Farewell to the Old Ways

This week, we bid farewell to former President Jimmy Carter. Living to the age of 100, he had decades to build a post-presidential legacy. Among these accomplishments were peacemaking efforts, and building homes for the destitute, through Habitat for Humanity. While in office, some of the lesser-remembered points were implementing the metric system (which is officially on the books), legalizing homebrewing, and beginning deregulation of the transportation industries. We can also remember him as the last president of the old economy. During his administration, ocean shipping companies built ships in the United States with Construction Differential Subsidies, then sailed them with well-paid American crews with Operational Differential Subsidies. (The leaner and scrappier Maritime Security Program of today cannot be compared to the largess of the pre-1981 era). Ships built in that era, including the former M/V Mary Ann Hudson, which I sailed upon as a maritime student, have mostly headed to the scrapyard. But they sure provided stable employment for decades. Outgoing President Joe Biden awarded George Soros, among others, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. George Soros has been many things. Ironically, the Old Left used to criticize Soros for ending central planning in Eastern European economies. Then, according to some pundits, he became a boogeyman for the Right, with his large donations to Democratic Party causes. In the 1990’s, he was a neoliberal reformer; in the 2000’s, a contributor to left-wing causes, and most recently, a menace to public safety through massive, targeted contributions in District Attorney races. Flush with campaign cash, Soros’ team boosted ideological, often poorly-qualified, District Attorney candidates in Democratic Primaries. They would win, usually by narrow margins, on a wave of support from activists. These nominees were then elected in November when voters chose the party line. When in office, these “Reform Prosecutors” would burn the system down by tampering with pending cases, and imposing blanket policies such as denying pre-trial detention of violent offenders, and not prosecuting large categories of cases, even for repeat offenders. Apparently, voters have denied half of the “Soros prosecutors” a second term, both in the regular election cycle and in recall elections. Despite all this, we can’t forget that Soros has raised up free-market proteges through his investment firm. One of them is incoming President Trump’s Treasury Secretary pick, Scott Bessent. Trump had to thread a needle, picking someone palatable to Wall Street, while satisfying the nationalist, perhaps autarkist, economic policies demanded by Trump’s political base. I do hope that Scott Bessent becomes Soro’s final legacy, and that we can put the “Reform Prosecutor” era to rest, as a bad dream. Coming full circle on an old blog post: From January 1st of this year, large-windowed red buses have no longer been plying the streets of central Washington, DC. The city’s Circulator service, having operated for 20 years, was featured in one of my earlier blog posts, under the title “Circulation Dead”, for its low operating speed. As an augment to Metrobus, the regional bus service, Circulator at its peak was slow but provided extensive and fairly reliable service. Its $1 fare also never increased with inflation. During the COVID-19 pandemic and afterwards, the buses stopped arriving in a predictable fashion. While the operating company blamed driver shortages, one could see the supervisors and drivers loitering at terminals, without a care about schedule. Bus tracking software was turned off. Metrobus, the regional system, got better, with dedicated bus lanes, real-time tracking, less bunching, and more efficient routing in the downtown area. While ridership on subway lines and regional buses recovered to the greatest part, ridership on the Circulator was a mere fraction of what it was pre-Pandemic. By 2024, choice riders could choose between regional buses using bus lanes (which Circulator did not use), the improved subway system (the Pandemic lull gave time to perform extensive track maintenance), shared scooters, and even rideshare options.

