The Adrian Report on Illegal Immigration 149

Let Unemployed Americans Eat Spoiled Claws Thursday, May 12, 2005 THE DC EXAMINER

BY KARL B. HILLE

DC Examiner Staff Writer

Why Maryland Hillbilly's need their failing businesses to be OUTSOURCED to Indonesia, today!

With promises of "a lobster in every pot," and "a crab in every bushel," Congress pbutted Barbara Mikulski's guest worker visa amendment, which may mean as much as $100 million for Maryland's seafood and hospitality industry and help thousands of watermen stay in business.

Mikulski announced the successful pbuttage of the H2B visa extension at Phillip's Seafood restaurant in Annapolis Wednesday before a crowd of several dozen watermen and members of the media.

"We have pbutted legislation that will keep American seasonal business open," she said. "It protects American jobs. It protects American business, and it protects our borders."

The amendment, pbutted as a rider on the Iraq supplemental funding bill, exempts businesses from the 66,000 cap on seasonal worker visas, so long as they are refilling positions from previous years and the workers obey all immigration laws related to the program.

Joke of the Millenium: Immigrants save jobs

Five American jobs are created or saved for every two immigrant workers brought in, said Doug Lipton, agricultural economist with the University of Maryland. For every dollar made by these watermen and pickers, he said, $3.50 is added to the Maryland economy, or about $100 million a year. Watermen present said the existing allotment of 66,000 visas can be used for companies getting started or expanding their operations, making it easier for established businesses to stay in operation through the exemption.

Crabbers and pickers said they could not meet demand for crabmeat without seasonal visas.

"In my business this means I can stay open another year," said Sonny Ruark, a fourth-generation crabber from Hooper's Island and owner of Charles H. Parks and Co. Ruark, who calls his a small operation, employs about 18 migrants each season and said he couldn't fill his jobs without them.

LIE OF THE MILLENIUM:

A good picker can earn up to $8.50 an hour, but the work brings no benefits and he said Americans won't do it.

=========

If you believe this below you will believe ANYTHING!

Difficulties getting immigrant workers for the summer have already taken a toll on Maryland's crab industry, said Doug Lipton, a University of Maryland economist. Ten years ago, there were as many as 60 major crab processing plants on the Eastern Shore. Now there are 30, and "if those plants can't get enough H2B visa workers, they are not going to be able to fill their capacity," Lipton said. By a conservative estimate, without an exemption to federal limits on the visa program, half of the existing plants will shut down in the next few years. "Those plants buy supplies from other industries and supply products ... down the marketing chain," Lipton said.

Each year they process $26 million worth of crab meat, about 2 million to 2.5 million pounds at $10 per pound. By the time it reaches grocery store shelves, consumers pay close to double that, and restaurants take an even larger portion.

"We would definitely have had to close a lot of our dining rooms and a lot of our restaurants because we would not have had the crab that made us famous for years," said Paul Wall, vice president of Ocean City-based Phillips Seafood Restaurants.

During the tourism season, Phillips hires close to 1,000 Central Americans in Ocean City alone.

- Karl B. Hille

Moderate Mammal not litter rest (525BC-456BC),