Moo-doo Economics

by: Sue Prent

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 15:32:49 PM EST

"Prices for their products are way down (in part due to the tremendous reduction in international demand for milk caused by the financial crisis and economic recession) and their costs keep going up. But it is disingenuous for Senator Sanders to suggest that despite being against allowing "guest" workers into the U.S., the predicament of the dairy industry in Vermont and elsewhere is so "desperate" that a guest worker program is needed to provide the farms with workers willing and able to do the manual labor jobs that farmers are unable to fill with local workers."

"Agricultural laborer jobs just don't pay enough to attract Vermonters..."

"If Vermont farmers had to pay a wage high enough to attract Vermonters, their economic plight would be even worse than it is today and even more farms would go out of business."

"The question is why Senator Sanders seems to understand this when it comes to farmers and their need for unskilled labor...So it's OK for unskilled guest workers to work on Vermont farms to help them survive in a competitive market, but not OK for U.S. financial institutions to hire skilled guest workers to help them survive in a competitive market (?)"

Earth to Professor Woolf:  Please do your homework.