Well now!
Wednesday December 20, 2006
Turns out that George W. Bush was wrong: there are, in fact, jobs that Americans will do ... if you pay them a decent wage. Seems that Swift & Co., after having been popped by the feds and having much...
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Actually the more people who make DECENT wages, the more that CAN afford the meat, or any other products.
These companies that are outsourcing for cheap labor and hiring illegal immigrants--suppressing US wages and more are so short-sighted its disgusting. If there is no middle class left, who will be able to afford their products? {This is even worse for those who make non-necessary items}>
The story is incomplete without also understanding the union-busting that was part of the meatpacking industry of the 90s. These were once well-paying jobs (ask around Iowa), but the decision to reduce costs by taking it out on the worker of course led to a flight to the bottom. Sadly.>
"We should all pay what things are worth?" That's funny. If you have "illegal" workers who are more than happy to work for $20 a day, then why should Swift&Co be required to pay more for "legal" workers? Sorry Crunchy, but I'm not "buying" it.>
If Swift wants people that can afford their products, then they will pay a fair wage.
I guess when America is a third world nation and no one can afford to eat meat, and Swift goes out of business, I guess then they will learn and you too ML.>
How many Mexicans can afford a roast beef dinner or steak every week?
There's a reason that the taquieras even in Chicago serve TRIPE.
Its CHEAP.>
Rod, you elitist pig. The height of freedom is cheap hormone and antibiotic laden meat produced by low-wage workers sold in big box stores staffed by yet more low-wage workers who are paid so little they must (and are encouraged by their employeers to) supplement their wages with welfare. What do you think our forefathers spilled blood for?
Just trying to get it out of the way.
Remember when cheap was rightly understood to be a pejorative? Cheap goods, cheap labor, cheap sex, cheap life, cheap death--it's all of a piece.>
If you have "illegal" workers who are more than happy to work for $20 a day, then why should Swift&Co be required to pay more for "legal" workers?
To comply with the law?>
Swift, wchich is highly unionized, was alread paying twice the minimum wage at most of its plants.>
Way to go Swift. I'm not even in the same pay scale range as Mr. Dreher, but I have no problem paying regular prices and will do without if necessary. I used to work in retail and saw that all these twofers ,cheap prices and sales are ultimately paid for by the employees. There's no such thing as a free lunch.>
It's nice to know that just a few raids by the feds is enough to make a company like Swift actually start to obey the law. But I guess that's typical of conservatives and their organizations, isn't it?
As far as cutting back on meat, it probably wouldn't hurt most Americans to cut back on the animal protein. There's evem evidence that vegetarianism isn't as stupid as many may believe: ">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6180753.stm>
I don't doubt that vegetarianism isn't stupid. It's just that it isn't any fun.>
I can't decide is Anthony King is being sarcastic or not.
Rod, I don't think you are an elitist pig because you understand the harm that "cheap" meat causes to our environment and our families. There are so many hormones floating around out there that girls are hitting puberty at astonishingly young ages and grown-ups are infertile.
Americans are amazingly fat and eating healthy, grass-fed meat less often than we eat cheapmeat now can only improve things here.>
Europe and Canada were smart enough to ban bovine growth hormone, America went the way of corporate profits. Americans in general are getting BIGGER {not just in terms of weight, but in height] and at far faster rates then "better access to food" would explain between generations and through the years. Bovine growth hormone IS affecting this.>
Vegetarianism isn't as bad as it appears to the typical American. The problem is that most of what we consider vegetarian food is food that is meant to be a side dish for meat, or is a poor substitute of meat. Since becoming married to an Indian I've realized vegetarian food can be very very tasty. They've been eating vegetarian for centuries, and their wide variety of lentils, vegetables, spices and breads make vegetarianism pretty easy. Not that I've gone all the way. I still like meat, but I eat significantly less of it. If thats the price to pay for fair wages and grain-fed hormone free meat, it seems like almost no price at all.>
From the reading of Rod's blog, this is not about eating less meat and more veggies, this is about whether we as Americans can justify using ILLEGAL workers to keep our grocery bill down
With 20 million illegal aliens now working in the U.S., some will argue that our costs would rise drastically if we were to suddenly start enforcing our immigration laws. Others point to the saving in tax revenues should illegals stop receiving government benefits. And there are those who would point out the HUMAN costs in putting teeth into our immigration laws.
The Beliefnet U.S. Politics Board (http://www.beliefnet.com/boards/discussion_list.asp?boardID=425">) is currently is hosting several debate threads on immigration. They are:
"Hate That Fence"
"Your Country?"
Good Laws & Bad Laws"
"Are Borders "Purist"?"
Readers here are welcome to join the debate.
Thanks,>
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