Solution to our economic problems : a 'slave' class that aren't actually slaves ?

Question

Does the western world simply need a class of people that do all the working, manufacturing and service jobs for a wage of next to nothing ?

That way instead of importing foreign goods we simply exploit our own people. Make them a class by constructing barriers such that it is impossible to break out of poverty.

Pay them 50 cents and hour and provide cheap food and on site housing. Economic problem solved - what do you think ?

So the workers in the restaurant live in bunks out the back and get paid 50 cents an hour. The people at Kmart all sleep in a housing bunk at the mall ect.. ect.. food is provided as a staple... maybe bread and pasta or something.

These people are free to trade jobs but would never be able to afford college or be able to get a trade because they've been oppressed into only performing their duties since birth.

Make them sign a contract that their children will also become workers of the business.

Answer 1

Aside from being completely unethical (How would we chose who becomes a "slave"? Race? Gender?), it would eventually be detrimental to the society, as it would impede any sort of progress, economic, cultural, technological, or otherwise.

Read some Marx.

Answer 2

Workers who don't get paid much won't be paying much taxes.  They won't be shopping that much for houses, cars, clothing, and plasma TV's.  The banks won't be able to rip off these people with 19% interest payments on their credit cards.  And then the whole financial system might collapse.  Because all those bank executives won't be able to pay themselves hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for work well done.

Answer 3

We don't need to create  such a class, the labor market is creating it for us by selecting those people who  do not excel at something  and paying them lower and lower wages. Now all we have to do is get rid of government subsidized education, health care, and other programs that help poor children and it will become hereditary, and we can become a third world  country.