[quote=kicksavedave]Really, we should just send them all home, or at least while they are here don’t give them any medicine at all. I won’t mind paying $14 for a head of lettuce, $11 per avocado, and $15 for an artichoke.
[/quote]
I don’t think this will happen. As long as we are open for trade; if we do not have cheap enough labor to pick lattuce here, we will import lattuce from south of the border (perhaps picked by the same people who are picking it up here). The same goes for a lot of things mentioned here. I do realize that we can import a mowed lawn or haricut from Mexico. However, if the prices for those rose sufficiently high, people might mow their own lawn and maybe give each-other haircuts!
Which brings me to my assertion that money spent on illegal immigration is really another form of subsidy to local farmers, homeowners, companies and such who employ this labor.
A far better system would have been to recognize the need that we need cheap labor in here to keep farming etc. domestic. Then offer temporary work visas for this and make sure that the employers who benefit from this contribute their fair share of costs incurred by the society. If job market is hot, we can increase such visas and reduce them in the time of recession.
Unfortunately people who benefit from current system (of keeping people in shadows) will perpatuate till eternity.