Reply #65: I can only speak from my own experience here... [View All]

[John BigBootay]

but when I was growing up in Washington state, we had a lot of picking going on there-- still do. But the difference is that me and a lot of my friends took those picking jobs in the summer months during high school and college years.

We weren't supporting families, we were getting extra cash to pay for school expenses and fun. Same was true of my friends who worked in restaurants. Hell, I also bussed tables during college years for extra cash.

These jobs, as far as I can tell, were NEVER intended to support families on. Basically, there was no intention to these jobs at all-- they were there for those who wanted or needed a basic low-pay / low-skill job.

Where folks get the idea that ANY job that gets you off the couch must be a job you can support a family on is beyond my comprehension.

These jobs: picking, bussing, washing dishes, flipping burgers, are GOOD JOBS for high school and college kids and those who have no other ambitions. They're also a temporary possibility for those that don't have any other options, but need a stepping stone to something better.

Somehow, somewhere our culture has learned disdain for low-paying, manual work. Especially, here in L.A. where I now live, it is practically unthinkable to see a white kid mowing a lawn for extra cash. Now, all you see is Mexican "mow and blow" commando units. Remarkably, these little hit-squads are not cheaper than what the local kid would likely charge.

I think white parents instill a false sense of superiority in their kids. Therefore kids today will not seek out or accept these types of jobs. Hence, a vacuum is created and filled by the influx of an illegal work force.

This is one aspect of a systemic problem in America. I don't know that there is a practical solution to this problem, but I do believe that slowing the tide of illegal immigration will help stabilize the bottom dropping out of the lower-skill job sector.