Georgia Kicks Out Undocumented Workers; Crops Rot In The Fields

This is such poetic justice.

The state of Georgia passed a tough immigration law, joining states across the country in deporting undocumented workers by the droves, contributing to the 800,000 immigrants that have been kicked out of the country since Obama became President.

Georgia maybe should have thought twice for one simple reason: the majority of the economy in Georgia is built around agriculture, and now that industry is hurting. Why? Because no-one is picking the crops.

"Thanks to the resulting labor shortage, Georgia farmers have been forced to leave millions of dollars’ worth of blueberries, onions, melons and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields. It has also put state officials into something of a panic at the damage they’ve done to Georgia’s largest industry.

"Barely a month ago, you might recall, Gov. Nathan Deal welcomed the TV cameras into his office as he proudly signed HB 87 into law. Two weeks later, with farmers howling, a scrambling Deal ordered a hasty investigation into the impact of the law he had just signed, as if all this had come as quite a surprise to him.

"The results of that investigation have now been released. According to survey of 230 Georgia farmers conducted by Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, farmers expect to need more than 11,000 workers at some point over the rest of the season, a number that probably underestimates the real need, since not every farmer in the state responded to the survey."

I would say you reap what you sow, but in this case you certainly don't.  The culture of racism in certain states has resulted in a nationwide "Keep America White" campaign and this disaster has only gone to show: discrimination based on national origin not only keeps us from making use of a talented and diverse workforce, it actually weakens our economy in ways that we cannot ignore.