The U.S. and slavery in modern times

[JK8619]

One issue that I think is not properly addressed often enough is the foreign trade issue. Politicians, the media, and even the average person may comment on how trade with China is affecting our economy, but people tend to overlook the fact that we are essentially supporting slavery with our trade policies. It is hard to find anything made in the US anymore and most of our most more expensive products (shoes, electronics, etc.) seem to come from Asian countries that pay their workers slave wages.

It is bad enough that are economy is going down the toilet because of out trade agreements, but even worse we are supporting slavery and no one seems to care. Very few politicians support the idea of fair trade instead of free trade and the ones that do don’t even seem to take the issue that seriously, often voting to keep the trade agreements we already have.

People talk about how terrible it was that we used slaves in the early part of out county’s history, but I think the situation is even worse now. Instead of bringing slaves to our own country, we profit from those in other countries. People are turning a blind eye to a slavery problem on a more massive scale than what it was a couple hundred years ago.

I hope that people start to wake up and do the right thing, but sadly, it seems that this trend is going to continue for a long time.

 

[TimeEntrance]

I think “slave wages” in the manufacturing sector are part of the economic growing pains of a nation. The U.S. went through that stage too. Now developing nations around the world are going through that.

It’s possible organized labor in those developing nations could offset some of the labor exploitation. Maybe the earth will have global organized labor unions in the future.

For now… some of those exploitative manufacturing jobs in Asia are some of the only means providing a good many poor people in those nations with money to purchase food, clothing, shelter and few things here and there.

The situation in China - which is a big reason why communism persuaded so many Chinese to follow under their banner - was much worse and exploitative many decades ago. Many of the Chinese - if not most - worked rich peoples farms and were given their own plots to use as subsistence farmers. And they did not eat well. Many ate one small bowl of rice a day with whatever vegetables they added to their diets.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

One issue that I think is not properly addressed often enough is the foreign trade issue. Politicians, the media, and even the average person may comment on how trade with China is affecting our economy, but people tend to overlook the fact that we are essentially supporting slavery with our trade policies. It is hard to find anything made in the US anymore and most of our most more expensive products (shoes, electronics, etc.) seem to come from Asian countries that pay their workers slave wages.

It is bad enough that are economy is going down the toilet because of out trade agreements, but even worse we are supporting slavery and no one seems to care. Very few politicians support the idea of fair trade instead of free trade and the ones that do don’t even seem to take the issue that seriously, often voting to keep the trade agreements we already have.

People talk about how terrible it was that we used slaves in the early part of out county’s history, but I think the situation is even worse now. Instead of bringing slaves to our own country, we profit from those in other countries. People are turning a blind eye to a slavery problem on a more massive scale than what it was a couple hundred years ago.

I hope that people start to wake up and do the right thing, but sadly, it seems that this trend is going to continue for a long time.

They aren’t slaves, if you want to talk about slavery go after the chocolate industry in West Africa, they are using actual slaves.

 

[HansTrappist]

One issue that I think is not properly addressed often enough is the foreign trade issue. Politicians, the media, and even the average person may comment on how trade with China is affecting our economy, but people tend to overlook the fact that we are essentially supporting slavery with our trade policies. It is hard to find anything made in the US anymore and most of our most more expensive products (shoes, electronics, etc.) seem to come from Asian countries that pay their workers slave wages.

It is bad enough that are economy is going down the toilet because of out trade agreements, but even worse we are supporting slavery and no one seems to care. Very few politicians support the idea of fair trade instead of free trade and the ones that do don’t even seem to take the issue that seriously, often voting to keep the trade agreements we already have.

People talk about how terrible it was that we used slaves in the early part of out county’s history, but I think the situation is even worse now. Instead of bringing slaves to our own country, we profit from those in other countries. People are turning a blind eye to a slavery problem on a more massive scale than what it was a couple hundred years ago.

I hope that people start to wake up and do the right thing, but sadly, it seems that this trend is going to continue for a long time.

Alan Keyes just wrote an interesting article (wnd.com/2012/11/romney-and-obama-anti-founders/) that comments on the issue of slavery at the Founding of our nation. He says, in part:

The founders did not choose the evil of slavery when they drafted the Constitution. To the contrary they chose to plant, as the seed of American government, an understanding that acknowledges the true principle of right and justice for all human beings, which principle is the will of the sovereign God who created us. The founders then persuaded those who advocated slavery to accept a Constitution predicated upon this principle of justice, knowing that it would ultimately require the abolition of slavery. So, far from choosing the evil of slavery for blacks, they framed the Constitution with respect for the principle of government that recognized slavery as evil for all mankind.

The founders’ choice of true principle and the subsequent success of the American republic proved that successful government could be based on it. Before that the protest against slavery came mainly from those forced to submit to it. They protested in vain. The right of government based on proven superior power (i.e., conquest) was considered unquestionable. Indeed, it was said to reflect the will of God (or in ancient times, the gods), who ordained and controlled the forces of nature and man’s fate.

Thus Mr. Kupelian appears to ignore the historically exceptional, even unique, nature of America’s founding. Until the founding of the United States, people who were themselves under the yoke of slavery had sometimes asserted and successfully battled to reclaim the good of freedom for themselves. But what people who had never been enslaved, and who had already won the war to preserve their own freedom, had ever gone on to establish a form government based on the principle of liberty for all mankind?

 

[JK8619]

They aren’t slaves, if you want to talk about slavery go after the chocolate industry in West Africa, they are using actual slaves.

I dont remember the exact stats, but a few years back I know a large portion of Chinese workers were being paid the US equivalent of 35 cents per hr. The employers had more than enough income to pay a reasonable minimum wage and still remain very wealthy, but did not because the workers had no other options.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

I dont remember the exact stats, but a few years back I know a large portion of Chinese workers were being paid the US equivalent of 35 cents per hr. The employers had more than enough income to pay a reasonable minimum wage and still remain very wealthy, but did not because the workers had no other options.

Wages are rising rapidly in China and by rapidly I mean low wage in Nanjing increased 37% in two years.