Reason Writers Around Town: Damon Root on Repealing the Pro-Union Davis-Bacon Act

Writing in The Washington Times, Associate Editor Damon Root argues that it's time to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, a piece of special-interest legislation with explicitly racist origins that lines the pockets of organized labor, drives up the costs of federal construction projects, and rips off the American taxpayer.

Read all about it here.

Comments

[P Brooks]

I'll be right here, holding my breath.

[Almanian]

How can Davis-Bacon be bad? Everything's better with bacon.

[Almanian]

"labor is being brought in to demoralize wage rates."

We wouldn't want our wage rates to be demoralized - it's bad for....morale!

[clogged arteries]

I'll have more bacon cause now I have free health care.

[Amanian]

Don't let it demoralize your wage rates

[Jim Doolittle]

Well, it actually makes sense when you think about it dude.

Jim
http://www.mask-your-ip.se.tc

[P Brooks]

Republican Sen. James Davis of Pennsylvania, was an outspoken racist who had argued in 1925 that Congress must restrict immigration in order "to dry up the sources of hereditary poisoning."

That guy could probably win in November.

[Fatty Bolger]

Yeah, I'm sure they'll get right on that.

[Fatty Bolger]

This was meant for the main thread.

[Brett L]

Yeah. I'll just bet the Union haters we've got in the Federal leadership are salivating at the idea. Right after card-check passes.

[P Brooks]

Repeat after me, Fatty: "Threaded comments suuuuuck!"

[John Thacker]

Everyone realizes, of course, that all the legislation passed since 2008, such as the stimulus, has had Davis-Bacon requirements, some where they never existed before. The latter is why the "weatherization" program hasn't really done anything yet, because they can't hire anyone until the Davis-Bacon bureaucrats complete their union wage survey.

[some fed (Devil's advocate)]

In the present legislative environment, if Davis-Bacon did not exist, Congress would find it necessary to invent it.

James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation finds that repealing Davis-Bacon would save taxpayers $11.4 billion in 2010 alone.

Weren't GM and Chrysler primarily bailed out to the tune of tens of billions--not out of any sentimental attachment to American nameplate manufacturers--because they are the flagships of the labor movement and uncompetitive employment compensation? That's Congress and the Administration laughing at your measly 11.4 billion a year.

I bet the discouragement of the employment of low-skilled immigrants is still a big sell for Davis-Bacon, too, as are all attempts at opponents of immigration to keep tax money out of the hands of illegal immigrants.

As for the racist history of it, Congress believes the law has been sanitized by passing a bevy of laws against employment discrimination. What does it matter to the legalist if a law served racist purposes if it is now illegal to be racist?

[John Thacker]

In the present legislative environment, if Davis-Bacon did not exist, Congress would find it necessary to invent it.

Actually, in areas where it doesn't exist, the Administration finds it necessary to issue Executive Orders applying it.

[Benedict]

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[adipex]

The author is really a true intelligent person and I'd in no way write in these kinds of a style

[cheap kits]

I bet the discouragement of the employment of low-skilled immigrants is still a big sell for Davis-Bacon, too, as are all attempts at opponents of immigration to keep tax money out of the hands of illegal immigrants.