Cheap food, cheap labor, fat profits, part II

In a recent post, I wrote about how the U.S. Department of Labor had unceremoniously halted its annual study of working and living conditions among the nation's migrant farm workers.

The study is critical in allocating aid money to help stabilize the lives of these workers and their families, who are, after all, part of the hidden backbone of this country's economy. These people tend to be among those thrown off the land by the Nafta-codified destruction of Mexico's traditional food system; their presence here is vital to the workings of our industrial food system, whose model of mass-producing cheap food relies heavily on a steady supply of cheap labor. It's ironic, unconscionable, and utterly unsurprising that the Bush administration, an enthusiastic supporter of the present food system, would treat these people so cavalierly.

Click here to get the United Farm Workers' take on this travesty; the link also contains info on how to let the Bush administration know how you feel about its dubious decision.