# Another reason why this country is so fucked!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-reason-why-this-country-is-so-fucked/302789>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [May 7, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-reason-why-this-country-is-so-fucked/302789 "2005-05-07T05:16:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-reason-why-this-country-is-so-fucked/302789/141 "2005-05-16T21:21:26Z")

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> [@chappachula](#):
>
> No, what would happen, is that the employers would be forced to pay good wages to attract workers. And for good wages there are millions of Americans willing to do hard physical labor ,in all weather, with dangerous tools-(e.g. unionized construction workers.)The price of our food would go up, but why is that so terrible?The price of housing has doubled over the past 5 years (in some cities), and nobody in government is complaining.

Not only has the price of housing doubled, but so too has the price of meat;despite the fact that both meatpacking and home construction are chock full of illegal aliens. The only English speakers on typical framing crews and roofing crews here in the Omaha area are the foremen. Contractors using well-paid union workers still predominate in plumbing and electrical–but for how much longer?

FYI, I discussed the immigration subject with my son,pointing out that had packinghouse wages kept pace with inflation from the year of his birth(1973),those wages would be approx. $21/hr plus benefits vice $7.50 without benefits. My son said he’d leave his job in a heartbeat to go work there–no matter how crappy the conditions.

So much for “the jobs Americans would never stoop to do, no matter what.”

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**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-reason-why-this-country-is-so-fucked/302789/142 "2005-05-16T22:01:06Z")

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I don’t think anyone is saying they won’t no them no matter what, just that they won’t do it for shit pay. And no benefits.

Which is not just an American thing, BTW. I understand Ireland is now having the same problem.

How proteced are the electrical and plumbing industries due to their licensing requirements? Are there equivalent licensing req’s in general construction? (Earnest question. I honestly don’t know.)

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