How I Learned to Love the Obamaphone

Some of our readers will be aware that I have a working payphone. It has since been relocated from Norfolk, VA to neighboring Portsmouth, VA, but it works just the same. “Pick up the handset, listen for the ring tone, dial a phone number, insert quarters if required”. Now, four years down the road, I wonder if this was the correct approach to public communications. It is common knowledge that near-universal cell phone adoption led to the demise of the payphone network. These rugged devices retrenched from a ubiquitous sight to core locations such as government buildings and transit centers, and now many public facilities have forgone them altogether. What gives? The Lifeline cell phone, or Obamaphone. The program had existed since the Reagan era as a landline subsidy, but around 2008, entrepreneurs determined that cell phones could be issued to the needy for less than $9.25 per month, thereby requiring no out-of-pocket cost for basic phone models. Thus, I had to reframe my mind around the remaining fragments of a public telephone network, in which I include courtesy phones you may find on the front desks of hotels, hospitals, and airport terminals. In contrast to the third-party commercial interests that determine payphone removals, ensuring that these public courtesy phones remain in place now appeared to be a high priority. If we could approach grocery stores and transit centers to provide courtesy phones, then we might have a basic but functioning network of public telephones. Who is going to pay for this public telephone network? The State of Maine notably funds 50 public interest payphones, which is not too dissimilar from the keypad-equipped call boxes found at highway rest stops in other states. Overall, though, this duty was left to the private sector. In contrast, the Lifeline program gives an individual subsidy that enables a niche cell phone market to thrive. Thus, within existing constraints, expanding enrollment in Lifeline, and putting Obamaphones in more hands, is the most economically viable option for those interested in public communications access. Reversing the retrenchment of public telephones- payphones or courtesy phones- is the next issue to address.

Where to Stand on Vape Shops

We are here for a loopy subject- drug testing. Many employers, including retail chains such as Home Depot and OfficeMax, have implemented random drug testing programs. It is commonsense to test forklift drivers, who often maneuver around mindless customers. A manager worth their salt can name the benefits: To ensure a productive workforce, improve workplace safety, protect material assets from damage, and reduce theft that funds an addiction. Other employers, most sizably those in the transportation industry, are required by law to maintain such a drug testing program. If you want to drive a truck, a school bus, or a tugboat, you've got to "pee in the cup". The most common practice onboard a ship is to drug test all crewmembers, even when not required by law (for example, galley staff without emergency response duties). For several decades, employees complied, willingly or begrudgingly. In the early days of random drug testing, some labor unions resisted the practice, but later changed their focus to educating and rehabilitating. For many professional mariners, it's unthinkable to jeopardize one's career over a marijuana joint: just say no, even if one believes in hypocritical dichotomy of approved/ socially acceptable drugs and vices (Nicotine, Alcohol, Ritalin), versus those seen as anti-social (Cannabis). "If you can't say no, I don't want you on my boat". Perhaps part of the drug testing regime is to evaluate one's ability to follow the rules: As far as use of prescription medications is concerned, fitness for duty is made between discretion of the employee and employer. Now, drug test failures are on the rise. There is certainly confusion and quality control issues concerning widely marketed supplements such as CBD Oils, low potency THC, and Delta-8. Full-fledged cannabis can be purchased over-the-counter in a growing number of states, and medical marijuana is widely available, even without federal sanction. Many members of Gen Z simply don't care about the consequences of failing a drug test. While the worst that a retail employer can do is fire the employee, failing a drug test while holding a credential will usually lead to suspension or revocation, and incur a lengthy and costly process to return to employability. Entry-level crewmembers may not see the value in return-to-work, and leave the industry altogether. To this end, employees need to understand that heavy equipment and mind-altering substances are a bad mix. To the government's end, it is due time to recalibrate the cannabis threshold to better detect recent use, as Canada has done.

No Tax on Overtime?

On lonely night watches onboard the USNS Supply as a Third Engineer, I often contemplated that the tax rate on overtime pay should not be higher than a worker's regular wages. After all, overtime is usually worked during nights and weekends for the convenience of the employer (rather than the employee), and workplace accidents are most likely to happen after working over 40 hours in a week. No tax on overtime? A better deal than I could ever imagine. This would have been a pipe dream, except one state has actually tried it. Alabama made this a reality, at least temporarily, in an effort to alleviate labor shortages. The offer of untaxed overtime wages sounds too good to be true, and the plan will probably be axed by the bean counters who work for Congress. Yet the affordable suburbs of the Northeast, home to cops and firefighters and transportation workers, ate this up wholeheartedly. These are places like Ocean County, NJ (outside of New York City) and Stafford County, VA (outside of Washington, DC), where half of a blue collar civil servant's paycheck can come from overtime pay. If implemented, this could mean a significant rollback in income tax for an unsung group. As a counterpoint, the Hampton Roads region of Virginia has a large number of overtime-eligible workers (particularly among civilian employees in the shipyards and aviation hangars). However, there was no big move towards Trump. After working locally for several years, I realized that the South prefers to spend time with friends and family, rather than maximizing a paycheck.

