Weighing the results of PC recycling

TalkBack 8 of 8:

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

Re: Inaccurate

> Giving prison inmates something productive to
> do is an excellent idea, and it's hard to see
> why anyone would object to that.

I'm inclined to agree with you, but don't. What would have been preferable, IMO: Dell creates new private sector jobs for their new(ish) recycling business. You know, jobs for the group that pays their taxes, follows the law, contributes to society, etc. Using prison labor as a substitute for a free market work force is worse than offshoring, IMO. It only serves to drive down wages for law-abiding citizens and to increase profitability at the expense of society at large. Offshoring does the same thing (among other things), but prison labor is much, much cheaper and less beneficial to workers at large and to society as a whole.

But, I'm sympathetic to the argument that we should give prison inmates something productive to
do. However, it should be something outside the realm of measurable supply and demand that drives the markets for good and services. Injecting a nearly free, captive labor force into the mix is not supporting the free market; it is exploiting the free markets' lack of necessary regulation to avoid its abuse.

One could argue that recycling actually fits this description (outside the realm of measurable supply and demand that drives the markets for good and services) quite well, as there seems to be little demand and potential profits in it, only cost. But that dynamic is changing as the effects of our consumer culture wreak ever more havoc on our climate and natural resources. Recycling will soon be, if it isn't already, a necessary and profitable line of business that one hopes will spur competition.

In light of this, it's time for recycling to graduate to a full fledged, market-based system that employs law-abiding, tax-paying citizens and for prison labor to move on to something that doesn't exploit the free market unfairly. Back to picking up trash on highways and in parks? There has to be something, but I admit I'm at a loss as to what.

Posted by: crm_z   Posted on: 04/20/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Reducing Server Total Cost of Ownership with VMware Virtualization Software VMware VMware virtualization enables customers to reduce their server TCO and ... Download Now
• Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Iinfrastructure VMware VMware virtualization software has been adopted by over 120,000 enterprise ... Download Now
• VMware Infrastructure: A Guide to Bottom-Line Benefits VMware Frustrated by the costs of maintain ever larger data centers?or building ... Download Now