Are the splashy headlines about unprecedented supply chain chaos nothing more than a smokescreen to cover up the failings of West Coast Democrats? Establishing a link between anti-business liberal regulations and supply chain chaos seems like something of a stretch at first blush. But when you start to look at the hard data and recent attempts by the fake news media to protect California lawmakers from criticism, the facts point to Republican-run states handling increases in the supply chain much better.
Consider for a moment that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach suffer the worst bottlenecks in U.S. history. Reports peg the number of cargo ships anchored off the coast at between 60 and 80. Primarily container ships carrying retail goods, some sit idle for weeks. Yet, the mainstream media has routinely pushed a narrative that these ports are uniquely vulnerable because they handle upwards of 40 percent of all containers. But what about other major ports?
Fact-based information indicates that Los Angeles ranks as the port handling the highest volume. The California port reportedly saw an increase from 4,872,493 TEUs in 2019 to 4,999,403 TEUs in 2020, a 2.6 percent increase. That insider “TEU” language is an industry-standard way of measuring container volume. Long Beach, ranked as the country’s third-largest port, saw 8 percent growth.
The narrative that these large ports would struggle to handle more volume seems to make sense. But truth be told, ports in Republican-run states have proven better prepared. The Port of Savannah ranks as the fourth-largest in the country and officials responded quickly when even a handful of ships experienced delays.
“Georgia Ports Authority employees (and longshoremen) work 24-7 here. Our bar pilots are constantly moving ships with the tide. Everybody’s doing what they can do. We still have a lot of containers on terminal, but just in the last few weeks, we’ve seen a 70 percent reduction in the long-term imports,” ports authority director Griff Lynch reportedly said. “That’s thanks to the trucking community, the warehouse community, and our major retail customers. This terminal is very fluid. We are not at a standstill.”
The proactive measures of the largely Republican-run state contrast the failed initiatives in California. For example, port of Long Beach officials recently tried to run 24-7, but quickly discovered they had no takers. In the first week, zero containers were picked up during extended hours.
The reports of expanded hours may have prompted Joe Biden to pressure the Port of Los Angeles to follow suit. But freight hauling insiders have called his mandate to keep L.A. open 24-7 “dumb.” The truth of the matter is that insiders peg the port’s workforce at about 4,500 people. Splitting a portion off into another shift does nothing to improve production. That backward business approach also fails to account for reports that warehouses are at 98 percent capacity in Southern California. Even if the cargo gets offloaded, liberal California has no place to put it.
By contrast, GOP-led South Carolina recently invested billions to deepen the Charleston port to 52 feet, so ships are no longer subject to tide delays. The proactive leadership at the South Carolina Ports Authority also announced an investment into modernizing its truck pool with new chassis that are better equipped to move containers and other loads.
What has liberal California done? Passed an AB5 law that alienated independent truckers, many of whom left the state. Talk about a self-inflicted trucker driver shortage wound.
But everyday people can rest assured that foolish Democrat policies and laws are a huge part of the problem. Outfits such as left-leaning PolitiFact have tried to muddy the waters time and time again with misinformation. This time, PolitiFact runs headlines such as “California’s trucking regulations may have had an impact on port backups, but there’s more to it.”
Yes, there’s a great deal more to it. But the hard facts are that liberal extremists states such as California are experiencing record-breaking supply chain logjams. Houston, Savannah, Charleston, and other top-10 ports in GOP-run states also saw record-setting volume increases as well. But they minimized delays while California spins out of control.
When are the people that can make change get of there asses and DO SOMETHING POSITIVE for the AMERICAN PEOPLE….I find it HARD TO BELEIVE that the majority of Americans are finding out what BAFOON BIDEN is doing is good for AMERICA. I for one DO NOT think any of what this BAFOON IN OFFICE has done in 10 months even RESEMBLES AN AMERICA that we had Just 10 months ago….PLEASE REPUBLICAN’s in office FIX THIS BEFOR IT GET’S to be UN-FIXABLE
It’s because democrats are completely useless. Instead of doing their job, for the people who (stupidly) elected them, all they are concerned with is ridiculous “woke” bulls@#t. JUST DO YOUR JOB’S YOU FOOLS!
