dec 2017

from the week dec 22 2017

some will not look on suffering because it creates responsibility.  fulton sheen

there is nothing so fretting and vexatious, nothing so justly terrible to tyrants, and their tools and abettors, as a free press.  samuel adams

there is no crime, absolutely none, that cannot be condoned when 'our' side commits it.  george orwell

a society is moving toward dangerous ground when loyalty to the truth is seen as disloyalty to some supposedly higher interest.  canon mark oakley



dec 5 2014

right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.   quaker william penn

hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.  francois de la rochefoucauld

nov 2017

another sprint adventure. last month's overdue fee which was to be waived when i called, wasn't. (they had switched everyone to paperless with a 2 day message alert for bill's being due) big surprise. so by tomorrow the 1.12 is due. no message that it was due of course. do you think i could pay by credit card? no since the system wouldn't accept the expiration date. amanda my on line chat expert = "as for the moment we do have a problem issues (sic) in paying bills using your online account and no worries our dedicated team is now working on it. for now i'll be glad processing the payment here for you". do you see more problems coming? i do


from in these times dec 2017:  When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses."


verify quotations:
anyone who has the power to make you believe absurities has the power to make you commit injustices--voltaire

it is an unwavering rule for those in power that, when it comes to heads, it is best to cut them off before they start thinking--jose saramago

silence is the ultimate weapon of power--degaulle

to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight--eecummings

july 2017

re Nobody wants your parents' stuff.  Their stuff usually means nothing to you, but your stuff has meaning to probably you only.
Notice the cup above.  Nice cup, staffordshire, been around since 1983.  I've had it in giveaway boxes several times including this month.  But can I part with it?  It's an object, but it's also a memory or memories starting at Purdue in 1983 and ending on Ben's birthday in 2005.

may 2017

book  The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster by werner troesken    c2006

`p69 "the last 20 years of scientific research have identified the many ways lead poisons people, both upon exposure and much later.  lead was, and continues to be, a race poison--if by race, one means the broad swath of humanity and not a few privileged groups.  lead exposure has intergenerational effects.   as discussed in chap 2, women and men who were lead poisoned as children but who were not exposed as adults have increased rates of miscarriages and abortions and have children who are more likely to exhibit developmental delays.  similarly, women who were exposed to undue lead levels in their drinking water before and during pregnancy had higher rates of spontaneous abortion and infertility.  as shown in appendix a, the use of lead water pipes around 1900 increased stillbirth and infant mortality rates in england and mass by between 8 and 25%"


p83  during the 1880's, there was an epidemic of water-related lead poisoning in huddersfield eng. and for many years the individuals who ran the town's water company struggled with how to eliminate lead from the public water supply.  ripping up the town's lead service pipes and replacing them w.pipes made of some other material was expensive and most homeowners appear to have sought cheaper modes of protection.  other methods of protection included the use of paper and charcoal filters, which were effective removing lead from tap water and were much cheaper than replacing the pipe.  the town of huddersfield also began treating the water supply w/marble chips, reducing the water's power to dissolve lead."


p. "when we realize that half a century before the christian era vitruvius condemned lead servi ce pipes and 130 yrs after that time galen did the same thing, swann  (in 1889) wrote. it is a puzzle to my mind how it is that the use of such a poisonous means of conveying water should ever become general"

ma in 1905   p. 139-40    ...cities that used non lead pipes in areas w.soft and corrosive supplies often found that the pipes burst or otherwise failed within 10 yrs.  replacing service pipes was expensive; the cost of replacing a given pipe was between 5 and 10,000 in 2005 dollars.


1917 tin lined in nyc for some
1880's charcoal filters

water standing in pipes overnight found in 1 study to have 3x the lead as moving water

50 Health Issues That Count as a Pre-existing Condition

Alicia Adamczyk

May 04, 2017

The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which narrowly passed a vote in the House today, rolls back protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which could increase health care costs for an estimated 130 million Americans.

The American Health Care Act stipulates that states can allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for health insurance (which is banned under the ACA) if the states meet certain conditions, such as setting up high-risk insurance pools. Insurers still cannot deny people coverage outright, as was a common practice before the ACA's passage, but they can hike up premiums to an unaffordable amount, effectively pricing people out of the market.

