Republican Opportunism

A Shameful Proclamation - New York Times: "On Thursday, President Bush issued a proclamation suspending the law that requires employers to pay the locally prevailing wage to construction workers on federally financed projects. The suspension applies to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. By any standard of human decency, condemning many already poor and now bereft people to subpar wages - thus perpetuating their poverty - is unacceptable. It is also bad for the economy. Without the law, called the Davis-Bacon Act, contractors will be able to pay less, but they'll also get less, as lower wages invariably mean lower productivity. Republicans have long been trying to repeal the prevailing wage law… Now, in a time of searing need, the party wants to achieve by fiat what it couldn't achieve through the normal democratic process."