North Dakota’s Byron Dorgan Attaches Union Protectionism To Iraq Spending Bill
Senate Democrats are blocking access to the U.S. for Mexican long-haul trucks.
The truck opening was part of Nafta and was supposed to be completed seven years ago. In February, the Transportation Department finally announced a plan to grant 100 Mexican companies permission to exceed the current 25-mile limit on the U.S. side of the border for a one year period, thus delivering their cargo to its final destination across America. That would be good for U.S. consumers and productivity because distribution would immediately be more efficient. It would also show that the U.S. keeps its treaty commitments.
But if Mexican truckers don’t have to hand their cargo to an American truck and driver, it would also mean real competition for U.S. truckers. That’s anathema to the Teamsters union, which tapped Democrats Byron Dorgan (North Dakota), Dianne Feinstein (California) and Patty Murray (Washington) to do its bidding by sponsoring an amendment to delay the proposal and attaching it to the Iraq and Afghanistan war supplemental spending bill.
There are two questions that Byron Dorgan and his colleagues who supported this need to answer.
First, why is protecting the unions more important than cheaper goods through free trade and efficient distribution?
Second, why not pass this legislation on its own merits rather than attaching it to an already controversial and beleaguered Iraq spending bill?
The answer to the first question is: Because the unions grease Byron’s palm with all sorts of dues-based lucre, and he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t respond in kind by doing the union’s bidding.
The answer to the second question is: Because then people would see this legislation for the shameful pandering to big-money union interests it is.
Mickey
brenarlo
The Whistler:
Oh, and Kaiser didn't just fold up altogether. It was absorbed into the AMC company....
Gman
AKAJOEL
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