Finding blame for overgrown highways, roads

At first I blamed the tall weeds and grass along Virginia’s highways and roads on the continuous rain and cool temperatures this spring. But during the recent sunshine and warmer weather the weeds and grass have really grown. (Note to state and local officials: At some intersections, because oncoming traffic can’t be seen it’s downright dangerous.)
A May 26 story in The News Virginian offered a better explanation of why our highways and roads are so overgrown. Could the problem be traced to the determination of many vociferous Virginia politicians and anti-illegal immigrant groups?
If it wasn’t for city and county residents here and across the state, drivers and travelers everywhere would be in trouble. During previous spring times it was normal for residents to mow along their roadside property lines. Now many are also manicuring along the opposite side of their property. Some are even mowing more than the strips opposite their property.
Rather than wait for the Virginia Department of Transportation and local municipalities to mow, residents are doing it themselves. The reason municipalities are behind may be twofold — the high cost of gasoline and higher cost of diesel. Plus the pool of summer workers is drained because of stricter enforcement of illegal immigration laws.
In counties such as Prince William in northern Virginia and Hanover in central Virginia, illegal and some legal immigrants are facing growing hostilities from local leaders. Unable to find work, many immigrants are returning to Mexico and other South American countries.
In previous columns, I suggested that anti-illegal immigrant groups might regret their tough stands. Illegal workers performed jobs Virginians and America’s unemployed won’t do. And, just as I also suggested, taxpayers must bear the burden of seeing more of our tax dollars spent in higher wages for legal immigrants and American citizens who used to sit on their duffs waiting for higher wages.
Overgrowth on highways and roads is just the beginning. Americans are already seeing and paying higher costs. Right now, gasoline and food get the attention, but wait until the housing and other construction industries take off again.
Also, with so many new houses vacant and no buyers anxious to purchase them there are bargains to be had. However, banks and other lenders are tightening qualifications.
Legal workers, domestic and immigrant, who have been laid off won’t work for wages that are less than extended unemployment checks pay. So, legal workers, again domestic and immigrant, who weren’t willing to work at lower wage rates before will wait for wage rates to go up.
Food prices are rising for several reasons. In addition to higher delivery (fuel) costs, add the higher wages that growers must pay to legal domestic harvesters. In recent months, there have been almost weekly reports of raids by federal authorities to arrest and deport illegal immigrant meat workers.
In Virginia and throughout America, the economy is issue number one on the minds of voters. Maybe President Bush saw these problems coming. It may explain why he wanted to fast-track legalization of illegal immigrants.
Nelson Graves, Western Virginia director of the Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council, writes a weekly column for The News Virginian. E-mail him at .