I suppose one of the easiest ways to understand some of our immigration issues is to see the Documentary that was made recently called Food Chains because the crush to the American border from Mexico is all about the jobs workers want to pick our abundant food supply here in America. They risk their lives in inadequate rafts to cross the ocean from Cuba to be restaurant workers I our resorts and clubs. There are few restraints on our northern borders from Canada. Those people do not want the worst jobs in our country and are not willing to risk anything to come here.

Eva Longoria is the executive producer of the documentary. This video compares the migrant worker to slavery. They say even now that there are people chained and beaten in the food fields. People are doing work and not being paid, people who are being sexually abused and women who are being raped now in this decade. Why do they want to be here? Eva also produced her first documentary on Child Abuse, this her second documentary is about the food chain, how a tomato gets from the field to your salad. The United States has a history of wanting cheap labor. Weather it was the railroads or mining or energy fields, slaves were  the Chinese , Africans and now Central Americans.

Farm workers and agriculture is still stuck in this slavery mode of the past. Workers are being paid a penny a pound for potatoes they pick up out of the farm field. The worker picks 4,000 pounds a day. Their day’s wage is $40.  Hispanics work like ants and seem to have the strength of giants. Call me racists but the work ethic of people of this type work damn hard and most importantly are willing to do so. Why would we give a single Hispanic a problem in wanting to work in this country. We should be giving every single person work visas not higher stronger walls to keep them out.

The documentary is about one state, Florida and one harvest. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers have introduced the Fair Foods Program which is a program that asks consumers and corporations to pay a penny more per pound so that these farm workers can have a livable wage. It would instantly double their wages from 40 to $80 dollars per day earned. It would cost shoppers practically nothing. Why isn’t our tax money supporting programs of this kind? We all can afford 44 cents per year donation. Important progress has been made by getting the fast food chains to sign on to the program.  Wendy’s hasn’t signed on for some reason.

Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Walmart has signed on to participate. They have realized that this is not a immigration issue. It is a human rights issue. And what about what we are eating. Everyone is now professing that they are something free when it comes to their food.  There are people  who profess to be Gluten free, lactose free, soy free and GMO’s not going to eat it!!! (Genetically Modified Organisms) With all these issues going on, how can I eat an ethical tomato in my salad? Whole Foods are at least coming out with a Fair Food label for their products that are part of the program. We need the Food and Drug Administration to be involved in this effort. Congress as usual does nothing but push higher walls and more police patrols at our borders.