In fact, premiums could reach as high as $25,700 per year for people in high-risk pools, according to a report from AARP. People who receive insurance through their employer would not be affected, unless they lost their job or moved to the individual insurance market for some other reason.

Photo illustration by Sarina for MONEY; Getty Images (5) 

But what counts as a pre-existing condition? While it depends on the insurer—they have the right to choose what counts as "pre-existing"—these ailments and conditions were universally used to deny people coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on health care research.

• AIDS/HIV
• Alcohol or drug abuse with recent treatment
• Alzheimer’s/dementia
• Anorexia
• Arthritis
• Bulimia
• Cancer
• Cerebral palsy
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery/heart disease, bypass surgery
• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Hemophilia
• Hepatitis
• Kidney disease, renal failure
• Lupus
• Mental disorders (including Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Obesity
• Organ transplant
• Paraplegia
• Paralysis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Pending surgery or hospitalization
• Pneumocystic pneumonia
• Pregnancy or expectant parent (includes men)
• Sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Transsexualism

But Cynthia Cox, Kaiser's associate director, notes that the above list is a conservative sampling of all of the issues and maladies that insurers could count as pre-existing conditions. " There are plenty of other conditions, even acne or high blood pressure, that could have gotten people denied from some insurers but accepted and charged a higher premium by other insurers" says Cox.

Here are some examples of those other conditions that experts have noted could hike premiums:

• Acid Reflux
• Acne
• Asthma
• C-Section
• Celiac Disease
• Heart burn
• High cholesterol
• Hysterectomy
• Kidney Stones
• Knee surgery
• Lyme Disease
• Migraines
• Narcolepsy
• Pacemaker
• Postpartum depression
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Seizures
• "Sexual deviation or disorder"
• Ulcers

The left-leaning Center for American Progress notes that high blood pressure, behavioral health disorders, high cholesterol, asthma and chronic lung disease, and osteoarthritis and other joint disorders are the most common types of pre-existing conditions.

Just how expensive are pre-existing conditions? A recent report from the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge people with metastatic cancer as much as $142,650 more for their coverage, a 3,500% increase.

april 2017

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How far should GM, non-GM crops be separated?

April 12, 2017 Category: Crops

by Seed World, Farm News Media

The simplest way to minimize cross fertilization between crops is to separate them; however, up until now the isolation distances have been somewhat haphazardly determined.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and Delft University (The Netherlands) have developed a mathematical model of pollen dispersal by bees, based on field experiments.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, evaluated the spread of genetically modified organisms to non-modified crops.

“Trying to figure out how far GM pollen will travel is really difficult,” said Rebecca Tyson, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and study co-author. “It is important to have accurate tools to estimate this, so that unintentional cross-pollination of GM material to non-GM crops can be minimized.”

Tyson said the simplest way to minimize cross-fertilization between crops is to separate them; however, up until now the isolation distances have been somewhat haphazardly determined.

Previous estimates have been based on two standard models, which either overestimate or underestimate pollen movement. The gap, Tyson said, between these two distances makes prediction difficult and thus necessitates improved calculations.

From the study, researchers developed a new analytical tool, which can provide a much improved estimate of how far pollen will travel.

“Our results suggest that separation distances of several hundred meteres proposed by some European countries, is unnecessarily large but separation by 40 metres (about 43 yards) is not sufficient,” Tyson said. “Using our model, we can calculate and suggest separation sizes with better accuracy. For example, we have estimated that for a .9 percent cross-pollination rate, the ideal distance of separation between two crops is between 51 and 88 metres (55 and 96 yards), depending on crop size and type.”

These numbers are specific to particular crops and landscapes, Tyson said, but the predictive ability is the same.

“We believe that our model provides a more accurate assessment of GM pollen cross-pollination than previous models,” she says. “We are hopeful these finding will simplify the decision-making process for crop growers and policymakers.”

Although this is only one study, getting an accurate separation distance would give farmers the certainty they need to be good neighbors, said Kate Thiel, field crops specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau.

