December 03, 2006

NYT: Growers want to be subsidized (they already are)

Alexei Barrionuevo of the New York Times offers "Imports Spurring Push to Subsidize Produce":

For decades, the fiercely independent fruit and vegetable growers of California, Florida and other states have been the only farmers in America who shunned federal subsidies, delivering produce to the tables of millions of Americans on their own.

But now, in the face of tough new competition primarily from China, even these proud groups are buckling. Produce farmers, their hands newly outstretched, have joined forces for the first time, forming a lobby group intended to pressure politicians over the farm bill to be debated in Congress in January...

The NYT fails to note that those growers already receive a huge government subsidy: low-wage illegal labor. Those growers get to pay a low price for their workers, and all those other costs of that labor (schooling, healthcare, etc.) is paid for by U.S. taxpayers.

And, those growers tirelessly lobby for even more cheap labor, through propaganda which newspapers like the NYT willingly run as well as by pushing for amnesties like AgJobs.

Please write public *at* nytimes.com with your thoughts.

Related:
Western Growers gives Senator Feinstein a big green thumbs up
Miranda Vagg transcribes growers pining for cheap labor
Crops rotting in the fields... enforcing immigration laws to blame?
A "comprehensive" 1986 amnesty would have prevented pro-grower propaganda
Farmers hollowed when laws followed

Posted to Immigration at December 3, 2006 12:30 PM

Comments

Write to presidente calderon for your "subsidy". Ask him to pay us back every dime we have spent on unrepaid loans, education, social service, prison space and being mexico's HMO. Share the check with the rest of us when he answers your mail.

Posted by: Jeebie at December 3, 2006 03:02 PM

Thank goodness China is smiting down those fiercely subsidy-dependent growers who use illegals.
May their fields be salted, and may they get no crop subsidies from the congress.

Posted by: John S Bolton at December 4, 2006 12:37 AM

if you look at what the secretary general of the OECD just said about the u.s. dollar and the "RISING HATE AGAINST THE U.S. DOLLAR", and the huge deficit and mass imbalance And our non borders its all working as planned,the bush family just made 1.7. billion last year from RED China, isn't that telling you something?

Posted by: Fred Dawes at December 10, 2006 02:22 PM