California is only allowing TEAMSTER UNION haulers and drivers to pick up containers. Independent and privately owned trucker companies have come to help take care of the backlog and ARE BEING TURNED AWAY BECAUSE NOT TEAMSTER UNION MEMBERS. The private companies, often owned by family started companies that worked hard to grow their business, competition not wanted by the Teamsters. So California, and likely NY with another backlog, are cutting off their nose to limit drivers and trucks to the big Democratic donor Teamster group. Container ships are starting to leave California and travel to ports in Florida, Savannah, Chaleston because even with added travel time, they can get unloaded faster so they can get back and pick up waiting, backed up loads around the world. And southeast ports always run 24/7, so nothing new.
Biden’s Transportation “Czar” Buttigieg doesn’t talk about this, just said it may be a COUPLE YEARS before backlog is taken care of ! Genius. And he’s the one the Dems are considering for 2024 Presidential run. God help us from idiots. He’s also put into the $3.5-5.5T bill to replace “racist roads and bridges”. He says one of them is I-10 going thru Louisiana and New Orleans, because it runs thru black neighborhoods. Wants to tear it all out, claim eminent domain and tear out homes and businesses. Blacks in the current interstate location are furious; they like the road where it is. He hadn’t asked them.
Living here in CA, we knew that AB5 was going to be a disaster. The people did not want it, the state legislature passed it anyway (Lorena Gonzalez is a communist). The people then passed a law to protect Uber and Lyft from AB5. Well, it still impacted the truckers. AB5 is nothing but a communist idea to force truckers to not be independent. This would force them to be employed by a company so the company has to pay for their healthcare. It also was a way to force them into unions so the Democrat (losers that change the rules every time they lose) get more money. It is all very basic. The communist try to make it sound complicated, but it is not. They simply want to tell you what to do. PS – FJB
UNIONS are the Root Of Most EVIL in America! They were formed to help bring safety to American Workers back in the 1930’s & have WORE OUT THEIR WELCOME! We have OSHA to protect workers so dump the Unions & save your Dues & it’ll LOWER COSTS ON ALL PRODUCTS! That’s why companies take their businesses overseas! It’s cheaper & they don’t Face Grievances daily!!!
Re: replacement of roads and bridges:
There are not enough words to use to explain the ineptness of our current government and the wrongs they are inflicting on our wonderful country! Who in the world could imagine calling a road or a bridge “racist”? It is more than ludicrous! What will become of all of us with these “hair-brain” ideas? It appears that people , never mind their color, their homes and their ideas are worthless in the eyes of those in power!!
Just who do they think they are?
Liberals pat themselves on the back so hard, they break an arm. Tear down America because Washington had slaves. Well, let’s go back a tiny bit , shallow we? Where did those slaves come from? Why, from black warlords that conquered other villages, then sold the men off, and kept the women for themselves. Who is listed as the first slave owner in America? I forget his name, but, he was black. And lastly, show me a race that hasn’t been enslaved at some point in time. Every race has been, including whites. So, it’s time for all the freebies for black and Hispanic people to end. We are sick of paying more to help people that sit on their behind and complain they don’t get a free Mercedes Benz.
Democrats want total political control over the US. They do not mind destroying the American economy to get that control – which is being accomplished by allowing unions (which ALL Democrats love) to control what is happening in the US ports that they do control. Then the unions will pay them back when Democrats run for re-election. This process has been used by American hating Communist regimes (Soviet Union) since the old war started. It is still being used, but this time by American politicians that have been “bought” by ChiCom money.
All Americans should understand that, in politics, money controls EVERYTHING!