Washblog

Do you have specific examples class 1 industries that closed down 2-3 years ago where the spaces they used to occupy are still empty?

And can you more explicitly connect the dots on how this relates to 8212?  Wasn't private use of prison labor stopped much more than 2-3 years ago?

I saw a vote for 8212 as a reasonable action to take.  There were good arguments for it.  But I agree with you that there was inadequate discussion.  It was assumed that many progressives would simply vote for this, because it was the progressive thing to do.  And maybe I'm wrong and others are right.  But I voted against 8212, as you did.  And it was also due to that "sick" feeling it gave me -- but for a different reason than I think you're expressing here.  My reason had to do with human rights.  As you put it: "Inmate Labor and class 1 industries, operated by a private company, in a government agency (prison), monitored by government officials.  I am going to be sick."

It's not the monitoring of public officials that makes me sick.  We do live in a democracy and, as flawed as it is, our government is of the people and for the people.  

What makes me feel queasy about 8212 is the use of the labor of incarcerated people at below standard wages for private profit.  We have in the United States the highest percentage of incarcerated people in the world.  And there are grave inequities along color and income lines.  And the rehabilitative services that incarcerated people should be receiving -- education (even basic literacy) and job experience -- have been terribly neglected. The individual who is in prison, most of the time, has done something he or she should not have.  Sometimes heinous.  That does not give society an excuse to exploit that person (even if that exploitation confers some value to him or her) -- or to use that population as a scapegoat for society's ills.  

A society that does not accord respectful treatment to all human beings is less for it.  And, certainly, there are many people who belong in prison who are not there but who are, instead, in positions of real power and wealth.  And there are people who are in prison who do not belong there.    

Quick note -- putting this code: <p> right before the start of a new paragraph -- will make it do the right thing... become a new paragraph.

Spelling out abbreviations and explaining terms may help comprehension.  I'm not trying to be bossy, but I've been thinking about these things for a while and I think they make a difference in people being able to understand each other, especially when they may disagree.  If interested, click on "About" on the top right-hand side of Washblog and, from that page, click on the Writer's Page -- and you'll see more codes like <p> -- etc.