Scott Horton Interviews Joshua Freeman
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Joshua B. Freeman, History Professor and author of American Empire, discusses his TomDispatch article on the “prison-corporate complex;” the late 19th century chain gangs in the South and industrial prison labor in the North; the return of involuntary servitude, i.e. slavery, in American prisons; how low-paid prisoners keep pressure on labor unions and generate profits for Fortune 500 companies; America’s huge prison population relative to the rest of the world; and why it’s time to revamp the criminal justice system.
MP3 here. (20:04)
Joshua B. Freeman, a TomDispatch regular, teaches history at Queens College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is affiliated with its Joseph S. Murphy Labor Institute. His forthcoming book, American Empire, will be the final volume of the Penguin History of the United States.
@JohnEllis02
April 25th, 2012 at 4:38 am
FACT
All of law enforcement in Empire USA is of the educated middle-class and they spend 95% of their time policing fighting age laboring men. Bingo — 95% of prisoners in America are fighting age laboring men, men age 12 to 40 with no education but some high school.
FOOT CAUSE
As we live in an education dictatorship, where people strive to enrich themselves upon the misery of anyone less educated, quite natural is it for the 25% most educated to be the Republican party, the 26% educated middle-class to be the Democrat Party, and together form a 51% monopoly on the voting process.
CORRUPTION
(1) The 51% most educated own all the wealth.
(2) The 51% most educated only ones with great jobs.
(3) The 51% most educated only ones with terrific homes.
(4) The 51% most educated only ones with deluxe healthcare.
(1) The 51% most educated virtual never go to jail.
Vickie
April 25th, 2012 at 5:49 am
I do agree with the above commentator that the upper 50% get punished much differently if at all than the lower 50%. So I have not heard of many investment bankers going to be prison slave-labor although if that is the fate of drug dealers it should be theirs also. I do think that those who commit crimes against persons and property need to make restitution some how, not sit around at tax-payer expense.
eCAHNomics
April 25th, 2012 at 5:53 am
U.S. empire is on a tear: to find worst aspects of all prior empires & doing them even bigger & badder.
eCAHNomics
April 25th, 2012 at 6:09 am
I'm particularly fond of the idea that prison labor takes telephone orders for private corps, so gets access to your credit card numbers. What could possibly go wrong with that.
MoT
April 25th, 2012 at 7:28 am
It's bitterly ironic that a penny-ante hood gets more punishment than someone who really kicks us Americans to the curb.
UE Khalifah
April 25th, 2012 at 8:24 am
In JobaKuwait coloniez:99% of Xcorp is in the hand of ONE Sabah family, the rest r TEMP wWwheels.
Vic
April 25th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Walking down the street the other day, I noticed that the North
Portland Labor Ready is right next to a “community policing” office. I
went inside and asked about an application and there was a police
officer sitting right behind the desk, going through the computer. Now
Labor Ready has always been first in line for workers from parole and
work release programs (and everyone else who has been Felonized) but
never before have I seen one that was actually was sharing office
space with the police and has them sitting behind the desk with the
manager. A relationship that is usually covert is quite overt here.
North Portland is a working class black neighborhood currently under a
relentless assault from a highly racist, militarized police occupation
that is clearing the way for gentrification as a white yuppie/hipster
neighborhood. Real estate developers can sell an old slum house to
California yuppie liberals for half a million when the market is hot,
so the black community and what other working class people live in
“NOPO” are being moved out to “develop” the neighborhood. This is
essentially what happened to the Mission district in SF in the 90s,
where a “colorful” ethnic neighborhood is turned into a bedroom
community for rich white liberals.
The North Portland Labor ready is at 1926 N Kilpatrick Street:
http://g.co/maps/ke6rc
The Kenton Community Policing Office is at 8134 N Denver Ave:
http://g.co/maps/p9ufz
http://www.portlandonline.com/police/pbnotify.cfm…
From talking to the temps here is the deal:
The police get full access to the Labor Ready computer and the temps
working in the hall. They use this to gather information on people
under investigation and to serve warrants and violate people for
parole violations. In exchange Labor Ready has a sweetheart deal with
all the local work release programs as a result, and so they get all the
workers who have nowhere else to go, and if they give Labor Ready any
problems the cops are right there behind the desk.
Keep in mind that they can attach more or less any conditions to parole
and can violate people more or less at will, thus keeping people in
the system for decades for crimes with minor sentences.
This is slavery.
Rus
April 25th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Gold, silver, copper for mankind.
Historically, gold, silver, and copper were used as monetary based on their
fair value as exchange medium in fair trade.
Now, gold and silver are both dismissed from their monetary function. Only copper
is the only metal still left to be used as money. Even so, the copper monetized
today is based upon its face value and not upon its fair value. As such, the
basic form of human ties in transaction is therefore corrupted and not a fair
trade among us anymore.
