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"Or I should just actually get a $300 waffle maker instead of something stupid that will probably break after a few runs" I did this for a while but a lot of U

"Or I should just actually get a $300 waffle maker instead of something stupid that will probably break after a few runs" I did this for a while but a lot of US manufacturers seem to like producing low quality items for a high price under the label "Made in USA".

ncmncm 5y ago
"Made in USA" is often code for "made with prison labor". Louisiana is said to make a point of incarcerating particularly black citizens on made-up charges and excessive sentencing to maintain a ready prison labor pool. So, it is probably important to verify that such products are not from prison labor. China has is rightly criticized for unjustified incarceration, particularly in Xinjiang, but the US incarcerates many more on largely similar pretexts, which amounts to a much larger fraction of its population. Reducing US incarceration rate is a moral imperative.
- TakuYam 5y ago
  That’s an incredibly serious claim to make, do you have evidence to support your claims?
  - xxpor 5y ago
    It's not particularly controversial. Here's the NY version, for example. https://corcraft.ny.gov/ https://corcraft.ny.gov/ There's an explicit carve out in the 13th amendment's slavery prohibition for people convicted of crimes.
    - selectodude 5y ago
      They make signs and license plates for the state. As far as prison labor goes, that seems relatively benign.
      - ncmncm 5y ago
        They do a very great deal more than that. Places with strong unions restrict what they do just so they don't compete with union labor. But that leaves enormous leeway, which is reliably exploited. Many private prisons have contracts with states guaranteeing them a quota of prisoners, on pain of monetary penalties. It becomes the job of police and courts to deliver that quota, regardless of behavior, because there is no money budgeted for penalties. Everybody can be found guilty of something, if you want to.

ncmncm 5y ago

"Made in USA" is often code for "made with prison labor". Louisiana is said to make a point of incarcerating particularly black citizens on made-up charges and excessive sentencing to maintain a ready prison labor pool. So, it is probably important to verify that such products are not from prison labor. China has is rightly criticized for unjustified incarceration, particularly in Xinjiang, but the US incarcerates many more on largely similar pretexts, which amounts to a much larger fraction of its population. Reducing US incarceration rate is a moral imperative.

TakuYam 5y ago
That’s an incredibly serious claim to make, do you have evidence to support your claims?
- xxpor 5y ago
  It's not particularly controversial. Here's the NY version, for example. https://corcraft.ny.gov/ https://corcraft.ny.gov/ There's an explicit carve out in the 13th amendment's slavery prohibition for people convicted of crimes.
  - selectodude 5y ago
    They make signs and license plates for the state. As far as prison labor goes, that seems relatively benign.
    - ncmncm 5y ago
      They do a very great deal more than that. Places with strong unions restrict what they do just so they don't compete with union labor. But that leaves enormous leeway, which is reliably exploited. Many private prisons have contracts with states guaranteeing them a quota of prisoners, on pain of monetary penalties. It becomes the job of police and courts to deliver that quota, regardless of behavior, because there is no money budgeted for penalties. Everybody can be found guilty of something, if you want to.