Quiet Skies Program – Conservatives Treated as Terrorists by TSA


Posted Sep 11, 2024 by Martin Armstrong

Former state congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard shared a recent experience where she and her husband were harassed by airport security while traveling. “I was subjected by very in-depth screening when I travel. By in-depth I mean 30 to 45 minutes of going through that screening every time I would go to the airport to fly,” Gabbard reported. She noticed that her boarding passes were labeled with “SSSS” indicating that she had been added to a terrorist watchlist under the Quiet Skies program.

The TSA claims the Quiet Skies program is not “a program through which Federal Air Marshals surveil random travelers for no rhyme or reason.” So why was this Conservative politician who is strongly backing Donald Trump in his re-election campaign added to the watchlist? “If your local police department had intelligence that your neighborhood was at an elevated threat for dangerous activity, you’d want an increased police presence until the threat was gone. Federal Air Marshals serve in that same capacity in the aviation environment; they are law enforcement officers who use their experience and training to identify things that are out of the ordinary in the aviation environment,” the TSA noted on its website. ““Quiet Skies” is another tool that allows the Federal Air Marshal Service to more efficiently deploy law enforcement resources to focus on travelers who may present an elevated risk to aviation security.”

Customs TSA

Tulsi Gabbard has no criminal record and there is no reason to believe she is a threat to national security, unless you have bought into Trump derangement syndrome and believe, as the president said, that MAGA conservatives are the biggest threat to domestic security. The TSA states that they do not use race or religion to identify potential threats but their website makes no mention of political affiliation. Washington has effectively turned the TSA into their personal strong arm to prevent disinters from freely traveling.

Gabbard uncoincidentally delivered a message during a prime-time interview the day before her travels that explained why Kamala Harris is unfit to lead America. This was a clear act of political retaliation and a display of how far the establishment’s web is spun throughout every public agency. “The deepest pain and harm and stress that has been caused by all of this is that forever going forward I will always be looking over my shoulder wondering if and how my government is surveilling me,” Gabbard added.

We knew that the Democrats were not above prosecuting and jailing their political opponents. We saw how they called upon Big Tech to silent all voices who disagree with them. Now they have heightened their tyranny by attempting to restrict the freedom of movement of law-abiding citizens. It has become outright dangerous to openly support Donald Trump under Biden-Harris and ANYONE who disagrees with leftist ideology can become a criminal. The original purpose of the TSA combatting terrorism after the 9/11 attacks has been lost.

Tulsi Gabbard

As Tulsi Gabbard stated: “What hurts me the most is the fact that like so many Americans I enlisted because of the terrorist attack on 9/11, deployed to war zones to go after those terrorists, still serve in the US Army for over 21 years, and now my government is surveilling me as a potential domestic terrorist. The real pain this has caused is the stress of forever looking over my shoulder, wondering if and how I am being watched, what secret terror watch list I’m on, and having no transparency or due process. It’s not just about me. Every American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They have taken that away from me and my family.”

When Empires Divide


Posted originally on Sep 11, 2024 by Martin Armstrong

I have been asked how the United States will divide. Will there be a civil war, like in the latest Alex Garland movie, Civil War, or will it be peaceful, like the fall of Russia? The country is so polarized it is hard to see it not separating. Dunkin Donuts decided they don’t want to advertise on Rumble because they say “the right-wing culture of the site is too polarizing.” If you are not LEFT, then I guess, you are not welcome to get a coffee and a donut at their stores. Comments like that are polarizing.

History repeats because human nature has never changed throughout the centuries. Garland’s movie did not seek to provide WHY the Civil War took place, just that states sought to secede as they did during the 1860s. Then, it was really over religious beliefs that were opposed to slavery and hung on the words of Jefferson that all men are created equal.