This calculation was intended to bring back the fair trade for the sake of
just in mankind. Copper will be used as the basic reference, and solely on its
fair value. In monetary term, USD will be used as unit only because of it
recognition worldwide.
Base value = material cost
Face value = denomination value
Base value copper = usd 3.71/lb = USD 0.008/g
Base value nickel = usd 8.15/lb = USD 0.018/g
US dime face value USD 0.10
Dime composition copper 91.67% nickel 8.33%
Dime weight = 2.268g
Dime copper's weight 2.268g x 0.9167 = 2.079g
Dime nickel's weight 2.268g x 0.0833 = 0.189g
Dime copper's base value = 2.079g x USD 0.008/g = USD 0.017
Dime nickel's base value = 0.189g x USD 0.018/g = USD 0.003
Dime base value = USD 0.02 ( only 20% or one-fifth from its face value usd 0.10)
With a dime, based on its face value you can purchase its base metals 5 times more
than the dime contents ie copper at 2.079g x 5 = 10.395g and nickel at 0.189g x
5 = 0.945g.
10.395g copper x USD 0.008/g = USD 0.083
0.945g nickel x USD 0.018/g = USD 0.017
Total 10.395g copper 0.945g nickel = USD 0.10, base value
Dime 2.079g copper 0.189g nickel = USD 0.10, face value
Total 10.395g copper 0.945g nickel = Dime 2.079g copper 0.189g nickel. Not a
fair trade! Solution?
As such, the dime will be pegged to its face value as unit only, and copper and
nickel price will be adjusted accordingly. (or else fixed the metal base price
and issue new coinage with fair value weightage/content)
Base value copper new = USD 0.04/g
Base value nickel new = USD 0.09/g
Further to this, all good will be priced accordingly
Old silver price USD 1.25/g to new silver price USD 6.25/g
Old gold price USD 56.25/g to new gold price USD 281.25/g
Old rice price USD 0.75/kg to new rice price USD 3.75/kg
With the standardisation of all goods, based on dime unit which transpire on
copper value, gold and silver can now be used as money again against the fiat
money. Any price fluctuation for any goods now will solely be on its actual
fair trade with only stock manipulation rather than purely fiat money price
manipulation based on credit without stock. Stock manipulation is more easily
apprehended and therefore more risky for the manipulator, other than the
lifespan/storage/delivery limitation of the goods. Hopefully in the future, the
rich with whole lot of gold and silver, realised the agony of safekeeping their
wealth/fort, will not recreate the same fiat system again, but acknowledge the
real joy of giving with real goods and not fiat IOU paper.
With the gold and silver standard back again, foreign exchange will now be
back to fair barter trade again. Gold and silver as the commonly accepted
exchange commodities will only exchange hand when the nations traded do not
have common commodities of interest to barter.
In monetary unit, the gold and silver exchange rate when in foreign countries
will depends on the other countries base metal money.
In Canada, Canadian ten cents CAD 0.10 is 1.75g
92% steel x 1.75g x USD 0.003/g = USD 0.005
5.5% copper x 1.75g x USD 0.008/g = USD 0.001
2.5% nickel plating x 1.75g x USD 0.018/g = USD 0.001
Therefore, Canadian ten cents CAD 0.10 base value = USD 0.007
Thus, the exchange rate US dime/Canadian ten cents = USD 0.02/USD 0.007 = 2.8
( because the dime base value was based on old price, the same applies to the
Canadian ten cents. Both must be on the same, either old or new will still give
2.8 )
New silver price USD 6.25/g = CAD 6.25×2.8/g = CAD 17.5/g
In Autralia, Autralian ten cents AUD 0.10 is 5.65g
75% copper x 5.65g x USD 0.008/g = USD 0.034
25% nickel x 5.65g x USD 0.018/g = USD 0.025
Therefore, Autralian ten cents AUD 0.10 base value = USD 0.059
Thus, the exchange rate US dime/Autralian ten cents = USD 0.02/USD 0.059 = 0.3
New silver price USD 6.25/g = AUD 6.25×0.3/g = AUD 1.88/g
Good Day! Pls spiral.
John Ellis
April 26th, 2012 at 5:48 am
Minimum wage theft — Root cause of all wars
If minimum wage was raised to $15 an hour, enough so that a thrifty family could have a full time homemaker and kids with a full complement of love, then all our wars and most of the crime in America would disappear instantly.
Problem is, the upper half of Empire USA, the half with all the wealth, they so love to enrich itself upon the misery of the lower half, and poverty is a most effective tool of terrorism to keep the laboring-class in fearful submission.
@JohnEllis02
April 26th, 2012 at 5:48 am
Minimum wage theft — Root cause of all wars
If minimum wage was raised to $15 an hour, enough so that a thrifty family could have a full time homemaker and kids with a full complement of love, then all our wars and most of the crime in America would disappear instantly.
Problem is, the upper half of Empire USA, the half with all the wealth, they so love to enrich itself upon the misery of the lower half, and poverty is a most effective tool of terrorism to keep the laboring-class in fearful submission.
