I know that this proposal seems monstrous and a huge step backwards in terms of the progression of history, but just hear me out?
Indentured Servitude was a process where someone provided free labor to one or more specific employers for a finite period of time, as determined by a formal contract that was agreed to. It was used for example, as an alternative means by which someone could pay off their debts if they were in debt. This seems like a good deal to me on the face of it. If someone is involuntarily employed, they could maybe make the best of it and come out better by the end of it, if they picked up any skills from the work that was assigned to them. The main downside is that people in that situation weren't paid, but perhaps got free room and board or other accomodations.
Slavery on the other hand, was the buying and selling of humans as property. The owner of a person could do whatever they wished, but usually the point was to exploit free labor from people. One key reason for Slavery going away that is often given, was because it became unprofitable. The cost of ownership for a person, is the need to provide food, water, and shelter for them at minimum. Hence, the cost of having slaves- is like the cost of raising a child or dependent in that respect. Back in 1850, a slave in the American South cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today's money- because it was difficult to capture and transport an African slave across the Atlantic by sail, but today- a slave is rumored to cost only $90 on average globally speaking, despite it now being illegal worldwide.
If we want to try to extract even more productivity for the economy, it isn't enough to have near full employment like is the case for the US economy during Donald Trump's presidency. We need to perhaps try to utilize the under 5% of the population that isn't employed for whatever reason, and the people who aren't employed but aren't looking- except for the truly disabled or retired people. On paper, there are more jobs than there are qualified people to fill those jobs. To get some wealth extracted from an untapped resource such as the normally un-employable people, one way to do this would be yes- unfree labor. Even if people don't like the concept for moral reasons.
One controversial opinion some people have about slavery historically speaking is: "What are Blacks complaining about? They got free room and board in exchange for some free labor." And this is a sentiment I can partially understand, even though it is brash and insensitive. If slavery were more regulated, I think that perhaps it would be the case that certain abuses and excesses could be prevented ahead of time, while still facilitating the use of unpaid labor to bring about cheaper prices for certain products and more work in general getting done.
The homeless as one example, I see as a ripe candidate for possibly benefiting from slavery, in that as slaves- they'd be taken off of the streets but would get free room and board, but in exchange- they provide whatever unpaid labor that is needed. Lots of people could make lots of money if a slave trade was active again. There are huge pools of labor out there that're idle that could in theory be made active if one or more forms of unfree labor were allowed.
If unfree labor in general, good or bad for the economy and society overall? Why or why not?
I've walked around my family's backyard and know that they can't afford to pay a professional landscaper an actual salary, but they can afford to host one or more individuals; and yard help is clearly needed. I do get tempted to think, that with one or more slaves, the unpaid labor they could provide would be a solution my family would clearly benefit from, if it were the case that slavery were legal. Once no more work is needed, slaves can always be sold to someone else who has work that needs doing, or can be formally set free.
If I were desperate enough to have something paid off as a last resort, I'd seriously consider signing away my liberty to get more decent living conditions as someone's slave, as an alternative to living in squalor on the streets. There is always the risk that an owner can be abusive or unreasonable, but if you do the work satisfactorily, it arguably isn't likely. The abuse of slaves might be limited if it were treated akin to how animal cruelty is handled.
I think it is the case that to some extent, slavery has never truly gone away. That it still happens to this day, because in at least some contexts- it does manage to still be profitable. Such as what is alleged to have recently happened within the UK: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/worl ... avery.html