Back to 2016

I remember lounging in my friend’s minibus on Election Night 2016. It was a weeknight, and we’d have to be back on the ship in the morning. Donald Trump won Wisconsin; I knew the election was over at this point, since the midwestern “blue wall” had been broached by Republicans for the first time in my life. We’re eight years down the stream, and some of the long-term projects from the original Trump administration have come to life. Eight years is enough time to get things done, even on the governmental timescale. Most monumental for American mariners is the construction of new, oceangoing training ships, two of which are now in service (in New York and Massachusetts). At the deckplate level, the training ships are admittedly controversial, since they have not been assigned to a continuing education role, and have only been used in original licensing programs. Nevertheless, they were a significant investment, and employ American mariners as staff and crewmembers. To an extent, it feels that we are entering Trump’s third term. Former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who spearheaded that shipbuilding project, resigned after the events of 1/6/2021 (don’t forget that date!), and we haven’t had someone to fill those experienced shoes: Pete Buttigieg and Sean Duffy both have entered their roles without significant maritime experience.

Never Fear! I’m Still Here!

If you follow my biweekly posting schedule, you will notice that I owe you another fine maritime blog post. The honest truth is that I've been occupied by a couple once-in-a-lifetime events, and several other notable occasions. The first of these is my brother's wedding. (My only sibling, to add). A very fine week in Reykjavik, Iceland, in which I got to meet the bride's family, and my brother's circle of friends from the fire and rescue world (the mere word "firehouse" wouldn't do it justice), and from the maritime world- some sailing and some now ashore. I must say that "boat people", even us with the high-end college degrees and most potential to integrate with shoreside society- have a certain way of speaking, of addressing challenges, and in viewing the world through well-travelled eyes. I will be spending the next two weeks at the American Maritime Officers' training center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I will be studying gas turbine propulsion, which I last experienced at sea as a Third Assistant Engineer on the USNS Supply in 2017. This capstone course- if successfully completed- would qualify me to serve as a Chief Engineer onboard that class of vessel. Again, once-in-a-lifetime, as this qualification is good for life. On another note, for about six months I was the owner of a commuter van. It was a medium-top Ford Transit 350 with space for 14 seats- I opted to remove the back row in favor of storage space. Indeed, I am one to go for action, and not just words about the needs for better transit. Through this endeavor, I learned about the challenges and opportunities of operating a vehicle fleet of one, including the nuances of permitting, regulation, and taxation. I decided to wrap up that little enterprise on account of my upcoming return to sea, finalizing the sale to Carvana today.

The Aftermath

"Chief, where do we go during a tornado?" I was a Junior year maritime student, working a couple of weeks onboard a pierside ship in Norfolk, VA when a tornado warning came through in the middle of the night. "You're safe onboard the ship", the Chief Engineer replied. Florida has received its bouts of weather misfortune in recent years, but Hurricane Milton appears to be the worst. The rrcovery efforts are overshadowed by political news during this election season, but the individual and collective efforts of cleanup and recovery must go on. One thing I noticed was the frequent reminder online that Merchant Mariner Credentials could be replaced free of charge if required. While it is recommended to bring your important papers - and licenses- when you evacuate home, unforseen circumstances do happen. Florida is home to many American deep sea mariners, for various reasons (taxation, and being home to deep sea ports and mariner training centers), so Hurricane Milton's personal impact follows to sea. This is the time of year when established mariners seek to be at sea, in order to be home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I have not heard reports, but I would surmise that many mariners are eager to take a leave of absence to make sure their homes and families are okay. As much as utility crews and building contractors were lined up, waiting for the storm to pass, mariners 'on the beach' should be willing to pitch in. This could mean helping a co-worker clean up their home, or to fill in a short hitch at sea. Let us know how we can help.