I see that CNBC has rated Texas the top state for business. This despite the fact that it ranked very low in "quality of life" and in the bottom half of states in "education". It's estimated that 25% of Texans are without health insurance. (When asked about it, Gov. Perry suggested that it's simply a lifestyle choice people make to not have insurance.)
Well, anyway, it got me to thinking.... According to Wikipedia, there were 180,000 slaves in Texas by 1860, about 30% of the total population of the state. It's probably a reasonable guess that 50% or more of the "workers" in the state were slaves. Imagine how high a score CNBC would have given Texas back then when half the workers in the state were working for free!
No comments:
Post a Comment