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1/10/25

The Jones Act significantly increases shipping costs in the U.S. and must therefore be repealed!

Enacted in 1920, the Jones Act mandates that goods shipped between U.S. ports must be transported on vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-owned, and U.S.-crewed. While it aims to protect U.S. maritime industries, several major issues are associated with it, including significantly higher shipping costs and limited fleet capacity.

Shipping costs are much higher than they should be because the Jones Act limits competition by restricting foreign vessels from participating in domestic shipping. U.S.-flagged vessels are generally more expensive to operate due to labor and construction regulations. On average, the cost to build a ship in the U.S. can be four or more times higher than the world price. These increased costs are often passed on to consumers. Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska, which rely heavily on shipping for goods, are particularly affected by the high shipping costs caused by the Jones Act. Furthermore, the Jones Act makes it prohibitively expensive to transport natural gas, gasoline, and wind turbine components from the Gulf Coast or other U.S. ports to the Northeast. As a result, Northeast states often purchase foreign natural gas instead of domestic U.S. natural gas due to the Jones Act.

Additionally, because the Jones Act reduces demand for U.S.-built ships, the U.S. merchant fleet is small, limiting the availability of vessels for domestic trade. This lack of capacity can lead to supply chain disruptions, especially during emergencies or periods of increased demand. Moreover, the law has been criticized for limiting the development of a more diverse and efficient fleet, as restrictions on vessel ownership discourage innovation and modernization in the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Incredibly, in 2022, the number of ships built globally was as follows: China 1,734, South Korea 734, Japan 587, Europe 319, and the United States just 5.

Finally, the Jones Act’s restrictions on shipping inadvertently lead to greater reliance on land transportation, which increases road congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, undermining efforts to reduce both environmental and logistical inefficiencies.

1/3/25

According to the December 2024 HUD release, ‘The number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2024 was the highest ever recorded.’ A total of 771,480 people, which is 18.1% higher than in 2023 and 19.2% higher than in 2007, when data was first collected. Additionally, 152,585 individuals experienced chronic patterns of homelessness, an increase of 27% over 2007. Read the report here: HUD Report.

*Note: If the cost to supply emergency bedding per year is $5,000 per bed, the cost to supply an additional 771,480 beds would be less than $4 billion. The total government spending for the most recent year, according to the Federal Reserve, is $10.4 trillion, yet the government has failed to address homelessness.

12/20/24

An accredited bachelor’s degree for only $3,000!

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For more information, visit www.Newlane.edu or www.Educate4Free.com

11/29/24

84% of Americans believe that “special interest groups and lobbyists have too much say in what happens in politics,” and 72% believe “there should be limits on the amount of money that can be spent on campaigns,” according to a September 2023 Pew survey. Special interest groups raise costs for consumers, make our economy less efficient, waste scarce resources, and lower our standard of living! What if our government were run by common sense rather than by special interest groups? We need to vote for politicians who commit to reducing the influence of special interest groups in Washington through lobbying and campaign donations. Read more…

10/25/24

70% of American adults think marijuana use should be legal, according to an October 2023 Gallup poll. We need to vote for politicians who commit to legalizing marijuana and ending the unreasonable practice of jailing people for using it. Additionally, the lack of traditional banking services often forces cannabis businesses to rely on cash transactions, which are less secure and more expensive to manage. Furthermore, federal restrictions can limit the scope and scale of research on cannabis, hindering medical advancements. View the poll…

9/27/24

College costs can be reduced by 95% by removing regulatory barriers that prevent students from obtaining accredited degrees through independent study and testing out of college courses. Several non-profit organizations already offer free or almost free college credit by exam, allowing students to study independently and test out of a significant number of courses at many universities. Unfortunately, most universities limit these non-traditional credits to 25% or less, leaving students to pay full price for the remaining credits. Read more and sign the petition…