“There is room for all different growing methods, and having respect for all people who grow differently from others is imperative,” she said. “If all growers have access to solid science, it helps farmers, consumers and the entire industry gain confidence that they’re not interfering with their neighbors’ crops. This study is a step in the right direction, and we hope the information can be verified in the United States. It’s about honoring thy neighbor, a concept that farmers already accept and practice.”

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HEALTH

The 14 Fake Olive Oil Companies Are Revealed Now – Avoid These Brands

HEALTH

The 14 Fake Olive Oil Companies Are Revealed Now – Avoid These Brands

Supposedly, even 70% of olive oil in the USA markets is fake, cut with cheap bad oils like sunflower and canola. This item is supposed to be healthy, but this is now corrupted. It was found that even 7 of the biggest olive oil makers in USA, mix their items with cheap oils to get more profits.

This is like the 2008 practice in Italy when 400 police officers were involved in the breakdown known as operation Golden Oil.  This meant seizure for 85 oil farms that mixed some percentage chlorophyll with sunflower and canola to the olive oil. The oil was mixed, colored, perfumed and flavored too, and these things made the Australian government investigate their own oils. The results were awful.

After that, not one brand named extra virgin olive oil got the 2012 certificate of approval.

This scam made the California University study 124 imported oils and found that over 70% of samples failed the tests.

These failed:

• Mezzetta
• Carapelli
• Pompeian
• Primadonna
• Mazola
• Sasso
• Colavita
• Star
• Antica Badia
• Whole Foods
• Safeway
• Felippo Berio
• Coricelli
• Bertolli

These brands passed:

• Corto olive
• Lucero
• McEvoy Ranch Organic
• Omaggio
• California Olive Branch
• Bariani Olive oil
• Lucini
• Ottavio
• Olea Estates
• Cobram Estate
• Kirkland Organic

Also, test the olive oil yourself at home. Put the bottle out when cold, or in the fridge for 30 min. if it gets solid, it is pure and has monounsaturated fats.

march 2017

pauls post about transpeople.  author of liberalism is a mental disease.  The Paul Revere Society Needs You!
Michael Savage founded The Paul Revere Society (PRS). With a crisis of leadership threatening the United States, PRS stands for the reassertion of our borders, our language, and our culture.

Some say that the borders are arbitrary, English is only one of many languages in our new "Multicultural America," and that we share no common history or values. We believe in the Sovereignty of our Nation. That English is our national "glue." And that we all do share in the pillars of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These documents and what they stand for are our common cultural heritage.

The Paul Revere Society (PRS) will assert the values inherent in these pillars of freedom. We will seek to educate the citizenry about our nation's freedoms.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Paul Revere Society 8-Point Program

1. End Affirmative Action.
2. Close the Borders now.
3. Deport all illegal immigrants now.
4. Eliminate bilingual education in all states.
5. Require health tests for all recent foreign born immigrants.
6. Make tax cuts permanent.
7. Reduce the number of Federal Employees.
8. Tort Reform - Stop Class Action Lawyers.

Michael Savage founded The Paul Revere Society (PRS). With a crisis of leadership threatening the United States, PRS stands for the reassertion of our borders, our language, and our culture.

Some say that the borders are arbitrary, English is only one of many languages in our new "Multicultural America," and that we share no common history or values.
We believe in the Sovereignty of our Nation. That English is our national "glue." And that we all do share in the pillars of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These documents and what they stand for are our common cultural heritage.

The Paul Revere Society (PRS) will assert the values inherent in these pillars of freedom. We will seek to educate the citizenry about our nation's freedoms.



― John Wooden, Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organizaion

"You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes”

• FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
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“Dirty Dozen” list discourages healthy eating

March 14, 2017 Category: Crops

by Crop Life America

EWG is limiting consumer choice when reaching for vitamin-rich spinach or anti-oxidant-filled blueberries at the grocery store.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) once again released its annual “Dirty Dozen” list last week, cautioning consumers against purchasing 12 types of nutritious fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes and apples.

EWG urges consumers, “When buying organic produce is not an option, use the [EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce] to choose foods lower in pesticide residues.”

