Government turns to prisoners for cheap labor
The road to riches is paved with cheap labor. (See: China) And you don’t get much cheaper than prisoners.
A skilled onion picker can earn $10 an hour.
Recently, the state of Georgia announced a plan to use prisoners to harvest crops. Why? A new law pretty much ran off Hispanic field hands.
As federal employees celebrate Columbus, perhaps history’s most famous and geographically confused immigrant, the lack of onion pickers in Vidalia brings crocodile tears to the eyes.
The prisoner farm plan comes after a failed scheme to seduce probationers into doing the dirty work.
Now, a Georgia county is planning to use inmates to man fire stations.
A properly trained firefighter costs upwards of $30,000 a year. An inmate will work a lot cheaper – Camden County hopes to save $500,000 a year.
Of course, when my flaming roof is about to collapse, I’d prefer a guy to show up with an ax that knows how to use it for its law-abiding purpose.
Georgia isn’t the only place giving jobs to the undeserving: Indiana’s War Memorial saves $400,000 a year since using inmates ($1.50 per hour) instead of a landscaping company.
With a seemingly limitless number of criminals to employ, the jobless rate may not go down anytime soon.
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125 comments Add your comment
crackbaby
October 10th, 2011
2:38 pm
Sounds like it’s a good time to get back into the plantation bid’ness. Get us some low/no cost labor and have the state take care of employee complaints, health care, etc. The flag may be gone but the confederacy lives!
KGray
October 10th, 2011
2:39 pm
Civic duty or slavery and Pat, when a person who volunteers that his or her church, civic organization or a non profit, it is something that they choose to do and not made to do as apart of their job. def, I agree all people should work if they want to receive any type of compensation and nothing should be given. Therefore, as I stated why not allow the RICH farm owner sponsor their illegal works and allow them an opportunity to become citizens. I see know one has agreed with that idea, and I guess the reason for that, is because, that would be fair and the right thing to do for the people.
Toby
October 10th, 2011
2:40 pm
“cheap labor”… it’s slavery. The people in prison for illegal drug offences are being abused by the state; prohibition is extremely unethical. We should not be using people as slaves because they used a drug or sold a drug to consenting adults. As for those few who should be in prison, they should be paid a wage that enables them to realistically escape poverty.
Pat
October 10th, 2011
2:47 pm
KGray, that is up to the farmer if they want to sponsor the illegal. They are allowed that option and I do not know if they took it or not. It is their choice.
The inmates are not being used as slaves, since the article says it is their choice to work there or not and they will get compensated for their time.
KGray
October 10th, 2011
3:05 pm
Pat, the reason none of the RICH farm owners haven’t taken that opportunity is;because, they want to allowed to continue to pay illgals low wages off the books and avoid paying payroll taxes.. Once they sponsor the workers they will have to payroll taxes on each worker and that was something that they didn’t do or not willing to do. It all about PROFITS and nothing else and if paying taxes would keep their profits down, tthen why not get the Governor and other state officals involved in order to avoid paying taxes. Get prisoners and cheap labor and not have to pay any payroll taxes; because, they don’t have to pay taxes on prisoners.
Teresa
October 10th, 2011
3:07 pm
chain gangs
right or wrong?
Pat
October 10th, 2011
3:11 pm
KGray, that is correct. That is why the farmers did not sponsor them, it cost too much. But if you give that incentive for them not to have to pay payroll taxes, then every other business will want that same incentive. The prisoners are still making money while doing work. Would you rather have an illegal doing the job or an inmate who wants to do the job?
Teresa
October 10th, 2011
3:17 pm
Right! Once they are on payroll tax then the employer must pay taxes to fund unemployment and that is all a mess in itself. They relished in undocumented workers because of this and not to have to pay benefits, then the undocumented worker is in fear of ICE and the smoke and mirrors American dream! This has been happening for years; I say some of these businesses get what they deserve trying to take the cheap way out and mistreating employees I say they burn!
Zac
October 10th, 2011
3:43 pm
Take jobs from people who have risked there lives for people they don’t even know? How about have them pave roads and ride garbage trucks. What idiot thought to put criminals on a job that is for the tax paying citizens? Is a criminal who you want your family member to have their life in the hands of. Dumb@$$.
Someone who actually researched
October 10th, 2011
4:04 pm
For all of those who say that the illegals have a choice to apply for work visas or that the farm owners could sponsor them, please take the time to actually look at what it takes to become a US Citizen. A migrant worker would not qualify under our current system because they do not fit the list of specialty occupations that a company can sponsor a worker for and unless they are seeking asylum or marry a US Citizen there are almost no other paths. As for prisoners working in a private sector postition, let’s let the 9%+ unemployment fill those jobs first.