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crews. Since the advent of containeriza- rather than a government program, it is Jones Act and it has worked at no cost tion, the crew cost fraction per ton cargo more cost e? ective than using tax money to the taxpayer. Unless there is a novel has declined dramatically and, as such, to create an equivalent level of maritime argument against it, or the arguments the cost di? erence between US and for- security. for it disappear (lasting and stable world eign ? ag vessels has declined. Moreover In over 100 years, nobody has raised peace) discussing the Jones Act any fur- the overall cost of ocean freight has de- any new argument against (and for) the ther is a massive waste of time. clined due to the e? ciencies of contain- erization. Those in Hawaii who want to repeal the Jones Act are actually argu- ing for something that used to be much more burdensome in the past. Moreover, globalization has reduced the Jones act trade fraction to Hawaii, which is now a smaller fraction of all cargo imported into Hawaii than in the past.

The major truth is that the Jones

Act is one of the most cost e? ective methods for ensuring that the US maintains a modicum of ocean going shipping ability, and this is money in the bank with regard to national secu- rity. In time of war the Jones Act ? eet cannot provide all the sealift needed, but at least there will be a skills and infrastructure starting point to build from.

Let’s suppose that there is a national emergency and it is the US against the world. Without a Jones Act do the Hawai- ians know who will provide them with the goods to survive on their islands?

What would have happened to Ha- waii in World War II without the Jones

Act? And what would have happened in the Vietnam War, the Korean War and the various Middle East wars without a

Jones Act? Living on an island has its own bene? ts and burdens. That balance is a complex choice, but it is complete- ly unrealistic to think that repeal of the

Jones Act will provide a bene? t that will dramatically alter the balance of those complex choices.

The Jones Act has existed for over 100 years and for that period it has provided a modicum of national maritime secu- rity for very little cost. Over those 100 years it has not harmed any person in a way that it altered their lives and since it is a competitive commercial proposition, www.marinelink.com 13

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