YES, WE HAVE NO TOMATOES TO SELL

A major Northeastern tomato producer announces it's shutting down because of the loss of labor and the difficulty in sponsoring workers for visas.

Comments

[njf]

...... remove subsidies and import ... which will bring about a "free market" by what mechanism/logic?

Why not make the labor market a "free market" and let the chips fall where they may?

Why isn't anyone "getting" that Americans do not have an interest in highly seasonal "migratory labor" jobs in the current economy? Americans will not "pay the price" for being a migrant worker. You could double the wages and still American workers will be hard to find for a short harvest season in the middle/end of the summer.

[George Chell]

"There is no doubt that free trade can easily resolve the issue of food supply to the US. But remember that this companies will not be paying taxes to those states where they are getting run out off and that will have an impact to those economies. On the other hand the people that sing the tune the secure the border theme to "keep criminals and terrorists out" which is their way of saying low skill Illegal immigrants. So how can you secure the food supply to the US if you can not produce it here. Is one of those where you can not have it both ways. That is all I am saying, I really do not think it has anything to do with the flavor preference of the food."

That is a tradeoff that racists such as Mark Kirkorian has to make..not my problem! And I dont think depending on Mexico for food would make us insecure..that is what racist politicians such as Senators Sessions, Vitter and DeMint want us to think so that they can turn our attention away from fighting the real terrorists..the Islamic fundamentalists.

[Another voice]

"Not sure why dependence of foreign foods is so bad. There is plenty of foreign produce on sale now, I think the more the better 'cause US made food is definitely not the best there is. Anywhere I go food has much more flavor; take your pick: China, Mexico, Italy, Spain."

There is no doubt that free trade can easily resolve the issue of food supply to the US. But remember that this companies will not be paying taxes to those states where they are getting run out off and that will have an impact to those economies. On the other hand the people that sing the tune the secure the border theme to "keep criminals and terrorists out" which is their way of saying low skill Illegal immigrants. So how can you secure the food supply to the US if you can not produce it here. Is one of those where you can not have it both ways. That is all I am saying, I really do not think it has anything to do with the flavor preference of the food.

[hmm]

Not sure why dependence of foreign foods is so bad. There is plenty of foreign produce on sale now, I think the more the better 'cause US made food is definitely not the best there is. Anywhere I go food has much more flavor; take your pick: China, Mexico, Italy, Spain.

[George Chell]

And guess where the ranch is located..yes, in Tom Tancredo's district outside Evergreen, Colorado, a rabidly anti-immigrant and anti-Asian town which I have freqented a couple of times..will Mr. Tancredo tell those kids to go to college and get an enginnering degree..I think not. Instead he would try to get them more ranching subsidies from the feds and we will be left holding the bag...once he deports all illegals and get the ranch to hire Americans at double the wages.

[George Chell]

"I believe not too long ago the NY Times reported that California farmers already operate about 50,000 acres of farm land in Mexico because of this same problem. I think soon America will not only be energy dependent but it will be food dependent too."

If there is a convincing case for national security, then bringing in guest workers from Mexico and producing the food here with the existing subsidies is a valid point. But, that argument has not yet been made convincingly. However, I will still insist that we not pay higher food prices..families are too stretched as is, and the poor will be hurt the most while rich ranchers and farmers would get richer.

It also creates huge disincentives. Two siblings of the American School in an Asian country (I wont name the country) from Colorado did well in math and science and got admitted into MIT and Princeton. However, they decided to skip school and take over the heavily subsidized ranch belonging to their family in Colorado. This was in 2001 and they are still at the ranch..the younger one went to college to study Ag, got drunk, created some problems and got expelled and she went back to the ranch...subsidies create disincentives at a time we need all the skills we can get..without rancing subsidies both would have gotten an engineering degree and gone on to work in high tech..instead they are drunks managing their grand dad's farm and living off federal government largesses..this is not something we should encourage when we have shortage of good quality skilled people in this country and become more and more dependent on H1B. The solution is not higher wages for Americans well over productivity resulting in higher cost of services and inflation/higher interest rates but creating the incentive for skills, including removing farm subsidies.

[Another voice]

I believe not too long ago the NY Times reported that California farmers already operate about 50,000 acres of farm land in Mexico because of this same problem. I think soon America will not only be energy dependent but it will be food dependent too.

[George Chell]

Vick:

No. I am advocating exactly what America advocates to developing countries and to Europe and Japan...free market solutions. When America starts asking other countries to practice what we practice and not what we preach I am willing to consider subsidies. It is high time we live by the rules we make and dictate. Period. Also I believe that we can cut illegal immigration by half if we remove farm subsidies.

[Vick]

So George, you want to outsource farming too? Great solution there, buddy!

[George Chell]

And that may be one major reason tomato is now costing $4 a pound in some stores. However, the solution I believe is to remove the subsidies and import tomatos from Mexico..not more guest workers or employing American workers at double the wages (typical FAIR or CIS's Marxist solution). We need free markets to deal with this.