As Adam Smith pointed out, the slaveowner has a stake in the survival of the slave :) the mill owner did not. I would suggest reading Hard Times by Charles Dickens. A fair wage was pretty much whatever the employer wanted to pay. Desperate people were willing to work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, because it was better to be half-starved than dead of starvation.

Alternately, you could just rent Gangs of New York :)

Dana

>Actually Tim the crime rates for New York for the mid 19th century was
>really horrific. There were also people starving to death in the streets,
>and those dying of TB and other diseases. While its very nice to have such
>a fantasy as most libertarian types have, its simply not realistic. Do you
>really want to go back to that sort of exploitation? Hey given your
>arguments why not bring back slavery?
>
>larry
>
>At 09:56 AM 1/7/2004, you wrote:
>>Those are nations almost entirely without the rule of law.  The comparison
>>is ridiculous.
>>
>>Why didn't Irish immigrants rob and kill on the massive levels your talking
>>about?  Or any of the large number of displaced former slaves and military
>>personnel after the civil war?  Obviously there were individual instance
>>where these things happened, but it was not the norm, nor would it be here.
>>
>>--
>>Timothy Heald
>>Web Portfolio Manager
>>Overseas Security Advisory Council
>>U.S. Department of State
>>571.345.2319
>>
>>The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S.
>>Department of State or any affiliated organization(s).  Nor have these
>>opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This e-mail is
>>unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 12958.
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Matthew Small [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:55 AM
>>To: CF-Community
>>Subject: Re: More Breaking News
>>
>>
>>Yes, I am aware of that.
>>
>>I am also aware that people who live in abject poverty will do anything to
>>survive and protect themselves and their families. Public executions don''t
>>stop a family from going hungry.
>>
>>There are entire nations who live by exactly the ideals that you're talking
>>about.  These countries are: Somailia, Afganistan, and Sierra Leone to name
>>a few.
>>
>>- Matt Small
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Heald, Tim
>>   To: CF-Community
>>   Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:42 AM
>>   Subject: RE: More Breaking News
>>
>>   You do know that their wasn't always welfare and minimum wage in this
>>nation
>>   right?
>>
>>   I figure that after the first couple of public executions people would
>>stop
>>   doing that :)
>>
>>   And yes I do actually support the idea of public executions.
>>
>>   --
>>   Timothy Heald
>>   Web Portfolio Manager
>>   Overseas Security Advisory Council
>>   U.S. Department of State
>>   571.345.2319
>>
>>   The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S.
>>   Department of State or any affiliated organization(s).  Nor have these
>>   opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This e-mail
>>is
>>   unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 12958.
>>
>>   -----Original Message-----
>>   From: Matthew Small [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>   Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:41 AM
>>   To: CF-Community
>>   Subject: Re: More Breaking News
>>
>>   If there were no minimum wage law and there was no public welfare then you
>>   would likely be shot in the street for your wallet and groceries by people
>>   needing to eat.
>>
>>   You don't antagonize a hungry dog.
>>
>>   - Matt Small
>>     ----- Original Message -----
>>     From: Simon Horwith
>>     To: CF-Community
>>     Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:24 AM
>>     Subject: RE: More Breaking News
>>
>>     but the idea behind Minimum wage is that it guarantees a standard of
>>   living
>>     that, though still at or near poverty level, does help to guarantee
>>   certain
>>     basic living standards.   Even then, the minimum wage tends not to
>>keep-up
>>     with the rise in inflation.  That said, if a higher inflation rate is
>>the
>>     price we must pay in order to guarantee legal workers a chance at a
>>decent
>>     life, so be it.
>>
>>     ~Simon
>>
>>     Simon Horwith
>>     CTO, Etrilogy Ltd.
>>     Member of Team Macromedia
>>     Macromedia Certified Instructor
>>     Certified Advanced ColdFusion MX Developer
>>     Certified Flash MX Developer
>>     CFDJList - List Administrator
>>       http://www.how2cf.com/ <http://www.how2cf.com/>
>><http://www.how2cf.com/>
>>
>>       -----Original Message-----
>>       From: Heald, Tim [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>       Sent: 07 January 2004 14:02
>>       To: CF-Community
>>       Subject: RE: More Breaking News
>>
>>       I think two main things have led us through inflation and rising
>>costs.
>>
>>       1. Coming off of the gold standard, thanx Nixon.
>>
>>       2. Minimum wage.
>>
>>       Why in a free market economy should the government dictate what one
>>side
>>     of
>>       an open trade should receive?  If a person is willing to work for next
>>   to
>>       nothing, should they not be able to?  Also, to return to a place where
>>   we
>>       can compete in a world economy as not just a service provider, but an
>>       industrial base, we need low pay low skill employees.  As long as law
