Fairfax County Public Schools -- Article on Demographic Changes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top 10 Myths About Immigration

By Leo Anchondo of Justice for Immigrants

Not biased at all!!

[Anonymous]

Find another source to counter this. I'm waiting.

[Anonymous]

Loved the Morgan Spurlock (?) documentary/show on CNN (Inside Man) about immigration and "illegal" immigrants and H2B (?) workers who work in the citrus/agricultural industry in Florida. Americans really WON'T and Don't take these jobs. These guys work in back-breaking jobs and get paid very little. Some are legal temp-guest workers, some are not documented.

62% of the oranges in this country come from Polk County Floriday and the oranges (and berries and other fruits/veggies) are picked by these guys. The illegal ones are working their butts off, living in poverty (really, poverty), they don't get food stamps/medicaid, can't get car insurance, etc. It really is ridiculous that we are all living off their labor and still there are some who be-little them. Think about them when you enjoy your orange juice in the morning.

[Anonymous]

That was a great program. I think Americans would do that job but certainly not for what the orange groves were paying the immigrants. Wasn't it a price per bushel picked, and not a set hourly wage? I remember he worked his ass off for about 8.00/hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Americans really WON'T and Don't take these jobs. News to me: I DID those jobs when I was growing up 25 years ago, because all the kids in my farm town did. These guys work in back-breaking jobs and get paid very little. Because the companies are getting away with it. Making these people "legal" (without asking them to jump through the same hoops everyone else has to to become a citizen here) means they'd get paid more, but then they wouldn't be hired at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans really WON'T and Don't take these jobs. News to me: I DID those jobs when I was growing up 25 years ago, because all the kids in my farm town did. These guys work in back-breaking jobs and get paid very little. Because the companies are getting away with it. Making these people "legal" (without asking them to jump through the same hoops everyone else has to to become a citizen here) means they'd get paid more, but then they wouldn't be hired at all.

Well, in Polk county, there were 7000 agricultural job openings last year. They had 1500 citizens apply for them. 320 were hired. Only 15-16 stayed on through the season. You do the math... Americans won't do the jobs b/c it's truly back-breaking. They don't get paid $8 an hour; they fill a huge drum full of oranges (it takes about 10 bags full of oranges @ 90 lbs each -- to fill one drum). They are expected to fill 8 drums per day. They make about $500 per month (plus they are given group housing -- which might be valued at about $500 on the open market).

Americans would call it "slavery" to work that hard for $500/mo. and shelter in a group hovel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans really WON'T and Don't take these jobs. News to me: I DID those jobs when I was growing up 25 years ago, because all the kids in my farm town did. These guys work in back-breaking jobs and get paid very little. Because the companies are getting away with it. Making these people "legal" (without asking them to jump through the same hoops everyone else has to to become a citizen here) means they'd get paid more, but then they wouldn't be hired at all.

Well, in Polk county, there were 7000 agricultural job openings last year. They had 1500 citizens apply for them. 320 were hired. Only 15-16 stayed on through the season. You do the math... Americans won't do the jobs b/c it's truly back-breaking. They don't get paid $8 an hour; they fill a huge drum full of oranges (it takes about 10 bags full of oranges @ 90 lbs each -- to fill one drum). They are expected to fill 8 drums per day. They make about $500 per month (plus they are given group housing -- which might be valued at about $500 on the open market).

Americans would call it "slavery" to work that hard for $500/mo. and shelter in a group hovel.

Is this an issue with Americans or an issue with employers that don't want to offer a decent wage. I vote the latter.

[Anonymous]

17:25 -- I agree. The point is -- you can't complain about immigrants (legal or illegal) and any additional services they may need, when you are reaping the benefits of their services (and it's apparent that no one else will take the jobs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:25 -- I agree. The point is -- you can't complain about immigrants (legal or illegal) and any additional services they may need, when you are reaping the benefits of their services (and it's apparent that no one else will take the jobs).

There are arguments to be made that the reason that these jobs pay so little is directly related to the ability to get cheap illegal immigrants who are desperate for any work. Not sure that's true, but it's a reasonable argument.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. Americans CAN'T be paid the pathetic wages, because we're protected by laws. That's why we wouldn't stand for it.

The companies that hire these criminals are criminal themselves for skirting the law and undercutting businesses that DO pay a living wage (eg, construction companies, many of which are being put out of biz because of the ones hiring illegals instead.)

I also put the blame on the individuals who hire these people at costs that undercut legit companies. You pick up a "day laborer" in from of CVS? You're to blame. You can't clean your own home but you hire Juanita with no legit paperwork to clean your home? You're to blame.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, civil violations do not make one a criminal. Immigration violations are civil procedures and the violations themselves are administrative. If they are criminal, then the violaters would have the right to an attorney and the right to a trial by jury.

[Anonymous]

"They risk death in the deserts and mountains"
pay all they got to the smugglers rings,
we send 'em home and they come right back again
Carl, hunger is a powerful thing."

-- Bruce Springsteen, "The Line."

[Anonymous]

It is a fact of living in a very prosperous area that Fairfax County Public Schools currently have, and will continue to have, a large number of students from immigrant families (from all over the world).

Instead of lamenting this fact, it is time to focus on how to best educate our diverse student population successfully.