Strawberry picking is very arduous work. Strawberries are very fragile and has to be handles with care, so the workers have to be careful. Another thin that happens is that not every year there is a good crop pf strawberries. Sometimes things like rain and the temperature are a factor in producing a good crop of strawberries. So depending on the crop these workers may be out of a job or they will get less that the pay they were supposed to get, (as little as that was).

“What happens in the black market is worth examining because of the way fortunes were made there, lives are often ruined there, and the vicissitudes of the law commend one man a gangster or a chief executive (or both). If the market does embody the sum of all human wishes, then the secret ones are just as important as the ones that are openly displayed.” (cover of R.M.) I am grateful that Eric Schlosser wrote this book Reefer Madness to expose some of the underground economies. Many people today look over how much time and effort goes into the underground economy. Even though what is going on is illegal, it is still a large thriving business, not only to keep the money coming ,but also to keep it a secret. This book was riveting with its details and in depth research. Schlosser did not hesitated to give the readers the full story and extent of the business of marijuana, porn and migrant workers. He explored each history of these business as well as the legalities of them. He speaks of how the government tried to keep these business under control and unsuccessful because they are still here thriving today. I would recommend this book to all who ever thought that the black market or underground economy was not a big deal. This is also one of the contributors to the above ground economy. As long as marijuana, illegal workers and porn is in demand, there will always be an underground economy.

The rest of the section is on Ruben Sturman and Richard Rosefelder attempts to bring him down. Rosefelder found it hard to get Sturman charged. Sturman has place his porn business under the name of other business. He even made up fake business names so that they could not trace his business. He also had business all over the World. Not only was the business under another name, but the bank accounts were dispersed all over the World under different names, which made it impossible to trace. Rosefelder knew he could not bring Sturman down on porn related charges, but on tax evasion charges. Sturman did not pay taxes because he did not want that money to be uses against him. Eventually Rosefelder was able to convict him and he was sentenced.

Some of the workers on these farms does not have a home to live in. Some live in ditches, caves, or some of them would bunk up to 40 a room. Some of them live in little hut villages. These people are not guaranteed work at all. They just go around to various farms and ask if they need helpers. Others stand on the side of the road and wait to be picked up by a truck that is going to the fields. They do not have any benefits, any workers insurance or a retirement plan. The ones that are illegal

Some topics in this essay:
Reefer Madness, Vietnam War, Stephen Ruth, Reuben Sturman, Richard Rosefelder, Thomas Jefferson, Eventually Rosefelder, Sharecropper Growers, Underground Economy, Constock Law, underground economy, migrant workers, black market, porn industry, marijuana illegal, reefer madness, book reefer madness, eric schlosser, book reefer, workers california, reuben sturman, economy black market,