CropLife America (CLA) and many other food-focused organizations remain vehemently opposed to the misinformation within EWG’s list and, instead, encourage consumers to reach for fruits and vegetables at the grocery store regardless of how the food was grown.

“Consumers deserve to know that pesticide technology, used in both organic and conventional farming, is carefully regulated in the U.S. to protect their safety,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. “Year after year, reports from the USDA Pesticide Data Program (PDP) show that more than 99 percent of the products sampled have residues below tolerances set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It’s time for EWG to discontinue this list and stop adding confusion and fear to the flurry of messages that consumers receive on what foods to eat.”

“Every person across the country needs to eat healthy food, no matter the size of their wallet,” said Dr. Janet E. Collins, executive vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CLA. “By continuing to release this list, based on flawed science, EWG is limiting consumer choice when reaching for vitamin-rich spinach or anti-oxidant-filled blueberries at the grocery store. A conventional apple has the same nutritional value as an organic apple. Just make sure you eat that apple!”  

    



friday march 17, 2017 just for useless fun, i called spectrum (charter) today to ask why the 59.99 a month is now 64.99 a month, what better service did i have or was the money being used for increased salaries for spectrum employees or was it going for company profits. i was assured that internet service would continue to be the best and that tv programming would be enhanced. So why do i care about tv programs when i only have internet? theresa said i can experience all the great things spectrum offers like online bill payments, my modem, no contracts. do i read the spectrum news, she asked? of course, usually, i explained and then read this month's top 'story' = "reminder. the terms and conditions applicable to your services contain a binding arbitration provision, which includes a waiver of class actions and provisions for opting out of arbitration and affects your rights with respect to all services" to which she replied, "i don't know anything about that". companies rule

feb 2017

farm bureau articles. feb 10: (naturally farm bureau is worried that the glory days of ethanol might be fading) "A proposal to eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) needs to be fact-checked before it goes much further, according to Kate Thiel, field crops specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau.“There have been efforts like this for some time,” Thiel said. “Claims that ethanol displaces food for people and damages the environment ignore scientific facts and play into the hands of the oil industry’s energy monopoly, which in many cases is behind anti-ethanol efforts.” and feb 9 (worries that chemicals are viewed as a concern to consumers) "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued draft ecological risk assessments for 27 pesticides that is raising alarm among farmers nationwide. The list includes a large number of chemicals known as pyrethroids and are made available by AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, FMC, Syngenta and Valent.

Act Now Button“EPA’s assessment does not reflect sound science and the agency’s poor decision-making approach could mean farmers losing access to critical crop protection products,” said Laura Campbell, Michigan Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Ecology Department Manager. “We’re asking farmers to tell their story, that as users they follow label directions and restrictions and use pest control products responsibly including maintaining buffer zones and respecting limits on spray drift.”

 February 28, 2017  Ted Roelofs  Economy

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Kent County apple grower Rob Steffens: “I don't think people understand just how much food is touched by migrant hands.” (Courtesy photo)

This time of year, Michigan fruit and vegetable farmer Fred Leitz tends to focus on things like the weather, pests like the brown marmorated stink bug and what kind of prices his harvest might fetch.

With 700 acres of cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes, apples and blueberries on his Berrien County farm in the southwest corner of Michigan, there's plenty at stake.

But like other growers around Michigan, Leitz has another worry these days: Will there be enough workers to pick the crops?

“If we lost a significant part of the workforce after we had everything ready to harvest, we would go out of business. Everything is hand-harvested,” Leitz said

Berrien County grower Fred Leitz said Michigan's crop industry would “collapse” without undocumented labor. (Courtesy photo)

His concerns were heightened by enforcement measures announced Feb. 21 that give U.S. immigration agents sweeping authority to target “removable aliens” for deportation, in effect making most of the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants priority for removal. The guidelines – which largely fulfill campaign pledges by President Donald Trump - empower local police to aid immigration enforcement and call for the hiring of 5,000 more border agents and 10,000 more immigration agents.

Michigan growers fear these measures – if funded and approved by Congress -- will drive away workers critical to their operations, given that undocumented labor remains a key part of the nation's farm work force.

