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Indentured Servitude Comes to Colorado

By Jeralyn, Section Inmates and Prisons
Posted on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 01:03:00 AM EST
Tags: immigrants (all tags)
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The New York Times reports on Colorado's plan to use prison inmates as farm laborers in place of immigrants.

Under the program, which has drawn criticism from groups concerned about immigrants’ rights and from others seeking changes in the criminal justice system, farmers will pay a fee to the state, and the inmates, who volunteer for the work, will be paid about 60 cents a day, corrections officials said.

My objections to the program are over at 5280.com, where among other things I note that the L.A. Times is spot on in calling the proposal evidence that Colorado's strict anti-immigrant laws have backfired.

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    Indentured Servitude Comes to Colorado | 27 comments (27 topical)

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    Sam Cooke said it. (none / 0) (#1)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 01:32:49 AM EST
    That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang.

    patriotastic (none / 0) (#2)
    by smapdi on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 04:15:44 AM EST
    Chinese slave labor = evil
    American slave labor = patriotastic

    My Understanding (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 09:47:16 AM EST
    Is that a prisoner can refuse to work. If that prisoner is in a minimum security prison s/he gets transfered to a medium security prison for refusing. If s/he refuses again, s/he gets sent to a maximum security prison.

    That is how they get prisoners to work for $.12/hr.

    Another reason the system stacks the deck to 'encourage' recidivism.

    How (none / 0) (#4)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 11:28:44 AM EST
    did you get the .12/hr?  Just wondering.

    Parent
    From (none / 0) (#5)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 11:35:30 AM EST
    Someone who recently got out of a minimum security prison.

    Parent
    Ah (none / 0) (#7)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 12:15:41 PM EST
    thanks the article said .60 an hour.  

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#9)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 12:25:36 PM EST
    I noticed that too. Maybe they pay more in NY or have a shorter work day in CO.

    As far as hoping that the prisoners pick up significant and valuable job skills, my friend was a certifies social worker. They took away his license.

    I guess he is a certified 'expert' at mowing lawns now.  

    Parent

    The loss of license (none / 0) (#10)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 12:47:39 PM EST
    is an interesting point.

    What was your friend's crime??

    Parent

    Slave Labor, plantation penitentiaries, Sudanese (none / 0) (#6)
    by Aaron on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 11:50:49 AM EST
    "...we're hoping this will help our inmates pick up significant and valuable job skills."  

    That's a joke.  I worked in the field when I was a teenager, it's not exactly an upwardly mobile career move, even for a petty criminal.

    The only way to do away with migrant labor in the picking of fruit and vegetables in America, and make it cost effective, is with virtual slave labor, and regardless of whether these inmates are paid or not, that's what it amounts to when you're held in bondage, and given the option to get outside in the sun and fresh air to work or remaining in your cell all day.

    I imagine the prison and state will get the larger share of the money paid by these farmers, so what you have is the government making a profit off this inmate labor.  Before you know it this solution will spread all around the country, and contribute to the privatization of prisons nationwide, once it can be shown you can make real money with inmate slave labor.

    Why don't we just import a half a million Sudanese women living in camps in the Darfur region, they'll work all day for just a handful of vegetables and grain in return.  We can relocate their tents to the fields of Texas, Iowa and Florida, and call it good business practice. At least they won't have to worry about getting raped and murdered, and their children will be safe while their mothers are in the fields.

    On the flip side, Angola penitentiary in Louisiana is an example of a one time slave plantation converted into a prison, if the money made by inmate labor is put back in the prison system, for the good of the inmates, perhaps it would be a good thing, but I doubt that will happen.

    Colorado (none / 0) (#8)
    by manapp99 on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 12:25:34 PM EST
    It is interesting to note that Colorado has a Democratic legislature with a Democratic Governor. I guess the Dems in Colorado want to bring back slavery. Also noteworthy is that minorites (black and latino) make up just 21% of the general population and 51% of the prison population. Why do the Democrat leaders of Colorado want to exploit minorities?

    Why does (none / 0) (#11)
    by jondee on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 02:13:03 PM EST
    anyone "want to exploit" anyone; minority or otherwise? Because the goal is to maximize return on an investment; a strategy that those on the Right have always protested against when it "exploits" others. LOL

    I don't know....Ask Nancy and friends (none / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 02:31:05 PM EST
    House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.
        "I am shocked," said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party's chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."

    Link

    Parent

    Moonie Times Wooooeeeee! (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 02:51:31 PM EST
    May as well be a hit piece from the other Republican smear artists friends of yours.

    And last time I checked expectations of criminal dealings,

    hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect...
    resides soley with your party, the Republicans. Oh, I forgot they are not your party, you just support them in lockstep.

    Parent
    Squeaky (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 05:53:20 PM EST
    Your problem is that this actually happened.

    Parent
    Really? (none / 0) (#15)
    by squeaky on Sun Mar 04, 2007 at 10:12:39 PM EST
    Do you have proof? The moonie times is about as reliable as, well, you. In other words it is a right wing spin machine.

    Has the minimum wage bill even gone into effect yet? My understanding was that the Senate bill had to be reconcilled with the house bill.


    Parent

    You really didn't (none / 0) (#16)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 07:34:01 AM EST
    hear about this excercise in a double standard?

    NYSun

    BTW - Since you agree that newspapers have agendas...Do you agree that the NYTimes has a left wing agenda??