>>       requires us to meet and exceed basic standards we cannot do so.
>>
>>       The only other answer would be to severely penalize countries and
>>     companies
>>       that don't meet the same requirements that we impose internally.
>>
>>       We start by exactly matching tariffs imposed by other nations against
>>   our
>>       goods.  Add additional tariffs to nations that don't afford their
>>     employees
>>       the same minimum standing of living, add even more for nations that
>>   don't
>>       have basic human rights.
>>
>>       It would be painful, maybe even start a war or two, but I think it
>>would
>>     be
>>       worth it in the long run.
>>
>>       --
>>       Timothy Heald
>>       Web Portfolio Manager
>>       Overseas Security Advisory Council
>>       U.S. Department of State
>>       571.345.2319
>>
>>       The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the
>>U.S.
>>       Department of State or any affiliated organization(s).  Nor have these
>>       opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This
>>e-mail
>>     is
>>       unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 12958.
>>
>>       -----Original Message-----
>>       From: Simon Horwith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>       Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 8:58 AM
>>       To: CF-Community
>>       Subject: RE: More Breaking News
>>
>>       Hey - I like cutting my own lawn.
>>
>>       I'm no economist, bu i wouldn't hold your breath on seeing minimum
>>wage
>>   go
>>       away.  Quite honestly, as far as I know it shouldn't go away.  The
>>goal
>>       shouldn't be to do away with it so that companies can hire Americans
>>for
>>     as
>>       cheap as they can get illegal labor, but to legalize all of the labor
>>to
>>     the
>>       extent that it all falls under minimum wage law.  That way there'd be
>>no
>>       benefit to hiring an illegal labourer as opposed to a legal one
>>(they'd
>>     cost
>>       the same).  Without minimum wage, what would protect the workforce -
>>       especially unskilled and manual labour?  Of course, this would most
>>   likely
>>       result in even more work being outsourced to countries like India...
>>any
>>       work that can be, anyway.
>>
>>       ~Simon
>>
>>       Simon Horwith
>>       CTO, Etrilogy Ltd.
>>       Member of Team Macromedia
>>       Macromedia Certified Instructor
>>       Certified Advanced ColdFusion MX Developer
>>       Certified Flash MX Developer
>>       CFDJList - List Administrator
>>        http://www.how2cf.com/ <http://www.how2cf.com/>
>><http://www.how2cf.com/>
>>   <http://www.how2cf.com/>
>>
>>         -----Original Message-----
>>         From: Heald, Tim [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>         Sent: 07 January 2004 13:36
>>         To: CF-Community
>>         Subject: RE: More Breaking News
>>
>>         >We have 10.5 million illegal workers in the United States right
>>now,"
>>       said
>>         US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue.
>>
>>         >"If they went home, we'd have to shut down the country."
>>
>>         Hehe, or we'd just have to learn how to cut our own lawn again.  :)
>>
>>         Immigration is probably where I am furthest from libertarian.  At
>>this
>>       point
>>         I am almost isolationist.  I would much rather see work-fare
>>programs
>>       that
>>         get people off the rolls of welfare and into low and no skill jobs.
>>       Really
>>         if we could do away with the minimum wage and make it so that these
>>         companies that hire illegals because they can't afford Americans,
>>can
>>       again,
>>         it would be good for us all.
>>
>>         Also isn't this going to encourage MORE illegal immigration, as
>>people
>>       will
>>         see the "success stories" of people who got legal recognition.  Plus
>>   the
>>       way
>>         many state governments are set up, don't immigrants, even
>>   non-citizens,
>>       then
>>         become eligible for social programs, like welfare and medical
>>   benefits?
>>
>>         Yeah I can't see how any of this is a good idea.
>>
>>         --
>>         Timothy Heald
>>         Web Portfolio Manager
>>         Overseas Security Advisory Council
>>         U.S. Department of State
>>         571.345.2319
>>
>>         The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the
>>   U.S.
>>         Department of State or any affiliated organization(s).  Nor have
>>these
>>         opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This
>>   e-mail
>>       is
>>         unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 12958.
>>
>>         -----Original Message-----
>>         From: Erika L Walker-Arnold [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>         Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 8:27 AM
>>         To: CF-Community
>>         Subject: More Breaking News
>>
>>           http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3375327.stm
>><http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3375327.stm>
>>   <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3375327.stm>
>>       <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3375327.stm>
>>         <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3375327.stm>
>>
>>         Cheers,
>>         Erika
>>           _____
>>         _____
>>     _____
>>   _____
>>
>>
>>
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