Sunday, September 9, 2018

Part one: The Northern aggression during the Jim Crow era and what it means today to Mexico's new agreement with the US


The Northern aggression during the Jim Crow era and what it means today to Mexico's new agreement with the US.

Part one: History of the Beacon Davis Act
Part two takes us to the present Mexico -US NAFTA proposed agreement
Part three is a diagram explaining Union - Democrat poverty cycle

In 1931 a bill was passed as law. This bill was racist as Jim Crow laws of the same period. The Davis Beacon Act was passed to keep minorities in the south from migrating north and taking white laborer jobs. Before 1931 more than eighty percent of all un-skilled construction workers found in 6 southern cities were black. Union labor excluded blacks in the North from training and licensing for the pure fact of racism, protectionism and purposely made it impossible to join.

A Veterans Bureau Hospital built prior to 1931 was awarded to an Alabama contractor who brought unskilled, low-wage laborers to New York to fully fill a contract to build. James Davis, a Senator from Pennsylvania, and Robert Beacon of Long Island NY created this bill to thwart blacks' progress in America and keep local jobs for their constituents that were paid for with pork barrel funds from the federal government coffers. 

The Davis Beacon Act sought prevailing wages to be paid to all labor, and the wages were to reflect the local market wage. So, I am trying to tell you that a black person from Alabama making 1.00 an hour would have to be paid the same as the white worker in another locality making 2.00 an hour. One might say that is a good thing, black people making the same money as white people, but wait, there is more to think about. As a contractor, if you have to pay someone the same wage for the same work, are you going to choose the person (sometimes a neighbor) who lives in the locality or pay someone you don't know from out of state? Remember, these workers from the south also had to be fed and housed by the employer, and all the local workers had to do was go home. You decide who you would hire.

After the passage of this bill, the impact on the black community was not what one would have expected. Un-skilled black workers banned from joining unions to receive the training needed for the requirement of skilled labor and increased wages was devastating. The use of a prevailing wage kept government projects in the hands of unions and white skilled labor in the North.

The cost of the Beacon Davis Act today is an extra one-billion-plus dollars according to what I could find on the subject and, if repealed, could add tens of thousands of jobs in the construction industry. Free trade and labor markets help un-skilled people get the "on-the-job training" they need to build a life for themselves and their families without the need for government assistance.


Walter Williams Race and Economics: How much can be blamed on discrimination.
www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/what-the-unions-won/412501/


Part two: The Northern aggression during the Jim Crow era and what it means today to Mexico's new agreement with the US: Part two


Part two: The Northern aggression during the Jim Crow era and what it means today to Mexico’s new agreement with the US. 


US - Mexico NAFTA agreement:
There is a discussion of raising auto worker wages in Mexico as part of the NAFTA agreement. On average, in Mexico, assembly workers make $8-$10 an hour and parts plants workers make $4-$6 dollars an hour including benefits.

 If the agreement holds, the same effect of the 1930’s Davis Beacon Act could eventually affect Mexico if we can keep competitive wages near the same in America.  Jobs will be more inclined to return to America, and if they do, it will be to our southern states and not Detroit, is my guess. 

The average labor cost between the big three in Detroit is around $55.00 (including benefits) an hour. A non-union plant in Alabama making Hyundai vehicles earn about 42.00 an hour plus benefits. A two-tier pay system developed to help companies compete during the recession has ended with new agreements to increase wages over the next 6-8-years in union shops. While this will create high paying jobs again in America, the North will still have to compete with lower pay jobs in Mexico and non-union southern shops.

 I guess the question becomes, can autos be made in Mexico with an average pay of $16.00 an hour plus benefits and ship autos to the US tariff-free and, still be cheaper than making these vehicles right here in the US? The answer may be yes, it will still be cheaper to make autos in Mexico. As long as the Unions pressure automakers to increase wages to feed Democrats to get elected. Democrats, in turn, will protect Unions with favorable legislation and no benefit will be realized. It is as if no one has learned a thing over the past 40 years when we started this NAFTA agreement in 1979, to begin with.

In my opinion, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Union and Democrats have contributed to the fall of manufacturing in America for decades. Unions have throughout history created scenarios where overseas labor has been sought after to satisfy publically traded shareholders. The UAW consistently puts pressure on non-union manufacturing plants in the south to join the union. Manufacturers threaten to not build and leave if unions succeed. The Democrats have long held hands with powerful Unions creating an environment of reason, to move to manufacture out of the US. Thus, creating a poverty-stricken, semi-skilled population who will blindly vote for the Democrats promising union jobs and “we will take care of you.”. The cycle will never end it seems.

To think, since 1931 and with the enactment of a racist bill to being with, The Davis Beacon Act, promoting prevailing wage still has an impact in today’s market. Semi-skilled workers still cling to their politicians and UAW promises, only to experience a fleeting utopia followed by poverty. This has happened in many trades such as manufacturing and construction, again and, again and, again.  Free trade is the only way forward if we are to compete globally and, the “right to work state” must prevail and not allow Democrats to unionize the country.


Walter Williams Race and Economics: How much can be blamed on discrimination.
www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/what-the-unions-won/412501/

Part three: Union - Democrat cycle of poverty

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Publius


Publius

 I have been reading Glenn Becks book "The Original Argument" of late. I have found some similarities and yet some remarkable objections to how the media and et alii, have handled the Brent Kavanaugh proceedings over the past 3-days.

