John McCain Trashes American Workers

[babylonsister]

Run time: 00:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOZKeOauNI   Posted on YouTube: August 25, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: August 26, 2008 By DU Member: babylonsister Views on DU: 1411

 
A rare videoclip of John McCain from April 2006, trashing the work ethic of American workers. In it, he doubts that any American would pick lettuce, even if offered $50 per hour.

Just another example of how out of touch the man who can't keep track of his houses really is.

[Wetzelbill]

1. That is just bizarre

He's a weird guy. I can't put my finger on it, but something about him is a little off. And not just the warmongering stuff, I mean in general.

[kmac3]

11. Easy answer . . .

That's easy to answer . . . the guy is already suffering from dementia and these yoyos want to put the nuclear button in his control . . . scary, I mean scary.

[Michigan Soldier]

2. To be fair...many of our leaders have said the same.

[MrScorpio]

3. First: Welcome to DU

Second, which of our leaders in particular?

Third, McCain was using his "point" as a reason why Americans don't deserve living wages. And frankly, I can't see any of our leaders going that route.

[Michigan Soldier]

4. Thanks. And I see your a Redwings fan?

[MrScorpio]

5. Damn skippy

Born and bred right here in Detroit. and the Wings play in a stadium named after my late, great uncle Joe.

Fan is an understatement!

[Michigan Soldier]

6. I've been to the Joe!

[Wetzelbill]

8. Welcome to DU

Yeah McCain might be making a fair point, although one that is wrong I think too, but he's doing it in a ridiculous manner. American's don't take those jobs because they could never make a decent living, the way we know it, doing it. But for poor workers getting hosed by a business not paying them even minimum wage is a step up from starving in your home country. We have it good here, for sure, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a viable living wage, and guys like McCain don't understand that the American worker would take a job like that if they could get 50 bucks an hour. He just thinks we won't do it, in the first place. We won't do it if we can't make a decent living off of it, but a job is a job.

We just want to have a decent living wage and certain types of safety protections etc. These businesses will pay poor workers under the table and let them live in squalor and in dangerous conditions. They can get away with it with some poor immigrant who thinks they might be deported etc, but not with an American. That's the biggest difference. Most of us wouldn't take something like that for minimum wage, let alone worse.

[AlbertCat]

16. Names please....

What other "leader" has said we won't do hard work for $50/hour? No one but McCain is that senile.

We may not pick lettuce for 50¢ an hour out of desperation, because we know big agra can afford more. They don't need to raise the price of lettuce, they can lower the CEO kickbacks and perks and even their salaries a tad. But $50/hour....not bad!
10 hour day = $500
1 month = $15000

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lapfog_1]

7. Picking lettuce in Yuma IS a killer job...

literally. $50/hour wouldn't be enough to get me to do it.

However, I'm sure that thousands of American workers would try to do it.

No doubt, quite a number would adapt and succeed, at least for one season.

Speaks volumes as to how we treat illegal immigrants that do this for a few dollars per DAY.

[goddess40]

12. If American's did it they would have to improve conditions

McCain wants you do work under slave conditions as the immigrants do. That's how the republicans look at the workforce nothing more then property that should do what their told and be glad they get any kind of a paycheck.

[angstlessk]

14. GROWING lettuce in Yuma is a DISGRACE...

they grow water hungry vegetables in the dessert??? THAT IS WHY HE CHALLENGED THEM...THEY AIN'T GROWING LETTUCE IN YUMA!!! So even if he had 1,000 takers there were no lettuce farms in Yuma!!!

But they DO have roofers and Americans put 90% of them roofs on them houses!!! :grr:

[lapfog_1]

17. Actually, quite a bit of lettuce is grown in Yuma

The Colorado river runs right through that area, and it's pumped out (almost all of it) to water the lettuce fields in both California's Imperial Valley and on the Arizona side.

There is so much lettuce grown there that they have a festival for it.

http://www.yumalettucedays.com/

[angstlessk]

18. damn! does not change the fact that it is a DISGRACE! growing lettuce in the desert??

So, how many people signed up to pick lettuce for $50.00 per hour for the entire season? Or did mcsame offer $50.00 the first hour and the going rate for the rest of the season?

[lapfog_1]

20. You think that's bad... they grow rice in the central valley

If we are so lucky to solve the oil/energy crises... the next resource war will be for fresh water.

However, don't just look at the water wasted in California and Arizona... they waste a lot in the midwest growing wheat and corn as well (all pumped out of a large midwest aquifer).

[ingac70]

9. This has got to be made into a commercial....

That bastard said that in front of a brick layers union.

[barack the house]

10. The ever inspiration "No you can't " meme why the eff are they close??? Don't get it.--->

Even with mass spin and racism they are blindingly knock you cold out eff ups. It' doesn't even take a brain to see it.

[hay rick]

13. McCain speaking not from experience

McCain is SOOOO out of touch. $50/hr. = ~$100,0000/yr. Many Americans do hot , dirty jobs for half that rate or less. Talk to a miner. Talk to a steel worker in a foundry. Talk to a roofer.

Hell, I'll take up John on his offer. Of course, a head of lettuce is going to cost $20.00, but that isn't going to bother John, Cindy, OR ME when I'm making $100k/yr.

I actually tried stoop labor once, picking strawberries in West Virginia when I was a kid. I quit in the afternoon cuz I only made 65 cents in the morning.

[trthnd4jstc]

15. Wow! I wonder if I could put my business on hold, and go to Yuma for a season.

$50.00 an Hour to pick lettuce for a season. I think that a lot of people would like to do that, including those, illegal, and legal doing it already. I doubt that any of those laborers are making $50.00 an hour.

[Stuart G]

19. You can't do it my friend........Well...I beg to differ........

Well........to survive, most Americans, could do it and would do it for their families if it meant survival.........

go to hell Mc Bush.......

[Ichingcarpenter]

22. Kick because it needs to be said again after what he said today

[SuckItTrebeck]

23. If they paid 50 dollars an hour...

...they wouldn't have any problems getting lettuce pickers.

It's the current 5 dollars an hour that's the problem.