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)
