Republican Congressman Don Young to Local Radio Station: “We Used to Hire 50-60 Wetbacks to Pick Tomatoes"
In an interview with local radio station KRBD, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) recalled his father's ranch and the old fashioned way things were done on it. Fair enough, right? Well, yes. Aside from the racial slur Young used to describe workers on the ranch.
"My father had a ranch. We used to hire 50 or 60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes," Young said in the interview. "You know, it takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It's all done by machine."
Young apologized later, blaming the usage on his upbringing. "I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in central California," Young said. "I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect."
Looks like the GOP's effort to reach more Latino voters is going exactly as planned.
And, as a commenter pointed out, this isn't the first time Young has said something outrageous. During a high school assembly in 1994, Young was answering questions about cutting federal funding for the arts that he said had funded "photographs of people doing offensive things," and "things that are absolutely ridiculous." When asked for an example of such "ridiculous" and "offensive things," Young quickly replied, "Buttfucking."