Civil Work Force 1900 1980

Throughout history, whenever governments seek to concentrate power into a federal-type state, this will inevitably lead to civil war. Every government with centralized control, like the USA and now the EU and Britain, will always attempt to impose a single doctrine on the entire community. The English Civil War was over religion – protestant vs. Catholic- a revolution against centralized control from the Vatican. The Roman Republic was formed in 509 BC against centralized control by a monarch, and within about 6 months, Athens overthrew its tyrants, giving birth to Democracy.

Even if we look at the ancient world as it developed, agriculture was wealth. The expansion of agriculture as villas produced more than they needed personally meant grain became money, and this influx of wealth meant that a class distinction emerged with the original leaders were often called Gamoroi, “land owners” – who found themselves competing as a new class of nouveaux riches which could afford the private armies of soldiers (hoplite) with armor (panoply). Throughout the Greek world, the economics of agriculture led to the same consequences that stoked political tensions. From around 800 BC, we find that the way to gain wealth was land, and this no doubt inspired Greeks to seek land and resources, much like the expansion of settlers in America and the constant push westward.

Syracuse AR Decadrachm J.P. Morgan

The Athenian historian Thucydides informs us that the first Greeks to settle on Sicily were from Chalcis on Euboea. In 734 BC, they founded Naxos on a peninsula near the Etna. In the following year, the famous city of Syracuse was founded by the Corinthian Archias. The political changes in Greece eventually led to the rise of colonization, especially during the 8th to 7th century BC. The move toward Greek colonies was essentially this same splitting of societies and the political tensions over centralized control. The Greek colonies were aristocratic in nature and developed based on the desire of the wealthy Greek agricultural nobility to maintain their way of life in an age of political change. Sicily was colonized by the Greeks, and cities like Syracuse and Naxos fit this pattern, which was spawned by political change.

The real issue with the American Civil War was that the slaves were the workforce for the South. Slavery was different from serfdom. In the former, you were property that could be sold separately, whereas, under serfdom, you were attached to the land and transferred with the land to a new owner.  Abolishing slavery may have sounded ethical, but there was a huge problem. About 70% of the civil workforce was in agriculture. Freeing the slaves was not what it would be today, where they could just go get a job at Starbucks. This was the pre-Industrial Revolution. Even by 1900, agriculture still represented 41% of the workforce. This is why many blacks remained where they were and were paid wages. There was no panorama of job opportunities pre-Industrial Revolution.

The South feared it would lose its workforce by freeing the slaves, thereby destroying its economy. The solution was obvious. Instead of demanding freedom that was perceived as all their labor would have fled, had someone with an understanding of economics merely looked at this with a dispassionate eye, it was clear that the slaves could have been granted their freedom and transitioned to a wage-based employment system. The slave owners who were cruel would have lost their employees. The lack of employment outside of agriculture would have ensured their labor force did not simply all migrate.

Today, we face this same problem of a dictatorial decree from a central federal government that risks creating a civil war over different issues. Those who attain power always seek to hold on to that power at all costs. Thus, the Concentration of political power into a federalized government historically leads to tyranny as those in power seek to expand their power and enact endless
legislation that only accelerates the cycle of Revolution. Federalized governments should be confined to relations between national states. Local governments should retain exclusive jurisdiction over domestic policies that impact culture. This was the success of Rome.

Pope Condemms Zelensky

Historically, centralized authority will always attempt to impose one rule upon the whole, irrespective of religion or custom. Zelensky has sought to impose dictatorial rule over the Donbas, outlawing the Russian language, outlawing Orthodox religion, and even dictating that Russians in Ukraine are not allowed to celebrate Orthodox Christmas and must adopt the Western tradition of December 25th. On August 25th, 2024, Pope Francis criticized Zelensk’s decision to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Zelensky is an outright evil man who is deliberately trying to create World War III. Orthodox Christianity dates back to the time of Constantine during the 4th century AD. The Great Schism of 1054 is the break of communion between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Zelensky’s hatred of Russians is leading the world into World War III intentionally. He hopes to destroy Russia with American mercenary troops.

