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Natalia, that’s
a good question for clarification. This is what I found: Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, the man who said he wanted
to shrink government small enough to drown it in a bathtub, sent Sec. of Labor
Elaine Chao a letter asking that she suspend the Davis-Bacon Act in order to
free taxpayers from paying too much for the disaster clean up and management. In quick follow up, Representatives Tom Feeney (R-Florida), Jeff Flake
(R-Arizona) Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colorado), sent Pres. Bush a similar letter,
stating that the Davis-Bacon Act drives costs up and "effectively
discriminates against non-union contractors." The Davis-Bacon Act requires that companies or agencies employing
workers with federal monies pay at least the prevailing wage in any given area.
The wage is to be based on the amount "determined by the Secretary of
Labor to be prevailing for the corresponding classes of laborers and mechanics
employed on projects of a character similar to the contract work in the city,
town, village or other civil subdivision…" Bush’s proclamation does not carry
an expiration date and applies only to areas in Louisiana, Alabama,
Mississippi and Florida. According to available federal data, the prevailing hourly wage for an
electrician in Orleans Parish, Louisiana hovers around $20. Highway workers in
the same area would earn upwards of $16 an hour. There is
genuine concern about stretching the limits of schools in the affected areas. If
the Bush administration sees fit to fast-track school vouchers so that kids can
go to private and/or parochial schools or hastily created charter schools
(which may or may not hire certified teachers or stick to mandated
curriculums), then surely in the same interest of accommodating all without
overwhelming municipal services and the taxpayers, it should fast track Section
8 vouchers for low-income housing that would utilize vacant rental apartments and
reduce the number of evacuees moved into mobile homes and trailers in “Katrina
towns” (reminiscent of Hoovervilles during the Depression). As the papers have
noted this weekend, the poorest victims of Hurricane Charley in Florida are
still living in trailers there a year later, and some remain in temporary
housing from Hurricane Andrew. There is going
to be an imbalance to the services extended. We will no doubt see injustices
and fraud simply because of the scale and the immediacy of the need. Btw, I
watched a town hall meeting with evacuees in Baton Rouge, that included First
Responders, elected officials, FEMA, architect/planners and the displaced. If
your area broadcasts PBS NOW on Sundays, I recommend it highly. A family of
four is not going to get housing with a $2,000 voucher and food stamps, without
a job and transportation to move. There will be more social unrest as families
are ditched in shelters. PBS NOW: Town meeting in Baton Rouge with Katrina evacuees http://www.pbs.org/now/society/katrinatownhall.html (this is the correct link, for those who recognize this item from today’s
Casey Report 2) |
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