Obama bans U.S. imports of slave-produced goods

Obama bans U.S. imports of slave-produced goods

... because big business just couldn't stop themselves.

Oh, great! Now how are those slaves supposed to make a living!? Thanks, Obama! (/satire)

President Barack Obama signed a bill Wednesday that includes a provision banning U.S. imports of fish caught by slaves in Southeast Asia, gold mined by children in Africa and garments sewn by abused women in Bangladesh,

LoL. Then howow does he feel about the fresh fruits and vegetables on his family dinner table which were picked by illegal mexicans?

An expose by The Associated Press last year found Thai companies ship seafood to the U.S. that was caught and processed by trapped and enslaved workers.

How much is shipped to Japan, and does anyone give a flying fish?

Then howow does he feel about the fresh fruits and vegetables on his family dinner table which were picked by illegal mexicans?

Illegal doesn't necessarily mean enslaved

Well, that's certainly good to hear.

Child labor is tricky, though, since in a lot of places people are so poor they need all members of the family to contribute income simply for the group to survive.

I certainly understand how children could be exploited, and definitely see the need for some kind of regulation, but when more than a third of all working humans here on this earth still earn $2 a day PPP or less, it's pretty hard not to see how children being employed would still be acceptable, if not essential, to many.

Yes, including Walmart items from mainland China, pleeeese!

Cripes, that will stop U.S.imports of the goods I make for the company I work for in Japan.

Slaves in South East Asia? President Obama could be living in another planet. Many South East Asians maybe poor but definitely not slaves, probably except some girls controlled by mafia and gangsters in many big cities and gambling centres like Las Vegas, Macao, New York, Tokyo, Bangkok, etc

Slaves in South East Asia? President Obama could be living in another planet.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil?

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25814718

Hmm, the countries mentioned are so far not members of the TPP. We wouldn't want to hurt those corporate profits now do we, Mr Obama?

LoL. Then howow does he feel about the fresh fruits and vegetables on his family dinner table which were picked by illegal mexicans?

One wonders why you know where the vegetables on his family dinner table came from? Also it appears you need a refresher on why "illegal alien" ≠ "slave".

Hmm, the countries mentioned are so far not members of the TPP. We wouldn't want to hurt those corporate profits now do we, Mr Obama?

LOL. The President signs a bill that removes two words from an existing law in order to close a loophole that potentially benefited ANY group using slave labor, and clueless individuals parse that into an attack targeting only non-TPP signatories. Amazing.

Hypocrite. The U.S. Private System employs "slave labor" but only for products sold to other countries.

Microsoft

Starbucks

McDonalds

Victoria's Secret

All companies employ prisoners (mostly non violent, victimless crimes) who work FAR below minimum wage to produce goods for these oligarchs.

Illegal doesn't necessarily mean enslaved

Of course it doesn't. The point is that he's saying one thing and doing another. Everyone knows illegal mexicans pick our fruits / vegetables. They probably work in terrible "slave-like conditions" but yet, we look the other day and the produce market stays dirt cheap.

@gaijinfo. Good post. Yes, he's a hypocrite.

It is long overdue...

IT tech people must be lining up tp be Mixrosoft slave. HOW MUCH HREY GET IN sILLICON vALLEY NOW? Used to be #200 an hour if you could compile software with C++++ some years ago.

MarkG: "It is long overdue..."

Agreed, and might I say that it is refreshing to see you agree with someone rather than, as with Wc626, the expected knee-jerk reaction of opposing anything Obama says and does because it is Obama saying and doing it. Anyone who is against this would be just downright nuts.

Anyone who is against this would be just downright nuts.

I also agree. I wish I knew the names of the companies (and products) that would knowingly benefit from slave labor. Surely there is already a law that allows such companies to be sanctioned. Just having a regulation banning the importation of such products seems woefully inadequate.