New Report Exposes Jones Act ' s Flaws

The objective of “providing shipping service on all r outes essential for maintaining the flow [of commerce] at all times” and having the “safest” types of vessels are similarly unmet, with the CRS stating that “the Jones Act fleet does not appear to achieve either of these goals.” The report adds that “One can also question whether the po licy objective of having ‘the best equipped and most suitable types of vessels’ has been achieved.”The failure of protectionist policy is one of the world ’s more predictable phenomena, and prior to its passage some appeared to foresee its problems and urge a different course. As the CRS report points out, the minority report to a 1919 House committee report to the bill that would become the Jones Act called for an approach based on competition and the removal of restrictions:…in order to build up and sustain an American merchant marine it is absolutely necessary to remove every restriction against American merchants acquiring ships, whether built in the United States or out of the United States, at the lowest possible price, in order to enable them to compete with oth er nations in the transportation of the commerce of the world…Our American iron and steel manufacturers were unable to compete until they had to. When they had to they did compete successfully. Our shipbuilders can and will do likewise.And more than 50 years ago the Lyndon B. Johnson administration accurately stated that protectionism and federal la...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs