Rush’s Morning Update: Bonus Time!
March 30, 2009
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Well, yip, yip, yip, yip, yahoo. Another hidden “bonus” in the massive Porkulus bill is just coming to light. But don’t expect Democrats to claim the mantle of outrage over this one.
Buried inside this 407-page law is a requirement that laborers and mechanics employed on any government stimulus project must be paid the “prevailing wage.”
Sounds harmless enough. Until you realize that the “prevailing wage” is calculated to match what union members earn. AP ran the numbers. In Madison, Wisconsin, the average bricklayer currently earns about 26 bucks an hour. But once the “prevailing wage” standard is applied, each Porkulus-supported bricklayer will get a $10,000-a-year raise. Cement workers will see close to a $20,000 bonus.
This cozy little arrangement will dramatically drive up the cost of construction. Unions are delightedbecause this opens the door for them to negotiate even higher wagesto maintain their status as highly skilled workers. But ultimately, the biggest beneficiaries of this multi-million-dollar bonus scheme are elected Democrats. In return for the millions they’re spreading to their union allies, they stand to gain even more campaign contributions and “get-out-the-vote” efforts.
This is why Democrats insisted that the bill be rushed through Congress without being read, and what Democrats meantwhen they said “crises” were opportunities to be exploited. The only thing they had in mind to “stimulate” is their own political self-interest.(We’re talking above the waist;don’t worry.)
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