On September 8th, the Bush administration proclaimed a suspension of the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage laws in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.  Their stated motivation, echoed the other day by Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan, was to "...open up access to more business -- small businesses, including women-owned and minority-owned businesses. [Suspending the act] cuts through the red tape and helps us move forward quickly to address the needs of the people in the region and to provide substantial savings."

Let's examine these claims, and evaluate what's lost when you suspend these regulations.

Read more »