Publius is a reference to Publius Valerius Publicola, a supporter of the Roman Republic. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison used the pen name Publius, to create essays. These essays were used to convince New York and Virginia to adopt the constitution as written in Philadelphia 1787.  A pseudonym was used by many at the time to debate, for and against the constitution. Some wanted to keep their independence and create mini-states with no affiliation with another. Others wanted a federal government with limited powers. We are fortunate that the writers of what we now know as the Federalist papers, won the day and our constitution was ratified.  My point is when the NY Times published the anonymous op-ed detailing what I might refer to as a spy, hell-bent on resisting the POTUS, I want you to know it is not unusual. Here in Virginia, we have the Williamsburg Gazette's last word. The last word was created around this very idea of anonymous speech. Ben Franklin used a pseudonym Silence Dogwood to write letters. I have used a pseudonym in the past. I had suspected, I had been blacklisted by the Daily Press and Williamsburg Gazette. I chose the pseudonym Alpheus Baker. I wrote one opinion under this name after many opinions had been rejected and for months. The very first opinion I wrote, was published. Since that day, I have been published again only after revealing my trickery. Note: I usually write way past my  250-word  limit so, sometimes it is on me to limit my content to be considered. 

While we can agree our history is littered with published pseudonyms and anonymity opinions, such a classless approach to change found in the NY Times today, is rather repugnant to me. The writer of the op-ed found in the NY Times this week was either false or the writer is a coward. For the NY Times to publish such an attack shows us the mainstream media bias toward the POTUS. I choose to see this op-ed as "fake news" unless the NY Times publishes a name. The corrupt Washington Post is reporting sleeper cells inside the WH resisting the POTUS. This is fake news unless the Post can produce named sources. Here is hoping the secret service raids the Washington Post and NY times to find the spies and traitors or confirm the fake news as, enough is enough. 

I have had the liberty to observe the supreme court proceedings this week. I find the minorities attempt to publicly humiliate the prospect for the supreme court to be childish. Let us be clear, Cory Booker's feverish stall tactic and one-upmanship proved  to be the fatal wreck of, a ship of fools. A reference to Spartacus plays for us the same old tired battle hymn of race and slavery.  Nothing more than a means to divide and rally an uneducated voter.  At least Spartacus died on the battlefield heroically. Cory Booker committed suicide in today's hearings. 

I have to ask, how is Senator Blumenthal able to live with himself, caught lying to veterans. How can the Democrats stand there and accuse the POTUS of dodging the Vietnam war when within their own ranks, Senator Blumenthal, did the same thing. At least the POTUS was honest about his whereabouts during the war. Senator Blumenthal lied and stole valor. This man has no business representing Americans let alone sitting in on the confirmation hearings. 

In closing, I believe the Democrats and the media are purposely releasing fake opinions and news to distract from the confirmation hearings. I believe these two entities are working together to destroy our freedom, our nation and willfully use any means necessary to grab power. 












Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Discourse: Crisis already upon us



Chancellor's Professor of the Public Policy, the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Reich believes we need to reform capitalism and wrote. " The world's productivity revolution is outpacing the political will of rich societies to fairly distribute its benefits. The results are widening inequality " Basically what he is telling us is, we need to take from you and give to others because..... 

Mr. Reich wrote an opinion Jan. of 2018 "Crisis already upon" I wrote to him and asked to discuss it but, I never heard back. I will leave this here for your consideration. 

You are right about one thing, a crisis "was" already upon us when we voted Donald Trump into the White House. Eight years of lies, deceit, and the stomping of our Constitution by the previous president should be reviewed. I cite here my source and admiration for Dr. Walter Williams, his book, American Contempt for Liberty. I have indeed and with great honor plagiarized his works here. (Read this guy if you want to live free.)

Obamacare is still unconstitutional. We've been betrayed much of the moral vision of our Founding Fathers. In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000.00 for relief of French refugees who had fled from insurrection in San Domingo, President James Madison rose on the floor of the House of Representatives to object, saying " I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." To say that article 1 section 8 gives the federal government the right to tax for the general welfare of the country does not indicate benevolence as a reason to tax. James Madison made this very clear in 1794.

Reich may say the US Supreme Court ruled Obamacare constitutional, and that federal law is supreme in this case. However, Reich’s idea that federal decisions reign supreme is contradicted when it comes to illegal aliens crossing our borders. He will switch gears and applaud state rights as supreme.  

It is worth noting the words of Thomas Jefferson, "To consider judges as the ultimate arbitrators of all constitutional questions is a very dangerous doctrine indeed and one which would place us under the disposition of an oligarchy." In 1798 and 1799, Jefferson and Madison go on to write in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, "Resolved, that the several states composing, the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to the general government.... and whenever the general the government assumes un-delegated powers, its acts are un-authoritative, void and of no force." In other words, Reich heeds the Tenth Amendment of our Constitution, which reads, "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." 

You see, Robert Reich believes in slavery. If we believe we own ourselves, then we own what we produce. When a person or government comes along and takes from you without your permission, or gives your property to someone else without your permission, it is a form of slavery. This is what we call socialism, and as far as I know, the United States Constitution, in accordance with its writer, James Madison, it is not constitutional  for any president to take from its citizens, and give benevolence to other citizens. 

Reich also does not seem to understand. According to the WSJ "57% of Americans pay taxes and that 59% of our national budget is spent unconstitutionally on social welfare", which is not sustainable. What Robert Reich does understand is slavery. 



Democracy is explained, the Constitution evaluated, and the writer leaves out the 2nd amendment.

Joesph Filco has taught economics and American government. Joseph writes commentary for the Williamsburg Gazette. The gentleman is relativel...