[ExI] The Catholic Impact (was Re: Origin of ethics and morals)

[Mirco Romanato]

Il 26/12/2011 01:07, Stefano Vaj ha scritto:
> On 25 December 2011 19:28, Mirco Romanato <painlord2k at libero.it> wrote:

>> This is a "minor" problem that you can make away with slavery. But the
>> slaves (and the forced low paid workers) usually are not very productive
>> because there is no advantage in working more than the minimum.

> Nor there is really for the entrepreneur to invest in technology, or
> for that matter in their training,  because simply increasing the
> "brute force" is cheaper.

Increasing the number of "brutes" working in a slaver society is a
problem because slaves rarely reproduce themselves well. Usually, living
conditions and working conditions are bad enough to prevent them or they
simply don't see the reason to reproduce to give their master another
slave to use and abuse.

In the past slaver society obtained the bulk of their slaves from
external wars (if they won) and raids. If this source dried up, the
number of slaves in the society dropped.
In the Ancient Rome a common slave could cost 2 years of pay of an
unskilled worker. So they were use with care and well maintained when
possible.
In theory an entrepreneur could buy slaves from other slave owners if he
need more of them. But this would rapidly raise the price of slaves
until he would unable to profit from an increase of production if
significant external sources are not available. Indeed, the need of new
slaves was an important part of the raids and conquest campaigns of
Vikings and Muslims in East Europe, Russia, South Europe, Africa, India.

>> And on this we agree. There are government statistics (Denmark for sure,
>> maybe UK) that show the costs of immigrants for the government are
>> greater than the profits. They are a net taxpayer's loss.
>> But, in many ways, they are a source of profits (and votes) for the
>> bureaucrats and the politicos and their friends and allies. If they
>> won't there would not be a political will to let them in and let them
>> stay in.

> Exactly. Even though I would not entirely discount the lobbying of
> entrepreneurs that are either myopic or in position to externalise the
> indirect cost of manpower import.

They would not if the government was not in the business to provide (for
a fee) welfare help to immigrants, both legal or illegal, and in the
business to prevent people from protecting themselves from internal and
external miscreants.

Mirco