“To the spread of our trade in peace and the defense of our flag in war a great and prosperous merchant marine is indispensable. We should have ships of our own and seamen of our own to convey our goods to neutral markets, and in case of need, to reinforce our battle line.”

-President Theodore Roosevelt

In this episode of the show, I delve into the weeds of international shipping and commerce with Michael Gordon-Tennant. Mike is one of my closest friends going back to 2007 when we met in the local Baltimore swing dancing scene.  Swing DANCE, not swing… perve, get your mind out of the gutter!

ANYWAY…

I’ve been a bit hot and bothered with the delayed recovery in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Lots of smart people who’s podcasts I listen to say a big part of this is the obscure thing called “The Jones Act,” which, if you listen to the shows I’ve heard…”is a huge part of the problem with the recovery as it makes the cost of goods for the recovery significantly more expensive.” As a one of the mariners on these container ships for the last 12+ years, Mike has a great take on it and makes a great argument both for keeping it in place, and common sense ways around its restrictions in times of emergency like with Puerto Rico.

This one was fun! Mike’s a stitch, and you will love this one.

Thanks for listening.