US foreign policy needs realism.

@sree251 Why does it matter who picks the crops? If we can get it done and get people fed, does it really matter whose hand was on the food you eat? Are you afraid of getting cooties?

@sree251 So you'll be out there pulling up rutabagas 10 hrs a day I take it

@LordShadowfire [quote] Why does it matter who picks the crops? [/quote]

Foreign exchange. If we use foreign means of economic production, money flows out of the American economy instead of staying within our country. Migrant workers send money back to their home countries south of the border. Mexican Americans can't find work to support their families when migrant workers are hired at wages you don't want to know.

@sree251 Yes, and God forbid we should undo some of the damage we've done to Mexico over the last couple of centuries. That would prove we're decent human beings. Can't have that.

@Vin53 [quote] So you'll be out there pulling up rutabagas 10 hrs a day I take it [/quote]

No, I won't. I don't have to. American farms are using migrant workers sent in by cartels from south of the border.

@LordShadowfire [quote] That would prove we're decent human beings. [/quote]

We Americans believe that we are decent human beings. We need to prove that to ourselves.

@sree251 Would you rather pay a worker the lowest labour rate you can for a migrant worker or the highest rate that they expect but with less hours worked and less productivity for an American worker?

@justanothername [quote] Would you rather pay a worker the lowest labour rate you can for a migrant worker or the highest rate that they expect but with less hours worked and less productivity for an American worker? [/quote]

An American worker is not only more costly to hire but he expects to be treated with respect or he will take your business down. He is a defender of human rights and will go to war with you to defend that right.

@sree251 Are you willing to pay double for the food you consume? Are you willing to pay a hefty increase in restaurant food because you want only Americans to pick the crops?

@independentone American fast food franchises are internationally thriving even in third world countries where they compete successfully with cheap local street foods.

@sree251 3rd world countries don't rely on fast food.

@Vin53 Tell that to the parents of kids in Lagos, Indonesia, and Kazahkstan.

@sree251 Do you not think food prices will go up if companies have to pay a living wage? Look at fast food in Ca, it is now law to pay burger flippers 20 bucks an hour. That will more than double the cost of a freaking burger.
Fast food jobs have always been starter jobs, not a career.
They were great at teaching teens to have a work ethic and fast food provided good training. Other than being a store manager or an owner, they were never designed to be a career.

@independentone [quote] Do you not think food prices will go up if companies have to pay a living wage? [/quote]

Of course. Cost of living in the US is high. Americans need the money to live a basic life. We avoid this fact at our own peril. The US Government can't deal with this reality and focus its attention on foreign wars. Meanwhile, the nation is funded by money it prints to keep itself functioning.

[@sree251
[quote][quote]
American farms have the capability to could grow enough food for the world but we must use American workers, not migrant workers, to do all the work.[/quote][/quote]

A few things you need to know.

1. There is a major difference between LEGAL migrant workers and ILLEGAL aliens picking fruit and vegetables. The migrant worker world isn't just in lowly agricultural jobs. Migrant workers also include seasonal bartending and banquet setup. There are certain areas that are tourist seasonal, meaning the American workers who would do those jobs cannot move there because the work isn't year round. So by contract and by LAW, certain LEGAL workers can come in from other countries.

2. In a lot of Florida's agricultural areas, the migrant workers have been Mexican. A LOT of these Mexicans actually worked to get their green cards and then worked even harder to save their money and buy farms. There are small towns in Florida that look like Playa Del Carmen about now. We wish ALL immigrants were that industrious.

[quote]American industries have the capacity to manufacture everything for the world but we must use American workers, not rely on workers in China to do all the work.
[/quote]
Last time that came even close to happening was (a) during the Reagan administration and (b) during the Trump administration. Taxes were cut and manufacturing jobs from the far east just MAGICALLY APPEARED here.

If you want jobs for Americans, CUT TAXES on the job creators. They'll build more plants here because THEY DO NOT WANT TO BUILD PLANTS OVERSEAS if they can afford not to.

Make creating jobs affordable in the US, like the two greatest presidents of all time. (Reagan and Trump.)

@Reason10 [quote] A few things you need to know.

1. There is a major difference between LEGAL migrant workers and ILLEGAL aliens picking fruit and vegetables. The migrant worker world isn't just in lowly agricultural jobs. Migrant workers also include seasonal bartending and banquet setup. There are certain areas that are tourist seasonal, meaning the American workers who would do those jobs cannot move there because the work isn't year round. So by contract and by LAW, certain LEGAL workers can come in from other countries.

2. In a lot of Florida's agricultural areas, the migrant workers have been Mexican. A LOT of these Mexicans actually worked to get their green cards and then worked even harder to save their money and buy farms. There are small towns in Florida that look like Playa Del Carmen about now. We wish ALL immigrants were that industrious. [/quote]

I am supportive of the migrant worker at all levels: from farm labor to white collar professionals. They serve to drive the American economy after all available US citizens are fully employed.

@Reason10 [quote] Last time that came even close to happening was (a) during the Reagan administration and (b) during the Trump administration. Taxes were cut and manufacturing jobs from the far east just MAGICALLY APPEARED here.

If you want jobs for Americans, CUT TAXES on the job creators. They'll build more plants here because THEY DO NOT WANT TO BUILD PLANTS OVERSEAS if they can afford not to.

Make creating jobs affordable in the US, like the two greatest presidents of all time. (Reagan and Trump.) [/quote]

I am for cutting taxes. Money in the control of American entrepreneurs is better managed than money in the hands of US politicians. American labor must compete with foreign labor doing the same jobs. We have to change our attitude towards hard work and productiveness. Making a billion dollars playing basketball is not productive. Neither is making a billion dollars prancing on the stage singing songs. This kind of work ethic leads to collapse of society. Fighting wars is the way of a rogue nation.

@sree251 This is cool. You have intelligent responses to the information.
About that "attitude towards hard work and productiveness," you may not understand what is going on there.
NBA basketball players are paid those millions of dollars based on the ability of their name to draw and pack arenas full of sports fans who pay upwards to $1000 a ticket to watch a game. That's big business, for sure. The NAME is the sellable commodity.
Same thing with rock stars who sell out concerts, with ticket prices starting at $200 a pop. (And over the years, rock stars have rarely made any real money on sales of their records. Yeah, I know. There aren't any records any more. That means most of the most modern pop music can be had on Youtube for Free, with the only exceptions being music sold on venues like Spotify.) Rock stars have always made most of their money in personal appearances. That's where the money is.

Are they (pro athletes, rock stars) actually worth all that money? To those who would never set foot inside one of their concerts, of course not. But apparently it's a lucrative enough business for them to continue plying their trade for all that dough.

If that seems strange or even unfair to you, just remember that someone a long time ago became a millionaire marketing the PET ROCK.