Prisons given permanent contracts to compete with industry-USA [View All]

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=163-11062003

The House today by a 350-to-65 vote passed legislation reforming Federal Prison Industries (FPI). This government-owned corporation was created to ensure work and training for prison inmates by guaranteeing a market for prison-made goods. However, FPI has been surrounded by controversy since its inception because its guaranteed market of Federal agencies for its products combined with its reduced costs for labor and capital amounted to an unfair advantage that put private businesses and American workers out of work.

FPI enjoys a mandatory market for its goods, a facility to produce them, and large workforce that can be forced to manufacture them. FPI pays its workers less than minimum wage and forces them to work for its profit. It is hardly a surprise that FPI is able to drive small businesses out of any market it chooses.

Currently FPI, rather than the buying agency, determines if FPI's offered product and delivery schedule meet the needs of the buying agency. FPI, rather than the buying agency, determines the reasonableness of FPI's offered price.

Very free market of them...

Taxpayers support criminals to drive them out of business.

This is what America is coming to...is this our future?