"It's cheaper to use imigrants/slave labor than to buy and run equipment with the sky rocketing fuel prices and training skilled workers and providing decent pay afterwards.  The government pays the imigrants via social services, education and healthcare with our tax dollars and corporate america reaps the profits."

Boredo,

I grow Christmas trees.  I'm the owner of the business.  I'm 50 years old.  My wife and I work along side these migrant workers.  I pay my workers $11 to $15 per hour.  I pay social security on them as well, I also provide a free home with all utility expenses paid for 6 weeks out of the year.  I also provide a bonus of $100 to $2000 per employee for 6 weeks work.  This is seasonal work and it's heavy work and it's miserable work.  You come out here at harvest time and crawl under and cut, pack out bale, load, unload and load on a semi 20,000 Christmas trees in 35 -40 degree weather some weighing as much as 100 lbs. and tell me any one in this country would do this job.  I love all these city boys that bash the migrant workers.  Let me tell you something any of these migrant workers and I have probably worked harder than any city dwellers will in 20 lifetimes.  You name me one U.S. citizen that will do this work for 6 weeks then not have a job for the rest of the year.  They don't make it past noon the first day and quit I've tried hiring them.  These migrant workers move to the apple orchards and prune the trees in the winter months,  Pick apples in the fall and harvest Christmas trees for me in November and December.  I buy tractors, trucks, farm equipment, I pay insurance.  I support this economy and provide other jobs in this country.  My farm also produces enough oxegon for 1800 people to breathe each year.  I have two kids in College and we are not raking it in by any means. 

We need a guest worker program for migrant workers for agriculture ASAP.  Are you prepared to pay double for the food you buy?  

All the best,

Steve