“The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world . The United Nations‘ definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country. The term can also be used to describe someone who migrates within a country, possibly their own, in order to pursue work such as seasonal work.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migrant_worker
Way back in American History when American History was actually taught in American schools, a movie was required viewing to understand the strife of American migrants.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Due to their nearly hopeless situation, and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other “Okies“, they sought jobs, land, dignity and a future. When preparing to write the novel, Steinbeck wrote: “I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this [the Great Depression and its effects].” The book won Steinbeck a large following among the working class, perhaps due to the book’s sympathy to the worker’s movement and its accessible prose style.
The Grapes of Wrath is frequently read in American high school and college literature classes. A celebrated Hollywood film version, starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford, was made in 1940; the endings of the book and the movie differ greatly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath
What is the [Kansas] Definition of a migratory child? According to Part C of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act a child is a defined as a migrant if all of the following conditions are met: http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wj8ZdkeJ-dc%3d&tabid=414&mid=4253
- The child is not older than 21 years of age; and
- The child is entitled to a free public education under State law; and
- The child is a migrant agricultural worker or has a parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migrant agricultural worker; and
- The child has moved within the preceding 36 months in order to seek or obtain work, or to accompany or join the migratory agricultural worker who moved within the preceding 36 months in order to seek or obtain qualifying work.
According to the Kansas Department of Agriculture “Kansas is a leader in wheat, grain sorghum and beef production, and the state ranks sixth in farm product exports, which were valued at $5.9 billion in 2008. Cash receipts for farm marketings were valued at nearly $14 billion in 2008.” http://www.ksda.gov/kansas_agriculture/
At this point we can conclude that the Kansas Department of Education believes that wheat is both planted and harvested by hand using migrant agricultural workers. That would account for all those straight rows.
The market value of wheat varies daily, but let’s use a standard of $10.00 a bushel. Now let’s assume that a bushel of seeds can be planted by hand per hour. And that a bushel of wheat can be harvested (de-husking takes more time) by hand per hour. This migrant agricultural worker does this 14 hours a day and for $5.00 an hour. The wheat farmer now has $10.00 a bushel invested and still has the costs associated with supplying all those bushel baskets and still has to get them to market. Well now that explains why they also get subsidies.
Now let’s look for the hubs of these migrant agricultural workers. Kansas law requires that children of migrant agricultural workers receive a free education and in their native language. As previously discussed, in Kansas they are the municipalities identified below and shows the increased need of migrant agricultural workers based on the increased costs associated with educating their children:
| |
|
2001-2002 |
2009-2010 |
|
| Olathe USD #233 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$540,992 |
$2,183,691 |
403.64% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Blue Valley USD #229 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$497,622 |
$1,498,767 |
301.18% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Wichita USD #259 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$3,592,995 |
$10,050,924 |
279.73% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Dodge City USD #443 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$1,291,032 |
$3,013,725 |
233.43% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Garden City USD #457 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$968,692 |
$2,344,808 |
242.05% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Kansas City USD #500 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$1,538,360 |
$5,857,104 |
380.73% |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Topeka USD #501 |
Bilingual Ed. |
$1,538,360 |
$1,856,575 |
120.68% |
Garden City and Dodge City increases may be accounted for by the recent opening of a Kansas state owned casino in Dodge City. Although not agricultural, there have been numerous new construction, food industry, hotel, casino and lawn care jobs created recently. This could actually be the result of the state itself.
Kansas City, Olathe and Blue Valley are most likely non-migratory construction, restaurant, hotel and lawn care jobs.
Legislators can answer the Topeka question and would love to hear from of our Wichita readers for their observations.
A reasonable person could conclude the illegal Kansas immigrant problem is not of a migrant agriculture worker profile. Just another clever LIBERAL RUSE. I encourage you to read the first paragraph of this posting again. The Kansas use of the term “migrant worker” is part of the UNs’ Agenda 21 terminology. Kansas is actively part of the globalization of governments? Read our postings and do your research on George Soros, Consolidation of Governments, Re-distribution of wealth, United Nations’ Agenda 21 and globalization. It’s here alive and well.
Our next posting will show all the Kansas free programs offered and encouraged to these children of migrant agricultural workers. You will be shocked!
“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is better be alone than in bad company.” George Washington
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