Keeping Up With the Jones Act

This is not an opinion piece, but a matter of setting the record straight. “Just the facts ma’am” Obama’s critics are claiming that by not waiving restrictions on foreign maritime assistance in the Gulf oil spill he, in concert with organized labor, is impeding the Gulf “cleanup,” if you can call it that. Damn, an opinion already! Ok, back to facts.

The pertinent information has already become available to the public. But for those who aren’t up to date on this subject at issue is the Jones Act, passed in 1920 with the support of organized labor. It prohibited foreign flagged vessels or those with foreign crews from port to port deliveries and other services in American waters. This act was waived by Bush after Katrina to allow non Americans to help in the affected area. Obama has been criticized by the usual suspects for not doing the same, allegedly to help his labor constituency.

The simple and obvious fallacy in this claim is that U.S. waters extend three miles from shore and Deepwater Horizon is at fifty two, so the activity in question is not is not within the jurisdiction of the Jones Act. Because there is no need for waivers, as there was after Katrina where the work was being done on U.S soil, none have been requested.

At last count there were fifteen ships, more according to another report, working in the cleanup. Booms from several countries, Norway, Brazil and Mexico come to mind, are being deployed.

With this sort of misinformation in the air, proper assessment of our response to this disaster requires the perception to separate the wheat from the chaff. No problem with this one. It’s pure unadulterated chaff !