3 ms·
> repeal the Jones Act Man do I wish more attention was given to this matter. Virtually all the national security arguments in favor of the Jones Act are eithe
by trafficante 3y ago
> repeal the Jones Act
Man do I wish more attention was given to this matter. Virtually all the national security arguments in favor of the Jones Act are either moot or straight up farcical in Current Year.
It’s particularly strange when you consider this should be one of those unicorn “good” bipartisan issues with multiple reasons for right/left wing people to hop on board. Environmentalism, anti-racist (ie: Puerto Rico), huge boost to many local economies (on both the coasts and Midwest), etc.
Maybe the trucking industry/unions are heavily lobbying against a repeal? It’s difficult to come up with a reasonable explanation for why Jones Act bills keep dying before they get a vote.
- legitster 3y agoIt boggles my mind. Someone was telling me that the Mississippi River is only using about 1/10th of its potential freight capacity when compared to equivalent European waterways or even the shipping capacity the Army Corp of Engineers maintains. For all of the attention billionaires get, I think it's a good reminder of how politics are still local. The Koch brothers dumped billions of dollars to try to reform prison sentencing and oppose the ACA and got nowhere with either. Meanwhile, a small handful of multi-generational shipping magnates in the US have had a stranglehold on the economy with the support of congress for over 100 years.