This is the second time in a week that I have read a story about the fact that Washington State may be looking at a record apple harvest this year, if a shortage of workers doesn't keep them from all getting picked off the trees. The first time was in the local paper, this time it's actually a story on Seattle's news channels, so that makes is a Big Deal.
Meanwhile in unrelated news that doesn't NEED to be unrelated, Washington States unemployment rate is at 8.5%, or roughly 300,000 people out of work.
Now...not all of them are just 'sitting around', and not all of them live in areas where there are apples begging to be picked. However...some of them are.
I'm not saying you just force them to go work(well, I am, but I'm also a realist who realizes I am mean, mean person, who needs to learn to offer up 'acceptable' options), but...you could offer incentives. Something like, continue to get 50% of your unemployment benefit PLUS what you make picking apples.
And if no one takes the good deal, THEN you force them to work.
I must sound like a broken record, because I had the same opinion back in May when doom and gloom stories were talking about a record asparagus harvest that was going to waste due to a lack of pickers.
The problem is the work is short-term. Either Mexicans are afraid to cross the border for this kind of work anymore, or proving a point as a group, is my guess why their is a shortage of work. Zero has lied about the number of detentions and repatriations, hugely. So I am guessing it is a protest of some sort.
ReplyDeleteForcing people to work is not on the slippery slope, it's over the cliff. You give a government agent or agency that kind of power, abuses and all types of terrible things will happen. The first thing it would do is arm itself with businesses and persons who want slaves, milk them for start-up costs, then buy and militarize police forces through that support to ensure compliance. It's more like NAZI socialism than communism if... to the drafted "worker", it's all the same.
What we need is to eliminate the whole (falsely interpreted) anchor baby thing, then draft serious alien work registries, with no rights to stay. If the pay check isn't enough for some, it will be for others. And no minimum wage, that is based on income the farmer, rancher, or orchard owner can reasonably get for their crop.
What to do with thousands of, essentially, unemployable college students? God helps those who help themselves. So, what happens to those who fiddled and played in college, putting themselves into deep debt for a degree in art appreciation? What CAN you do with them. I certainly don't want them working in government! I don't want them on the dole in any way. Hunger will lead to solutions, they are young enough to handle it.