Elagabalus AV AR Stone of Emesa

Zelensky is a modern-day example of why there should be no federalized power over any state’s domestic economy and culture. What Zelensky has done is so outrageous he should be dragged from power screaming as the Romans would often do. When Elagabalus (218-222AD) became emperor, he departed for Rome, taking with him the famous black stone (meteorite) that was claimed to have come from the heavens, so they built a temple to it in Emes, Syria. Elagabalus attempted to force the Romans to worship this stone.

JULIA SOAEMIAS AE Moesai with Elagabalus

His reign was notorious for religious fanaticism, cruelty, bloodshed, and excesses of every description, and there was general satisfaction when, on March 6th, 222, Elagabalus and his mother, Julia Soaemias, were murdered in the praetorian camp. Their bodies were dragged through the streets of Rome and thrown into the Tiber. There are many lessons from history that there are some things you should not do. The only way for Ukrainians to save their country is to get rid of Zelensky by revolution since he has suspended all elections during the war. He has made himself the ruthless dictator he claims Putin is all along.

Constantine Sol

In 312 AD, two rival Roman generals fought for power in Rome. Constantine, whom Christians gave the title the Great, emerged victorious and built a new imperial metropolis in the economically more profitable East. This became Constantinople, which today is Istanbul. There has always been a question of authenticity regarding Constantine’s Christianity. This gold medallion portrays Constantine with the sun god Sol.

Vision Cross Constantine Melvian Bridge

Constantine defeated Maxentius in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Despite the biased historical accounts, the Battle of Milvian Bridge was less of a battle between Christianity and paganism as it was a battle for power and control. While Maxentius may have been a pagan, he did not persecute the Christians and, in fact, built the first Christian church in Rome. As for Constantine I himself, he would prove to be a man who rarely kept his word and often displayed ruthless tactics to gain sole domination of the Roman Empire.

HELENA au

The claimed vision of a cross in the sky was only a tactic because the majority of Maxentius’ troops were Christians. Because Constantine declared Christianity the state religion, he was exalted in history. However, he did not bother to get Baptized until he was on his deathbed. Constantine’s new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great, after whom it was named, and dedicated on May 11th, 330AD. His mother, Helena, was a devout Christian – but not her son.

CONSTANTINE II as Augustus DENOMINATIONS Semissis 1.5 Scrupilum AR siliqua

His son, Constantine II, then became a main instigator in what has become known as the “palace massacre,” during which most family members born of his step-grandmother Theodora were murdered. Few were spared, and those were only due to their extremely young age, particularly the future Emperor Julian II. It was Julian II who rejected Christianity, for he saw it did not prevent Constantine II from slaughtering his family all for power.

Theodosius I AE2 Majorina RIC 18b

The Roman Empire split in two. Theodosius I (379-395AD) was the last emperor to rule the entire Empire. In 390 ADTheodosius was excommunicated from the church for massacring 7,000 citizens in Thessalonica for civil disorder. He was ordered to do public penance, which he completed. In 391 ADTheodosius forced Christianity, and all pagan temples were closed throughout the Empire.

Æ Exagium Solidi Weight 20mm 3.57 grams Theodosius I Arcadius Honorius

Upon the death of Theodosius I, the empire was split between his two sons, with Arcadius taking the East and Honorius taking the West. On November 18th, 401AD, Honorius moved the capital from Rome to the Milan area in the city of Ravenna.

From the founding of Constantinople in 330AD, the rule of one emperor established by Constantine ended in just about two Pi Cycles with the death of Theodosius, and the Empire divided once again. Rome itself ceased to be the capital of the West in 401AD, and that conformed to a 72-year Revolutionary Cycle.

Give Me A Reason To Stay – Please!


Posted originally on Sep 9, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Springfield, Ohio, resident pleads with mayor that she “can’t take it anymore.” Please give me a reason to stay in this town after 45 years.