W1nst0n
April 26th, 2012 at 8:13 am
This again eh?
Answer John:
1. What will happen to the prices of the goods and services everyone, including you, buy if the labor rate gets raised by government fiat?
2. What mathematical formula are you using to come up with the $15 minimum?
3. Why not $30? if $15 is good, wouldn't $30 be better?
4. If the cost of labor goes up, the prices go up. So wont that put those making the minimum $15, back to where they were before it was raised?
5. Are you willing to use violence to enforce your minimum wage laws? Will you punish people who agree to work for less?
6. What will happen to workers whose output doesn't add up to more than $15 per hour?
The minimum wage has nothing to do with the wars. The root cause of wars is libido dominandi.
W1nst0n
April 26th, 2012 at 8:16 am
Don't worry, the government will protect you…..
John Ellis
April 26th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Sole purpose of government — Protect society from the 51% most wealthy
FICTION
W1nst0n
“Don’t worry, the government will protect you…..
FACT
Surely above is fiction, for either government allows the 51% most educated and wealthy to hoard all the wealth by a majority monopoly on the voting process, or government forces those who own all the wealth to pay a living wage to those who have no wealth.
For my laboring class is the 49% of society with no education but some high school, and though we should own 49% of the wealth in Empire USA, such excessive wealth is beyond our wildest dreams.
Just give us a living wage to end our poverty, so that the terrorism ends of having to watch our kids go hungry.
DanD
April 29th, 2012 at 10:56 am
When Fed-Reserve style fractional banking became the law-of-the-land back in 13', the economic enslavement of America's working class became an ultimate guarantee. With any adoption of a single global fiat currency, the whole world gets owned by the banking class, who can create out of thin air any amount of money that it needs to purchase us from our own more local governments.
DanD
Jahbulon
April 29th, 2012 at 7:44 pm
It's called capitalism. That is, the law of the jungle prevails all the time.
Active Bookmarking
November 17th, 2012 at 8:32 am
This gonna be fun lots of people will comment and provides information that make this page so interesting. Thanks for giving us opportunity to post in your blog. This gonna be fun lots of people will comment and provides information that make this page so interesting. Thanks for giving us opportunity to post in your blog.
Webcreating.be
November 19th, 2012 at 5:36 am
Great information you got here. I’ve been reading about this topic for one week now for my papers in school and thank God I found it here in your blog. I had a great time reading this .
Hogedrukreinigers
November 20th, 2012 at 7:10 am
This subject has impressed me for quite some time. I have just started researching it on the Internet and found your post to be informative
Shin guards
November 30th, 2012 at 5:28 am
I feel fervently about this and I like learning about this subject. If possible, as you gain information, please update this blog with more information. I have found it really useful.
cupping therapy
December 9th, 2012 at 3:40 am
Really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he ejoyed it as well
croatia gulet
December 11th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
It was a beneficial workout for me to go through your webpage. It definitely stretches the limits with the mind when you go through very good info and make an effort to interpret it properly
Lighted Wall Art
December 12th, 2012 at 2:41 am
Really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he ejoyed it as well
Kaiser Rates
January 2nd, 2013 at 6:34 am
I must express thanks to this writer just for rescuing me from this challenge. Because of surfing through the search engines and obtaining things which were not pleasant, I figured my life was done. Living minus the approaches to the issues you have resolved as a result of your main short article is a critical case, as well as those which may have in a wrong way affected my career if I hadn't come across your site. Your personal ability and kindness in touching all the stuff was helpful. I don't know what I would have done if I had not come upon such a stuff like this. It's possible to at this point relish my future. Thanks for your time very much for your specialized and results-oriented help. I won't be reluctant to propose your web blog to anyone who desires guide about this subject.
business phone line
January 24th, 2013 at 4:26 am
It is an outstanding page that enhances understanding and mind building.
cherrin12
March 4th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
Buy Cheap china watches, Bariho Watches, led watches , kids' watches ,products from reliable Chinese Curren Watches wholesalersPage 2 Top …
unblocked games
April 5th, 2013 at 1:04 am
O doesn't care what the American people think and will get reelected easily as he'll have all the money corps can shower on him and he'll be running against a batshit crazy person.
phx carpet cleaning
April 16th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
I found lots of interesting information here.
merchant advance uk
April 16th, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Wow, what a blog this is. I found much more information about the blog designers weebly. I am very happy about that. Thank you for giving me this such information. Thank you. Best of luck.
water softeners
April 16th, 2013 at 10:42 pm
I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.Excellent and decent post.
movers los angeles
April 17th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
How to choose the color of fluorescent single product, can neither blatantly weird, but also finishing touch of the miraculous? If you can not challenge may be the crowd of bold dress, then try to start from Juicy Couture,
al3ab
April 20th, 2013 at 4:36 am
Thanks for the information I benefited greatly from this blog