All across Alaska, people are seeing signs like this in stores.
Why? Because a single ship, the North Star, is temporarily down for repairs.
Why would a single ship being down cause a shortage crisis for an entire state?
Because thanks to a ridiculous law that passed 104 years ago today, only a handful of ships are allowed to deliver goods within the US.
The Jones Act has crippled the US maritime industry, driven up the cost of living (especially in the US Islands and Alaska), killed American jobs, and made our lives worse. It is long past time to repeal it.
In order to understand the problem, let's look at how we got here:
Early on in our history, the US had the most vibrant and successful shipbuilding industry on earth. Over the years, other countries' shipbuilders became more competitive. Rather than rising to the challenge, US shipbuilding companies pushed for government to "protect" them.
This culminated in the Jones Act, introduced by Sen. Wesley Jones, who represented Washington state (and all of the shipbuilders there). This law requires that anything shipped from one part of the US to another has to be carried by a US-built, US-flagged ship.
The results of this are dramatic, and obvious for anyone who understands economics.
Because US shipbuilders have had a captive market, they stagnated. In fact, US companies found other ways to transport their goods internally, so US shipbuilders rarely even make ships anymore.
Because US companies have resorted to using less efficient means of transporting products within the US such as freight trains and trucks, the price of American goods has been made less competitive than foreign goods, which costs us jobs and money.
Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and other US islands buy most of their goods from other countries, because the Jones Act has made shipping things from mainland US too expensive. This makes it cost more to live in Alaska and the islands, and robs American companies of American customers.
Worst of all, after disasters and other crises, the Jones Act severely limits what ships can deliver relief to Americans who desperately need it, costing lives. This is why after a disaster government temporarily lifts the Jones Act for that area, proving that it's harmful and unnecessary.
And as Alaskans are experiencing right now, because there are so few Jones Act-compliant ships, if even one goes down, it can be catastrophic.
The Jones Act is a century-old act of corporate welfare for an industry it has destroyed, and an albatross around all of our necks. It is long past time to put it out on an old, Jones Act-compliant rust bucket and let it drift away.
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