According to a 2014 report by the American Farm Bureau Federation, undocumented workers comprise fully half of  hired U.S. farm workers. There is no such calculation specific to Michigan agriculture, where the seasonal workforce is about 45,000.

Within the past month, Leitz said, he's already heard from a few of his past workers that they won't be coming back this year. Most are originally from Mexico, but have lived in the United States for the past 10 or 20 years. “They're afraid. They're not going to budge from where they are right now,” he said.

He added: “If you took all the undocumented workers out of Michigan, crop agriculture would collapse.”

The concern over farm labor is acute in the fertile swath of land that stretches along the west side of the Lower Peninsula from north of Traverse City through Kent and Ottawa counties all the way south to the Indiana border. That's where the bulk of fruit, including apples, strawberries, cherries and blueberries, is grown as well as a variety of vegetables that must be hand-harvested.

In a state that ranks at or near the top in the nation in cherry and blueberry production – and where fruit and vegetables account for a $1.4 billion economic impact – the viability of seasonal farm labor is no small matter.

Even before the announced immigration crackdown, Michigan farmers were calling for fixes to a  system they say fails to provide a reliable supply of workers for their operations. The problem as they see it: Most non-immigrant Americans just won't do the work.

The Work They Do

Undocumented workers are a key part of numerous U.S. economic sectors

26 percent of farming, fishing and forestry

17 percent of building, ground, cleaning and maintenance

14 percent of construction

11 percent of food preparation and serving

9 percent of production

Source: Pew Research Center

About an hour north of Grand Rapids, the owner of a large fruit and vegetable operation recalled attending a conference summoned to offer ideas for plugging the farm labor shortage. He farms more than a thousand acres of carrots, asparagus and other vegetables and said he would not survive without immigrant labor.

As he recalled, someone at the conference suggested, “Why don't you bus in college kids to do the work?'”

He said someone else replied, “'They would be back on the bus by noon.'”

The farmer – who asked that his name not be used, added: “I just think Americans aren't going to do it. College kids aren't going to do it. It's just the way it is. It's hard work. I wouldn't do it myself.

“I just think Americans aren't going to do it. College kids aren't going to do it. It's just the way it is. It's hard work. I wouldn't do it myself.” -- farmer in west Michigan, talking about hand-harvesting crops

“Our system is broke, but most people won't admit to it.”

From farm to table

There's apprehension as well in Michigan's restaurant and tourism industries, which also depend on immigrant labor. According to the Pew Research Center, undocumented workers comprise 17 percent of U.S. building, ground, cleaning and maintenance workers and 11 percent of U.S workers in food preparation.

Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant Association, said his organization is closely following immigration developments on Capitol Hill.

“It will definitely impact this industry. It is something we follow and take very seriously,” he said.

Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant Association, said his industry is concerned that a labor shortage could be made worse if immigrant workers are removed rather than given some path to citizenship.

Winslow said Michigan restaurants employ 435,000 people in a $15.9 billion industry; one that is facing a likely worker shortage over the coming decade as commercial growth outpaces the supply of local labor. It is expected to need another 37,400 workers within 10 years, while the population of the state’s biggest age cohort – those age 16 to 24 – is projected to shrink.

Winslow noted that the National Restaurant Association has adopted a formal position calling for a clear path to legalization for the 11 million undocumented U.S. residents.

“It is not a position the Michigan Restaurant Association has opposed,” he said.

Frustration with visa program

Michigan farmers interviewed for this article say the labor pinch has tightened as a smaller numbers of migrant workers come north, in part because of a more secure border with Mexico. At the same time, an older generation of migrant workers is aging out of the work force while their children have moved on to better jobs outside agriculture.

In recent years, more Michigan farmers have turned to a visa program that provides temporary foreign workers for their operations. While it added nearly 5,000 workers in 2016, farmers say the H-2A visa program for agricultural workers is cumbersome and expensive.