How to Read the July Jobs Report


Posted Sep 9, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Jobs

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its report for July, indicating a slight uptick in employment. It is difficult to trust BLS data after their latest data revision that showed the Biden-Harris Administration have failed to create new jobs outside of the public sector. It was their steepest revision to data since 2009, yet all eyes were on July’s report. The headlines are optimistic about the workforce but fail to note two main issues – manufacturing is declining while the public sector is rising.

JobsReportJuly2024

Manufacturing appeared flat during Q1 but it has been on the decline ever since as corporations move their operations overseas to avoid US regulation and taxation. The Biden-Harris Administration pledged to attract 1 million new manufacturing jobs in 2024. They believe that the CHIPS Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will attract business and spent billions on these measures that have failed to produce a single job. Initial data claimed that manufacturing was soaring under Biden but that was only due to businesses reopening after the pandemic. The BLS first claimed Biden added 765,000 manufacturing jobs before revising that figure down by 115,000 but even that was completely inaccurate. Estimates now believe manufacturing sharply declined by 96,000 by mid-2022 and has been contracting ever since. The most recent report found that July shed 24,000 positions but we should expect this figure to be optimistic.

Trump added 462,000 to the sector during his first two years before it declined by 43,000 during 2019. The COVID lockdowns caused the sector to plummet by 1.4 million jobs, 770,000 positions were later recovered before Trump left office but there was a net loss of 188,000 positions by the end of Trump’s term.

The White House promotes the manufacturing propaganda on its website:

“While our work isn’t finished, Bidenomics is already delivering for the American people. Our economy has added more than 13 million jobs—including nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs—and we’ve unleashed a manufacturing and clean energy boom.”

Admittedly, the sector was always beginning to see problems before Biden took office, however, Biden then spent hundreds of billions on acts to attract manufacturing and they ALL failed. BIDENOMICS HAS FAILED.

The White House paints a different picture:

“None of this progress was an accident or inevitable—it has been a direct result of Bidenomics. And rather than taking us back to the failed trickle-down policies of the past, President Biden is committed to finishing the job and continuing to build an economy that finally works for working families—with better jobs, lower costs, and more opportunity.”

Then we have the growing public sector that multiplied under Biden-Harris. The public sector added an additional 24,000 positions in July. Biden openly stated that he wanted to expand the government by at least 82,000 positions in FY24 and this seems to be the one promise he made good on. Every federal agency received a budget boost for this fiscal year with an emphasis on increasing the Treasury Department.

Bidenomics has failed and businesses continue to flee overseas. America is beginning to see a recession in manufacturing at a time when the US needs to produce more. Instead, we are wasting countless resources by growing government to the highest level since World War II. The proper way to analyze this jobs report is to view it as expenses rising and production declining. This will contribute to the coming stagflation that we will see in this economy as GDP declines.

Telegram Forced to Surrender


Posted Sep 9, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

2024_08_24_20_09_32_Telegram_messaging_app_CEO_Durov_arrested_in_France_French_media_say

French authorities arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov last month for permitting encrypted messaging on his app that could not be accessed by governments. France claimed that Durov was permitting illegal activities to occur on Telegram. Public safety is always the ruse they employ to remove our freedoms. Unfortunately, Telegram has been forced to surrender and permit the European Union and other governments to access private chats.

Telegram has removed language from its FAQ page that once stated “we do not process any requests” related to accessing private messages. The security and encryption is one of the primary reasons that people sought out Telegram. Are we to believe all 950 million users were criminals? No. People have been prohibited from speaking out against government everywhere and this was one of the final frontiers that permitted free speech.

“Yes, we stand by our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we’ve always been open to dialogue,” Durov posted on X. His arrest came suddenly and without notice. He noted that his organization has an official representative within the EU who is responsible for responding to all requests, but that did not matter as the authorities wanted to send a strong message. “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a simplistic approach. Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools,” the CEO continued.

