McCain seeks to open US domestic routes to foreign ships

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John McCain, who seems to revel in the occasional lonely crusade, is now taking on America's maritime industry and the longstanding law barring foreign-built ships from transporting goods within the United States.

McCain's opposition to the 1920 Jones Act isn't new, but his status as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is. He's made clear in recent weeks that one of his priorities is to strip away the maritime industry's protections, which he says stifle competition and drive up the cost of food, gasoline and steel.

"As has been my habit over the years, I will not quit on this issue," McCain said during a recent speech on the Senate floor.

Federal law requires that ships transporting cargo between two U.S. ports be built in the United States, manned by U.S. citizens and primarily owned by U.S. citizens.

FULL story at link.



FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2015 file photo, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., bangs the gavel to start a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCain, who seems to revel in the occasional lonely crusade, this time is taking on America{2019}s maritime industry and the longstanding law barring foreign-built ships from transporting goods within the United States. McCain{2019}s opposition to the 1920 Jones Act isn{2019}t new, but his status as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150206/us--congress-shipbuilders-17b7402b28.html

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Job protections dead in the water?

[turbinetree]

1. Fetish

McCain and all of his right wing anti-American worker and anti-buy American acolytes are trying there hardest to turn this country into the Singapore model of a Authoritarian Capitalist society and if you don't think so, China has done it, and now we have the TPP being or trying to be fast tracked without any debate-----why, because you have 500 corporations writing a trade law based on the Singapore Model of outright greed and corporate power over a nation and wanting NO accountability.
Awhile back it was reported that Michigan and all of its millionaires and billionaires in the state wanted to buy a island to circumvent the tax laws and make the island a sovereign country like Singapore, and every time a republican is voted into office this is there goal and now McCain wants to create what is called cabotage.
"Cabotage traditionally refers to shipping along coastal routes, port to port. Now the word is often used to refer to the transport of goods or passengers between two points in the same country by a vessel or an aircraft registered in another country. Originally a shipping term, cabotage now also covers aviation, railways, and road transport."
And with all of the supporters (republicans) of this idea think that they are "patriotic"----- don't think so, you support the oligarchy its that plain and simple

[edhopper]

2. Why does McCain

hate America?

[yellowcanine]

3. I agree with McCain on this one. It is an outdated law which hurts U.S. consumers and doesn't

actually protect American jobs over the long term.

[brush]

4. Pls explain your position

If American built and manned ships are replaced by foreign buiit and manned ships, how is that not losing American jobs?

[yellowcanine]

7. Because jobs are not just about where ships are built or who mans them.

It is way more complicated than that. If the requirement means that trade between U.S. ports is restricted that will mean fewer jobs at U.S. ports. If the requirement means that exporting U.S. goods is more expensive that means that fewer U.S. goods get exported and fewer jobs in the U.S.

[sulphurdunn]

10. It isn't complicated at all.

Permitting large numbers of foreign vessels owned by shadowy investment and trading companies, with underpaid and poorly trained crews to ply American coastal waters unrestricted is just another disaster waiting to happen in the cause of global profiteering.

[yellowcanine]

12. Yep, those dang furriners will destroy our 'Merican way of life, hellyeah!

Xenophobia ain't just a spelling bee word!

[tecelote]

14. Why do you think food, gas and steel will cost less?

Simple. Because American companies will lose out to foreign companies.

[yellowcanine]

16. Well, not what I said or think but have at it.

Do you always argue both sides or are you just practicing debating techniques?

[tecelote]

27. ?

Same side. Whenever we allow international free trade it means that US jobs go overseas.

Where have you been for the past 50 years?

[sulphurdunn]

17. Ad hominem fallacy.

Equating any objection to foreign influence with xenophobia is like saying any criticism of government is treason. Very authoritarian and illogical, most definitely not a rebuttal.

[yellowcanine]

18. You made the assumption that "foreign owned = unregulated." The fallacy is yours.

And yes it is based on xenophobia.

[sorechasm]

23. Republican proposals always equate to deregulation

You may know more than me, but are you assuming that John McCain expects US regulations on foreign ships traveling between US Ports? If so, how does he expect to enforce these? If they can be enforced, then how can you be sure costs won't be the same (since operational costs will rise)? If they cannot be enforced, what's to stop slave labor wages on ships within US waters and thereby reducing quality of US jobs? I really don't understand your position. Are you stating that US wages in this industry are too high?

[yellowcanine]

24. I don't know what McCain expects nor do I care. The 1920 Jones Act is an anachronism.

As such it should be replaced by laws which make more sense in a modern world. That is my position. Not that difficult to understand if you try a bit. To understand some of your questions, ships, whether domestic or foreign, which enter U.S. ports can be boarded and inspected by U.S. authorities and are all of the time. Workers can be interviewed. Records can be examined. There is no inherent reason why a foreign owned ship should be any more difficult to regulate than a U.S. ship.

