Reader responds to Piercy "migrants" letter

Ryan Piercy (Letters 1-8-12) said: "Employers can't have it both ways. They can't bring migrants here to work for low wages then expect they won't use any resources."

The issue isn't so much about education. It's more about unreasonable, unfair, and unnecessary expense.

The problem isn't the farmers, businesses, or the non-subsidized employee, the problem is too few tax payers, too many living off tax payer supported, government payroll, subsidies, and want for unrealistically expensive buildings.

Two hundred kids won't learn any more in an $8.75 million building than they would learn in any other less expensive facility. The private sector already pays about 60 percent of their taxes and levies to fund public education.

Businesses are frustrated because they are not seeing positive results; kids graduate without job skills. Business owners also know that government payroll and subsidized households do not contribute financially to any community; instead too much payroll and too many subsidies deplete all the community resources.

Not only do the farmers, businesses, and non-subsidized employees pay for the school buildings, they pay the teachers' salaries and benefits, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, electricity, water, sewer, garbage, provide the school buses, bus drivers' paychecks, free breakfast, free lunch, free medical, free and/or subsidized housing, and free daycare.

Hiring migrants because of their low pay is probably the biggest misconception, misinformed, and misguided belief amongst many employees that only see their net paycheck.

There is a reason why failing companies thrive when they become an ESOP (employee stock option plan) because for the first time they, the employee turned owner, realize that everything they and everyone else does directly affects their paycheck. For the first time they became fully aware of the total amount of their own expense to their previous employer.

On average, a non-government net paycheck is about 55 percent of the total employer payroll cost on behalf of the employee. The other 45 percent is taxes, social security, and insurance. Most government employee's net pay is under 44 percent of the total payroll cost to their employer, the taxpayers.

So why do farmers hire migrants?

With 70 percent of the people on government payroll and on government subsidy not willing to work, where else would they get employees?

Farmers and businesses are frustrated because exploding subsidy taxes and insurance (for most already over 65 percent of their gross income) is making it extremely difficult to stay in the business of providing goods and services.

As explained by a local medical facility, the reason in-hospital care costs upwards of $25,000 per day for those with insurance is to cover the cost of the ones that get it free.

Dale Hellewell

Royal City