Not Done With the Port Issue-Capitalism is at Stake.

There is this myth out here that if there was no national security issue, it would be all right to turn management of the nation's ports over to a foreign government or a foreign corporation. 

It is not O.K.

Anything that constitutes public property, particularly federally-owned, should be under the direct management of the appropriate level of government.  My friend John Nichols, writing in the Nation says,

Corporate Control of Ports Is the Problem

Ports are essential pieces of the infrastructure of the United States, and they are best run by public authorities that are accountable to elected officials and the people those officials represent. While traditional port authorities still exist, they are increasing marginalized as privatization schemes have allowed corporations -- often with tough anti-union attitudes and even tougher bottom lines -- to take charge of more and more of the basic operations at the nation's ports.

This, in turn, is challenged by William Marina writing for The History News Network:

So, the real issue is privatization. Mr. Nichols would prefer government ownership. In all of this talk of accountability, nowhere is there any mention of the historical reality that American ports were long bastions of the unholy alliance of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and union officials.  (emphasis added)

Marina leads off saying:

American ports used to be controlled by a corrupt alliance of politicians and unions. One can recall with nostalgia a half century ago, as Oscar week approaches, Marlon Brando and Karl Mauldin in On the Waterfront, offering us a glimpse of this relationship. .. As a former Floridian and co-author of A History of Florida (3 rd ed., 1999) I can attest that the Port of Miami has been a case study in such shenanigans, and that explains why some of the pols there are so upset.

There is no denying the corruption of America piers over the years, and on both coasts.  American labor history is replete with too many such examples. Marina is silent about the corrupt owners.

Marina ignores the corruption from the railroad barons through Enron as a theme of government-enabled capitalism. 

I won't argue that the union history is corruption free, I while contend that the history of labor racketeering was preceded industry by industry by corrupt business practices.  As the garment workers learned, once the bosses turned to the gangsters, the workers had little recourse if they did not want to die--and many did.

Well, Marina, should we close off capitalism because for two centuries it has dismally failed to deter corrupt board room shenanigans?  huh?

Huh?

Can you say Bernie Ebbers?

Can you say "Kenny-boy" Lay?

Huh?

Comments

[Evil Jon]

Paul,

You're missing the bigger issue. When President Reagan was in office, his trade policies favored the Japonese. And within weeks of leaving office, he was paid $ 2 million by the Japonese for a speech he made. That was a hell of a speech. Worth every damn penny. Broke down to merely thousands of dollars per word.

Now, current President Bush needs a retirement plan. Sure, suckers like you may have a 401K or IRA. But is that kind of penny pinching befitting an American President? I think not. No, President Bush is going to need some serious change to continue affording the Imperial lifestyle to which he has grown acustom, after he resigns in 2015.

Clearly, he's been reflecting on his younger days, running companies into the ground in Texas. When he needed a bailout, where did the money come from? That's right, Dubai. All he's doing is thinking ahead. By the time he resigns the Imperial seat, the country he's living in will be bankrupt thanks to his prudent fiscal management. He'll need that Dubai money.

Hey, we all have our retirement plans. I invest in mutual funds. Some invest in real estate. All the man is doing is selling American assets and American security to provide for his own secure post-retirement lifestyle. And how can you criticize him for choosing the United Arab Emerites. After all, it's a proven fact that since 9/11, the UAE has not funded a single 9/11 terrorist. That's a fact. And who better to provide management of our crucial ports than a country that hasn't tried to destroy us in over 4 years?

[Paul]

Jon:
You are correct that there is a cozyness, well documented by Randi Rhodes, among others, which links the Bush family to well heeled oil barons and other tycoons connected to this UAE port deal.