    Parent

    Thanks (none / 0) (#20)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 09:37:49 AM EST
    For the updated link. The moonis times link you provided led it's readers to believe that the San Fransisco starkist plant was exempt from minimum wage. A lie and a hit piece on Pelosi. Smear King ppj delivers the lastet lies from wingnuttia.

    The Sun made it clear that that was not even remotely true. In fact it points out that because of Pelosi CA has the highest minimum wage in the country.

    Northern Marina Islands, wasn't that in the news last year, ppj, um....something to do with your man Delay?

    . The Democrats from California leading the charge for minimum-wage increases already have a state minimum that is higher than the new proposed federal minimum. They want to raise the costs of primarily Republican states, which have not raised their state minimums.

    and then the Sun comes out against the rise in the minimum wage.

    It's too bad that it takes American Samoa to show us that higher minimum wages are protecting some workers out of a job and into economic catastrophe. What makes no sense for American Samoa makes no sense for the rest of us either.

    Is that your position ppj, to not only reject the minimum wage increase, but to do away with it completely?

    ppj's social liberalism at work.

    Parent

    Squeaky smears again. (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 12:41:02 PM EST
    Sigh.... From the Washington Times:

    The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws
    .

    Your claims are easily refuted. You either don't read, or else just want to deny.

    The benefactors of this act would be the companies headquartered in CA, but who do not have to pay CA or Federal minimum wage to the exempted islands.

    So it certainly appears that her actions were definitely to aid the companies in question.

    BTW - I love your last question. Do you still beat your husband/wife??

    So thanks for the smear.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#25)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 01:21:28 PM EST
    Your attempt to smear Pelosi by quoting a portion of the moonie press backfired, leaving you with egg on your face. Your quoute clearly states that Pelosi is a for eliminating the minimum wage for a Company in her state a fact that can not be farther from the truth:

    "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."

    BTW-How is Starkist CA any different from all the corps  throught America that outsource? Because it is clearly outsourcing that Starkist is doing.

    And as for the second NYS article that you link to, you have not answered my question.

    Are you against the minimum wage bill, no less increase in the minumum wage. That is the point of the more honest and straight forward, albeit conservative, Sun article?

    Your 'Social Liberal' credentials are fading fast. Your reputation for spin is increasing.

    Parent

    Squeaky - You are making things up. (none / 0) (#26)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 06:17:20 PM EST
    Or maybe you just can't understand. Let us review some basic facts.

    1. The companies involed are headquartered in San Francisco.

    a. They must pay CA Minimum Wage to employees working in CA. They must also pay Federal Minimum wage to employees working in CA. Since the CA wage is more, the Federal wage is moot.

    b. They do not have to pay CA minimum wages to employees who do not work in CA.

    These emplpyees in question work in American Samoa. The bill that Pelosi introduced exempted American Samoa.

    c. By doing so she left the citizens of American Samoa without any Federal Minimum Wage protection, placing them in the tender mercies of the companies in question.

    d. The companies in San Franciso that employee these people will benefit from Pelosi's actions because they will be paying their employees less. i.e. Less cost, more profit.

    The above is all factual and provable from readily available sources, assuming the interested parties can read. In is also past tense.

    After being caught and called out she backtracked and now American Samoa has the Federal Minimum Wage protection.

    All of the other discussions are just strawmen and laughable attempts by you to make a bunch of comments meant to cloud the facts.

     

    Parent

    Squeaky (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 07:36:15 AM EST
    Thanks for the insult and smear.

    Posted by Squeaky at September 19, 2005 11:19 PM

    Rove never needed proof for his smear machine, why should I.



    Parent
    Another ppj lie (none / 0) (#19)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 09:22:25 AM EST
    Completely changing the meaning of what I said about Rove again? Yes, you can't help yourself from being dishonest. It seems a compulsion at this point.

    Parent
    You also wrote: (none / 0) (#23)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 12:48:08 PM EST
    ppj does as ppj does (none / 0) (#30)
    by squeaky on Sat Mar 03, 2007 at 09:58:35 PM EST

    (I had written) So because Rove is doing wrong, it is okay for you to do wrong?

    (You replied}I have no problem with alleging that Rove's grandparents were Nazi's. Even if they were not, he uses Goebbels' propaganda techniques as a bible and may as well be a born and bred Nazi.

    You very clearly state that if you disagree with some one you have the right to smear. And note the "even if they were not."

    Two wrongs don't make a right and the ends do not justify the means.


    Parent

    you have 0 credibility (none / 0) (#24)
    by squeaky on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 01:10:00 PM EST
    Twist, turn and spin is your game, ppj.

    Rather obvious to all here.

    Parent

    Squeaky (none / 0) (#27)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 06:44:22 PM EST
    You impeach yourself with your own words.

    Everyone can recognize your double standard.

    Parent

    By the short and curlies...... (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 09:16:36 AM EST
    Give a prisoner a choice between rotting in a cage or getting some sun working the fields...most will work the fields for free.

    That doesn't mean the state should take advantage of their desperation.  I call that exploitation. And what of farming businesses who pay at least minimum wage?  How can they compete with slave labor?

    I'd have no problem with it if the prisoners are paid minimum wage.

    B.S Troll above (none / 0) (#21)
    by jondee on Mon Mar 05, 2007 at 11:35:37 AM EST
    if there ever was one. You'd think Hannity's a*s was the Oracle at Delphi the way some pass on his "leavings".

    Indentured Servitude Comes to Colorado | 27 comments (27 topical)

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