Berrien County fruit and vegetable grower Russell Costanza said he turned to H-2A the past couple years for workers, after he had increasing trouble finding domestic migrant labor. They now comprise the bulk of the 130 workers he needs for his operation, since his domestic workforce dropped from 110 a few years ago less than 20 today. He farms about 500 acres, growing Roma tomatoes, cucumbers and a variety of hot peppers.

His assessment of the visa program: “It doesn't work. It's broken. It's too expensive and there are too many hoops to jump through.”

Under the program, farmers are required to advertise in local newspapers for job openings before accepting foreign workers. Farmers must also pay for transportation to and from the foreign country and provide housing and three meals a day. The 2017 wage for these workers in Michigan is set at $12.75 an hour.

“On top of that, I've got an expense of about $2,000 an employee. By the time I'm done, they are costing me $17 or $18 an hour,” Costanza said.

Costanza said he's lost money on his farm operation the past couple years, adding that he would consider shuttering it if it weren't for the involvement of his adult children in the farm.

“If it was up to me, I wouldn't plant a crop this year. It's too risky. If I didn't have the kids involved I would shut it down.”

John Kran, associate national legislative counsel of the Michigan Farm Bureau, agreed that the visa program “is not a perfect system at all. It's not going to work for everybody, that's for sure.

“Right now, it's the only tool in the federal tool box.”

Kran said farmers have been asking for decades for a more flexible guest worker program – thus far, to no avail.

“It's getting harder and harder to find people who are willing in agriculture, especially in jobs that will last only two or three months. We need to make sure we have people here ready and willing to work in agriculture.”

And beyond the fruit and vegetable industry in Michigan, Kran said dairy farmers are also facing labor troubles since the H-2A program is aimed at seasonal farm workers – not the permanent employees dairy farms need.

“It's very much an issue for dairy,” Kran said.

Economic pragmatism urged

In Kent County, apple grower Rob Steffens said he is increasingly concerned about what kind of workforce he will have this fall. With about 300 acres and 17 varieties of apples in his orchard, he needs 30 to 40 workers to harvest his crop. A fourth generation grower, he farms an area that extends north of Grand Rapids known as The Ridge, especially suitable for fruit because of its elevation, clay loam soil and proximity to Lake Michigan.

“I'm nervous,” Steffens said. “There's no doubt about it. I'm worried whether people are going to be willing to come up from Florida. I know there's a lot of fear out there.”

Steffens said he sees no point in deporting undocumented residents if they have not committed a serious crime.

“I understand if it is a felony. But to just say, 'Let's round them up,' is a big mistake. I want to talk about the guy who's working, who's working hard, who's helping his family.

“I don't think people understand just how much food is touched by migrant hands. I don't think the president understands this issue yet.”

Supporters of Trump, however, see the intended crackdown as fulfillment of campaign promises by the president.

Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the New York Times that limiting foreign labor would open up jobs for Americans.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s programming computers or picking in fields,” he told the Times. “Any time you’re admitting substitutes for American labor you depress wages and working conditions and deter Americans.”

Berrien County grower Fred Leitz needs about 225 workers at peak harvest time for his operation, about 170 of which he expects to fill this year with H-2A workers. Most of the rest presumably would be immigrant laborers.

“We have (Americans) that want to drive tractors, but nobody wants to harvest. Working in fields with hot or cold weather is not for everybody. American workers are far removed from working on farms with those conditions.”

Leitz said it's impossible to know for certain when workers are undocumented, since employers are required by law to accept a variety of forms of identity for employment, including a Social Security card, birth certificate and driver's license. They can easily be forged.

“You have to make sure it's not obviously fraudulent and accept it. If you ask too much for certain documents, you are discriminating.”

In the meantime, Leitz said he's uncertain what will happen at harvest time this year.

“That's the million-dollar question,” he said.

Leitz, the immediate past president of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said he was in Washington, D.C. in early February for the organization's annual board meeting.

“There were growers from around the country there. They are having problems all over. It's not just a Michigan problem, it's a national problem.

“We make our  plans and have our crops in the ground and Congress does something that changes. You are stuck. My banker has asked me over the years, 'What happens if immigration comes and takes all your workers?' I just take my keys out of my pocket and threw it at him and say, 'It's yours.'

“He didn't like that.”