Saturday, September 30, 2017

Points to Ponder:

"After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the Federal Government waived the Jones Act to allow non-US ships to carry goods into local ports in Florida and Texas. The Government has chosen not to waive the Jones Act with regard to Puerto Rico.

What is the Jones Act? It is a law which states that when goods are being shipped from one US port to another US port, those goods must be carried on US flagged ships, which are constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens and whose crews consist of US citizens and US permanent residents.

This is absurd! What this does is add unnecessary costs to shipping of goods purchased by US citizens. It also gives the FedGov authority to decide how shipping takes place in the event of natural disasters.

In today's world, this law is garbage. Protectionism is a solution advocated by people who live in a fairy tale world. It doesn't work. It doesn't save jobs. It only makes things more expensive for the average American. And it impedes recovery after disasters." [Imre Beke]

Tuesday, September 26, 2017