Subj : Shortage of workers in the US To : Joseph Pereira From : Lee Lofaso Date : Fri Jun 16 2023 23:21:21 Hello Joseph, JP> The US economy is suffering from a shortage of workers. Not really. The pay is lousy, but not due to a shortage of workers. JP> So how is this possible? I don't know. Please fill me in. JP> There are two main causes. Only two? JP> The first is Covid. One million Americans have died from Covid in recent JP> years. A good portion of them were still working (partly because the U.S. JP> has lousy pension laws). Gee. Thanks for informing me. I had always thought it was all Trump's fault. Never knew I could be so wrong! JP> So by not taking Covid seriously, the previous president helped create this JP> problem. Say wha'? You didn't do as your President prescribed? Shame on you! Ingest your bleach, now! Shine that sunlight inside you, now! Never mind what that doofus Joe Biden said about the pandemic being over! His mind is gone! Totally gone! JP> The second problem also stems from the policies of the previous JP> administration. That is the fact that "foreigners" were no longer welcome. JP> Foreigners who filled jobs that Americans no longer had an appetite for. The current unemployment numbers show the only folks not able to find a job are those with no skills. Everybody else has jobs, with good pay. Of course, that is for those who are here legally. There are loads of other folks (legal and not legal) who have jobs painting houses, cutting grass, housecleaning, babysitting, etc. Not really sure how many bother with paying taxes ... JP> Jobs that are therefore now not being filled, because in several JP> (right-wing) states it is becoming increasingly difficult to legally allow JP> foreigners to work for you. Republicans are passing increasingly strict JP> laws to stop foreigners and keep them out of their state. Texas has a lot more illegal immigrants tending their fields than Louisiana. Not because of the number of laws passed, but rather by the number of immigrants already there. JP> Many farmers would love to exploit foreigners legally, but even they don't JP> get that chance legally because conservative Americans, fearing foreigners, JP> would rather close the border than see those foreigners working in the JP> fields. Agricultural workers (those here legally) are not even paid the federally mandated minimum wage. You can only imagine what those who are not here legally are paid, if at all. JP> Meanwhile, an illegal circuit is now being created, fueled by mostly JP> conservative farmers who then just attract foreigners completely illegally JP> and without paying taxes, because the harvest has to get off the field JP> anyway. Why even bother paying minimum wage? Just let them stay in a shack and pay them just enough to keep them happy. JP> The same Republican state government does not intervene towards these JP> farmers. After all, it is the core of their voter base in the right-wing JP> states. So now the foreigners are even more exploited and have absolutely JP> no rights in certain states in the US. Trump never went after those who employed the illegals. JP> Fear is a strange thing. The previous administration made conservative JP> voters extremely afraid of thieves and child molesters from abroad.... JP> After all, that was Trump's message. GWB also used fear in order to get what he wanted. But his "war on terror" (a war on a verb) led to an invasion of Iraq based on false pretenses, and an invasion of Afghanistan that became this country's longest war. What good did any of GWB's antics do? Terrorists are still around, causing mayhem around the world. The Taliban are still in power in Afghanistan. Rather than have a Sunni dictator in Iraq there is a Shiite dictator in Iraq. Other than that ... JP> That made him extremely popular, but it still hurts the US economy, because JP> the US depends on the labor of those foreigners. OMG! What are we gonna do once all them foreigners get deported? Somebody will have to feed us! And if those illegals won't, or can't do it, who will? Growing crops is hard. And the pay is lousy. But somebody has to do it. With no money to pay taxes, it will be a "hand to mouth" economy. But first you have to own the land to grow the food. For Life, Lee -- If it doesn't say Jiffy Lube, it's not Jiffy Lube --- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb * Origin: news://eljaco.se:4119 (2:203/2) .