Local recognition

It’s a bit late in coming, but local blogger (and long-time friend) Richard S. Drake has acknowledged my “discovery” that Hillary Clinton wasn’t the first woman candidate to run for president. He reprints my letter to Ms. Magazine here.

Bush’s new immigration laws

I just heard the story on NPR about still-Pres. Bush’s new rules for hiring foreign farm workers. American agriculture has for decades depended on immigrant workers, but recent laws to create a legal “guest worker” visa for them have been described as “a bureaucratic nightmare,” often creating delays until past the harvest, when it’s too late.

These new laws are the subject of much controversy – labor leaders and other critics claim that they will drive down wages and essential legalize exploitation of these workers. I think it’s a damn shame that when this country is suffering from unemployment levels not seen since 1994, any industry is hiring foreign workers. Under the new rules, farmers have to show that they have recruited American workers first before hiring immigrants. It’s a common – and likely true – argument that these immigrants are only taking jobs that Americans don’t want. An honest want ad for these jobs would look something like this:

“Workers needed for short-term, heavy manual labor. Pay is below poverty level, but overcrowded, unsafe housing is provided. Must be able to tolerate pesticide exposure and heat exhaustion for long periods of time.”

Gee, what American worker wouldn’t want such a great job? Is paying these workers a fair wage and protecting them from toxic chemicals really so much to ask of our agriculture industry?