Illegal aliens are vital part of economy
In a recent Southern Standard, I read Mr. Brian Whitman’s letter to the editor airing his views concerning driver’s licenses for aliens.
The entire nursery industry would cease to exist without the labor provided by these illegal workers. If truth be known, any nursery of any size in Warren County, or nationwide, uses 90 percent illegal labor. The same holds true with any labor-intensive agricultural job.
Who picks our produce? Illegal aliens. Who slaughters our meat products? Illegal aliens. Who harvests tobacco? Illegal aliens. The list goes on and on.
The fact of the matter is without this labor, our entire agricultural industry would cease to exist. We are now very concerned about mad cow disease causing havoc with beef prices. What we should be worried about is that if every illegal alien decided to leave the United States, our whole economy would fall to pieces.
This is not my speculation; it is a fact. There is no substitute for this labor force now or anytime in the foreseeable future. Even President Bush acknowledges we need to change the status of our illegal immigrants.
Why not give these illegal aliens complete amnesty so they can continue to do the jobs that most American workers refuse to do? At the very least, a driver’s license should be a given right to anyone who passes the driver’s examination test regardless of race, sex, creed or “legal status.”
Jimmy Milstead
137 Bugger Ridge Rd.
McMinnville