Pickers Are Few, and Growers Blame Congress

(Via: New York Times)

"As they sum up this season’s losses, estimated to be at least $10
million for California pear farmers alone, growers in the state mainly
blame Republican lawmakers in Washington for stalling immigration
legislation that would have addressed the shortage by authorizing a
guest-worker program for agriculture. Many growers, a dependably
Republican group, said they felt betrayed.

“After a while, you get done being sad and start being really angry,” said Toni Scully, a lifelong Republican whose family owns a pear-packing operation in Lake County. “The Republicans have given us a lot of lip service, and our crops are hanging on the trees rotting.”

John Whiteside of the Blue Bayou blog writes a good post on how we are repeating the same mistakes when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration. It led me to wonder how the GOP will fare with these farmers and growers who have generally voted Republican. Will these farmers and growers demonstrate their feeling of betrayal by the GOP for the labor shortages they are currently experiencing and further more for the fact that congress should have passed the AgJobs bill by now. The GOP should receive a message from these farmers this November.


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