Sen floor cspan2 Lots of testimony about loss of crops cuz of immigatratio

[rodeodance]

n stalled bill.


http://c-span.org/watch/cspan2_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2

[rodeodance]

1. crops rotting in fields Boxter and other Senators talking

[Broken_Hero]

2. thanks for the heads up, watching it now...nt

[rodeodance]

3. Diane Feinstien talking now.

[endarkenment]

4. I'm so confused.

Why aren't all of those US 'legals' who lost these good crop picking jobs to the nasty 'illegals' lining up to pick the crops?

[SoCalDem]

5. Because most Americans gave up that work decades ago

and because the pay is shitty, and they can get better jobs.....but wait... we already knew that, didn;t we :)

[endarkenment]

10. I picked cucmbers one summer

and sliced pears for drying and did other farm work in the san jose valley area (a long time ago way before it was silicon valley) and I never want to do that sort of work again. It was brutally hard work for miserable pay. I have nothing but respect for the people who do this for a living. We should legalize their status and make sure that they have decent pay and good benefits.

[joemurphy]

7. It's an indication that it is something of a myth that illegals are

"taking jobs from Americans" This is apparently not true in agriculture.

Feinstein says they called 50+ county welfare offices looking for fruit pickers and the response was zero -- even with increased wages. Boxer and Feinstein are on the same page on this.

[madrchsod]

6. small town in georga lost half it`s population

when the feds raided the poultry processing plant. many workers had been there for years and most had left before the feds raided the plant. one woman left her american born child with a friend so her husband and her could flee with the other children...it`s as bad as the garment workers strikes in the early 1900`s where the cops took the strikers children away from them...

[sadiesworld]

8. Don't EVEN compare striking workers...

to illegal immigrants who have operated as strikebreakers in this country by undercutting wages.

[madrchsod]

9. i wasn`t "comparing" i am just stating

that the government/corporations have used this tactic before. strike breakers come in all sizes and shapes just not "illegals".

[Skidmore]

11. I wonder if those jobs are being offered at a living wage

with proper payroll taxes being paid on them. I highly doubt it. My bet is that illegal workers have been scared off and farmers are going "Oh, well, now I don't have anyone to pick my crops" and are whining cause they want that cheap labor.

[bigtree]

12. higher prices for food coming