Location

Bio
I'm a progressive that has served (with pride, I may add) in our country's military and is currently working for a large defense contractor. Weird, huh?

CONSERVATOPIA
In 1986 the Pacific island nation of Saipan became a commonwealth of the United States. As part of the agreement, Saipan would be exempt from almost all labor, environmental, safety, and immigration laws and regulations. In short, it's free from most of the pesky government regulations and intervention that conservatives love to complain about.

So what is it like in this conservative utopia? 60% of the island's workforce is foreign labor shipped in from places like China. They work 7 days a week in 12 hour shifts for less than minimum wage. If they refuse to work, they are instantly deported. Many had to pay travel and recruitment fees that were "loaned" to them by the company. These fees typically amount to 1-2 years salary. In many cases their passports are taken from them and not returned until the loan is repaid. So in essence many are trapped.

For natives of the island, things aren't much better. Since they are technically U.S. citizens they can't legally take jobs paying less than minimum wage, so unemployment runs rampant. The ones with jobs either work for the local government or the hotel industry. The rest are on some form of government assistance. Nearly half live below the poverty line.

The garment industry (and other sweatshops) love things just the way they are. They get to exploit cheap labor (3rd world style) yet all of their product proudly get to display MADE IN THE U.S.A.