The government will not permit big tech to operate freely. Everyone is assumed guilty until proven innocent. They fear the people openly communicating and sharing ideas, especially revolutionary ones that question the status quo and current regimes. We should expect to see more restrictions as we move toward 2032 when governments will ultimately lose this battle against the people.

Colin Gray, Father of 14-Year-Old School Shooter, Charged with Murder and Manslaughter


Posted originally on the CTH on September 7, 2024 | Sundance 

This is an interesting aspect to the latest school shooting in Georgia, and I’m not sure exactly what to think of this new approach. The father of the 14-year-old shooter Colt Gray, has been arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of Colin Gray, the father of Colt Gray, the 14-year-old boy accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School, resulting in the deaths of four individuals including two students and two teachers.

Colin Gray, aged 54, faces severe charges including four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children, highlighting the escalating scrutiny on parental responsibilities in safeguarding firearms. (more)

Arrest warrants said he caused the deaths of others “by providing a firearm to Colt Gray with knowledge that he was threat to himself and others.”

(Via CNN) – […] “The key issue in the case against the father here will be: recklessness, foreseeability, how he handled the gun in relation to his son,” Toobin told CNN on Thursday night.

Colin Gray could face up to 180 years in prison if convicted on all counts, state Judge Currie Mingledorff said during a Friday hearing.

Central to the case against Gray will be an interaction the father and his son had with law enforcement more than a year before Wednesday’s mass shooting; the teenager’s access to the weapon used in the attack; and what the father knew about the boy’s mental state, experts told CNN, as a portrait of the teenager’s tumultuous family life emerges.

In May 2023, law enforcement questioned Colt and his father about online threats “to commit a school shooting,” the FBI has said. Colt at the time denied making the threats, and his father told authorities his son did not have unsupervised access to hunting guns in the house.

Just seven months later, the suspect’s father purchased the firearm allegedly used in the mass shooting as a holiday present for his son, two law enforcement sources told CNN. The AR-15-style rifle was bought at a local gun store as a Christmas present, one source said. (read more)

On its face, this does seem like the action of a reckless parent in purchasing a firearm for his son just after there was evidence linking the son to online threats of violence.  And yes, factually there are several precedents for parents being held criminally responsible for the actions of their minor children.  However, I’m not sure about the criminal justice system being consistent and charging a parent with second degree murder.

There are hundreds of non-school fatal shootings that could be tied to the reckless action of parents, either by willful blindness or complicity; some in gang related killings.

Is it just the venue, the school shooting aspect, that suddenly draws the attention toward the father Colin Gray?

What about the youth shootings in Chicago, Los Angeles or Baltimore that are carried out by underage teens and yet the parents are never charged.  What happens in those cases.

What are your thoughts about this new accountability model being placed upon the parents?

Baris: Media Resurrects Russia Hoax That Will Push This Country Over The Edge


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Sep 5, 2024 at 07:00 pm EST

Media Projects Their Proclivity To Pump Propaganda By Re-Igniting Russia Hoax


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannons War Room on: Sep 5, 2024 at 07:00 pm EST

Goldman Sachs Predicts Stronger Economy Under Harris


Posted Sep 6, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

GoldmanSachs

Goldman Sachs, or Government Sachs as they are known in the industry, has bet on the establishment candidate. The person who has already spent four years in the White House will somehow repair the damage they caused to the US economy, according to Goldman Sachs, who strongly believes America should stay on the same losing trajectory.

We estimate that if Trump wins in a sweep or with divided government, the hit to growth from tariffs and tighter immigration policy would outweigh the positive fiscal impulse” from maintaining most tax cuts, Goldman economists stated. Remember that Goldman Sachs places their employees within the US government as there is an ongoing revolving door. “We estimate that the contribution from immigration to labor force growth if Harris wins would be 10,000 per month higher than if Trump wins with divided government,” and 30,000 a month higher than if Trump secures the vote.

