Monday, June 28, 2010

The Jones Act: Lost at sea

The Jones Act: Lost at sea - Juneau Empire
"Who would have thought the Gulf oil spill would make a 90-year-old law newsworthy?

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, was meant to save the merchant marine industry by requiring ships that plied American waters be built in the United States and manned by American crews.

After the oil started gushing, lawmakers started demanding that the government waive the law to speed international assistance for the cleanup.

What the White House can't waive, however, is the ongoing damage caused by the Jones Act.

The policies it embodies are a remnant of a worldview that contributed to economic collapse and the Great Depression."

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