Enslaved in America

There was an interesting story in yesterday's Denver Post about illegal migrant workers being treated like slaves--living in deplorable conditions, working twelve hour days, threatened with violence, humiliated. Apparently, this kind of thing goes on all the time here in America. The poor and powerless are exploited and oppressed. The American consumer is, ultimately, the beneficiary. It's Charles Dickens all over again.

It is interesting in this particular story to see how the blame for what happened to these men gets passed around like a hot potato: The growers and grocers blame the state Department of Labor. The state Department of Labor blames the Federal Department of Labor. The Federal Department of Labor blames the Immigration Department.

I'm wondering if the truth is that we're all to blame.