[sulphurdunn]

28. Nonsense.

[turbinetree]

8. Really

Let me really explain to you what this means, do you fly, do you board an aircraft from anywhere in this country?
I work in the aviation industry, hence Turbinetree (fan blade-and turbine blades on the engines are interlocked so they don't fly off the turbine hub).
You have AMERICAN FLAG CARRIERS, Southwest, The New American, United, Delta, outsourcing heavy maintenance ( C checks, D checks) into Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, are just a few of the places are prime examples, most of the lite checks are done here in the states ( Service, A and B checks and Transit checks .
I have been laid off from United since 2001, I worked on the A/C (FLT93) that was hijacked and crashed in Pennsylvania and still have not been called back to work.
These firms have outsourced my work, they have only a need to have one Manager, Supervisor or a Lead, that can read and understand the English Language and have a Airframe and PowerPlant certificate from the FAA, which I have and a BS degree, to work on the Aircraft you get on here in the United States, everyone else DOES NOT and I repeat DOES NOT have to have the certificate, because they work under the certificate of the US carrier and the personnel that have been vetted by the FAA with the certificate, so when you get on your next aircraft, why don't you ask the captain or anyone if they know about this little fact, nine times out of ten they don't, and if you think your plane ticket is cheaper because of this you are wrong----I have to correct the outsourced work and sometimes it is not pretty, they do not I don't care what they say, they do not follow the maintenance manual or the repair manual, because of the lack of funding for FAA inspectors

[yellowcanine]

9. Well this is about ships, not airplanes.

And where maintenance is done, whether on ships or airplanes is not actually part of this legislation, which was enacted in 1920, well before there was a commercial aviation industry.

[turbinetree]

19. Lets try this again

I will not disparage you any way shape or form but I do think you should look at "ALL" the trade industries and the laws under the TRADE AGREEMENTS to really understand what cabatoge means and our past and present trade laws being implemented, and if think that George Steinbrenner had ships made in this country to buy the Yankees you are really missing the picture here, he moved the registry of his ships off to Liberia, so he could build his ships in a foreign country and then have them sail back and forth, he gutted the ship building jobs in this country, he did this in 1970 ---2001, he saw this loop hole and he exploited it.
This has been going on before 1920 and this includes aviation.
McCain is doing the same thing, and if you don't think that they will "bring" cabatoge firms into this country to go point to point past the borders and within the borders, you are mistaken.
I will give you another fact, Mexico under the NAFTA agreement now has trucks going from Mexico to Minnesota, that is what this legislation is about----the TRADE AGREEMENTS, this takes jobs.
What do you think happened to Dole foods starting in 1960 on the Big Island of Hawaii, where are they now-----El Salvador, the pineapple is grown there shipped up to Mexico and then driven by truck through the border, why do you think the Teamsters fought this trade law.
This is about commerce and commerce is trade agreements, aviation, barges, ships, truck drivers, you name it, why do you think he is pushing for this because he likes our labor---don't think so--he supports the oligarchy and he goes off on his rant about competition, really.
This legislation will affect our trade deficit

[yellowcanine]

22. The OP was about the Jones Act, not NAFTA or trade agreements.

The Jones Act is based on outdated realities. If anything your arguments illustrate why we need to look at coastal commerce and trade based on the reality today, not what was going on in 1920. What made sense in 1920 when interstate coastal commerce meant only ships does not make much sense today. It has created all kinds of weird shenanigans such as exporting goods from one U.S. port to a foreign port and then transporting the goods on the same foreign built ship back to a U.S. port. It has certainly inhibited commerce in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, as well as Hawaii and Alaska. I don't doubt that McCain and others may have their own nefarious reasons for wanting to get rid of the Jones Act but that does not mean that it should remain on the books.

[dembotoz]

5. does that include the great lakes-we have enough problems with invasive species

not looking forward to even less regulation

[father founding]

6. Don Mclean was a prophet.

Bye,Bye Miss American Pie and everything else American thanks to these false "Patriots".

[Vincardog]

11. Where exactly does this "patriot" think we will get the ships to transport the massive ordinance

Required for our unending foreign military adventures?

Maintaining the USA's maritime industry is a NATIONAL SECURITY necessity.

MORAN

[One_Life_To_Give]

13. So an XYZ Crew will run barges up and down the Mississippi?

While there are some parts of the Jones act that seem out of date and no longer necessary. However ALL US Merchant Mariners are required to have a TWIC(Transportation Workers Identity Credential) which includes a Security Background Check. Similar to requirements to transport hazardous materials.

[damyank913]

15. McCain's just being a republican.

All about the deregulation. This has Koch Bros written all over it. Does this also mean that the US Coast Guard will inspect these ships to ensure they comply with the same maritime safety regs that US ships have to? What about tanker ships? Except for military vessels; how many ships are actually built in the US anyways? I live near one of the largest shipyards in the world (Newport News) and I can tell you that there isn't a lot of commercial work going on there.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. They are building some up here in Philly

http://www.phillyshipyard.com/

It's at the site of the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (they claim they built 50% of the newest U.S. ocean-going ships in production).

[damyank913]

29. That's cool. I did'nt think much was going on in that yard.

Seems like I've read that Philly was once the biggest naval shipyard in the world. Last time I was up there I could only see old Navy ships rotting away. I'm glad to hear that they're making a come-back. Are they building for American companies?

[BumRushDaShow]

30. A lot of the old hulks are still out there

and since various organizations have events in the open grassy areas by the water, and I'm usually at one (PA Horticultural Society Members Day) once a year, I've watched how they developed the old shipyard and old Navy Base since these were closed years ago. You can't help but see them and be dwarfed by their size, although many modern ships are much bigger.

And yes, that shipyard builds for American companies.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. So McLame wants "illegals"

rolling up and down 'Merican waters in those foreign ships. Who needs a broken down van crossing the desert when you have a whole cargo bay.

His party will love that thought.

[CJCRANE]

25. Reminds me of when Shrub tried to sell off US ports to Dubai.

These guys have strange priorities.

[liberal N proud]

26. Who does this old fart represent?

It sure as hell isn't the people of the United States.