If this is done well it is actually a good thing. I have family recently out of prison and the lack of skills to re-enter the work force is sad, it’s almost like it is built to create reoffenders. The more work opportunities the better, just pay them reasonably.
It doesn't work that way:
>She noted many private companies that hire prison workers will not employ them after they are released and will not hire job applicants with criminal records. She added that these programs perpetuate mass incarceration.
The idea that there can be a labour shortage in an industry that does not require specialized skills, at a time in history where capital has more power than ever is a total joke.
People still can't afford to work jobs that won't pay for their food and shelter. Prisoners, or any other slaves, are a great solution.
Has slavery not been abolished in Northern America?
If not, shouldn't slavery be a pretty hot political issue?
Wikipedia says things like the death penalty still exists in half of US states, but I don't know the numbers for states using captive workers.
> I see UBI as a very elegant solution to this problem. To which problem? A UBI will obviously mean more income for those stuck in low wage jobs. But a UBI will definitely not help attract employees to low wage positions. In fact, I think the increased unemployment benefits during Covid proved that if people have some sort of UBI payment, they are not going to work low wage jobs (hence the labor shortage).
Maybe UBI will drill into business leaders heads that they need to either: a) Make a better workplace that people don't hate coming to. b) Make the wages compensate enough for the terrible environment they have created. With a UBI, managers would no longer be under the illusion that "They will eventually come crawling back when they run out of money."
The upper income deciles will hate it though since a lot of their quality of life comes from the bottom deciles not having a better option, and hence working for lower prices. As those prices rise, the higher deciles will have to reduce consumption. Should be interesting to see it play out politically.
A primary purpose of the 13th amendment is the preservation of slave labor through prison.
To call "preservation of slave labor through prison" a "primary purpose" of the 13th amendment is just insane.
Sentencing people to hard labor for certain crimes had been done for thousands of years by that point. The prison carve out was a reflection of the fact that the states passing the amendment were interested in getting rid of commercial slavery as it existed in the south, not throwing a wrench into their own prison systems. The idea that some fraction of prisoners would be doing hard labor for the duration of their sentence or some fraction was completely (edit:)uncontroversial status quo at the time. Contrast with lifetime enslavement for commercial purposes which was was controversial enough to fight a war over.
People still can't afford to work jobs that won't pay for their food and shelter. Prisoners, or any other slaves, are a great solution.
Has slavery not been abolished in Northern America? If not, shouldn't slavery be a pretty hot political issue? Wikipedia says things like the death penalty still exists in half of US states, but I don't know the numbers for states using captive workers.
Slavery is still allowed in US as punishment for crime.
> I see UBI as a very elegant solution to this problem. To which problem? A UBI will obviously mean more income for those stuck in low wage jobs. But a UBI will definitely not help attract employees to low wage positions. In fact, I think the increased unemployment benefits during Covid proved that if people have some sort of UBI payment, they are not going to work low wage jobs (hence the labor shortage).
Maybe UBI will drill into business leaders heads that they need to either: a) Make a better workplace that people don't hate coming to. b) Make the wages compensate enough for the terrible environment they have created. With a UBI, managers would no longer be under the illusion that "They will eventually come crawling back when they run out of money."
I think that will happen in some cases, but we need to be prepared for the reality that wages can't increase everywhere. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores will go out of business before they can double wages.
You may think that's a good thing, but you can't just say "Those rich businesses will just cough up more money". That won't always be the case.
If this is done well it is actually a good thing. I have family recently out of prison and the lack of skills to re-enter the work force is sad, it’s almost like it is built to create reoffenders. The more work opportunities the better, just pay them reasonably.
Yeah wage-surpressed prison labor is fucked, but people dont realize it's actually pretty rare.
Our economy had been demand-constrained, not supply-constrained, for decades, and peole are beaten into submission not by forced/excessive work, but by telling them they don't or barely deserve to work. (Let your own fears make you work hard, not the whip.)
People still can't afford to work jobs that won't pay for their food and shelter. Prisoners, or any other slaves, are a great solution.
Has slavery not been abolished in Northern America? If not, shouldn't slavery be a pretty hot political issue? Wikipedia says things like the death penalty still exists in half of US states, but I don't know the numbers for states using captive workers.
Slavery as a punishment for a crime is legal federally, ie, in all of the US.
Maybe UBI will drill into business leaders heads that they need to either: a) Make a better workplace that people don't hate coming to. b) Make the wages compensate enough for the terrible environment they have created. With a UBI, managers would no longer be under the illusion that "They will eventually come crawling back when they run out of money."
The upper income deciles will hate it though since a lot of their quality of life comes from the bottom deciles not having a better option, and hence working for lower prices. As those prices rise, the higher deciles will have to reduce consumption. Should be interesting to see it play out politically.
Not to mention the fact that the upper income deciles are the ones writing the UBI checks...