ethical manner. It’s time for them to plan in advance how those crops will get harvested. It’s time for our laws to be respected at all times, not just when they aren’t needed. And finally it’s time for you to stop blaming everyone, but your own failed immigration policies.

[Crossposted at True North]