It's actually a relatively simple fix, we just don't want to do it because our 'leaders' are not serious people.

- Make it impossible for illegals to get any sort of benefit, gov issued ID or anything. This on tax payer savings alone would be massive.

- Install exponentially increasing fines on companies who are found to employ illegals; under SOX, make the owner/executives liable for this as well. They'll get fined into non-existence or end up in jail for continuing this.

- Take a good look at entitlements and the ever growing 'safety net' for citizens and remove things that basically incentivize not working. These have only been getting worse and costing more for a zero net benefit.

- That 'orange juice will be 10$' idea will initially occur, but will not last long based on people not buying 10$ orange juice. At that point wages would meet at a level of demand and stabilize/normalize. This is basic economics.

- People need to figure out that they are not worth X$ per hour. They are worth the services they can provide that someone is willing to pay them for. By removing the incentives to be lazy, this would fix itself and have harsh real life penalties for those not wanting to do shit. Being hungry as shit with no gov cheese seems to really motivate people for some odd reason.

I only have a finance and econ degree and I have seen the way out of this for over a decade. Yet, we never really do anything resembling an attempt to fix it.

Lmao. While construction costs do affect home pricing, it is not the reason for the housing boom.

But you already know this and are just being obtuse.

If you don’t already understand it, you aren’t going to suddenly get it by me explaining it.

It’s called automation.

I’m still waiting on a machine that can pick certain produce.
I can empathize with farmers. Good labor is the number one issue facing farmers.

I don’t really know if illegal immigration helps us financially. There are other issues that make up quality of life.

But.

“Americans won’t do the work “. I bucked bales in high school.  We had illegal immigrants in the chicken processing plants but NONE in bale bucking. If they could hang they would have been hired.  You were always paid in cash

Yes, good luck getting a white guy to do that job for less than 25 bucks an hour and hope he shows up for more than a day.  There is some real naivety on this forum about crop harvesting and construction.  Either we won't be able to afford the product or it just wont show up without the cheap third world labor.  But, there should be a system as described above, not just open border bullshit.  

I honestly can't figure out how they pay these guys under the table without getting caught though, they must be slicker than I am.

We are a long time from the automation of hand harvest of tree fruits. It is getting there but you have to make your trees grow to a specific architecture that makes it easy for the machine to pick.  I have some pear trees that are almost 100 years old, no machine is going to efficiently pick those. Same goes for cherries. Apples on a trellis where you have a 2 dimensional plane and can put your fruit exactly where you want it will be doable.  That being said your then going to have to invent a machine that can tie the limbs and prune them correctly in order for the ai harvester to work.

The solution is simple. Force e verify for all employers, make it impossible to be employed without federal authentication of your ssn.  second we will need to develop an affordable, easy to use work visa system that allows people to come to work but forces them to go home and de incentivizes them to bring or start a family.  The government loves anchor babies it feeds the wic/snap/school system as well as they love the people pay into the social security system and not being able to withdraw.

The only reason that illegal immigration exists is because it props up the social security ponzy scheme.

we do still have that, its called H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers
https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-2a-temporary-agricultural-workers

my work packs a seasonal crop and we have a hard time keeping workers.  temp agency will send someone out in the morning, they'll work through lunch and then just not come back.

had to go H2A to get people willing to work an admittly difficult job (stacking pallets with 25 pound boxes to around 7' so a lot of overhead lifting).

So what you’re saying is you hate free market capitalism.

That a load of crap about the product not showing up. The free market will work itself out and some the issue.

Exactly. Fixing the problem may not be easy for a short period of time but the market will work itself out.

And enforcement for failure to return is?
Near zero.

Your strawberries may cost as much as the square watermelon. These watermelons are grown in Japan and are quite expensive, often costing around $100 or more.

While I am 100% against illegal immigration, this is one of the most simplistic and unrealistic things that I have ever read in GD.

And that’s saying something.

Sounds like he should be deported too.

The point being, American labor isn't the inflationary boogieman that is often alleged by the 'open borders' advocates.

I've personally worked in the era where all construction labor was American. And the homes were affordable to the average worker.

I've been in residential construction for over 40 years. I spent 20 years as a General Contractor/home builder.

You seem to be in favor of illegal immigrant labor.

Maybe you can explain the benefits of that labor from your personal experience.

If they were't tax payer subsidized they'd be working for nothing

I approve this message.

Which laws can I break professionally and personally to make my life better?

Never signed somebodies paycheck I see.

Washington said " Make a man uncomfortable in his poverty". I've been there. Simple but effective strategy.

Given the considerable extra taxes and other things we de facto pay for and subsidize to support the illegal immigrant population, it will go a loooong way to pay any extra cost for housing, etc.

Continuing to host the illegal population will result in Leftist control and a loss of freedom.
Can’t even put a price tag on that.

Here, for the doomsayers saying prices will skyrocket:

Even that leftist propaganda the Washington Compost admits prices will only increasee slightly

Of course it is all the way towards the end of the article, and there’s a whole mess of bullshit before you get to the punchline of the price increase being single digit percent.

We still have it.  It's the H-2 temporary worker program.  Farmers and meatpacking plants and construction firms don't want to bother following the rules because it's cheaper not to and they don't have to deal with taxes or insurance.

None when they can make more on food stamps.

There is nothing wrong with migrant workers who come in, pick the crops, and go home. The left wants to scream migrant when they know they aren't migrating to the work and back home. They are invading and staying.

Sounds like an argument to get rid of minimum wage.

When the new residents finally get their commie supplied legal team in place you'll see changes in your dail life that you simply can't imagine.

I don't see the problem. Adapt and overcome. Within a year companies will design machines to pick everything