Competitive Enterprise Institute
by Ivan Osorio

09/13/05

If, needing to move quickly in an emergency, one of your hands is tied behind your back, you should untie it. But once the emergency has passed, you might ask: 'Why did I tie it in the first place?' That's a question Congress should now ponder. On September 8, President Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, the federal 'prevailing wage' law, in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. This is a welcome move in the effort to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, helping to create jobs in the hurricane-stricken areas. But if suspending Davis-Bacon is good for economic development and job growth in a disaster area, repealing it entirely would be good for the country... [editor's note: Once again, funny how it seems to go in opposite directions depending on who's getting paid. In an emergency, the people at the top of the government contractor chain get paid premium prices because it's "necessary" to get things done hard and fast; but when it comes to the proles, exactly the opposite logic is applied - TLK]

http://www.cei.org/gencon/019,04827.cfm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp