NOLA ...Low wages / High Stakes

In Feb 2001weeks after being installed in office, President Bush proposed repealing the Davis-Bacon Act in the context of his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2002. The Davis-Bacon Act requires the payment of prevailing wage rates, as determined by DOL, to workers on federal construction projects of a certain size. The President also proposed raising the Davis-Bacon threshold from $2,000 to $1 million. He failed to get it through.

Seizing the opportunity afforded by the national disaster President Bush issued an executive order (Sept 8th) allowing Federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage in designated affected areas. (Daddy did it for Hurricane Andrew)

In a notice to Congress, Bush said the hurricane had caused "a national emergency" that permits him to take such action under the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act in designated areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. (Note this includes Broward and Dade in FL, with minimal problems - helping BRo. Jeb ?). It also appears that this EO removes the need for employers to secure details of nationality - ie. will allow us eof illegal immigrant labour.


Democratic Congressman George Miller of California said "The administration is using the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to cut the wages of people desperately trying to rebuild their lives and their communities."

Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, famous swimmer, and a man familiar with minimum wages and claimed supporter of unionised labour said, “"I regret the president's decision,"… why ? Because it is an attack on the wages of workers ? No…"One of the things the American people are very concerned about is shabby work and that certainly is true about the families whose houses are going to be rebuilt and buildings that are going to be restored,"

If we are going to have Disneyfied NOLA let’s make sure it’s not shabby.

Pres Kabacoff and Ed Boettner,’ s Historic Restoration, Inc, are busy already in controversially re-shaping and re-designing New Orleans, with their Operation Rebirth, which they hope will become a road map to create the new New Orleans. The study, which seeks to reinvigorate rundown stretches of the city, envisions an "Afro-Caribbean Paris," with garden-lined boulevards.

"There's now the possibility of getting substantial federal aid to do what would have been impossible before Katrina," says Mr. Kabacoff, whose firm, Historic Restoration Inc., is operating from a temporary office in Houma, La., about 50 miles southwest of New Orleans.

Nevada based Las Vegas Sands Inc.,(“ great entertainment options including the "Just for Laughs" Comedy Club, live entertainment nightly in the Empress Lounge, a jumpin' casino with all the latest and most popular slots and table games “ says their website), looks to enter the New Orleans market, “ if the conditions are right”. Sands and other casino operators (Harrah’s - here for news of their hurricane problems in Gulfport /NOLA / Gulfport) have experience constructing major projects that include hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment, plus casinos. "It's clear we have the capability for large-scale projects," Sands spokesman, Ron Reese is quoted saying.(pic shows Sinatra one time Sands owner, playing Chemin De Fer / Baccarat)

I can't wait to visit.