Goldman Sachs Predicts Stronger Economy Under Harris

Posted Sep 6, 2024 By Martin Armstrong |  

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GoldmanSachs

Goldman Sachs, or Government Sachs as they are known in the industry, has bet on the establishment candidate. The person who has already spent four years in the White House will somehow repair the damage they caused to the US economy, according to Goldman Sachs, who strongly believes America should stay on the same losing trajectory.

We estimate that if Trump wins in a sweep or with divided government, the hit to growth from tariffs and tighter immigration policy would outweigh the positive fiscal impulse” from maintaining most tax cuts, Goldman economists stated. Remember that Goldman Sachs places their employees within the US government as there is an ongoing revolving door. “We estimate that the contribution from immigration to labor force growth if Harris wins would be 10,000 per month higher than if Trump wins with divided government,” and 30,000 a month higher than if Trump secures the vote.

America has spent billions on the migrant crisis which has toppled state and city budgets. We have over 8 million newcomers now living solely off government assistance. Goldman is preaching the same propaganda that these migrants are needed for America’s workforce, despite recent data showing a major slow in hiring in addition to numerous adjusted jobs reports that show NO new jobs have been created outside the public sector under Biden-Harris. They believe GDP would peak by 0.5 percentage points in Q2 of 2025 under a Trump victory.

A Harris victory would lead to a “very slight” boost in GDP compared to Trump, as “new spending and expanded middle-income tax credits would slightly more than offset lower investment due to higher corporate tax rates.” The “experts” believe that “the effects of policy changes would be small and neutral on net,” but the truth of the matter is that a Harris victory would guarantee a major economic downturn. It is astonishing that they expect the public to believe that the middle class will increase their spending through tax credits. They simply do not understand that a lack of confidence is the reason that people hoard, and under this economy, the middle class does not have any disposable income to spend.

Then they state that Trump’s tariffs on China, Mexico, and EU would cause inflation to rise by 30 to 40 bps. I do not support tariffs but we are seeing the Biden Administration slam China with new tariffs and one could reasonably believe Kamala would do the same. Do they understand Kamala’s corporate tax hike proposition and how that would decimate America’s ability to compete?

Harris is proposing taxing capital gains including UNREALIZED gains. The American public has nothing left to offer Uncle Sam and rest assured Harris will raise taxes as her countless spending packages come at a price. Goldman Sachs completely failed to consider the impact government spending has had on the overall economy.

Most importantly, Government Sachs did not factor in the strongest driver of inflation – WAR. War produces nothing and will not lead to an economic increase. Kamala Harris along with Joe Biden helped America become completely embedded in Ukraine and now Israel. Trump is the only candidate who wants to stop sending endless checks to Ukraine and end the war.

America has spent billions on the migrant crisis which has toppled state and city budgets. We have over 8 million newcomers now living solely off government assistance. Goldman is preaching the same propaganda that these migrants are needed for America’s workforce, despite recent data showing a major slow in hiring in addition to numerous adjusted jobs reports that show NO new jobs have been created outside the public sector under Biden-Harris. They believe GDP would peak by 0.5 percentage points in Q2 of 2025 under a Trump victory.

A Harris victory would lead to a “very slight” boost in GDP compared to Trump, as “new spending and expanded middle-income tax credits would slightly more than offset lower investment due to higher corporate tax rates.” The “experts” believe that “the effects of policy changes would be small and neutral on net,” but the truth of the matter is that a Harris victory would guarantee a major economic downturn. It is astonishing that they expect the public to believe that the middle class will increase their spending through tax credits. They simply do not understand that a lack of confidence is the reason that people hoard, and under this economy, the middle class does not have any disposable income to spend.

Then they state that Trump’s tariffs on China, Mexico, and EU would cause inflation to rise by 30 to 40 bps. I do not support tariffs but we are seeing the Biden Administration slam China with new tariffs and one could reasonably believe Kamala would do the same. Do they understand Kamala’s corporate tax hike proposition and how that would decimate America’s ability to compete?

