Guess which booming industry employs more Americans than any Fortune 500 company

[Uncle Joe]

except for General Motors?

Here's a clue, this industry generates 2.4 billion in revenue annually and its' employee base has almost quadrupled since 1980.

Here's another clue, IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, Compaq, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, Nortel, Lucent Technologies, 3Com, Intel,Northern Telecom, TWA, Nordstrom's, Revlon, Macy's, Pierre Cardin, Target Stores, and many more have a stake in the expansion of this industry.

Here's a final clue Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has been a strong supporter of this industry since 1995.

[erpowers]

1. Finance

The main thing I can think of is finance. Other than that I would guess Oil and Gas. So, what is this industry?

[Bluerthanblue]

2. porn?

:evilgrin:

[Harry J Asslinger]

3. Must be the prison industry.

[JackRiddler]

5. What I was thinking.

[Uncle Joe]

10. Welcome to D.U. Harry and congratulations!

Here's your prize a brand new 1979 Chevette, this beauty was produced just prior to the prison population explosion.



And here's the link to the article.

http://www.alternet.org/world/151732/21st-century_slaves%3A_how_corporations_exploit_prison_labor?page=1

21st-Century Slaves: How Corporations Exploit Prison Labor

In the eyes of the corporation, inmate labor is a brilliant strategy in the eternal quest to maximize profit.

[Harry J Asslinger]

12. Nice ride. Thanks!

A very pernicious boondoggle, The War on Drugs. It, and the policies that have arisen around it generated employment predicated on human capital by increasing the breadth of "offenses" for which a citizen can be arrested. That is vile enough without the consequent effect of having ever increasing amounts of labor consigned to prisoners for slave wages. The machine must be stopped.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

4. Gambling?

[Brigid]

6. Ooh, Ooh! I know! Pick me, Mr. Kotter!

It's the priavtely run, for-profit prison industry. Seriously.

[iscooterliberally]

7. Google says the prison industry?

We are number one in incarceration here in the land of the free are we not?

[NutmegYankee]

8. This man loves casinos. nt

[Romulox]

9. Oooh. Don't tell me, I KNOW this one!

[Uncle Joe]

11. Thanks to everyone that participated, please spread the word

because people are hurting for jobs out there and the government is doing all they can to help.

[Harry J Asslinger]

13. It is hard to compete with

From the article:

Over the last 30 years, at least 37 states have enacted laws permitting the use of convict labor by private enterprise, with an average pay of $0.93 to $4.73 per day.

Paying workers a pittance and still being able to slap on a "Made in the USA" label.

[Uncle Joe]

15. Yes and they don't have to cross any borders or oceans to use them.

It states in the column that I posted above re; the "three strikes and you're out law" there are people doing life in prison for shoplifting, now how absurd is that!?

That blindfolded Lady Justice statue with the balanced scales must be laughing her ass off or crying hysterically, probably doing both at the same time.

This idea of for profit prisons is corruptive of government, dysfunctional to society in delivering the best outcome and immoral if not evil at the core.

[Jim Warren]

14. Prison Nation

And methinks we ain't seen nothing yet.

[Uncle Joe]

16. I believe you're correct because this is a self-sustaining beast that if not checked can only grow

more powerful and dangerous with time.