Originally Posted by Rogue

Backing in to answering your question, the average American household spends about $1.00 a day on fresh fruits and vegetables. Of that $1.00 a whopping 6-8% represents labor. Do the math. The farmer makes his profit, but most of the price of produce is tied up in distribution and the middleman costs. Without illegal Mexican poverty reject scabs to step in and pick the crops, farmers are going to have to redevelop the sources of labor they had before this 19th century workforce was allowed to decend on America. If the farmers had to increase the wages they pay for legal labor to say 12% of the price of produce, that would mean that the average household pays maybe $1.04 a day for their fresh fruits and vegetables.

To save that .04 a day, we're supposed to let in illegal labor and their families, which has overwhelmed our ERs, bankrupted our hospitals, overcrowded and is ruining our school, filled our prisons with criminal illegals, and not to mention, brought in all of those, future Democrat voters if amnestied, illegals, etc.

Originally Posted by Awesome!

How much would you expect to make per hour picking fruit, veggies? Please name your hourly wage...

Originally Posted by John McCain

Now, my friends, I'll offer anybody here $50 an hour if you'll go pick lettuce in Yuma this season and pick for the whole season. So -- OK? Sign up. OK.
You sign up. You sign up, and you'll be there for the whole season, the whole season. OK? Not just one day. Because you can't do it, my friend.

Originally Posted by Awesome!

I don't think farmers would have to redevelop their sources of labor. I don't think they could find enough labor not due to an hourly rate, but due to work ethic, as they already pay a lot for labor. Illegals negotiate labor too. You would be surprised. Based on that you wouldn't see a 6% increase, it would probably be between 30% and 40% and a lot of work would not get done.

Originally Posted by The silenced majority

John McCain thinks the wage should be around $50.00/hr.

Originally Posted by The silenced majority

John McCain thinks the wage should be around $50.00/hr.

Originally Posted by Jerry

I want $1,800 per month + room and board provided.

Originally Posted by Rogue

Not to be picky, mind you, but going from an 8% labor factor to a 12% labor factor, is, well, a 50% increase in labor. At the same time, a 50% increase in the labor factor, amounts to only about a 4% increase in the final price of the produce, if everything else stayed the same.

Originally Posted by jamesrage

If farmers were paying that they would never have a labor shortage.

Originally Posted by The silenced majority

John McCain thinks the wage should be around $50.00/hr.