Harris is proposing taxing capital gains including UNREALIZED gains. The American public has nothing left to offer Uncle Sam and rest assured Harris will raise taxes as her countless spending packages come at a price. Goldman Sachs completely failed to consider the impact government spending has had on the overall economy.

Most importantly, Government Sachs did not factor in the strongest driver of inflation – WAR. War produces nothing and will not lead to an economic increase. Kamala Harris along with Joe Biden helped America become completely embedded in Ukraine and now Israel. Trump is the only candidate who wants to stop sending endless checks to Ukraine and end the war.

These reports are meant to mislead the public and are nothing more than establishment propaganda.

Prisons Collaborate with the Private Sector – Free Labor


Posted originally on Sep 6, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Slavery is alive and well in the United States. Two-thirds of US prisoners, 800,000 men and women, have jobs in federal and state prisons. While 80% of prisoners work to maintain the prison in terms of maintenance, a growing portion of prisoners hold jobs for private companies. Estimates that that these prisoners are producing at least $11 billion annually for the US government and receiving little to nothing in return.

Non-industry workers can earn between 13 cents to 52 cents per hour. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas are not required to pay these workers. “There’s no way we can take care of our facilities, our roads, our ditches, if we didn’t have inmate labor,” Warren Yeager, a former Gulf county, Florida, commissioner said to the Florida Times-Union. In other words, states have become reliant on free labor from prisoners and actively put this into their budgets.

What some do not understand is that private companies are also employing prisoners. McDonald’s, Burger King, Golden Corral, Walmart, Wendy’s, IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Texas Instruments, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, TWA, Nordstrom’s, Revlon, Macy’s, and Target are among hundreds of private companies that have active agreements with state governments to farm out their prisoners. The private companies pay the prisons directly, bypassing the people who are forced to work long hours with no protections.

These workers have a far lower rate at being released on parole. The state believes they are safe enough to work among the public, but refuse to offer them an opportunity to leave. Only non-violent offenders are offered these jobs and most are swindled into accepting the positions to obtain favorable housing.

Alabama, for example, allows non-violent prisoners to work in the private sector for pennies. Yet, the state takes away 40% of their pay before taxes, charges them fees for transportation, laundry, and any extras they find. Alabama now earns more than $450 million annually on the backs of these workers.  It comes at no surprise that the parole rate in Alabama plummeted to 8% in 2023.

Prison Camp

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that over 75% of workers are unable to take off work, and if they do, they risk being sentenced to solitary confinement and prevented from visitations with their families. About 70% of these workers said they cannot even afford to call home or purchase soap. They are denied all rights and treated as sub-humans. “The United States has a long, problematic history of using incarcerated workers as a source of cheap labor and to subsidize the costs of our bloated prison system,” said Turner, a principal human rights researcher with the ACLU’s Human Rights Program.

“The private contracting of prisoners for work fosters incentives to lock people up. Prisons depend on this incomeCorporate stockholders who make money off prisoners’ work lobby for longer sentences, in order to expand their workforce. The system feeds itself,” notes a study study by the Progressive Labor Party, which accuses the US prison complex of being “an imitation of Nazi Germany with respect to forced slave labor and concentration camps.”

Private prisons, in general, operate as businesses as they are guaranteed a fee per inmate, which US taxpayers pay. The majority of people are African American and Hispanic, but we hear silence from communities demanding reparations and failing to acknowledge that modern-day slavery is alive and well in the US. The private sector is creating jobs for the prison industry on behalf of the US government and this is one of the reasons that we see a decline in available jobs. The business is extremely lucrative because they profit on holding the inmates as well as forcing them to work.

So, these human beings were deemed stable enough to work unsupervised with the public. Yet, those same decision-makers turn around at sentencing and tell these workers that they are simply too dangerous to return home. This is why the United States, home of the free, hosts the largest prison population in the world. It always comes down to greed and money.

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